Skip to main content

Full text of "The history of Holt and Atchison counties, Missouri : containing a history of these counties, their cities, towns, etc., etc. : biographical sketches of their citizens, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of Missouri, map of Holt and Atchison counties, etc"

See other formats


UTAH 


Do  Not 
circulate 


/  OCj    


bo  Not 


Do 


.  wfr 


f 


2 


^ 


74 


THE 


HISTORY 


OF 


Holt  %  Atchison  Counties, 


MISSOURI 


CONTAINING 


A  HISTORY  OF  THESE  COUNTIES,  THEIR  CITIES,  TOWNS,  ETC.,  ETC., 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES  OF  THEIR  CITIZENS,  GENERAL  AND  LOCAL  STATISTICS,  POR- 
TRAITS OF  EARLY  SETTLERS  AND  PROMINENT    MEN,  HISTORY  OF 
MISSOURI,  MAP  OF  HOLT  AND  ATCHISON  COUNTIES,  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


ST.   JOSEPH,  MO.: 

NATIONAL    HISTORICAL   COMPANY, 

1882. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1882,  by 

O.  P.  WILLIAMS  &  CO., 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


ST.  JOSEPH,   MO.: 
-    Joseph  STBAM  PRINT1NG  CoMPANYj  p,.^  ^^  ^ 

1882. 

THE  LIBRARY 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG  V!  i  # 

PROVO,  UTAH 


.37 


T.63 


T.  62 


fc> 


Q 

< 


V 


^ 


T.ai 


*>• 


PREFACE.J^e* 


What  wonderful  changes  a  few  years  have  wrought  in  Northwest 
Missouri  !  Less  than  forty-five  years  ago  not  a  single  white  man  dwelt 
within  the  present  limits  of  Holt  and  Atchison  Counties.  Their  soil 
had,  doubtless,  occasionally  been  pressed  by  the  reckless  hunter  and 
daring  adventurer,  but  their  beautiful  rolling  prairies,  their  charming 
timber-fringed  streams  and  enchanting  groves  were  the  homes  of  the 
antelope,  the  elk,  the  buffalo  and  the  red  man.  How  all  has  been 
changed  by  the  hand  of  progress  !  To-day  the  busy  hum  of  industry 
everywhere  resounds,  and  the  voice  of  culture  and  refinement  echo 
where  once  was  heard  the  howl  of  the  wild  beast  and  war-whoop  of  the 
Indian.  These  have  been  years  fraught  with  important  events  to  the 
sons  and  daughters  from  the  old  firesides  of  Kentucky,  Virginia,  Ten- 
nessee, Ohio  and  Indiana  and  from  the  more  distant  homes  beyond  the 
Atlantic.  The  energy  and  bravery  of  these  hardy  pioneers  and  their 
descendants  have  made  Holt -and  Atchison  Counties  what  they  are. 
Their  labors  have  caused  the  wilderness  to  "  bud  and  blossom  as  the 
rose."  and,  to  preserve  the  story  of  this  wonderful  change  and  to  hand 
it  down  to  posterity  as  a  link  in  the  history  of  the  great  State  of  which 
Holt  and  Atchison  Counties  form  integral  parts,  has  been  the  object  of 
this  book.  While  the  publishers  do  not  arrogate  to  themselves  a  degree 
of  accuracy  beyond  criticism,  they  hope  to  have  attained  a  large  measure 
of  exactness  in  the  compilation  and  arrangement  of  the  almost  innum- 
erable incidents  which  are  treated.  These  incidents  have  been  gleaned 
from  the  memory  and  notes  of  the  old  settlers,  and  although  an  error 
may  seemingly  occur  here  and  there,  the  reader  must  not  hastily  con- 
clude that  the  history  is  in  fault,  but  rather  test  his  opinion  with  that  of 
others  familiar  with  the  facts.  Among  those  whom  we  specially  men- 
tion as  having  greatly  assisted  us  in  the  preparation  of  this  work  are 


IV 


PREFACE. 


Hon.  Thomas  C.  Dungan,  Hon.  L.  R.  Knowles,  Hon.  James  Limbird, 
James  Scott,  Esq.,  Colonel  Clarke  Irvine  and  T.  H.  Parrish,  of  Holt 
County,  and  John  D.  Dopf,  Cyrus  N.  VanPelt,  Hon.  J.  P.  Lewis,  John  W. 
Smith,  M.  L.  Lee,  R.  W.  Trimble.  A.  E.  Wyatt,  L.  C.  Christian,  R.  Lynn, 
John  E.  Spurlock,  W.  T.  Buckham  and  D.  A.  Colvin,  of  Atchison  County. 
It  only  remains  for  us  to  tender  the  people  of  Holt  and  Atchison 
Counties  in  general  our  thanks  for  the  many  courtesies  extended  to  us' 
and  our  representatives  during  the  preparation  of  these  annals  ;  without 
their  friendly  aid,  this  history  would  have  been  left  beneath  the  debris 
of  time,  unwritten  and  unpreserved. 

The  Publishers. 


S&k 


■-*->->  if.- 


ICONTENTS^- 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 


Page. 


CHAPTER   I. 

LOUISIANA  PURCHASE— 
Brief  Historical    Sketch. 


CHAPTER  II. 

DESCRIPTIVE  AND  GEOGRAPHICAL— 
Name —  Extent —  Surface —  Rivers — 
Timber —  Climate — Prairies  — Soils — 
Population  by  Counties  ......       14 

CHAPTER   III. 

GEOLOGY   OF  MISSOURI- 

Classification  of  Rocks  — Quarternary 
Formation  —  Tertiary —  Cretaceous — 
Carboniferous  —  Devonian —  Silurian 
— Azoic — Economic  Geology — Coal 
— Iron — Lead — Copper- Zinc— Build- 
ing Stone — Marble — Gypsum — Lime 
Paints — Springs — Water  Power    .    .       20 

CHAPTER  IV. 

TITLE  AND  EARLY  SETTLEMENTS— 
Title    to   Missouri    Lands — Right    of 
Discovery — Title  of  France  and  Spain 

—  Cession  to  the  United  States — Ter- 
ritorial Changes — Treaties  with  In- 
dians—First Settlement — Ste.  Gene- 
vieve and  New  Bourbon — St.  Louis — 
When  Incorporated  —  Potosi  —  St. 
Charles — Portage  Des  Sioux  —  New 
Madrid — St.  Francois  County — Perry 

—  ississippi  —  Loutre  Island  — 
"Boone's  Lick" — Cote  Sans  Dessein 
— Howard County--Some  First  Things 

— Counties — When  Organized  ...       26 

CHAPTER  V. 


TERRITORIAL  ORGANIZATION— 

Organization  181 2— Council — House 
of  Representatives — Wm.  Clark  First 
Territorial  Governor — Edward  Hemp- 
stead First  Delegate — Spanish  Grants 
— First  General  Assembly — Proceed- 
ings— Second  Assembly —  Proceedings 
—  Population  of  Territory — Vote  of 
Territory  —  Rufus  Easton  —  Absent 
embers — Third  Assembly— Proceed- 
ings— Application   for  Admission  .    . 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Page. 


MISSOURI  ADMITTED  INTO  THEUNION— 
Application  of  Missouri  to  be  Admit- 
ted Into  the  Union — Agitation  of  the 
Slavery  Question-"Missouri  Compro- 
mise"— Constitutional  Convention  of 
1820— Constitution  Presented  to  Con- 
gress— Further  Resistance  to  Admis- 
sion— Mr.  Clay  and  his  Committee 
Make  Report — Second  Compromise— . 
Missouri  Admitted 35 

CHAPTER    VII. 

MISSOURI  AS  A  STATE— 

First  Election  for  Governor  and  Other 
State  Officers— Senators  and  Repre- 
sentatives to  General  Assembly-Sher- 
iffs and  Coroners— United  States  Sena- 
tors— Representatives  in  Congress-Su- 
preme Court  Judges— Counties  Organ- 
ized— Capital  Moved  to  St.  Charles — 
Official  Record  of  Territorial  and 
State  Officers 40 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

EARLY  MILITARY  RECORD— 

Black  Hawk  War — Mormon  Difficul- 
ties—  Florida  War — Mexican    War..     46 

CHAPTER  IX. 

CIVIL  WAR  IN  MISSOURI— 

Fort  Sumpter  Fired  Upon — CaT  for 
75,000  Men — Gov.  Jackson  Refuses  to 
Furnish  a  Man — U.S.  Arsenal  at  Lib- 
erty Seized — Proclamation  of  Gov. 
Jackson— General  Order  No.  7— Leg- 
islature Convenes  —  Camp  Jackson 
Organized — Sterling  Price  Appointed 
Major  General  —  Frost's  Letter  to 
Lyon — Lyon's  Letter  to  Frost — Sur- 
render of  Camp  Jackson — Proclama- 
tion of  Gen.  Harney — Conference 
Between  Price  and  Harney — Harney 
Superceded  by  Lyon— Second  Confer- 
ence— Governor  Jackson  Burns  the 
Bridges  Behind  Him— Proclamation 
of  Gov.  Jackson — Gen.  Blair  Takes 
Possession  of  Jefferson  City — Procla- 
mation of  Lyon— Lyon  at  Springfield 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

— State  Offices  Declared  Vacant — 
Gen.  Fremont  Assumes  Command — 
Proclamation  of  Lieut.  Gov.  Rey- 
nolds— Proclamation  of  Jeff.  Thomp- 
son and  Gov.  Jackson — Death  of  Gen. 
Lyon — Succeeded  by  Sturgis— Procla- 
mation of  McCullough  and  Gamble 
— Martial  Law  Declared  —  Second 
Proclamation  of  Jeff.  Thompson — 
President  Modifies  Fremont's  Order — 
Fremont  Relieved  by  Hunter — Proc- 
lamation of  Price — Hunter's  Order 
of  Assessment  —  Hunter  Declares 
Martial  Law  —  Order  Relating  to 
Newspapers — Halleck  Succeeds  Hun- 
ter— Halleck's  Order  81 — SimilarOr- 
der  by  Halleck  —  Boone  County 
Standard  Confiscated — Execution  of 
Prisoners  at  Macon  and  Palmyra — 
Gen.  Ewing's  Order  No.  II — Gen. 
Rosecrans  Takes  Command — Massa- 
cre at  Centralia — Death  of  Bill  An- 
derson— Gen.  Dodge  Succeeds  Gen. 
Rosecrans — List   of   Battles  ....       51 

CHAPTER  X. 
AGRICULTURE  AND  MATERIAL  WEALTH— 
Missouri  as  an  Agricultural  State — 
The  Different  Crops  —  Live  Stock — 
Horses  and  Mules — Milch  Cows — 
Oxen  and  Other  Cattle-  Sheep—Hogs 
— Comparisons — Missouri  Adapted  to 
Live  Stock  —  Cotton  —  Broom  Corn 
and  Other  Products — Fruits — Berries 


Page. 
*  — Grapes — Railroads — First  Neigh  of 
the    "Iron    Horse"    in    Missouri — 
Names  of  Railroads — Manufactures — 
Great  Bridge  ac  Si.  Louis 60 

CHAPTER  XI. 

EDUCATION— 

Public  School  System — Public  School 
System  of  Missouri — Lincoln  Insti- 
tute— Officers  of  Public  School  Sys- 
tem— Certificates  of  Teachers — Uni- 
versity of  Missouri  —  Schools — Col- 
leges— Institutions  of  Learning — Lo- 
cation—  Libraries — Newspapers  and 
Periodicals  —  Number  of  School 
Children — Amount  Expended — Value 
of  Grounds  and  Buildings — "  The 
Press  " 66 

CHAPTER  XII. 

RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS- 

Baptist  Church — Its  History—Congre- 
gational— When  Founded — Its  His- 
tory— Christian  Church — Its  History 
— Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church — 
Its  History  —  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  —  Its  History  — Presbyterian 
Church  —  Its  History  —  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  —  Its  History — 
United  Presbyterian  Church  —  Its 
History— Unitarian  Church — Its  His- 
tory— Roman  Catholic  Church — Its 
History 73 


HISTORY  OF  HOLT  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   I. 
PREFATORY— 

History  of  Holt  County  .    . 


79 


CHAPTER  II. 
PLATTE  PURCHASE— 

The  Platte  Country — Correspondence 
in  Reference  Thereto — Meeting  at 
Liberty,  Missouri — Its  Object — Me- 
morial— Efforts  of  Benton  and  Linn — 
Treaty  with  the  loways,  Sacs  and  Fox 
Indians 85 

CHAPTER  III. 
GEOLOGY  OF  HOLT  COUNTY - 

Location — Boundary — Area  — Topog- 
raphy —  Timber  —  Prairie  —  Soil  — 
Streams — Coal — Grindstones —  Lime- 
stone— Mineral  Resources — Cement 
Works — Gold  Mines 93 

CHAPTER  IV. 

HOLT  COUNTY  ORGANIZED— 

Act  Organizing  Holt  County — Terri 
tory  of  Neatawah — Hon.  D.  R.  Holt 
— First  County  Court — Its  Proceedings 
— Orders  —  Ferries  —  Townships  Or- 
ganized— First  Election — Report  of 
Commissioners  on  County  Seat — Sub- 
sequent Proceedings— Revenue — First 


Circuit  Court— Its  Proceedings— First 
Grand  Jury— Indictments— First  In- 
struments Recorded— Early  Marriages.   100 


CHAPTER  V. 

FIRST  SETTLEMENTS— 


114 


CHAPTER  VI. 


COUNTY  AND  TOWNSHIP  SYSTEM-  _ 
Government    Surveys  —  Organization 
of  Townships •    ■     1 17 

CHAPTER  VII. 

BENTON  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries— Physical  Features— Ear- 
ly Settlers— Mineral  Resources — Jack-' 
son's  Point  —  First  School  —  First 
Preacher  —  Mound  City  —  Public 
School— Masonic  Fraternity-Churches 
— Mills-  Newspapers — Professional— 
R.  R  Facilities— Bank— Biographical.  125. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

BIGELOW  TOWNSHIP— 

Bigelow  Township  Boundaries — Phy- 
sical Features — Early  Settlers— First 
Mercantile  Enterprise  —  Churches — 
Isaac  Hays — Bigelow — Biographical.    190 


CONTENTS. 


Vll 


CHAPTER    IX. 


Page. 


CLAY  TOWNSHIP- 

Boundaries  —  Physical  Features  — 
Eaily  Settlers— Whig  Valley— Mait- 
land — Schools  —  Churches — Business 
Directory-.— Biographical 204 

CHAPTER  X. 
FORBES  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries  —  Physical  Features  — 
Streams— Early  Settlers— First  Preach- 
er —  First  Church  Organized — First 
School— Other  Early  Settlers— First 
Physician — Buildings  and  People  — 
Dallas-  -West  Union— Forbes — Edu- 
cational— Present  Business — Shipping 
Station— Biographical 235 

CHAPTER  XI. 
HICKORY  TOWNSHIP— 

Hickory  Township  Boundaries  — 
Early  Settlers  —  Nickols'  Grove — 
First  School  House — First  Preacher — 
First  Physician,  Etc —First  Mill— 
Dunkard  Church  —  New  Point  — 
Churches  —  Water  —  Short  Horns — 
Orchards — Biographical 261 

CHAPTER  XII. 
LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries  —  Physical  Features  — 
Early  Settlers — Hemme's  Landing — 
Corning  —  Tarkio  Valley  Branch  — 
Mills  and  Elevators — Newspapers — 
Business  Directory— Biographical  .    .    285 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

LEWIS  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries  —  Physical  Features  — 
Early  Settlements — The  First  Church 
—First  Distillery— First  Post  Office- 
Pioneer  Merchants— William  Banks — 
Banks'  Spring  —  Manx  Men— Daniel 
Zook — The  Float  Bridge — Populus 
Tremula — Road  from  Oregon  to  For- 
est City — Mills 304 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
OREGON  AND  FOREST  CITY— 

When  Laid  Out  and  Named  Finley— 
Changed  to  Oregon — First  and  Sec- 
ond Sale  of  Lots — Special  Act  of 
Congress — Early  Settlers — Baildings 
— County  Court— First  School — First 
Preacher  —  Physicians — Postmaster — 
Lightning —  Mill — Churches — Secret 
Societies — Woman's  Union — Literary 
Societies — Normal  and  Public  Schools 
— Newspaper  Enterprises — Improve- 
ments—Banks—  Business — Mayors — 
Concluding  Remarks — Postmasters — 
Forest  City— Early  Buildings— Schools 
— Hotel — Early  Business — Brewery — 
Town  Incorporated — Churches — Se- 
cret Orders — Banks — Newspapers — 
Mills  and  Manufactures — Present  Bus 
iness— Original  Settlers — Indian  Bur- 
ial Ground — Shipping  Interests — Bio- 
graphical     320 


Page. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


LIBERTY   TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries—  Physical  Features— Early 
Settlers-  -New  Liberty  Church — Bio- 
graphical    419 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

NODAWAY  TOWNSHIP— 

Nodaway  Township — Physical  Fea- 
tures —  Early  Settlers  —  Churches  — 
Schools  —  Mills— Richville— Fruit- 
Early  Pugilists — Timber — Biographi- 
cal  437 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

UNION  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries — Physical  Features — Ear- 
ly Settlers-Defunct  Towns— Churches 
— Craig — Churches  and  Societies — 
The  Flood — When  Town  was  Char- 
tered— Business  Directory — Biograph- 
ical   45° 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

PUBLIC  BUILDINGS  AND   IMPROVEMENTS- 

First    Court    House — Second     Court 

House — Third     and     Present     Court 

House — Jails— Public  Square-  County 

Poor  Farm 478 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
HOLT  COUNTY  BENCH  AND  BAR— 

Hon.  Henry  S.  Kelley — Daniel  Zook, 
Esq— E.  Van  Buskirk— Hon.  T.  C. 
Dungan — Hon.  Thomas  H.  Parrish — 
Hon.  James  Limbird — Charles  W. 
Thomas,  Esq.— L.  R.  Knowles,  Esq. 
— Leigh  H.  Irvine— Samuel  F.O'Fal- 
lon — Early  Members  of  the  Bar .  .  .  486 
CHAPTER  XX. 
CRIMES— 

Trial  of  John  Lawrence— Simero  Trag- 
edy— Killing  of  John  Taylor  ....    493 
CHAPTER    XXI. 

AGRICULTURAL  INTERESTS— 

Cereal  Production  —  Stock — Fruit — 
Nurseries  —  Vineyards  —  Sorghum — 
Fairs — Holt  County  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  Society — Swamp  Lands — 

People 5°4 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

RAILROADS,  SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES- 
Platte  Country  Railroad — Kansas  City, 
St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad 
— Nodaway  Valley  Branch — Tarkio 
Valley  Branch— Shipments  for  1881 — 
Railroad  Meeting  at  Oregon — Public 
Schools — Pioneer  School  House — 
Number  of  Schools  in  the  County — 
Enumeration  for  1881 — Average  Num- 
ber Attending — Number  of  Male  and 
Female  Teachers — Annual  Distribu- 
tion— Principal  of  the  Various  School 
Funds — Fines  and  Penalties — Wages 
to  Teachers  — Expenses — School  Com- 
missioners— Churches — Early  M  inis- 
ters — Bishop  Marvin's  Letter — First 
Sunday  School 518 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
FINANCIAL  AND  POLITICAL— 

■         •■•••••■•••• 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
OFFICIAL  DIRECTORY— 


Page. 
.  528 
.     561 


CHAPTER   XXV. 
GOLD  SEEKERS  OF  1849— 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

REMINISCENCES  OF  AN  OLD   PIONEER- 


Page. 
•    S64 


573 


HISTORY  OF  ATCHISON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ACT  ORGANIZING  THE  COU-NTY  OF  ATCHI- 
SON- 
Biographical   Sketch  of  General   D. 

R.  Atchison 585 

CHAPTER  II. 

PHYSICAL  FEATURES— 

Location  —  Boundary  —  Surface  — 
Streams  —  Timber  —  Climate  and 
Health— Rainfall— Prairie 588 

CHAPTER  III. 

GEOLOGY  OF  ATCHISON  COUNTY— 


595 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FIRST  COURTS  ORGANIZED— 

County  Court  Organized  —  Its  Pro- 
ceedings—The Circuit  Court — Attor- 
neys— Grand  Jurors — First  Cases — 
Entries — Bills  of  Indictment — Con- 
veyances— Early  Marriages 602 

CHAPTER  V. 

FIRST  SETTLEMENTS— 

Importance    of    First    Beginnings  — 
When  and  Where  Commenced..  .    .    610 
CHAPTER  VI. 

PIONEER  LIFE— 

Pioneers'  Peculiarities — Conveniences 
and  Inconveniences — The  Historical 
Log  Cabin — Agricultural  Implements 
— Household  Furniture  —  Pioneer 
Corn-Bread — Hand  Mills  and  Homi- 
ny Blocks — Going  to  Mill — Trading 
Points  —  Bee-Trees  —  Shooting 
Matches  and  Quihings 617 

CHAPTER  VII. 
ORIGINAL  TOWNSHIPS— 


628 


VIII. 


CHAPTER 
BENTON  TOWNSHIP— 

Topography — Bridges — Early  Settle- 
ment —  Ferries  —  Churches — Mills — 
Biographical 630 

CHAPTER  IX. 
CLAY  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries —  Physical  Aspect  — 
Bridges — Millsaps,  the  Pioneer — Ear- 
ly Settlers — Mills — First  Store — First 
Blacksmith  —  German  Colony — Pio- 
neer School  —  Rock 
Blacksmith  of  Rock 
Hotel  —  First  Livery 
Brewery  —  The  Bank 
County —  Municipal  —  Extension  of 
Corporate  Limits — Second  Incorpora- 


Port — Pioneer 

Port — Pioneer 

Stable  —  City 

of    Atchison 


tion — Incorporation  as  a  City  of  the 
Fourth  Class— County  Officials— Ear- 
ly Churches  —  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South — Present  Religious  Or- 
ganizations— Christian  Church — M  is- 
sionary  Baptist  Church — German  Lu- 
theran Church — Methodist  Episcopal  ■ 
Church  —  Old  School  Presbyterian 
Church — Public  Schools  of  Rock  Port 
—Rock  Port  College  —  North  Star 
Lodge,  A.  F.  and  A.  M — Zerubbabel 
R.  A.  C. — Adoniram  Council,  R.  and 
S.  M— I.  O.  O.  F.— A.  O.  U.  W.— 
Business  of  1882 — Union  City  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church — Pleas- 
ant Grove  Christian  Church  —  Bio- 
graphical   641 

CHAPTER   X. 

CLARK  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries — Topography — Bridges — 
Early  Settlers — Schools — Churches — 
Irish  Grove — Secret  Orders — Milton — 
Fairfax — Churches — Secret  Orders' — 
Schools — Incorporation — Business  Di- 
rectory— Town  Officers  —  Population 
of  Fairfax  —  Nishnebotna — Business 
Directory — Early  Settlers — Coal — Bi- 
ographical     721 

CHAPTER  XL 

DALE  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries  and  Organization — Topo- 
graphy —  Timber —  Bridges  — Early 
Settlers — Dothan — Elk  Dale — Schools 

—  Churches — Biographical.    .    .    .     755 

CHAPTER  XII. 
LINCOLN   TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries  — Topography — Timber — 
Bridges  —  Early  Settlers  —  Churches 

—  Westboro — Business  Directory  — 
Secret  Orders — Churches — Schools — 
Population — Pioneers  of  the  Town — 
Biographical 789 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

NISHNEBOTNA  TOWNSHIP— 

Topography  —  Bridge — The  Flood — 
Early  Settlement — Sonora  Laid  Out — 
Sonora  Incorporated — Pioneer  Mill — 
Dr.Wyatt — Business  Enterprise — Pork 
Packing  —  Churches — Societies — Saw 
Mill  — Yorktown — Watson — Postmas- 
ters— Churches — School  House — In- 
corporation of  Watson  —  Odd  Fel- 
lows— Masonic — Business  of  1882 — 
Shipping  Interests  —  Biograpical  .    .    817 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


Page. 


POLK  TOWNSHIP— 

Topography  -Water  Courses-Bridges- 
Early  Settlers — Linden — First  House 
— First  Physician — First  Blacksmith — 
Postmasters — Religious  Organizations 
— Original  Court  House — Hotel — Odd 
Fellows — Linden  of  To  Day — Neigh 
borhood  of  Linden — Mills — Country 
Churches — High  Creek  Baptist 
Church — Grange  Hall — Biographical.  848 

CHAPTER  XV. 
BUCHANAAN  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundary — West  Buchanan  Township 
— Topographical  Features  —  Bridges 
— The  Pioneer  and  His  Indian  Prog- 
eny— Subsequent  Early  Settlers — El 
Paso — Sacramento  City — Mills — First 
School — Churches  and  Religious  Or- 
ganizations— The  Great  Overflow — 
Biographical S69 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
TARKIO  TOWNSHIP— 

Boundaries  —  Topography — Divided 
Into  Precincts — Streams  and  Water 
Courses  —  Bridges — Early  Settlers — 
Center  Point— Tarkio — Incorporated 
— Business  Directory — Town  Officers 
— Shipments  of  Grain  and  Stock — 
Churches  —  Secret  Orders —  Bands — 
Halls  —  Hotels —  Banks — Population 
and  People  —  Christian  City —  Post 
Offices — Biographical 889 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
TEMPLETON  TOWNSHIP— 

Organization  and  Boundary — Physical 
Aspect  —  Bridges  —  Early  Settlers — 
Mills  —  Churches  —  Phelps  City- 
Churches — Schools —  Banks — Depots 
— Secret  Orders — Newspapers — Busi- 
ness Directory  —  Incorporation  of 
Phelps  City — Scott  City — Kalamazoo 
— Langdon  Post  Office — Biographi- 
cal   942 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

PUBLIC  BUILDINGS— 

First  Court  House — Removal  of  the 
County  Seat  from  Linden  to  Rock 
Port — Second  Court  House — Plans 
for  a  New  Court  House — Court  Orders 
a  Fire  Proof  Building — Petition  Ask- 
ing to  Build  Court  House — Election 
Ordered — Address  of  the  Court — 
Proposition  Defeated — Another  Peti- 
tion Presented — Second  Election  Or- 
dered— Address  of  the  Court — Result 
of  Election  —  Conclusions — County 
Poor  Farm 966 


Page. 
CHAPTER  XIX. 
AGRICULTURE  AND  STOCK— 

Atchison  as  an  Agricultural  County — 
Corn — Wheat — Barley — Live  Stock — 
Hogs — Cattle — Sheep — The  People — 
Fruit  Interest — Letter  of  R.  Lynn — 
Atchison  County  Agricultural  and  Me- 
chanical Association — Officers  and  Di- 
rectors— Fairs — Sale  of  Lots — Patrons 
of  Husbandry 989 

CHAPTER   XX. 

NEWSPAPERS,  RAILROADS,  PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS,  EARLY  CHURCHES  AND  MIN- 
ISTERS— 

Rock  Port  Weekly  Banner — Rock 
Port  Herald--Missouri  Express---Rock 
Port  Weekly  Sentinel — Rock  Port 
News — Grangers'  Advocate — Atchi- 
son Democrat — The  Sun — The  Dem- 
ocratic Mail — Atchison  County  Jour- 
nal— Real  Estate  Register — Phelps 
City  Record — Tarkio  Blade — Tarkio 
Republican — Fairfax  Independent — 
Watson  Times — Railroads — Quincy 
and  Nebraska  Railroad — Quincy,  Mis- 
souri and  Pacific — Kansas  City,  St. 
Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs — Tarkio 
Valley — Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pa- 
cific— Taxes — Miles  of  Track — Grain 
and  Stock — Public  Schools — Enumer- 
ation— County,  State  and  Township 
Funds  —  Superintende  n  t  s  —  Early 
Churches  and  Ministers 998 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
BENCH  AND  BAR— 

IOO9 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
CRIMES,  INCIDENTS,  ACCIDENTS— 

Freeman  Halsey — Daniel  Lafollett — 
Murder  of  Captain  S.  A.  Hunter — 
Robertson  Hung  by  a  Mob — Bill 
Lewis — A  Mysterious  Affair — Desper- 
ate Affray — High  Winds  and  Storms 
— Earthquake 1016 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
FINANCIAL  HISTORY— 

1023 

CHAPTER  XXIV.       * 
OFFICIAL  DIRECTORY— 

1026 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

BRIDGES,   POST    OFFICES,    OLD   SETTLERS, 
CALIFORNIA  EMIGRANTS— 
IO30 

LITHOGRAPHIC  PORTRAITS- 

John  S.  Dopf 689 

David  Rankin 923 


History  of  Missouri. 


CHAPTER  I. 
LOUISIANA  PURCHASE. 

BRIEF  HISTORICAL  SKETCH. 

The  purchase  of  the  vast  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  by 
the  United  States,  extending  through  Oregon  to  the  Pacific  coast  and 
south  to  the  dominions  of  Mexico,  constitutes  the  most  important  event 
that  ever  occurred  in  the  history  of  the  nation. 

It  gave  to  our  republic  additional  room  for  that  expansion  and  stu- 
pendous growth,  to  which  it  has  since  attained,  in  all  that  makes  it 
strong  and  enduring,  and  forms  the  seat  of  an  empire,  from  which  will 
radiate  an  influence  for  good  unequaled  in  the  annals  of  time.  In  1763, 
one  hundred  and  eighteen  years  ago,  the  immense  region  of  country, 
known  at  that  time  as  Louisiana,  was  ceded  to  Spain  by  France.  By  a 
secret  article,  in  the  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso,  concluded  in  1800,  Spain 
ceded  it  back  to  France.  Napoleon,  at  that  time,  coveted  the  island  of 
St.  Domingo,  not  only  because  of  the  value  of  its  products,  but  more 
especially  because  its  location  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  would,  in  a  military 
point  of  view,  afford  him  a  fine  field,  whence  he  could  the  more  effec- 
tively guard  his  newly  acquired  possessions.  Hence  he  desired  this 
cession  by  Spain  should  be  kept  a  profound  secret  until  he  succeeded  in 
reducing  St.  Domingo  to  submission.  In  this  undertaking,  however, 
his  hopes  were  blasted,  and  so  great  was  his  disappointment  that  he 
apparently  became  indifferent  to  the  advantages  to  be  derived  to  France 
from  his  purchase  of  Louisiana. 

In  1803  he  sent  out  Laussat  as  prefect  of  the  colony,  who  gave  the 
people  of  Louisiana  the  first  intimation  that  they  had  had,  that  they  had 
once  more  become  the  subjects  of  France.  This  was  the  occasion  of 
great  rejoicing  among  the  inhabitants,  who  were   Frenchmen   in  their 

origin,  habits,  manners  and  customs. 

i 


10  HISTORY  OF   MISSOURI. 

Mr.  Jefferson,  then  President  of  the  United  States,  on  being  in- 
formed of  the  retrocession,  immediately  dispatched  instructions  to 
•Robert  Livingston,  the  American  Minister  at  Paris,  to  make  known  to 
Napoleon  that  the  occupancy  of  New  Orleans,  by  his  government, 
would  not  only  endanger  the  friendly  relations  existing  between  the  two 
nations,  but,  perhaps,  oblige  the  United  States  to  make  common  cause 
with  England,  his  bitterest  and  most  dreaded  enemy,  as  the  possession 
of  the  city  by  France  would  give  her  command  of*  the  Mississippi,  which 
was  the  only  outlet  for  the  produce  of  the  Western  States,  and  give  her 
also  control  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  so  necessary  to  the  protection  of 
American  commerce.  Mr.  Jefferson  was  so  fully  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  the  occupancy  of  New  Orleans,  by  France,  would  bring  about 
a  conflict  of  interests  between  the  two  nations,  which  would  finally  cul- 
minate in  an  open  rupture,  that  he  urged  Mr.  Livingston,  to  not  only 
insist  upon  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  but  to  negotiate  for 
the  purchase  of  the  city  and  the  surrounding  country. 

The  question  of  this  negotiation  was  of  so  grave  a  character  to  the 
United  States  that  the  President  appointed  Mr.  Monroe,  with  full  power, 
to  act  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Livingston.  Ever  equal  to  all  emergen- 
cies, and  prompt  in  the  cabinet,  as  well  as  in  the  field,  Napoleon  came  to 
the  conclusion  that,  as  he  could  not  well  defend  his  occupancy  of  New 
Orleans,  he  would  dispose  of  it,  on  the  best  terms  possible.  Before, 
however,  taking  final  action  in  the  matter,  he  summoned  two  of  his  min- 
isters, and  addressed  them  as  follows  : 

"  I  am  fully  sensible  of  the  value  of  Louisiana,  and  it  was  my  wish 
to  repair  the  error  of  the  French  diplomatists  who  abandoned  it  in  1763. 
I  have  scarcely  recovered  it  before  I  run  the  risk  of  losing  it ;  but  if  I 
am  obliged  to  give  it  up,  it  shall  hereafter  cost  more  to  those  who  force 
me  to  part  with  it,  than  to  those  to  whom  I  shall  yield  it.  The  English 
have  despoiled  France  of  all  her  northern  possessions  in  America,  and 
now  they  covet  those  of  the  South.  I  am  determined  that  they  shall  not 
have  the  Mississippi.  Although  Louisiana  is  but  a  trifle  compared  to 
their  vast  possessions  in  other  parts  of  the  globe,  yet,  judging  from  the 
vexation  they  have  manifested  on  seeing  it  return  to  the  power  of 
France,  I  am  certain  that  their  first  object  will  be  to  gain  possession  of 
it.  They  will  probably  commence  the  war  in  that  quarter.  They  have 
twenty  vessels  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  our  affairs  in  St.  Domingo  are 
daily  getting  worse  since  the  death  of  LeClerc.  The  conquest  of  Lou- 
isiana might  be  easily  made,  and  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose  in  getting 
it  out  of  their  reach.  I  am  not  sure  but  that  they  have  already  begun  an 
attack  upon  it.  Such  a  measure  would  be  in  accordance  with  their 
habits  ;  and  in  their  place  I  should  not  wait.  I  am  inclined,  in  order  to 
deprive  them  of  all  prospect  of  ever  possessing  it,  to  cede  it  to  the 
United  States,     indeed,  I  can  hardly  say  that  I  cede  it,  for  I  do  not  yet 


HISTORY  OF   MISSOURI.  II 

possess  it ;  and  if  I  wait  but  a  short  time  my  enemies  may  leave  me 
nothing  but  an  empty  title  to  grant  to  the  republic  I  wish  to  conciliate. 
I  consider  the  whole  colony  as  lost,  and  I  believe  that  in  the  hands  of 
this  rising  power  it  will  be  more  useful  to  the  political  and  even  com- 
mercial interests  of  France  than  if  I  should  attempt  to  retain  it.  Let 
me  have  both  your  opinions  on  the  subject." 

One  of  his  ministers  approved  of  the  contemplated  cession,  but  the 
other  opposed  it.  The  matter  was  long  and  earnestly  discussed  by  them, 
before  the  conference  was  ended.  The  next  day  Napoleon  sent  for  the 
minister  who  had  agreed  with  him,  and  said  to  him  :  "  The  season  for 
deliberation  is  over.  I  have  determined  to  renounce  Louisiana.  I  shall 
give  up  not  only  New  Orleans,  but  the  whole  colony,  without  reserva- 
tion. That  I  do  not  undervalue  Louisiana,  I  have  sufficiently  proved,  as 
the  object  of  my  first  treaty  with  Spain  was  to  recover  it.  But  though  I 
regret  parting  with  it,  I  am  convinced  it  would  be  folly  to  persist  in  try- 
ing to  keep  it.  I  commission  you,  therefore,  to  negotiate  this  affair  with 
the  envoys  of  the  United  States.  Do  not  wait  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Monroe, 
but  go  this  very  day  and  confer  with  Mr.  Livingston.  Remember, 
however,  that  I  need  ample  funds  for  carrying  on  the  war,  and  I  do 
not  wish  to  commence  it  by  levying  new  taxes.  For  the  last  century 
France  and  Spain  have  incurred  great  expense  in  the  improvement 
of  Louisiana,  for  which  her  trade  has  never  indemnified  them.  Large 
sums  have  been  advanced  to  different  companies,  which  have  never  been 
returned  to  the  treasury.  It  is  fair  that  I  should  require  repayment  for 
these.  Were  I  to  regulate  my  demands  by  the  importance  of  this  terri- 
tory to  the  United  States,  they  would  be  unbounded  ;  but,  being  obliged 
to  part  with  it,  I  shall  be  moderate  in  my  terms.  Still,  remember,  I 
must  have  fifty  millions  of  francs,  and  I  will  not  consent  to  take 
less.  I  would  rather  make  some  desperate  effort  to  preserve  this  fine 
country." 

That  day  the  negotiations  commenced.  Mr.  Monroe  reached  Paris 
on  the  1 2th  of  April,  and  the  two  representatives  of  the  United  States, 
after  holding  a  private  interview,  announced  that  they  were  ready  to 
treat  for  the  entire  territory.  On  the  30th  of  April,  1803,  eighteen  days 
afterward,  the  treaty  was  signed,  and  on  the  21st  of  October,  of  the  same 
year,  Congress  ratified  the  treaty.  The  United  States  were  to  pay 
$11,250,000,  and  her  citizens  to  be  compensated  for  some  illegal  captures 
to  the  amount  of  $3,750,000,  making  in  the  aggregate  the  sum  of 
$15,000,000,  while  it  was  agreed  that  the  vessels  and  merchandise  of 
France  and  Spain  should  be  admitted  into  all  the  ports  of  Louisiana  free 
of  duty  f  jr  twelve  years.  Bonaparte  stipulated  in  favor  of  Louisiana, 
that  it  should  be,  as  soon  as  possible,  incorporated  into  the  Union,  and 
that  its  inhabitants  should  enjoy  the  same  rights,  privileges  and  immuni- 
ties as  other  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  the  clause  giving  to  them 


12  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

these  benefits,  was  drawn  up  by  Bonaparte,  who  presented  it  to  the 
plenipotentiaries  with  these  words :  "  Make  it  known  to  the  people  of 
Louisiana,  that  we  regret  to  part  with  them  ;  that  we  have  stipulated  for 
all  the  advantages  they  could  desire  ;  and  that  France,  in  giving  them 
up,  has  insured  to  them  the  greatest  of  all.  They  could  never  have  pros- 
pered under  any  European  government  as  they  will  when  they  become 
independent.  But  while  they  enjoy  the  privileges  of  liberty  let  them 
remember  that  they  are  French,  and  preserve  for  their  mother  country 
that  affection  which  a  common  origin  inspires." 

Complete  satisfaction  was  given  to  both  parties  in  the  terms 
of  the  treaty.  Mr.  Livingston  said :  "  I  consider  that  from  this 
day  the  United  States  takes  rank  with  the  first  powers  of  Europe,  and 
now  she  has  entirely  escaped  from  the  power  of  England,"  and  Bonaparte 
expressed  a  similar  sentiment  when  he  said  :  "  By  this  cession  of  terri- 
tory I  have  secured  the  power  of  the  United  States,  and  given  to 
England  a  maritime  rival,  who,  at  some  future  time,  will  humble  her 
pride."  These  were  prophetic  words,  for  within  a  few  years  afterward 
the  British  met  with  a  signal  defeat,  on  the  plains  of  the  very  territory 
of  which  the  great  Corsican  had  been  speaking. 

From  1800,  the  date  of  the  cession  made  by  Spain,  to  1803,  when  it 
was  purchased  by  the  United  States,  no  change  had  been  made  by  the 
French  authorities  in  the  jurisprudence  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Louis- 
iana, and  during  this  period  the  Spanish  laws  remained  in  full  force  as 
the  laws  of  the  entire  province  ;  a  fact  which  is  of  interest  to  those  who 
would  understand  the  legal  history  and  some  of  the  present  laws  of 
Missouri 

On  December  20th,  1803,  Gens.  Wilkinson  and  Claiborne,  who  were 
jointly  commissioned  to  take  possession  of  the  territory  for  the  United 
States,  arrived  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  at  the  head  of  the  American 
forces.  Laussat,  who  had  taken  possession  but  twenty  days  previously 
as  the  prefect  of  the  colony,  gave  up  his  command,  and  the  star-spangled 
banner  supplanted  the  tri-colored  flag  of  France.  The  agent  of  France, 
to  take  possession  of  Upper  Louisiana  from  the  Spanish  authorities,  was 
Amos  Stoddard,  captain  of  artillery  in  the  United  States  service.  He 
was  placed  in  possession  of  St.  Louis  on  the  9th  of  March,  1804,  by 
Charles  Dehault  Delassus,  the  Spanish  commandant,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing day  he  transferred  it  to  the  United  States.  The  authority  of  the 
United  States  in  Missouri  dates  from  this  day. 

Fi*om  that  moment  the  interests  of  the  people  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  became  identified.  They  were  troubled  no  more  with  the  uncer- 
tainties of  free  navigation.  The  great  river,  along  whose  banks  they 
had  planted  their  towns  and  villages,  now  afforded  them  a  safe  and  easy 
outlet  to  the  markets  of  the  world.  Under  the  protecting  aegis  of  a 
government,  republican   in  form,  and  having  free  access  to  an  almost 


H1STJRV   OF   MISSOURI.  13 

boundless  domain,  embracing  in  its  broad  area  the  diversified  climates  of 
the  globe,  and  possessing  a  soil  unsurpassed  for  fertility,  beauty  of 
scenery  and  wealth  of  minerals,  they  had  every  incentive  to  push  on 
their  enterprises  and  build  up  the  land  wherein  their  lot  had  been  cast. 

In  the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  it  was  known  that  a  great  empire  had 
been  secured  as  a  heritage  to  the  people  of  our  country,  for  all  time  to 
come,  but  of  its  grandeur,  its  possibilities,  its  inexhaustible  resources 
and  the  important  relations  it  would  sustain  to  the  nation  and  the  world, 
were  never  dreamed  of  by  even  Mr.  Jefferson  and  his  adroit  and  accom- 
plished diplomatists. 

The  most  ardent  imagination  never  conceived  of  the  progress, 
which  would  mark  the  history  of  the  "  Great  West."  The  adventurous 
pioneer,  who  fifty  years  ago  pitched  his  tent  upon  its  broad  prairies,  or 
t'-'-eaded  the  dark  labyrinths  of  its  lonely  forests,  little  thought  that  a 
mi  ;hty  tide  of  physical  and  intellectual  strength  would  so  rapidly  flow 
l.i  in  his  footsteps,  to  populate,  build  up  and  enrich  the  domain  which 
he  had  conquered. 

Year  after  year,  civilization  has  advanced  further  and  further,  until 

at  length  the  mountains,  the  plains,  the  hills  and  the  valleys,  and  even 

the  rocks  and  the  caverns,  resound  with   the   noise   and  din   of  busy 

millions. 

"  I  beheld  the  westward  marches 
Of  the  unknown  crowded  nations. 
All  the  land  was  full  of  people, 
Restless,  struggling,  toiling,  striving, 
Speaking  many  tongues,  yet  feeling 
But  one  heart- beat  in  their  bosoms. 
In  the  woodland  rang  their  axes,    . 
Smoked  their  towns  in  all  the  valleys; 
Over  all  the  lakes  and  rivers 
Rushed  their  great  canoes  of  thunder." 

In  1804  Congress,  by  an  act,  passed  in  April  of  the  same  year, 
divided  Louisiana  into  two  parts,  the  "  Territory  of  Orleans,"  and  the 
"District  of  Louisiana,"  known  as  "Upper  Louisiana."  This  district 
included  all  that  portion  of  the  old  province,  north  of  "Hope  Encamp- 
ment," on  the  Lower  Mississippi,  and  embraced  the  present  State  of 
Missouri,  and  all  the  western  region  of  country  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and 
all  below  the  forty-ninth  degree  of  north  latitude  not  claimed  by  Spain. 

As  a  matter  of  convenience,  on  March  26th,  1804,  Missouri  was 
placed  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  government  of  the  Territory  of 
Indiana,  and  its  government  put  in  motion  by  Gen.  William  H.  Harrison, 
then  governor  of  Indiana.  In  this  he  was  assisted  by  Judges  Griffin, 
Vanderberg  and  Davis,  who  established  in  St.  Louis  what  were  called 
Courts  of  Common  Pleas.  The  District  of  Louisiana  was  regularly 
organized  into  the  Territory  of  Louisiana  by  Congress,  March  3d,  1805, 


14  HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI. 

and  President  Jefferson  appointed  Gen.  James  Wilkinson  governor,  and 
Frederick  Bates  secretary.  The  Legislature  of  the  Territory  was  formed 
by  Governor  Wilkinson  and  Judges  R.  J.  Meigs  and  John  B.  C.  Lucas. 
In  1807  Governor  Wilkinson  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Meriwether 
Lewis,  who  had  become  famous  by  reason  of  his  having  made  the  expe- 
dition with  Clark.  Governor  Lewis  committed  suicide  in  1809,  and 
President  Madison  appointed  Gen.  Benjamin  Howard,  of  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  to  fill  his  place.  Gen.  Howard  resigned  October  25,  1810,  to 
enter  the  war  of  1812,  and  died  in  St.  Louis,  in  1814.  Captain  William 
Clark,  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  expedition,  was  appointed  governor  in  18 10, 
to  succeed  Gen.  Howard,  and  remained  in  office  until  the  admission  of 
the  State  into  the  Union. 

The  portions  of  Missouri  which  were  settled,  for  the  purpose  of  local 
government,  were  divided  into  four  districts.  Cape  Girardeau  was  the 
first,  and  embraced  the  territory  between  Tywappity  Bottom  and  Apple 
Creek.  Ste.  Genevieve,  the  second,  embraced  the  territory  from  Apple 
Creek  to  the  Meramec  River.  St.  Louis,  the  third,  embraced  the  terri- 
tory between  the  Meramec  and  Missouri  Rivers.  St.  Charles,  the  fourth, 
included  the  settled  territory  between  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi 
Rivers.  The  total  population  of  these  districts  at  that  time  was  8,670, 
including  slaves.  The  population  of  the  district  of  Louisiana,  when 
ceded  to  the  United  States,  was  10,120. 


CHAPTER  II. 
DESCRIPTIVE  AND  GEOGRAPHICAL. 

NAME-EXTENT— SURFACE— RIVERS— TIMBER— CLIMATE— PRAIRIES— SOILS— POPULATION 
B"Y  COUNTIES. 

NAME. 

The  name  Missouri,  is  derived  from  the  Indian  tongue  and  signifies 
muddy. 

EXTENT. 

Missouri  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Iowa  (from  which  it  is  separated 
for  about  thirty  miles  on  the  northeast  by  the  DesMoines  River),  and  on 
the  east  by  the  Mississippi  River,  which  divides  it  from  Illinois,  Ken- 
tucky and  Tennessee,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Indian  Territory,  and  by 
the  states  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  The  state  lies  (with  the  exception 
of  a  small  projection  between  the  St.  Francis  and  the  Mississippi  Rivers, 
which  extends  to  360),  between  360  30'  and  400  36'  north  latitude,  and 
between  120  2'  and  180  51'  west  longitude  from  Washington. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  15 

The  extreme  width  of  the  state  east  and  west  is  about  348  miles  ; 
Its  width  on  its  northern  boundary,  measured  from  its  northwest  corner 
along  the  Iowa  line  to  its  intersection  with  the  DesMoines  River,  is  about 
210  miles ;  its  width  on  its  southern  boundary  is  about  288  miles.  Its 
average  width  is  about  235  miles. 

The  length  of  the  state  north  and  south,  not  including  the  narrow 
strip  between  the  St.  Francis  and  Mississippi  Rivers,  is  about  282  miles. 
It  is  about  450  miles  from  its  extreme  northwest  corner  to  its  southeast 
corner,  and  from  the  northeast  corner  to  the  southwest  corner  it  is  about 
230  miles.  These  limits  embrace  an  area  of  65,350  square  miles,  or 
41,824,000  acres,  being  nearly  as  large  as  England,  and  the  states  of 
Vermont  and  New  Hampshire. 

SURFACE. 

t 

North  of  the  Missouri  the  state  is  level  or  undulating,  while  the  por- 
tion south  of  that  river  (the  larger  portion  of  the  state)  exhibits  a  greater 
variety  of  surface.  In  the  southeastern  part  is  an  extensive  marsh, 
reaching  beyond  the  state  into  Arkansas.  The  remainder  of  this  portion, 
between  the  Mississippi  and  Osage  Rivers,  is  rolling  and  gradually  rising 
into  a  hilly  and  mountainous  district,  forming  the  outskirts  of  the  Ozark 
Mountains. 

Beyond  the  Osage  River,  at  some  distance,  commences  a  vast 
expanse  of  prairie  land,  which  stretches  away  towards  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains. The  ridges  forming  the  Ozark  chain  extend  in  a  northeast  and 
southwest  direction,  separating  the  waters  that  flow  northeast  into  the 
Missouri  from  those  that  flow  southeast  into  the  Mississippi  River. 

RIVERS. 

No  state  in  the  Union  enjoys  better  facilities  for  navigation  than 
Missouri.  By  means  of  the  Mississippi  River,  which  stretches  along  her 
entire  eastern  boundary,  she  can  hold  commercial  intercourse  with  the 
most  northern  territory  and  state  in  the  Union  ;  with  the  whole  valley  of 
the  Ohio ;  with  many  of  the  Atlantic  States,  and  with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

"Ay,  gather  Europe's  royal  rivers  all — 
The  snow-swelled  Neva,  with  an  Empire's  weight 
On  her  broad  breast,  she  yet  may  overwhelm; 
Dark  Danube,  hurrying,  as  by  foe  pursued, 
Through  shaggy  forests  and  by  palace  walls, 
To  hide  its  terrors  in  a  sea  of  gloom ; 
The  castled  Rhine,  whose  vine-crowned  waters 
The  fount  of  fable  and  the  source  of  song ; 
The  rushing  Rhone,  in  whose  cerulean  depths 
The  loving  sky  seems  wedded  with  the  wave} 
The  yellow  Tiber,  chok'd  with  Roman  spoilt, 
*  A  dying  miser  shrinking  'neath  his  gold ; 

The  Seine,  where  fashion  glasses  the  fairest  foi 
And  Thames  that  bears  the  riches  of  the  world  ; 


ifl  HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI. 

Gather  their  waters  in  one  ocean  mass, 

Our  Mississippi  rolling  proudly  on, 

Would  sweep  them  from  its  path,  or  swallow  up, 

Like  Aaron's  rod,  these  streams  of  fame  and  song." 

By  the  Missouri  River  she  can  extend  her  commerce  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  receive  in  return  the  products  which  will  come  in  the 
course  of  time,  by  its  multitude  of  tributaries. 

The  Missouri  River  coasts  the  northwest  line  of  the  state  for  about 
250  miles,  following  its  windings,  and  then  flows  through  the  state,  a  lit- 
tle south  of  east,  to  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi.  The  Missouri 
River  receives  a  number  of  tributaries  within  the  limits  of  the  state,  the 
principal  of  which  are  the  Nodaway,  Platte,  Loutre  and  Chariton  from 
the  north,  and  the  Blue,  Sniabar,  Grand,  Osage  and  Gasconade  from  the 
south.  The  principal  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi  within  the  state  are 
the  Salt  River,  north,  and  the  Meramec  River,  south,  of  the  Missouri. 

The  St.  Francis  and  White  Rivers,  with  their  branches,  drain  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  state  and  pass  into  Arkansas.  The  Osage  is 
navigable  for  steamboats  for  more  than  275  miles.  There  are  a  vast 
number  of  smaller  streams,  such  as  creeks,  branches  and  rivers,  which 
water  the  state  in  all  directions. 

TIMBER. 

Not  more  towering  in  their  sublimity  were  the  cedars  of  ancient 
Lebanon,  nor  more  precious  in  their  utility  were  the  almug  trees  of 
Ophir,  than  the  native  forests  of  Missouri.  The  river  bottoms  are  cov- 
ered with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  oak,  ash,  elm,  hickory,  Cottonwood,  linn, 
white  and  black  walnut,  and  in  fact  all  the  varieties  found  in  the  Atlantic 
and  Eastern  States.  In  the  more  barren  districts  may  be  seen  the  white 
and  pin  oak,  and  in  many  places  a  dense  growth  of  pine.  The  crab 
apple,  pawpaw  and  persimmon  are  abundant,  as  also  the  hazel  and  pecan. 

CLIMATE. 

*  The  climate  of  Missouri  is,  in  general,  pleasant  and  salubrious. 
Like  that  of  North  America,  it  is  changeable  and  subject  to  sudden  and 
sometimes  extreme  changes  of  heat  and  cold  ;  but  it  is  decidedly  milder, 
taking  the  whole  year  through,  than  that  of  the  same  latitudes  east  of 
the  mountains.  While  the  summers  are  not  more  oppressive  than  they 
are  in  the  corresponding  latitudes  on  and  near  the  Atlantic  Coast,  the 
winters  are  shorter,  and  very  much  milder,  except  during  the  month  of 
February,  and  it  has  many  days  of  pleasant  sunshine. 

PRAIRIES. 

Missouri  is  a  prairie  state,  especially  that  portion  of  it  north  and 
northwest  of  the  Missouri  River.  These  prairies,  along  the  water 
courses,  abound  with  the  thickest  and  most  luxurious  belts  of  timber, 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  I? 

while  the  "rolling*  prairies  occupy  the  higher  portions  of  the  country, 
the  descent  generally  to  the  forest  or  bottom  lands  being  over  stony 
declivities.  Many  of  these  prairies,  however,  exhibit  a  graceful,  waving 
surface,  swelling  and  sinking  with  an  easy  slope  and  a  full,  rounded  out- 
line, equally  avoiding  the  unmeaning,  horizontal  surface  and  the  inter- 
ruption of  abrupt  or  angular  elevations. 

These  prairies  often  embrace  extensive  tracts  of  land,  and  in  one  or 
two  instances  they  cover  an  area  of  fifty  thousand  acres.  During  the 
spring  and  summer  they  are  carpeted  with  a  velvet  of  green  and  gaily 
bedecked  with  flowers  of  various  forms  and  hues,  making  a  most  fasci- 
nating panorama  of  ever  changing  color  and  loveliness.  To  fully  appre- 
ciate their  great  beauty  and  magnitude  they  must  be  seen. 

SOIL. 

The  soil  of  Missouri  is  good,  and  of  greac  agricultural  capabilities, 
but  the  most  fertile  portions  of  the  state  are  the  river  bottoms,  which 
are  a  rich  alluvium,  mixed  in  many  cases  with  sand,  the  producing  qual- 
ities of  which  are  not  excelled  by  the  prolific  valley  of  the  famous  Nile. 

South  of  the  Missouri  River  there  is  a  greater  variety  of  soil,  but 
much  of  it  is  fertile,  and  even  in  the  mountains  and  mineral  districts 
there  are  rich  valleys,  and  about  the  sources  of  the  White,  Eleven 
Points,  Current  and  Big  Black  Rivers  the  soil,  though  unproductive,  fur- 
nishes a  valuable  growth  of  yellow  pine. 

The  marshy  lands  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state  will,  by  a 
system  of  drainage,  be  one  of  the  most  fertile  districts  in  the  state. 

POPULATION  BY  COUNTIES  IN   1870,    1 876,    1880. 


Adair  ~i~7  •  • 

Andrew  .  .   .   . 
Atchison  .  .   . 
Audrain  .   .   . 
•Barry  .... 
Barton     ... 

Bates 

Benton  ,  .  . 
Bollinger  .  . 
Boone  .... 
Buchanan  .  . 
Butler  .... 
Caldwell  .  .  . 
Callaway .  .  . 
Camden  .  .  . 
Cape  Girardeau 
Carroll  ... 
Carter  .... 
Casa    .... 


1870. 

1876. 

1880. 

11,449 

13  774 

15,190 

15.137 

14,992 

16,318 

8,440 

10,925 

14,565 

12,307 

15,157 

19,739 

«o,373 

11,146 

14,424 

5,o87 

6,900 

10,332 

15,960 

17,484 

25,382 

11,322 

11,027 

12,398 

8,162 

8,884 

11,132 

20,765 

3*»923 

25424 

35-109 

38,165 

49,824 

4,298 

4,3»3 

6,0 1 1 

H,390 

12,200 

13,654 

19,202 

25,257 

*    23,670 

6,108 

7,027 

7,269 

17.558 

17,891 

20,998 

17  445 

21,518 

23300 

1.455 

1.549 

2,168 

19,296 

18,069 

22,431 

18  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

Cedar  ..  .  ".""YTT' 9.474  9.9"  10,747 

Chariton '9.'36  23.294  25.224 

Christian 6,707  7,936  9,632 

Clark .   .   .  I3.667  '4-549  '5,63« 

Clinton I4063  13,698  16,073 

Cole • 10,292  14,122  15,519 

Cooper 20,692  21,356  21,622 

Crawford 7.9§2  9-391  10,763 

Dade 8,683  11,089  12,557 

Dallas •  8,383  8,073  9,272 

Daviess 14,4'Q  16,557  19. '74 

DeKalb 9.858  11,159  '3.343 

Dent        • 6,357  7,401  10.647 

Douglas 3,915  6,461  7,753 

Dunkin 5,982  6,255  9,604 

Franklin 30,098  26,924  26,536 

Gasconade 10,093  11,160  ",153 

Gentry 11,607  12,673  I7,'88 

Greene 21.549          ■  24,693  28,817 

Grundy 10,567  13,071  15,201 

Harrison 14,635  18,530  20,318 

Henry 17, 401  18,465  23,914 

Hickory 6,452  5,870  7,388 

Holt 11,652  13,245  15,510 

Howard 17,233  17,815  18,428 

Howell 4,218  6,756  8,814 

Iron 6,278  6,623  8,183 

Jackson  .   .    , 55»°4I  54,045  82,328 

Jasper 14,928  29,384  32,021 

Jefferson 15,380  16,186  18,736 

Johnson 24,648  23,646  28,177 

Knox 10,974  12,678  13,047 

Laclede 9,380  9,845  11,524 

Lafayette. •••••  22,624  22,204  25,761 

Lawrence 13,067  I3,°54  '7,585 

Lewis I5,"4  16,360  15,925 

Lincoln 15,960  16,858  '7,443 

Linn '5,9°6  18,110  20,016 

Livingston c(  16,730  18  074  20,205 

McDonald •••••  5,226  6,072  7, 816 

Macon •••••  23,230  25,028  26,223 

Madison ,  5,849  8,750  8,866 

Maries 5,916  6.481  7,304 

Marion 23,780  22,794  24,837 

Mercer u,557  '3,393  '4.674 

Miller 6,616  8,529  9,807 

Mississippi 4,982  7,498  9,270 

Moniteau «  13,375  '3,o84  14  349 

Monroe I7,i49  '7,75'  '9,075 

Montgomery 10,405  14,418  16,250 

M°rgan • 8,434  9,529  10,134 

New  Madrid  ....•• 6,357  6,673  7,694 

Newton M.82I  16,875  18,948 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  19 

Nodaway.  •  •  •  '•  TTV 14,751  23,196  29,560 

Oregon    .  .   .   .  ,.# 3287  4,469  5J91 

Osage  ••••••••••••• •  10,793  11,200  11,824 

Ozark 3,363  4,579  5,618 

Pemiscot 2,059  2,573  4,299 

Perry 9,877  11,189  "895 

Petti ••  18,706  23,167  27.285 

Phelps ...•••  10,506  9.9T9  12,565 

Pike •  23,076  22,828  26,716 

Platte 17,352  15.948  17,372 

Polk • 14,445  I3>467  15.745 

Pulaski 4,714  6,157  7,25° 

Putnam ••••••••  H>217  12,641  13,556 

Ralls 10,510  9,997  11,838 

Randolph •••••  15  908  19,173  22  751 

Ray ■ 18,700  18,394  20,196 

Reynolds 3,756  4,716  5,722 

Ripley 3,175  3,913  5,377 

St.  Charles •••••••  21,304  21,821  23,060 

St.  Clair •  .   .   •  6,742  11,242  14,126 

St.  Francois ••••••••  9.742  11,621  13,822 

Ste.  Genevieve  ......••••..•••...  8,384  9.409  10,309 

St.  Louis* 351,189  .   .   .  31,888 

Saline 21,672  27,087  29,912 

Schuyler ••••••••  8,820  9,88i  10  470 

Scotland .......  10,670  12,030  12,507 

Scott 7,317  7,312  8,58/ 

Shannon 2,339  3,236  3,441 

Shelby • 10,119  13,243  14,024 

Stoddard 8,535  Io,86S  13,432 

Stone 3,253  3,544  4,405 

Sullivan H,9°7  14,039  16,569 

Taney 4,407  6,124  5605 

Texas •  •  9,618  10,287  12,207 

Vernon •••••  U,247  14.413  1937° 

Warren ....•••••••  9,673  10,321  10,806 

Washington ••••• ••••  11,719  13,100  12,895 

Wayne •••••••••***•••  6,068  7,006  9,097 

Webster •  ••••••••••••  I°,434  10,684  12,175 

Worth •••••  5,004  7,164  8,208 

Wright 5,684  6,124  9,733 

City  of  St.  Louis  ..•••••••••••••••  ...  •**>  35°»522 

IJ2M95  «,547,030  2,168,804 

Males  ...*••••••••••••••••• 1,127,424 

Females  .  .  •  •    ••••• ••• .  1,041,380 

Native •••••• «,957,564 

Foreign •••••• 211,240 

White 2,023  568 

Coloredf. 145,236 


•St.  Louis  city  and  county  separated  in  1877.     Population  for  1876  not  gives. 
f  Including  92  Chinese,  3  half  Chinese,  and  96  Indians  and  hnlf-i 


20  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 


CHAPTER    III. 
GEOLOGY  OF  MISSOURI. 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  ROCKS— QUATERNARY  FORMATION-TERTIARY-CRETACEOUS— CAR- 
BONIFEROUS—DEVONIAN  —SILURIAN— AZOIC— ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY-COAL— IRON- 
LEAD  —  COPPER  —  ZINC— BUILDING  STONE  — MARBLE  —  GYPSUM  —  LIME  —  PAINTS  — 
SPRINGS— WATER  POWER. 

The  stratified  rocks  of  Missouri,  as  classified  and  treated  of  by  Prof. 
G.  C.  Swallow,  belong  to  the  following  divisions:  I.  Quaternary  ;  II.  Ter- 
tiary ;  III.  Cretaceous  ;  IV.  Carboniferous  ;  V.  Devonian  ;  VI.  Silurian  ; 
VII.  Azoic. 

The  Quaternary  formations  are  the  most  recent  and  the  most  val- 
uable to  man  ;  valuable,  because  they  can  be  more  readily  utilized. 

The  Quaternary  formation  in  Missouri,  embraces  the  Alluvium,  30 
feet  thick;  Bottom  Prairie,  30  feet  thick;  Bluff,  200  feet  thick;  and  Drift, 
155  feet  thick.  The  latest  deposits  are  those  which  constitute  the  Allu- 
vium, and  includes  the  soils,  pebbles  and  sand,  clays,  vegetable  mold, 
bog,  iron  ore,  marls,  etc. 

The  Alluvium  deposits  cover  an  area,  within  the  limits  of  Missouri, 
of  more  than  four  million  acres  of  land,  which  are  not  surpassed  for  fer- 
tility by  any  region  of  country  on  the  globe. 

The  Bluff  Prairie  formation  is  confined  to  the  lowlands,  which  are 
washed  by  the  two  great  rivers  which  course  our  eastern  and  western 
boundaries,  and  while  it  is  only  about  half  as  extensive  as  the  Alluvial, 
it  is  equally  as  rich  and  productive." 

"  The  Bluff  formation,"  says  Professor  Swallow,  "  rests  upon  the 
ridges  and  river  bluffs,  and  descends  along  their  slopes  to  the  lowest 
valleys,  the  formation  capping  all  the  bluffs  of  the  Missouri  from  Fort 
Union  to  its  mouth,  and  those  of  the  Mississippi  from  Dubuque  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio.  It  forms  the  upper  stratum  beneath  the  soil  of  all 
the  high  lands,  both  timber  and  prairies,  of  all  the  counties  north  of  the 
Osage  and  Missouri,  and  also  St.  Louis,  and  the  Mississippi  counties  on 
the  south.. 

Its  greatest  development  is  in  the  counties  on  the  Missouri  River, 
from  the  Iowa  line  to  Boonville.  In  some  localities  it  is  200  feet  thick. 
At  St.  Joseph  it  is  140 ;  at  Boonville  100 ;  and  at  St.  Louis,  in  St. 
George's  quarry,  and  the  Big  Mound,  it  is  about  50  feet ;  while  its  greatest 
observed  thickness  in  Marion  County  was  only  30  feet." 

The  Drift  formation  is  that  which  lies  beneath  the  Bluff  formation, 
having,  as  Prof.  Swallow  informs  us,  three  distinct  deposits,  to  wit : 
"Altered  Drift,  which  are  strata  of  sand  and  pebbles,  seen  in  the  banks 
of  the  Missouri,  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  state. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  21 

The  Boulder  formation  is  a  heterogenous  stratum  of  sand,  gravel 
and  boulder,  and  water- worn  fragments  of  the  older  rocks. 

Boulder  Clay  is  a  bed  of  bluish  or  brown  sandy  clay,  through  which 
pebbles  are  scattered  in  greater  or  less  abundance.  It  some  localities  in 
northern  Missouri,  this  formation  assumes  a  pure  white,  pipe-clay  color." 

The  Tertiary  formation  is  made  up  of  clays,  shales,  iron  ores,  sand- 
stone, and  sands,  scattered  along  the  bluffs,  and  edges  of  the  bottoms, 
reaching  from  Commerce,  Scott  County,  to  Stoddard,  and  south  to  the 
Chalk  Bluffs  in  Arkansas. 

The  Cretaceous  formation  lies  beneath  the  Tertiary,  and  is  composed 
of  variegated  sandstone,  bluish-brown  sandy  slate,  whitish-brown  im- 
pure sandstone,  fine  white  clay  mingled  with  spotted  flint,  purple,  red 
and  blue  clays,  all  being  in  the  aggregate,  158  feet  in  thickness.  There 
are  no  fossils  in  these  rocks,  and  nothing  by  which  their  age  may  be 
told. 

The  Carboniferous  system  includes  the  Upper  Carboniferous  or  coal- 
measures,  and  the  Lower  Carboniferous  or  Mountain  Limestone.  The 
coal-measures  are  made  up  of  numerous  strata  of  sandstones,  limestones, 
shales,  clays,  marls,  spathic  iron  ores  and  coals. 

The  Carboniferous  formation,  including  coal-measures  and  the  beds 
of  iron,  embrace  an  area  in  Missouri  of  27,000  square  miles.  The  varie- 
ties of  coal  found  in  the  state  are  the  common  bituminous  and  cannel 
coals,  and  they  exist  in  quantities  inexhaustible.  The  fact  that  these 
coal  measures  are  full  of  fossils,  which  are  always  confined  to  the  coal 
measures,  enables  the  geologist  to  point  them  out,  and  the  coal  beds  con- 
tained in  them. 

The  rocks  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  formation  are  varied  in  color, 
and  are  quarried  in  many  different  parts  of  the  state,  being  extensively 
utilized  for  building  and  other  purposes. 

Among  the  Lower  Carboniferous  rocks  is  found  the  Upper  Archi- 
medes Limestone,  200  feet;  Ferruginous  Sandstone,  195  feet;  Middle 
Archimedes,  50  feet;  St.  Louis  Limestone,  250  feet;  Oolitic  Limestone, 
25  feet;  Lower  Archimedes  Limestone,  350  feet;  and  Encrinital  Lime- 
stone, 500  feet.     These  limestones  generally  contain  fossils. 

The  Ferruginous  Limestone  is  soft  when  quarried,  but  becomes  hard 
and  durable  after  exposure.  It  contains  large  quantities  of  iron,  and  is 
found  skirting  the  eastern  coal  measures  from  the  mouth  of  the  Des 
Moines  to  McDonald  County. 

The  St.  Louis  Limestone  is  of  various  hues  and  tints,  and  very  hard. 
It  is  found  in  Clark,  Lewis  and  St.  Louis  Counties. 

The  Lower  Archimedes  Limestone  includes  partly  the  lead-bearing 
rocks  of  Southwest  Missouri. 

The  Encrinital  Limestone  is  the  most  extensive  of  the  divisions  of 
Carboniferous  Limestone,  and  is  made  up  of  brown,  buff,  gray  and  white. 


22  HISTORY  OF   MISSOURI. 

In  these  strata  are  found  the  remains  of  corals  and  mollusks.  This 
formation  extends  from  Marion  County  to  Greene  County.  The  Devo- 
nian system  contains:  Chemung  Group,  Hamilton  Group,  Onondaga 
Limestone  and  Oriskany  Sandstone.  The  rocks  of  the  Devonian  system 
are  found  in  Marion,  Ralls,  Pike,  Callaway,  Saline  and  Ste.  Genevieve 
Counties. 

The  Chemung  Group  has  three  formations,  Chouteau  Limestone,  85 
feet  ;  Vermicular  Sandstone  and  shales,  75  feet ;  Lithographic  Limestone, 
125  feet. 

The  Chouteau  Limestone  is"  in  two  divisions,  when  fully  developed, 
and  when  first  quarried  is  soft.  It  is  not  only  good  for  building  purposes 
but  makes  an  excellent  cement. 

The  Vermicular  Sandstone  and  shales  are  usually  buff  or  yellowish 
brown,  perforated  with  pores. 

The  Lithographic  Limestone  is  a  pure,  fine,  compact,  evenly-textured 
limestone.  Its  color  varies  from  light  drab  to  buff  and  blue.  It  is  called 
"pot-metal,"  because  under  the  hammer  it  gives  a  sharp,  ringing  sound. 
It  has  but  few  fossils. 

The  Hamilton  Group  is  made  up  of  some  forty  feet  of  blue  shales, 
and  170  feet  of  Crystalline  limestone. 

Onondaga  Limestone  is  usually  a  coarse,  gray  or  buff  crystalline, 
thick-bedded  and  cherry  limestone.  No  formation  in  Missouri  presents 
such  variable  and  widely  different  lithological  characters  as  the  Onondaga. 

The  Oriskany  Sandstone  is  a  light  gray  limestone. 

Of  the  Upper  Silurian  series  there  are  the  following  formations : 
Lower  Helderburg,  350  feet ;  Niagara  Group,  200  feet ;  Cape  Girardeau 
Limestone,  60  feet. 

The  Lower  Helderburg  is  made  up  of  buff,  gray  and  reddish  cherry 
and  argillaceous  limestone. 

Niagara  Group.  The  upper  part  of  this  group  consists  of  red,  yel- 
low and  ash-colored  shales,  with  compact  limestones,  variegated  with 
bands  and  nodules  of  chert. 

The  Cape  Girardeau  Limestone,  on  the  Mississippi  River  near  Cape 
Girardeau,  is  a  compact,  bluish-gray,  brittle  limestone,  with  smooth  frac- 
tures in  layers  from  two  to  six  inches  in  thickness,  with  argillaceous 
partings.     These  strata  contain  a  great  many  fossils. 

The  Lower  Silurian  has  the  following  ten  formations,  to  wit :  Hudson 
River  Group,  220  feet ;  Trenton  Limestone,  360  feet ;  Black  River  and 
Bird's  Eye  Limestone,  175  feet ;  first  Magnesian  Limestone,  200  feet;  Sac- 
charoidal  Sandstone,  125  feet;  second  Magnesian  Limestone,  250  feet ; 
second  Sandstone,  115  feet;  third  Magnesian  Limestone,  350  feet;  third 
Sandstone,  60  feet;  fourth  Magnesian  Limestone,  350  feet. 

Hudson  River  Group.  There  are  three  formations  which  Professor 
Swallow  refers  to  in  this  group.     These  formation  are  found  in  the  bluff 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  2$ 

above  and  below  Louisiana,  on  the  Grassy,  a  few  miles  northwest  of 
Louisiana,  and  in  Ralls,  Pike,  Cape  Girardeau  and  Ste.  Genevieve 
Counties. 

Trenton  Limestone.  The  upper  part  of  this  formation  is  made  up  of 
thick  beds  of  hard,  compact,  bluish-gray  and  drab  limestone,  variegated 
with  irregular  cavities,  filled  with  greenish  materials. 

The  beds  are  exposed  between  Hannibal  and  New  London,  north  of 
Salt  River,  and  near  Glencoe,  St.  Louis  County,  and  are  75  feet  thick. 

Black  River  and  Bird's  Eye  Limestone  is  the  same  color  as  the  Tren- 
ton Limestone. 

The  first  Magnesian  Limestone  cap  the  picturesque  bluffs  of  the  Osage 
in  Benton  and  neighboring  counties. 

The  Saccharoidal  Sandstone  has  a  wide  range  in  the  state.  In  a 
bluff  about  two  miles  from  Warsaw,  is  a  very  striking  change  of  thickness 
of  this  formation. 

Second  Magnesian  Limestone,  in  lithological  character,  is  like  the  first. 
The  second  Sandstone,  usually  of  yellowish-brown,  sometimes  becomes 
a  pure  white,  fine-grained,  soft,  sandstone,  as  on  Cedar  Creek,  in  Wash- 
ington and  Franklin  Counties. 

The  third  Magnesian  Limestone  is  exposed  in  the  high  and  pictur- 
esque bluffs  of  the  Niangua,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bry's  Spring. 

The  third  Sandstone  is  white  and  has  a  formation  in  moving  water. 

The  fourth  Magnesian  Limestone  is  seen  on  the  Niangua  and  Osage 
Rivers. 

The  Azoic  rocks  lie  below  the  Silurian  and  form  a  series  of  silicious . 
and  other  slates,  which  contain  no  remains  of  organic  life. 

ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY. 

Coal. — Missouri  is  particularly  rich  in  minerals.  Indeed,  no  state  in 
the  Union  surpasses  her  in  this  respect.  In  some  unknown  age  of  the 
past — long  before  the  existence  of  man,  nature,  by  a  wise  process,  made 
a  bountiful  provision  for  the  time,  when  in  the  order  of  things  it  should 
be  necessary  for  civilized  man  to  take  possession  of  these  broad,  rich 
prairies.  As  an  equivalent  for  lack  of  forests  she  quietly  stored  away 
beneath  the  soil  those  wonderful  carboniferous  treasures  for  the  use  of 
man. 

Geological  surveys  have  developed  the  fact  that  the  coal  deposits  in 
the  state  are  almost  unnumbered,  embracing  all  varieties  of  the  best  bit- 
uminous coal.  The  southeast  boundary  of  the  state  has  been  ascertained 
to  be  one  continuous  coal  field,  stretching  from  the  mouth  of  the  Des 
Moines  River,  through  Clark,  Lewis,  Scotland,  Adair,  Macon,  Shelby, 
Monroe,  Audrain,  Callaway,  Boone,  Cooper,  Pettis,  Benton,  Henry,  St. 
Clair,  Bates,  Vernon,  Cedar,  Dade,  Barton  and  Jasper,  into  the  Indian 
Territory,  and  the  counties  on  the  northwest  of  this  line  contain  more  or 


24  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

less  coal.  Coal  rocks  exist  in  Rails,  Montgomery,  Warren,  St.  Charles, 
Moniteau,  Cole,  Morgan,  Crawford  and  Lincoln,  and  during  the  past  few 
years  all  along  the  lines  of  all  the  railroads  in  North  Missouri,  and  along 
the  western  end  of  the  Missouri  Pacific,  and  on  the  Missouri  River 
between  Kansas  City  and  Sioux  City,  has  systematic  mining  opened  up 
hundreds  of  mines  in  different  localities.  The  area  of  our  coal  beds  on  the 
line  of  the  southwestern  boundary  of  the  state  alone  embrace  more  than 
26,000  square  miles  of  regular  coal  measures.  This  will  give  of  workable 
coal,  if  the  average  be  one  foot,  26,800,000,000  tons.  The  estimates  from 
the  developments  already  made  in  the  different  portions  of  the  state 
will  give  134,000,000,000  tons. 

The  economical  value  of  this  coal  to  the  state,  its  influence  in 
domestic  life,  in  navigation,  commerce  and  manufactures,  is  beyond  the 
imagination  of  man  to  conceive.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  in  the  possession 
of  her  developed  and  undeveloped  coal  mines,  Missouri  has  a  motive 
power  which  in  its  influence  for  good  in  the  civilization  of  man  is  more 
than  the  gold  of  California. 

Iron. — Prominent  among  the  minerals  which  increase  the  power  and 
prosperity  of  a  nation  is  iron.  Of  this  ore  Missouri  has  an  inexhaustible 
quantity,  and,  like  her  coal  fields,  it  has  been  developed  in  many  portions 
of  the  state,  and  of  the  best  and  purest  quality.  It  is  found  in  great 
abundance  in  the  counties  of  Cooper,  St.  Clair,  Green,  Henry,  Franklin, 
Benton,  Dallas,  Camden,  Stone,  Madison,  Iron,  Washington,  Perry,  St. 
Francois,  Reynolds,  Stoddard,  Scott,  Dent,  and  others.  The  greatest 
deposit  of  iron  is  found  in  the  Iron  Mountain,  which  is  two  hundred  feet 
high,  and  covers  an  area  of  five  hundred  acres,  and  produces  a  metal 
which  is  shown  by  analysis  to  contain  from  65  to  69  per  cent,  of  metallic 
iron. 

The  ore  of  Shepherd  Mountain  contains  from  64  to  67  per  cent,  of 
metallic  iron.     The  ore  of  Pilot  Knob  contains  from  53  to  60  per  cent. 

Rich  beds  of  iron  are  also  found  at  the  Big  Bogy  Mountain,  and  at 
Russell  Mountain.  This  ore  has  in  its  nude  state  a  variety  of  colors, 
from  the  red,  dark  red,  black,  brown,  to  a  light  bluish  gray.  The  red 
ores  are  found  in  21  or  more  counties  of  the  state,  and  are  of  great  com- 
mercial value.  The  brown  hematite  iron  ores  extend  over  a  greater 
range  of  country  than  all  the  others  combined ;  embracing  about  100 
counties,  and  have  been  ascertained  to  exist  in  these  in  large  quantities. 

Lead. — Long  before  any  permanent  settlements  were  made  in  Mis- 
souri by  the  whites,  lead  was  mined  within  the  limits  of  the  state,  at 
two  or  three  points  on  the  Mississippi.  At  this  time  more  than  five  hun- 
dred mines  are  opened,  and  many  of  them  are  being  successfully  worked. 
Tnese  deposits  of  lead  cover  an  area,  so  far  as  developed,  of  more  than 
7,000  square  miles.  Mines  have  been  opened  in  Jefferson,  Washington, 
St.  Francois,  Madison,  Wayne,  Carter,  Reynolds,  Crawford,  Ste.  Gene- 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  2$ 

vieve,  Perry,  Cole,  Cape  Girardeau,  Camden,  Morgan  and  some  other 
counties. 

Copper  2nd  Zinc. — Several  varieties  of  copper  ore  are  found  in  Mis- 
souri. The  copper  mines  of  Shannon,  Madison,  and  Franklin  Counties 
have  been  known  for  years,  and  some  of  these  have  been  successfully 
worked  and  are  now  yielding  good  results. 

Deposits  of  copper  have  been  discovered  in  Dent,  Crawford,  Benton, 
Maries,  Green,  Lawrence,  Dade,  Taney,  Dallas,  Phelps,  Reynolds  and 
Wright  Counties. 

Zinc  is  abundant  in  nearly  all  the  lead  mines  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  state,  and  since  the  completion  of  the  A.  &  P.  R.  R.  a  market 
has  been  furnished  for  this  ore,  which  will  be  converted  into  valuable 
merchandise. 

Building  Stone  and  Marble. — There  is  no  scarcity  of  good  building 
stone  in  Missouri.  Limestone,  sandstone  and  granite  exist  in  all  shades 
of  buff,  blue,  red  and  brown,  and  are  of  great  beauty  as  building  material. 

Theie  ire  many  marble  beds  in  the  state,  some  of  which  furnish 
very  beautiful  and  excellent  marble.  It  is  found  in  Marion,  Cooper,  St. 
Louis  and  other  counties. 

One  of  the  most  desirable  of  the  Missouri  marbles  is  in  the  third 
Magnesian  Limestone,  on  the  Niangua.  It  is  fine  grained,  crystalline, 
silico-magnesian  limestone,  light  drab,  slightly  tinged  with  peach  blos- 
som, and  clouded  by  deep  flesh-colored  shades.  In  ornamental  archi- 
tecture it  is  rarely  surpassed. 

Gypsum  and  Lime. — Though  no  extensive  beds  of  gypsum  have  been 
disco  /ered  in  Missouri,  there  are  vast  beds  of  the  pure  white  crystalline 
variety  on  the  line  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad,  on  Kansas  River,  and 
on  Gypsum  Creek.  It  exists  also  in  several  other  localities  accessible 
by  both  rail  and  boat. 

All  of  the  limestone  formations  in  the  state,  from  the  coal  measures 
to  the  fourth  Magnesian,  have  more  or  less  strata  of  very  nearly  pure 
carbonate  of  pure  lime. 

Clays  and  Paints. — Clays  are  found  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  state 
suitable  for  making  bricks.  Potters'  clay  and  fire  clay  are  worked  in 
many  localities. 

There  are  several  beds  of  purple  shades  in  the  coal  measures  which 
possess  the  properties  requisite  for  paints  used  in  outside  work.  Yellow 
and  red  ochres  are  found  in  considerable  quantities  on  the  Missouri 
River  Some  of  these  paints  have  been  thoroughly  tested  and  found 
fire-proof  and  durable. 

SPRINGS  AND  WATER  POWER. 

No  State  is,  perhaps,  better  supplied  with  cold  springs  ot  pure  water 
than  Missouri.    Out  of  the  bottoms  there  is  scarcely  a  section  of  land 

2 


26  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

but  has  one  or  more  perennial  springs  of  good  water.  Even  where  there 
are  no  springs  good  water  can  be  obtained  by  digging  from  twenty  to 
forty  feet.  Salt  springs  are  abundant  in  the  central  part  of  the  state, 
and  discharge  their  brine  in  Cooper,  Saline,  Howard  and  adjoining  coun- 
ties. Considerable  salt  was  made  in  Cooper  and  Howard  counties  at  an 
early  day. 

Sulphur  springs  are  also  numerous  throughout  the  state.  The  Cho- 
teau  Springs  in  Cooper,  the  Monagaw  Springs  in  St.  Clair,  the  Elk 
Springs  in  Pike,  and  the  Cheltenham  Springs  in  St.  Louis  County,  have 
acquired  considerable  reputation  as  salubrious  waters,  and  have  become 
popular  places  of  resort.  Many  other  counties  have  good  sulphur 
springs. 

Among  the  Chalybeate  springs  the  Sweet  Springs  on  the  Black- 
water,  and  the  Chalybeate  Spring  in  the  University  campus  are,  perhaps, 
the  most  popular  of  the  kind  in  the  State.  There  are,  however,  other 
springs  impregnated  with  some  of  the  salts  of  iron. 

Petroleum  springs  are  found  in  Carroll,  Ray,  Randolph,  Cass,  Lafay- 
ette, Bates,  Vernon  and  other  counties.  The  variety  called  lubricating 
oil  is  the  more  common. 

The  water  power  of  the  State  is  excellent.  Large  springs  are  par- 
ticularly abundant  on  the  Meramec,  Gasconade,  Bourbeuse,  Osage,  N'ian- 
gua,  Spring,  White,  Sugar  and  other  streams.  Besides  these,  there  are 
hundreds  of  springs  sufficiently  large  to  drive  mills  and  factories,  and  the 
day  is  not  far  distant  when  these  crystal  fountains  will  be  utilized,  and  a 
thousand  saws  will  buzz  to  their  dashing  music 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TITLE  AND  EARLY  SETTLEMENTS. 

TITLE  TO  MISSOURI  LANDS-RIGHT  OF  DISCOVERY— TITLE  OF  FRANCE  AND  SPAIN  — 
CESSION  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  — TERRITORIAL  CHANGES —TREATIES  WITH 
INDIANS— FIRST  SETTLEMENT- STE.  GENEVIEVE  AND  NEW  BOURBON— ST.  LOUIS— 
WHEN  INCORPORATED— POTOSI-ST.  CHARLES— PORTAGE  DES  SIOUX-NEW  MADRID 
—ST.  FRANCOIS  COUNTY— PERRY— MISSISSIPPI— LOUTRE  ISLANDS— '*  BOONE'S  LICK" 
—COTE  SANS  DESSEIN— HOWARD  COUNTY-SOME  FIRST  THINGS— COUNTIES— WHEN 
ORGANIZED. 

The  title  to  the  soil  of  Missouri  was,  of  course,  primarily  vested  in 
the  original  occupants  who  inhabited  the  country  prior  to  its  discovery 
by  the  whites.     But  the  Indians,  being  savages,  possessed  but  few  rights 


HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI.  27 

that  civilized  nations  considered  themselves  bound  to  respect,  so  when 
they  found  this  country  in  the  possession  of  such  a  people,  they  claimed 
it  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France  by  the  right  of  discovery.  It 
remained  under  the  jurisdiction  of  France  until  1763. 

Prior  to  the  year  1763  the  entire  continent  of  North  America  was 
divided  between  France,  England,  Spain  and  Russia.  France  held  all 
that  portion  that  now  constitutes  our  national  domain  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  except  Texas  and  the  territory  which  we  have  obtained 
from  Mexico  and  Russia.  The  vast  region,  while  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  France,  was  known  as  the  "Province  of  Louisiana,"  and  embraced  the 
present  State  of  Missouri.  At  the  close  of  the  "Old  French  War,"  in 
1763,  France  gave  up  her  share  of  the  continent,  and  Spain  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  while  Great 
Britain  retained  Canada  and  the  regions  northward,  having  obtained 
that  territory  by  conquest  in  the  war  with  France.  For  thirty-seven 
years  the  territory  now  embraced  within  the  limits  of  Missouri,  remained 
as  a  part  of  the  possession  of  Spain,  and  then  went  back  to  France  by 
the  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso,  October  1st,  1800.  On  the  30th  of  April, 
1803,  France  ceded  it  to  the  United  States  in  consideration  of  receiving 
$11,250,000  and  the  liquidation  of  certain  claims  held  by  citizens  of  the 
United  States  against  France,  which  amounted  to  the  further  sum  of 
$3,750,00,  making  a  total  of  $  1 5,000,000.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  France 
has  twice,  and  Spain  once,  held  sovereignty  over  the  territory  embracing 
Missouri,  but  the  financial  needs  of  Napoleon  afforded  our  government 
an  opportunity  to  add  another  empire  to  its  domain. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1803,  an  act  of  Congress  was  approved, 
authorizing  the  President  to  take  possession  of  the  newly  acquired  ter- 
ritory, and  provided  for  it  a  temporary  government,  and  another  act, 
approved  March  26th,  1804,  authorized  the  division  of  the  "Louisiana 
Purchase,"  as  it  was  then  called,  into  two  separate  territories.  All 
that  portion  south  of  the  33d  parallel  of  north  latitude  was  called  the 
"  Territory  of  Orleans,"  and  that  north  of  the  said  parallel  was  known  as 
the  "  District  of  Louisiana,"  and  was  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
what  was  then  known  as  "  Indiana  Territory." 

By  virtue  of  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  March  3,  1805,  the  "Dis- 
trict of  Louisiana"  was  organized  as  the  "  Territory  of  Louisiana,"  with 
a  territorial  government  of  its  own,  which  went  into  operation  July  4th, 
of  the  same  year,  and  it  so  remained  until  1812.  In  this  year  the 
"  Territory  of  Orleans  "  became  the  State  of  Louisiana,  and  the  "  Terri- 
tory of  Louisiana  "  was  organized  as  the  "  Territory  of  Missouri." 

This  change  took  place  under  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  June 
4th,  1812.  In  1819  a  portion  of  this  territory  was  organized  as  "Arkan- 
sas Territory,"  and  in  18 12  the  State  of  Missouri  was  admitted,  being  a 
part  of  the  former  "  Territory  of  Missouri." 


28  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

In  1836  the  "Platte  Purchase,"  then  being  a  part  of  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, and  now  composing  the  counties  of  Atchison,  Andrew,  Buchanan, 
Holt,  Nodaway,  and  Platte,  was  made  by  treaty  with  the  Indians,  and 
added  to  the  state.  It  will  be  seen  then  that  the  soil  of  Missouri  be- 
longed 

First — To  France  with  other  territory. 

Second — In  1768,  with  other  territory  it  was  ceded  to  Spain. 

Third — October  1st,  1800,  it  was  ceded  with  other  territory  from 
Spain  back  to  France. 

Fourth — April  30th,  1803,  it  was  ceded  with  other  territory  by 
France  to  the  United  States. 

Fifth — October  31,  1803,  a  temporary  government  was  authorized 
by  Congress  for  the  newly  acquired  territory. 

Sixth — October  1,  1804,  it  was  included  in  the  "District  of  Louis- 
iana," and  placed  under  the  territorial  government  of  Indiana. 

Seventh — July  4,  1805,  it  was  included  as  a  part  of  the  "Territory 
of  Louisiana,"  then  organized  with  a  separate  territorial  government. 

Eighth — June  4,  1812,  it  was  embraced  in  what  was  then  made  the 
"Territory  of  Missouri." 

Ninth — August  10,  1821,  it  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  state. 

Tenth — In  1836  the  "Platte  Purchase"  was  made,  adding  more  ter- 
ritory to  the  state. 

The  cession  by  France,  April  30,  1803,  vested  the  title  in  the  United 
States,  subject  to  the  claims  of  the  Indians,  which  it  was  very  justly  the 
policy  of  the  government  to  recognize.  Before  the  government  of  the 
United  States  could  vest  clear  title  to  the  soil  in  the  grantee  it  was 
necessary  to  extinguish  the  Indian  title  by  purchase.  This  was  done 
accordingly  by  treaties  made  with  the  Indians  at  different  times. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENTS. 

The  name  of  the  first  white  man  who  set  foot  on  the  territory  now 
embraced  in  the  State  of  Missouri  is  not  known,  nor  is  it  known  at  what 
precise  period  the  first  settlements  were  made.  It  is,  however,  gener- 
ally agreed  that  they  were  made  at  Ste.  Genevieve  and  New  Bourbon, 
tradition  fixing  the  date  of  these  settlements  in  the  autumn  of  1735- 
These  towns  were  settled  by  the  French  from  Kaskaskia  and  St.  Philip 
in  Illinois. 

St.  Louis  was  founded  by  Pierre  Laclede  Liguest,  on  the  15th  of 
February,  1764.  He  was  a  native  of  France,  and  was  one  of  the  members 
of  the  company  of  Laclede,  Liguest,  Antoino  Maxant  &  Co.,  to  whom 
a  royal  charter  had  been  granted,  conf  rm'ng  the  privilege  of  an  exclu- 
sive trade  with  the  Jndians  of  the  Missouri  as  far  north  as  St.  Peter's 
River. 


HISTORY  OF   MISSOURI.  29 

While  in  search  of  a  trading  post  he  ascended  the  Mississippi  as  far 
as  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  finally  returned  to  the  present  town  site 
of  St.  Louis.  After  the  village  had  been  laid  off  he  named  it  St.  Louis, 
in  honor  of  Louis  XV,  of  France. 

The  colony  thrived  rapidly  by  accessions  from  Kaskaskia  and  other 
towns  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and  its  trade  was  largely  in- 
creased by  many  of  the  Indian  tribes,  who  removed  a  portion  of  their 
peltry  trade  from  the  same  towns  to  St.  Louis.  It  was  incorporated  as 
a  town  on  the  9th  day  of  November,  1809,  by  the  court  of  Common 
Pleas  of  the  district  of  St.  Louis;  the  town  trustees  being  Auguste  Chou- 
teau, Edward  Hempstead,  Jean  F.  Cabanne,  Wm.  C.  Carr  and  Wm. 
Christy,  and  incorporated  as  a  city  December  9,  1822.  The  selection 
of  the  town  site  on  which  St.  Louis  stands  was  highly  judicious,  the  spot 
not  only  being  healthful  and  having  the  advantages  of  water  transpor- 
tation unsurpassed,  but  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  region  of  country,  rich 
in  soil  and  mineral  resources.  St.  Louis  has  grown  to  be  the  fifth  city 
in  population  in  the  Union,  and  is  to-day,  the  great  centre  of  internal 
commerce  of  the  Missouri,  the  Mississippi  and  their  tributaries,  and, 
with  its  railroad  facilities,  it  is  destined  to  be  the  greatest  inland  city  of 
the  American  continent. 

The  next  settlement  was  made  at  Potosi,  in  Washington  County, 
in  1765,  by  Francis  Breton,  who,  while  chasing  a  bear,  discovered  the 
mine  near  the  present  town  of  Potosi,  where  he  afterward  located. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  pioneers  who  settled  at  Potosi,  was 
Moses  Austin,  of  Virginia,  who,  in  1773,  received  by  grant  from  the 
Spanish  government,  a  league  of  land  now  known  as  the  "Austin  Sur- 
vey." The  grant  was  made  on  the  condition  that  Mr.  Austin  would 
establish  a  lead  mine  at  Potosi  and  work  it.  He  built  a  palatial  resi- 
dence, for  that  day,  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  in  the  little  village,  which 
■was,  for  many  years,  known  as  "Durham  Hall."  At  this  point  the  first 
shot-tower  and  sheet-lead  manufactory  were  erected. 

Five  years  after  the  founding  of  St.  Louis  the  first  settlement  made 
in  Northern  Missouri  was  made  at  or  near  St.  Charles,  in  St.  Charles 
County,  in  1769.  The  name  given  to  it,  and  which  it  retained  till  1784, 
was  Les  Petites  Cotes,  signifying  Little  Hills.  The  town  site  was  located 
by  Blanchette,  a  Frenchman,  surnamed  LeChasseur,  who  built  the  first 
fort  in  the  town  and  established  there  a  military  post. 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  military  post  at  St.  Charles,  the 
■old  French  village  of  Portage  des  Sioux  was  located  on  the  Mississipi, 
just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  at  about  the  same  time  a 
Kickapoo  village  was  commenced  at  Clear  Weather  Lake.  The  present 
town  site  of  New  Madrid,  in  New  Madrid  County,  was  settled  in  1781, 
•by  French  Canadians,  it  then  being  occupied  by  Delaware  Indians.  The 
place  now  known  as  Big  River  Mills,  St.  Francois  County,  was  settled  in 


30  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

1796,  Andrew  Baker,  John  Alley,  Francis  Starater  and  John  Andrews  each 
locating  claims.  The  following  year  a  settlement  was  made  in  the  same 
county,  just  below  the  the  present  town  of  Farmington,  by  the  Rev.  Wm. 
Murphy,  a  Baptist  minister  from  East  Tennessee.  In  1796,  settlements 
were  made  in  Perry  County  by  emigrants  from  Kentucky  and  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  the  latter  locating  in  the  rich  bottom  lands  of  Bois  Brule,  the 
former  generally  settling  in  the  "Barrens,"  and  along  the  waters  of  Saline 
Creek. 

Bird's  Point,  in  Mississippi  County,  opposite  Cairo,  111.,  was  settled 
August  6,  1800,  by  John  Johnson,  by  virtue  of  a  land  grant  from  the  com- 
mandant under  the  Spanish  Government.  Norfolk  and  Charleston,  in 
the  same  county,  were  settled  respectively  in  1800  and  1801.  Warren 
county  was  settled  in  1801.  Loutre  Island,  below  the  present  town  of 
Herman,  in  the  Missouri  River,  was  settled  by  a  few  American  families 
in  1807.  This  little  company  of  pioneers  suffered  greatly  from  the  floods, 
as  well  as  from  the  incursions  of  thieving  and  blood-thirsty  Indians,  and 
many  incidents  of  a  thrilling  character  could  be  related  of  trials  and 
struggles  had  we  the  time  and  space. 

In  1807  Nathan  and  Daniel  Boone,  sons  of  the  great  hunter  and  pio- 
neer, in  company  with  three  others,  went  from  St.  Louis  to  "Boone's 
Lick,"  in  Howard  County,  where  they  manufactured  salt,  and  formed  the 
nucleus  of  a  small  settlement. 

Cote  Sans  Dessein,  now  called  Bakersville,  on  the  Missouri  River,  in 
Callaway  County,  was  settled  by  the  French  in  1801.  This  little  town 
was  considered  at  that  time  as  the  "  Far  West"  of  the  new  world.  During 
the  war  of  18 12,  at  this  place  many  hard-fought  battles  occurred  between 
the  whites  and  Indians,  wherein  woman's  fortitude  and  courage  greatly 
assisted  in  the  defense  of  the  settlement. 

In  1810  a  colony  of  Kentuckians,  numbering  one  hundred  and  fifty 
families,  immigrated  to  Howard  County,  and  settled  in  the  Missouri  River 
bottom,  near  the  present  town  of  Franklin. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  some  of  the  early  settlements  of  Mis- 
souri, covering  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  century. 

These  settlements  were  made  on  the  water  courses ;  usually  along 
the  banks  of  the  two  great  streams,  whose  navigation  afforded  them 
transportation  for  their  marketable  commodities  and  communication 
with  the  civilized  portion  of  the  country. 

They  not  only  encountered  the  gloomy  forests,  settling  as  they  did, 
by  the  river's  brink,  but  the  hostile  incursion  of  savage  Indians,  by  whom 
they  were  for  many  years  surrounded. 

The  expedients  of  these  brave  men  who  first  broke  ground  in  the 
territory  have  been  succeeded  by  the  permanent  and  tasteful  improve- 
ments of  their  descendants.  Upon  the  spots  where  they  toiled,  dared 
and  died,  are  seen  the  comfortable  farm,  the  beautiful  village  and  thrifty 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  SI 

city.  Churches  and  school  houses  greet  the  eye  on  every  hand ;  rail- 
roads diverge  in  every  direction,  and  indeed,  all  the  appliances  of  a  higher 
civilization  are  profusely  strewn  over  the  smiling  surface  of  the  state. 

Culture's  hand 
Has  scattered  verdure  o'er  the  land  ) 
And  smiles  and  fragrance  rule  serene, 
Where  barren  wild  usurped  the  scene. 

SOME  FIRST  THINGS. 

The  first  marriage  that  took  place  in  Missouri  was  April  20,  1766,  in 
St.  Louis. 

The  first  baptism  was  performed  in  May,  1776,  in  St.  Louis. 

The  first  house  of  worship  (Catholic),  was  erected  in  1775,  at  St. 
Louis. 

The  first  ferry  established  in  1805,  on  the  Mississippi  River,  at  St. 
Louis. 

The  first  newspaper  established  in  St.  Louis  (Missouri  Gazette)  in 
1808. 

The  first  postoffice  was  established  in  1804,  in  St.  Louis — Rufus 
Easton,  postmaster. 

The  first  Protestant  church  erected  at  Ste.  Genevieve,  in  1806— 
Baptist. 

The  first  bank  established,  (Bank  of  St.  Louis),  in  18 14. 

The  first  market  house  opened  in  181 1,  in  St.  Louis. 

The  first  steamboat  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  was  the  General  Pike, 
Capt.  Jacob  Reid  ;  landed  at  St.  Louis,  18 17. 

The  first  board  of  trustees  for  public  schools  appointed  in  18 17,  St. 
Louis. 

The  first  college  built,  (St.  Louis  College),  in  18 17. 

The  first  steamboat  that  came  up  the  Missouri  River  as  high  as 
Franklin  was  the  Independence,  in  1819;  Capt.  Nelson,  master. 

The  first  court  house  erected  in  1823,  in  St.  Louis. 

The  first  cholera  appeared  in  St.  Louis  in  1832. 

The  first  railroad  convention  held  in  St.  Louis,  April  20,  1836. 

The  first  telegraph  lines  reached  East  St.  Louis,  December  20,  1847. 

The  first  great  fire  occurred  in  St.  Louis,  1849. 


j2  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

CHAPTER  V. 
TERRITORIAL  ORGANIZATION. 


ORGANIZATION  1812-COUNCIL-HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES— WM.  CLARK  FIRST  TER- 
RITORIAL GOVERNOR— EDWARD  HEMPSTEAD  FIRST  DELEGATE— SPANISH  GRANTS 
—FIRST  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY-PROCEEDINGS-SECOND  ASSEMBLY— PROCEEDINGS- 
POPULATION  OF  TERRITORY -VOTE  OF  TERRITORY  — RUFUS  EASTON- ABSENT 
MEMBERS— THIRD  ASSEMBLY-PROCEEDINGS— APPLICATION  FOR  ADMISSION. 


Congress  organized  Missouri  as  a  territory  July  4,  18 12,  with  a  Gov- 
ernor and  General  Assembly.  The  Governor,  Legislative  Council  and 
House  of  Representatives  exercised  the  legislative  power  of  the  terri- 
tory, the  Governor's  vetoing  power  being  absolute. 

The  Legislative  Council  was  composed  of  nine  members,  whose 
tenure  of  office  lasted  five  years.  Eighteen  citizens  were  nominated  by 
the  House  of  Representatives  to  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
from  whom  he  selected,  with  the  approval  of  the  Senate,  nine  Council- 
lors to  compose  the  Legislative  Council. 

The  House  of  Representatives  consisted  of  members  chosen  every 
two  years  by  the  people,  the  basis  of  representation  being  one  member 
for  every  five  hundred  white  males.  The  first  House  of  Representatives 
consisted  of  thirteen  members,  and,  by  act  of  Congress,  the  whole  num- 
ber of  Representatives  could  not  exceed  twenty-five. 

The  judicial  power  of  the  territory  was  vested  in  the  Superior  and 
Inferior  Courts,  and  in  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  ;  the  Superior  Court 
having  three  judges,  whose  term  of  office  continued  four  years,  having 
original  and  appellate  jurisdiction  in  civil  and  criminal  cases. 

The  Territory  could  send  one  delegate  to  Congress.  Governor 
Clark  issued  a  proclamation,  October  1st,  1812,  required  by  Congress, 
reorganizing  the  districts  of  St.  Charles,  St.  Louis,  Ste.  Genevieve,  Cape 
Girardeau  and  New  Madrid  into  five  counties,  and  fixed  the  second  Mon- 
day in  November  following  for  the  election  of  a  delegate  to  Congress, 
and  the  members  of  the  Territorial  House  of  Representatives. 

William  Clark,  of  the  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  was  the  first 
Territorial  Governor,  appointed  by  the  President,  who  began  his  duties 
in  1813. 

Edward  Hempstead,  Rufus  Easton,  Samuel  Hammond  and  Matthew 
Lyon  were  candidates  in  November  for  delegates  to  Congress. 

Edward  Hempstead  was  elected,  being  the  first  Territorial  Delegate 
to  Congress  from  Missouri.  He  served  one  term,  declining  a  second, 
and  was  instrumental  in  having  Congress  to  pass  the  act  of  June  13,  18 12, 
which  he  introduced,  confirming  the  title  to  lands  which  were  claimed 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  33 

by  the  people  by  virtue  of  Spanish  grants.  The  same  act  confirmed  to 
the  people  "  for  the  support  of  schools,"  the  title  to  village  lots,  out-lots  or 
common  field-lots,  which  were  held  and  enjoyed  by  them  at  the  time  of 
the  cession  of  1803. 

Under  the  act  of  June  4,  1812,  the  first  General  Assembly  held  its 
session  in  the  house  of  Joseph  Robidoux,  on  the  7th  of  December,  1812. 
The  names  of  the  members  of  the  House  were  : 

St.  Charles. — John  Pitman  and  Robert  Spencer. 

St.  Louis. — David  Music,  Bernard  G.  Farrar,  William  C.  Carr  and 
Richard  Clark. 

Ste.  Genevieve. — George  Bullet,  Richard  S.  Thomas  and  Isaac 
McGready. 

Cape  Girardeau. — George  F.  Bollinger  and  Spencer  Byrd. 

New  Madrid. — John  Shrader  and  Samuel  Phillips. 

John  B.  C.  Lucas,  one  of  the  Territorial  Judges,  administered  the  oath 
of  office.     William  C.  Carr  was  elected  Speaker  and  Andrew  Scott,  Clerk. 

The  House  of  Representatives  proceeded  to  nominate  eighteen  per- 
sons from  whom  the  President  of  the  United  States,  with  the  Senate,  was 
to  select  nine  for  the  Council.  From  this  number  the  President  chose 
the  following : 

St.  Charles. — James  Flaugherty  and  Benjamin  Emmons. 

St.  Louis. — August  Choteau,  Sr.  and  Samuel  Hammond, 

Ste.  Genevieve. — John  Scott  and  James  Maxwell. 

Cape  Girardeau. — William  Neely  and  Joseph  Cavenor. 

New  Madrid. — Joseph  Hunter. 

The  Legislative  Council,  thus  chosen  by  the  President  and  Senate, 
was  announced  by  Frederick  Bates,  Secretary  and  Acting-Governor  of 
the  Territory,  by  proclamation,  June  3,  1813,  and  fixing  the  first  Monday 
in  July  following  as  the  time  for  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature. 

In  the  meantime  the  duties  of  the  executive  office  were  assumed  by 
William  Clark.  The  Legislature  accordingly  met  as  required  by  the 
Acting-Governor's  proclamation,  in  July,  but  its  proceedings  were  never 
officially  published.  Consequently  but  little  is  known  in  reference  to 
the  workings  of  the  first  Territorial  Legislature  of  Missouri. 

From  the  imperfect  account,  published  in  the  Missouri  Gazette,  of 
that  day,  a  paper  which  had  been  in  existence  since  1808,  it  is  found 
that  laws  were  passed  regulating  and  establishing  weights  and  measures  , 
creating  the  office  of  sheriff;  providing  the  manner  for  taking  the  census  , 
permanently  fixing  the  seats  of  justice,  and  an  act  to  compensate  its 
own  members.  At  this  session  laws  were  also  passed  defining  crimes 
and  penalties ;  laws  in  reference  to  forcible  entry  and  detainer ;  estab- 
lishing Courts  of  Common  Pleas  ;  incorporating  the  Bank  of  St.  Louis 
and  organizing  a  part  of  Ste.  Genevieve  County  into  the  county  of 
Washington. 


34  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

The  next  session  of  the  Legislature  convened  in  St.  Louis,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1813.  George  Bullet,  of  Ste.  Genevieve  county,  was  Speaker  elect, 
Andrew  Scott,  clerk,  and  William  Sullivan,  doorkeeper.  Since  the 
adjournment  of  the  former  Legislature  several  vacancies  had  occurred,  and 
new  members  had  been  elected  to  fill  their  places.  Among  these  was 
Israel  McGready,  from  the  county  of  Washington. 

The  president  of  the  legislative  council  was  Samuel  Hammond.  No 
journal  of  the  council  was  officially  published,  but  the  proceedings  of  the 
House  are  found  in  the  Gazette. 

At  this  session  of  the  Legislature  many  wise  and  useful  laws  were 
passed,  having  reference  to  the  temporal  as  well  as  the  moral  and  spirit- 
ual welfare  of  the  people.  Laws  were  enacted  for  the  suppression  of 
vice  and  immorality  on  the  Sabbath  day ;  for  the  improvement  of  pub- 
lic roads  and  highways ;  creating  the  offices  of  auditor,  treasurer  and 
county  surveyor ;  regulating  the  fiscal  affairs  of  the  Territory  and  fixing 
the  boundary  lines  of  New  Madrid,  Cape  Girardeau,  Washington  and  St. 
Charles  Counties.  The  Legislature  adjourned  on  the  19th  of  January, 
18 14,  sine  die. 

The  population  of  the  territory  as  shown  by  the  United  States 
census  in  18 10,  was  20,845.  The  census  taken  by  the  Legislature  in  18 14 
gave  the  territory  a  population  of  25,000.  This  enumeration  shows  the 
county  of  St.  Louis  contained  the  greatest  number  of  inhabitants,  and 
the  new  county  of  Arkansas  the  least — the  latter  having  827,  and  the 
former  3,149. 

The  candidates  for  delegate  to  Congress  were  Rufus  Easton,  Samuel 
Hammond,  Alexander  McNair  and  Thomas  F.  Riddick.  Rufus  Easton 
and  Samuel  Hammond  had  been  candidates  at  the  preceding  election. 
In  all  the  counties,  excepting  Arkansas,  the  votes  aggregated  2,599,  °f 
which  number  Mr.  Easton  received  965,  Mr.  Hammond  746,  Mr.  NcNair 
853,  and  Mr.  Riddick  (who  had  withdrawn  previously  to  the  election)  35. 
Mr.  Easton  was  elected. 

The  census  of  18 14,  showing  a  large  increase  in  the  population  of  the 
territory,  an  apportionment  was  made  increasing  the  number  of  repre- 
sentatives in  the  territorial  Legislature  to  twenty-two.  The  General 
Assembly  began  its  session  in  St.  Louis,  December  5,  18 14.  There  were 
present  on  the  first  day  twenty  Representatives.  James  Caldwell  of  Ste. 
Genevieve  county  was  elected  speaker,  and  Andrew  Scott,  who  had  been 
clerk  of  the  preceding  assembly,  was  chosen  clerk.  The  president  of  the 
council  was  William  Neely,  of  Cape  Girardeau  County. 

It  appears  that  James  Maxwell,  the  absent  member  of  the  council, 
and  Seth  Emmons,  member  elect  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  were 
dead.  The  county  of  Lawrence  was  organized  at  this  session,  from  the 
western  part  of  New  Madrid  County,  and  the  corporate  powers  of  St. 
Louis  were  enlarged.     In  181 5  the  territorial  Legislature  again  began  its 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  35 

session.  Only  a  partial  report  of  its  proceedings  are  given  in  the 
Gazette.  The  county  of  Howard  was  then  organized  from  St.  Louis  and 
St.  Charles  Counties,  and  included  all  that  part  of  the  state  lying  north 
of  the  Osage  and  south  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  Mississippi  and 
Missouri  Rivers. 

The  next  session  of  the  territorial  Legislature  commenced  its  ses- 
sion in  December,  1816.  During  the  sitting  of  this  Legislature  many 
important  acts  were  passed.  It  was  then  that  the  "Bank  of  Missouri" 
was  chartered  and  went  into  operation.  In  the  fall  of  18 17  the  "  Bank  of 
St.  Louis"  and  the  "Bank  of  Missouri"  were  issuing  bills.  An  act  was 
passed  chartering  lottery  companies,  chartering  the  academy  at  Potosi, 
and  incorporating  a  board  of  trustees  for  superintending  the  schools  in 
the  town  of  St.  Louis.  Laws  were  also  passed  to  encourage  the  "killing 
of  wolves,  panthers  and  wild-cats." 

The  territorial  Legislature  met  again  in  December,  18 18,  and 
among  other  things,  organized  the  counties  of  Pike,  Cooper,  Jefferson, 
Franklin,  Wayne,  Lincoln,  Madison,  Montgomery,  and  three  counties  in 
the  southern  part  of  Arkansas.  It  18 19  the  Territory  of  Arkansas  was 
formed  into  a  separate  government  of  its  own. 

The  people  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri  had  been,  for  some  time, 
anxious  that  their  territory  should  assume  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  a  sovereign  state.  Since  1812,  the  date  of  the  organization  of  the 
territory,  the  population  had  rapidly  increased,  many  counties  had  been 
established,  its  commerce  had  grown  into  importance,  its  agricultural 
and  mineral  resources  were  being  developed,  and  believing  that  its 
admission  into  the  Union  as  a  state  would  give  fresh  impetus  to  all  these 
interests  and  hasten  its  settlement,  the  territorial  Legislature  of  18 18-19 
accordingly  made  application  to  Congress  for  the  passage  of  an  act 
authorizing  the  people  of  Missouri  to  organize  a  state  government 


CHAPTER  VI. 

APPLICATION   OP  MISSOURI  TO  BE  ADMITTED  INTO  THE  UNION-AGITATION  OF  THK 

SLAVERY  QUESTION-"  MISSOURI  COMPROMISE  "-CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION 
OF  i8jo— CONSTITUTION  PRESENTED  TO  CONGRESS-FURTHER  RESISTANCE  TO 
ADMISSION— MR.  CLAY  AND  HIS  COMMITTEE  MAKE  REPORT— SECOND  COMPROMISE 
—MISSOURI  ADMITTED. 

With  the  application  of  the  territorial  Legislature  of  Missouri  for 
her  admission  into  the  Union  commenced  the  real  agitation  of  the 
slavery  question  in  the  United  States. 


36  HISTORY   OF  MISSOURI. 

Not  only  was  our  National  Legislature  the  theatre  of  angry  discus- 
sions, but  everywhere  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Repub- 
lic the  "Missouri  Question"  was  the  all-absorbing  theme.  The  political 
skies  threatened, 

"  In  forked  flashes,  a  commanding  tempest," 

Which  was  liable  to  burst  upon  the  nation  at  any  moment.  Through 
such  a  crisis  our  country  seemed  destined  to  pass.  The  question  as  to 
the  admission  of  Missouri  was  to  be  the  beginning  of  this  crisis,  which 
distracted  the  public  counsels  of  the  nation  for  more  than  forty  years 
afterward. 

Missouri  asked  to  be  admitted  into  the  great  family  of  states. 
"Lower  Louisiana,"  her  twin  sister  territory,  had  knocked  at  the  door  of 
the  Union  eight  years  previously,  and  was  admitted,  as  stipulated  by 
Napoleon,  to  all  the  rights,  privileges  and  immunities  of  a  state,  and  in 
accordance  with  the  stipulations  of  the  same  treaty,  Missouri  now  sought 
to  be  clothed  with  the  same  rights,  privileges  and  immunities. 

As  what  is  known  in  the  history  of  the  United  States  as  the  "Mis- 
souri Compromise,"  of  1820,  takes  rank  among  the  most  prominent 
measures  that  had  up  to  that  day  engaged  the  attention  of  our  National 
Legislature,  we  shall  enter  somewhat  into  its  details,  being  connected  as 
they  are  with  the  annals  of  the  state. 

February  ijt/i,  i8ip. — After  the  House  had  resolved  itself  into  a 
committee  of  the  whole  on  the  bill  to  authorize  the  admission  of  Mis- 
souri into  the  Union,  and  after  the  question  of  her  admission  had  been 
discussed  for  some  time,  Mr.  Tallmadge,  of  New  York,  moved  to  amend 
the  bill  by  adding  to  it  the  following  proviso : 

"And  Provided,  That  the  further  introduction  of  slavery  or  involun- 
tary servitude  be  prohibited,  except  for  the  punishment  of  crime,  whereof 
the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted,  and  that  all  children  born 
within  the  said  state,  after  the  admission  thereof  into  the  Union,  shall 
be  free  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years." 

As  might  have  been  expected,  this  proviso  precipitated  the  angry 
discussion  which  lasted  for  nearly  three  years,  finally  culminating  in  the 
Missouri  Compromise.  All  phases  of  the  slavery  question  were  presented, 
not  only  in  its  moral  and  social  aspects,  but  as  a  great  constitutional 
question,  affecting  Missouri  and  the  admission  of  future  states.  The  pro- 
viso, when  submitted  to  a  vote,  was  adopted — 79  to  67,  and  so  reported 
to  the  House. 

Hon  John  Scott,  who  was  at  that  time  a  delegate  from  the  Territory 
of  Missouri,  was  not  permitted  to  vote,  but  as  such  delegate,  he  had  the 
privilege  of  participating  in  the  debates  which  followed.  On  the  16th 
day  of  February  the  proviso  was  taken  up  and  discussed.  After  several 
speeches  had  been  made,  among  them  one  by  Mr.  Scott  and  one  by  the 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  37 

author  of  the  proviso,  Mr.  Tallmadge,  the  amendment  or  proviso  was 
divided  into  two  parts,  and  voted  upon.  The  first  part  of  it,  which 
included  all  to  the  word  "convicted,"  was  adopted — 87  to  j6.  The 
remaining  part  was  then  voted  upon,  and  also  adopted,  by  82  to  78.  By 
a  vote  of  97  to  56  the  bill  was  ordered  to  be  engrossed  for  a  third  reading. 

The  Senate  Committee,  to  whom  the  bill  was  referred,  reported  the 
same  to  the  Senate  on  the  10th  of  February,  when  that  body  voted  first 
upon  a  motion  to  strike  out  of  the  proviso  all  after  the  word  "convicted," 
which  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  32  to  7.  It  then  voted  to  strike  out  the 
first  entire  clause,  which  prevailed — 22  to  16,  thereby  defeating  the 
proviso. 

The  House  declined  to  concur  in  the  action  of  the  Senate,  and  the 
bill  was  again  returned  to  that  body,  which  in  turn  refused  to  recede  from 
its  position.  The  bill  was  lost,  and  Congress  adjourned.  This  was  most 
unfortunate  for  the  country.  The  people  having  been  wrought  up  to 
fever  heat  over  the  agitation  of  the  question  in  the  national  councils, 
now  became  intensely  excited.  The  press  added  fuel  to  the  flame,  and 
the  progress  of  events  seemed  rapidly  tending  to  the  downfall  of  our 
nationality. 

A  long  interval  of  nine  months  was  to  ensue  before  the  meeting  of 
Congress.  That  body  indicated  by  its  vote  upon  the  "Missouri  ques- 
tion" that  the  two  great  sections  of  the  country  were  politically  divided 
upon  the  subject  of  slavery.  The  restrictive  clause,  which  it  was  sought 
to  impose  upon  Missouri  as  a  condition  of  her  admission,  would  in  all 
probability  be  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  admission  of  the  Territory  of 
Arkansas.  The  public  mind  was  in  a  state  of  great  doubt  and  uncer- 
tainty up  to  the  meeting  of  Congress,  which  took  place  on  the  6th  of 
December,  1819.  The  memorial  of  the  Legislative  Council  and  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  Missouri  Territory,  praying  for  admission  into 
the  Union,  was  presented  to  the  Senate  by  Mr.  Smith,  of  South  Carolina. 
It  was  referred  to  the  Judiciary  Committee. 

Some  three  weeks  having  passed  without  any  action  thereon  by  the 
Senate,  the  bill  was  taken  up  and  discussed  by  the  House  until  the  19th 
of  February,  when  the  bill  from  the  Senate  for  the  admission  of  Maine 
was  considered.  The  bill  for  the  admission  of  Maine  included  the  "Mis- 
souri question  "  by  an  amendment,  which  reads  as  follows : 

"And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  in  all  territory  ceded  by  France  to 
the  United  States,  under  the  name  of  Louisiana,  which  lies  north  of 
thirty-six  degrees  and  thirty  minutes,  north  latitude,  (excepting  such 
part  thereof  as  is)  included  within  the  limits  of  the  state,  contemplated 
by  this  act,  slavery  and  involuntary  servitude,  otherwise  than  in  the 
punishment  of  crimes,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  convicted,  shall 
be  and  is  hereby  forever  prohibited  :  Provided  always.  That  any  person 
escaping  into  the  same,  from  whom  labor  or  service  is  lawfully  claimed, 


38  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

in  any  state  or  territory  of  the  United  States,  such  fugitive  may  be  law- 
fully reclaimed  and  conveyed  to  the  person  claiming  his  or  her  labor  or 
service  as  aforesaid." 

The  Senate  adopted  this  amendment,  which  formed  the  basis  of  the 
"  Missouri  Compromise,"  modified  afterward  by  striking  out  the  words, 
"excepting  only  such  part  thereof? 

The  bill  passed  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  24  to  20.  On  the  2d  day  of 
March  the  House  took  up  the  bill  and  amendments  for  consideration, 
and  by  a  vote  of  134  to  42  concurred  in  the  Senate  amendment,  and  the 
bill,  being  passed  by  the  two  Houses,  constituted  section  8,  of  "  An  Act 
to  authorize  the  people  of  the  Missouri  Territory  to  form  a  Constitution 
and  State  Government,  and  for  the  admission  of  such  state  into  the 
Union  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  states,  and  to  prohibit 
slavery  in  certain  territory." 

This  act  was  approved  March  6,  1820.  Missouri  then  contained  fif- 
teen organized  counties.  By  act  of  Congress  the  people  of  said  state 
were  authorized  to  hold  an  election  on  the  first  Monday,  and  two  suc- 
ceeding days  thereafter  in  May,  1820,  to  select  representatives  to  a  state 
convention.  This  convention  met  in  St.  Louis  on  the  12th  of  June,  fol- 
lowing the  election  in  May,  and  concluded  its  labors  on  the  19th  of  July, 
1820.  David  Barton  was  its  president,  and  Wm.  G.  Pettis,  secretary. 
There  were  forty-one  members  of  this  convention,  men  of  ability  and 
statesmanship,  as  the  admirable  constitution  which  they  framed  amply 
testifies.  Their  names  and  the  counties  represented  by  them  are  as 
follows : 

Cape  Girardeau. — Stephen  Byrd,  James  Evans,  Richard  S.  Thomas, 
Alexander  Buckner  and  Joseph  McFerron. 

Cooper.— Robert  P.  Clark,  Robert  Wallace,  Wm.  Lillard. 

Franklin. — John  G.  Heath. 

Howard.— Nicholas  S.  Burkhart,  Duff  Green,  John  Ray,  Jonathan 
S.  Findley,  Benj.  H.  Reeves. 

Jefferson. — Daniel  Hammond. 

Lincoln. — Malcolm  Henry. 

Montgomery. — Jonathan  Ramsey,  James  TalbotL 

Madison. — Nathaniel  Cook. 

New  Madrid. — Robert  S.  Dawson,  Christopher  G.  Houts. 

Pike. — Stephen  Cleaver. 

St.  Charles. — Benjamin  Emmons,  Nathan  Boone,  Hiram  H.  Baber. 

Ste.  Genevieve.— John  D.  Cook,  Henry  Dodge,  John  Scott,  R.  T.  Brown. 

St.  Louis.— David  Barton,  Edward  Bates,  Alexander  McNair,  Wm. 
Rector,  John  C.  Sullivan,  Pierre  Choteau,  Jr.,  Bernard  Pratte,  Thomas 
F.  Riddick. 

Washington — John  Rice  Jones,  Samuel  Perry,  John  Hutchings. 

Wayne. — Elijah  Bettis. 


HISTORY   OF  MISSOURI.  39 

On  the  13th  of  November,  1820,  Congress  met  again,  and  on  the  6th 
of  the  same  month  Mr.  Scott,  the  delegate  from  Missouri,  presented  to 
the  House  the  constitution  as  framed  by  the  convention.  The  same 
was  referred  to  a  select  committee,  who  made  thereon  a  favorable  report. 

The  admission  of  the  state,  however,  was  resisted,  because  it  was 
claimed  that  its  constitution  sanctioned  slavery,  and  authorized  the 
Legislature  to  pass  laws  preventing  free  negroes  and  mulattoes  from 
settling  in  the  state.  The  report  of  the  committee  to  whom  was  referred 
the  Constitution  of  Missouri  was  accompanied  by  a  preamble  and  reso- 
lutions, offered  by  Mr.  Lowndes,  of  South  Carolina.  The  preamble  and 
resolutions  were  stricken  out. 

The  application  of  the  state  for  admission  shared  the  same  fate  in 
the  Senate.  The  question  was  referred  to  a  select  committee,  who,  on 
the  29th  of  November,  reported  in  favor  of  admitting  the  state.  The 
debate  which  followed  continued  for  two  weeks,  and  finally  Mr.  Eaton, 
of  Tennessee,  offered  an  amendment  to  the  resolution,  as  follows  : 

"  Provided,  That  nothing  herein  contained  shall  be  so  construed  as 
to  give  the  assent  of  Congress  to  any  provision  in  the  Constitution  of 
Missouri,  if  any  such  there  be,  which  contravenes  that  clause  in  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  which  declares  that  the  citizens  of 
each  state  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and  immunities  of  citi- 
zens in  the  several  states." 

The  resolution,  as  amended,  was  adopted.  The  resolution  and  pro- 
viso were  again  taken  up  and  discussed  at  great  length,  when  the  com- 
mittee agreed  to  report  the  resolution  to  the  House. 

The  question  on  agreeing  to  the  amendment,  as  reported  from  the 
committee  of  the  whole,  was  lost  in  the  House.  A  similar  resolution 
afterward  passed  the  Senate,  but  was  again  rejected  in  the  House.  Then 
it  was  that  the  great  statesman  and  pure  patriot,  Henry  Clay,  of  Ken- 
tucky, feeling  that  the  hour  had  come  when  angry  discussion  should 
cease : 

"With  grave 
Aspect  he  rose,  and  in  his  rising  seem'd 
A  pillar  of  state ;  deep  on  his  front  engraven 
Deliberation  sat  and  public  care ; 
And  princely  counsel  in  his  face  yet  shone 
Majestic"        *        •        *        *        * 

proposed  that  the  question  of  Missouri's  admission  be  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  twenty-three  persons,  (a  number  equal  to  the  number 
of  states  then  composing  the  Union,)  to  be  appointed  to  act  in  conjunction 
with  a  committee  of  the  Senate  to  consider  and  report  whether  Missouri 
should  be  admitted,  etc. 

The  motion  prevailed,  the  committee  was  appointed  and  Mr.  Clay 
made  its  chairman.    The  Senate  selected  seven  of  its  members  to  act 


40  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

with  the  committee  of  twenty-three,  and  the  26th  of  February  the  fol- 
lowing report  was  made  by  that  committee: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled :  That  Missouri  shall  be 
admitted  into  the  Union,  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  states,  in 
all  respects  whatever,  upon  the  fundamental  condition  that  the  fourth 
clause,  of  the  twenty-sixth  section  of  the  third  article  of  the  Constitu- 
tion submitted  on  the  part  of  said  state  to  Congress,  shall  never  be  con- 
strued to  authorize  the  passage  of  any  law,  and  that  no  law  shall  be 
passed  in  conformity  thereto,  by  which  any  citizen  of  either  of  the  states 
in  this  Union  shall  be  excluded  from  the  enjoyment  of  any  of  the  privi- 
leges and  immunities  to  which  such  citizen  is  entitled,  under  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States ;  Provided,  That  the  Legislature  of  said 
state,  by  a  solemn  public  act,  shall  declare  the  assent  of  the  said  state 
to  the  said  fundamental  condition,  and  shall  transmit  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  on  or  before  the  fourth  Monday  in  November  next, 
an  authentic  copy  of  the  said  act ;  upon  the  receipt  whereof,  the  Presi- 
dent, by  proclamation,  shall  announce  the  fact ;  whereupon,  and  without 
any  further  proceeding  on  the  part  of  Congress,  the  admission  of  the 
said  state  into  the  Union  shall  be  considered  complete." 

This  resolution,  after  a  brief  debate,  was  adopted  in  the  House,  and 
passed  the  Senate  on  the  28th  of  February,  1821. 

At  a  special  session  of  the  Legislature  held  in  St.  Charles,  in  June 
following,  a  solemn  public  act  was  adopted,  giving  its  assent  to  the  con- 
ditions of  admission,  as  expressed  in  the  resolution  of  Mr.  Clay.  August 
10th,  1821,  President  Monroe  announced  by  proclamation  the  admission 
of  Missouri  into  the  Union  to  be  comolete. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
MISSOURI  AS  A  STATE. 

FIRST  ELECTION  FOR  GOVERNOR  AND  OTHER  STATE  OFFICERS-SENATORS  AND  REF* 
RESENTATIVES  TO  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY-SHERIFFS  AND  CORONERS  — UNITED 
STATES  SENATORS— REPRESENTATIVES  IN  CONGRESS— SUPREME  COURT  JUDGES- 
COUNTIES  ORGANIZED— CAPITAL  MOVED  TO  ST.  CHARLES-OFFICIAL  RECORD  OF 
TERRITORIAL  AND  STATE  OFFICERS. 

By  the  Constitution  adopted  by  the  Convention  on  the  19th  of  July, 
1820,  the  General  Assembly  was  required  to  meet  in  St.  Louis  on  the 
third  Monday  in  September  of  that  year,  and  an  election  was  ordered  to 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  41 

be  held  on  the  28th  of  August  for  the  election  of  a  Governor  and  other 
state  officers,  Senators  and  Representatives  to  the  General  Assembly, 
Sheriffs  and  Coroners,  United  States  Senators  and  Representatives  in 
Congress. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Missouri  had  not  as  yet  been  admitted  as  a 
State,  but  in  anticipation  of  that  event  and  according  to  the  provisions 
of  the  constitution  the  election  was  held,  and  the  General  Assemby  con- 
vened. 

William  Clark  (who  had  been  Governor  of  the  territory)  and  Alex- 
ander McNair  were  candidates  for  Governor.  McNair  received  6,576 
votes,  Clark  2,556,  total  vote  of  the  state  9,132.  There  were  three  can- 
didates for  Lieutenant  Governor,  to  wit :  William  H.  Ashley,  Nathaniel 
Cook  and  Henry  Elliot.  Ashley  received  3,907  votes,  Cook  3,212,  Elliot 
931.  A  Representative  was  to  be  elected  for  the  residue  of  the  Six- 
teenth Congress  and  one  for  the  Seventeenth.  John  Scott,  who  was  at 
the  time  territorial  delegate,  was  elected  to  both  Congresses  without 
opposition. 

The  General  Assembly  elected  in  August  met  on  the  19th  Septem- 
ber, 1820,  and  organized  by  electing  James  Caldwell,  of  Ste.  Genevieve, 
Speaker,  and  John  McArthur,  Clerk;  William  H.  Ashley,  Lieutenant 
Governor,  President  of  the  Senate ;  Silas  Bent,  President  pro  tern. 

Matthias  McKirk,  John  D.  Cook  and  John  R.  Jones  were  appointed 
Supreme  Judges,  each  to  hold  office  until  sixty-five  years  of  age. 

Joshua  Barton  was  appointed  Secretary  of  State  ;  Peter  Didier,  State 
Treasurer;  Edward  Bates,  Attorney  General,  and  William  Christie, 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts. 

David  Barton  and  Thomas  H.  Benton  were  elected  by  the  General 
Assembly  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

At  this  session  of  the  Legislature  the  counties  of  Boone,  Callaway, 
Chariton,  Cole,  Gasconade,  Lillard,  Percy,  Ralls,  Ray  and  Saline  were 
organized. 

We  should  like  to  give  in  detail  the  meetings  and  proceedings  of 
the  different  Legislatures  which  followed,  the  elections  for  Governors 
and  other  state  officers,  the  elections  for  Congressmen  and  United 
States  Senators,  but  for  want  of  space  we  can  only  present  in  a  condensed 
form  the  official  record  of  the  territorial  and  state  officers. 

OFFICIAL   RECORD — TERRITORIAL  OFFICERS. 

Governors.  —  Frederick  Bates,  Secretary  and  Acting-Governor, 
1812-13;  William  Clark,  1813-20. 

OFFICERS  OF  STATE  GOVERNMENT. 

Governors. — Alexander  McNair,  1820-24;  Frederick  Bates,  1824-25; 
Abraham  J.  Williams  vice  Bates,  1825;  John  Miller  vice  Bates,  1826-28; 


42  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

John  Miller,  1828-32;  Daniel  Dunklin,  1832-36,  resigned,  appointed  Sur- 
veyor General  United  States.;  Lilburn  W.  Boggs  vice  Dunklin,  1836 ; 
Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  1836-40;  Thomas  Reynolds,  1840,  died  1844;  M.  M. 
Marmaduke  vice  Reynolds — John  C.  Edwards,  1844-48  ;  Austin  A.  King, 
1848-52;  Sterling  Price,  1852-56;  Trusten  Polk,  1856-57,  resigned; 
Hancock  Jackson  vice  Polk,  1857;  Robert  M.  Stewart  vice  Polk,  1857-60  ; 
C.  F.  Jackson,  i860,  office  vacated  by  ordinance  ;  Hamilton  R.  Gamble 
vice  Jackson,  Governor  Gamble  died  1864;  Williard  P.  Hall,  1864,  vice 
Gamble;  Thomas  C.  Fletcher,  1864-68;  Joseph  W.  McClurg,  1868-70; 

B.  Gratz  Brown,  1870-72;  Silas  Woodson,  1872-74;  Charles  H.  Hardin, 
1874-76;  John  S.  Phelps,  1876-80;  Thomas  T.  Crittenden,  1880,  and  is 
now  Governor. ' 

Lieutenant-Governors. — William  H.Ashley,  1820-24;  Benjamin  A. 
Reeves,  1824-28;  Daniel  Dunklin,  1828-32;  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  1832-36; 
Franklin  Cannon,  1836-40;  M.  M.  Marmaduke,  1840-44;  James  Young, 
1844-48-60;  Thomas  C.  Reynolds,  1860-61;  Williard  P.  Hall,  1861-64- 
George  Smith,  1864-68  ;  Edward  O.  Stanard,  1868-70;  Joseph  J.  Gravelv, 
1870-72;  Charles  P.  Johnson,  1872-74;  Norman  J.  Colman,  1874-76; 
Henry  C.  Brockmeyer,  1876-80;  Robert  Campbell,  1880,  and  is  the  pres- 
ent incumbent. 

Secretaries  of  State. — Joshua  Barton,  1820-21  ;  William  G.  Pettis, 
1821-24;  Hamilton  R.  Gamble,  1824-26;  Spencer  Pettis,  1826-28;  P.  H. 
McBride,  1829-30;  John  C.  Edwards,  1830,  term  expired  1835,  re-ap- 
pointed 1837,  resigned  1837;  Peter  G.  Glover,  1837-39;  James  L.  Miner, 
1839-45;  F.  H.  Martin,  1845-49;  Ephraim  B.  Ewing,  1849-52;  John  M. 
Richardson,  1852-56;  Benjamin  F.  Massey,  1856-60,  re-elected  i860,  for 
four  years;  Mordecai  Oliver,  1861-64;  Francis  Rodman,  1864-68,  re- 
elected 1868,  for  two  years;  Eugene  F.  Weigel,  1870-72,  re-elected  1872, 
for  two  years;  Michael  K.  McGrath,  1874,  and  is  the  present  incumbent. 

State  Treasurers. — Peter  Didier,  1820-21  ;  Nathaniel  Simonds,  1821- 
28 ;  James  Earickson,  1829-33  ;  John  Walker,  1833-38  ;  Abraham  McClel- 
lan,  1838-43  ;  Peter  G.  Glover,  1843-51 ;  A.  W.  Morrison,  1851-60;  Geo. 

C.  Bingham,  1862-64;  William  Bishop,  1864-68;  William  Q.  Dallmeyer, 
1868-70;  Samuel  Hays,  1872;  Harvey  W.  Salmon,  1872-74;  Joseph  W. 
Mercer,  1874-76;  Elijah  Gates,  1876-80;  Phillip  E.  Chappel,  1880,  and 
present  incumbent. 

Attorneys  General. — Edward  Bates,  1 820-2 1 ;  RufusEaston,  1821-26; 
Robert  W.  Wells,  1826-36;  William  B.  Napton,  1836-39;  S.  M.  Bay, 
1839-45;  B.  F.  Stringfellow,  1845-49;  William  A.  Roberts,  1849-51; 
James  B.  Gardenhire,  1851-56;  Ephraim  W.  Ewing,  1856-59;  James  P. 
Knott,  1859-61;  Aikman  Welsh,  1861-64;  Thomas  T.  Crittenden,  1864; 
Robert  F.  Wingate,  1864-68;  Horace  P.  Johnson,  1868-70;  A.  J.  Baker, 
1870-72;  Henry  Clay  Ewing,  1872-74;  John  A.  Hockaday,  1874-76; 
Jackson  L.  Smith,  1 876-80;  Mclntire,  1880,  and  present  incumbent. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  43 

Auditors  of  Public  Accounts. — William  Christie,  1820-21;  William 
V.  Rector,  1821-23;  Elias  Barcroft,  1823-33;  Henry  Shurlds,  1833-35; 
Peter  G.  Glover,  1835-37;  Hiram  H.  Baber,  1837-45  ;  William  Monroe, 
1845;  J.  R.  McDermon,  1845-48;  George  W.  Miller,  1848-49;  Wilson 
Brown,  1849-52;  William  H.  Buffington,  1852-60;  William  S.  Moseley, 
1860-64;  Alonzo  Thompson,  1864-68;  Daniel  M.  Draper,  1868-72;  Geo. 
B.  Clark,  1872-74;  Thomas  Holladay,  1874-80;  John  Walker,  1880,  and 
present  incumbent. 

Judges  of  Supreme  Court. — Matthias  McKirk,  1822-41 ;  John  D. 
Cooke,  1822-23;  John  R.  Jones,  1822-24;  Rufus  Pettibone,  1823-25; 
George  Tompkins,  1824-45  ;  Robert  Walsh,  1825-37;  John  C.  Edwards, 
1837-39;  William  Scott,  appointed  1841  till  meeting  of  General  Assem- 
bly, in  place  of  M.  McKirk  resigned,  re-appointed  1843  i  P-  H.  McBride, 
1845  ;  William  B.  Napton,  1849-52;  John  F.  Ryland,  1849-51  ;  John  H. 
Birch,  1849-51  ;  William  Scott,  John  F.  Ryland  and  Hamilton  R.  Gamble 
elected  by  the  people  185 1  for  six  years;  Gamble  resigned  1854;  Abiel 
Leonard  elected  to  fill  vacancy  of  Gamble ;  William  B.  Napton  (vacated 
by  failure  to  file  oath),  William  Scott  and  John  C.  Richardson  (resigned), 
elected  August,  1857,  f°r  six  years;  E.  B.  Ewing,  1859,  to  ^  Richard- 
son's resignation  ;  Barton  Bates  appointed  1862  ;  W.  V.  N.  Bay  appointed 
1862;  John  D.  S.  Dryden,  appointed  1862;  Barton  Bates,  1863-65;  W. 
V.  N.  Bay,  elected  1863 ;  John  D.  S.  Dryden,  elected  1863  ;  David  Wag- 
ner, appointed  1865  ;  Wallace  L.  Lovelace,  appointed  1865  ;  Nathaniel 
Holmes,  appointed  1865;  Thomas  J.  C.  Fagg,  appointed  1866;  James 
Baker,  appointed  1868;  David  Wagner,  elected  1868-70;  Philemon 
Bliss,  1868-70;  Warren  Currier,  1868-71 ;  Washington  Adams,  appointed 
1 87 1  to  fill  Currier's  place,  who  resigned;  Ephraim  B.  Ewing,  elected 
1872;  Thomas  A.  Sherwood,  elected  1872;  W.  B.  Napton,  appointed 
1873,  *n  place  of  Ewing,  deceased;  Edward  A.  Seins,  appointed  1874,  in 
place  of  Adams,  resigned;  Warwick  Hough,  elected  1874;  William  B. 
Napton,  elected  1874-80;  John  E.  Henry,  1876-86;  Robert  Ray  suc- 
ceeded William  B.  Napton  in  1880;  Elijah  H.  Norton,  appointed  in 
1876— elected  in  1878. 

United  States  Senators. — T.  H.  Benton,  1820-50;  D.  Barton,  1820- 
30;  Alex.  Buckner,  1830-33;  L.  F.  Linn,  1833-43;  D.  R.  Atchison, 
1843-55;  H.  S.  Geyer,  1851-57;  Jas.  M.  Green,  1857-61;  T.  Polk,  1857* 
63  ;  Waldo  P.  Johnson,  1861  ;  R.obt.  Wilson,  1861 ;  B.  Gratz  Brown,  1863, 
for  unexpired  term  of  Johnson;  J.  B.  Henderson,  1863-69;  Chas.  D. 
Drake,  1867-70;  Carl  Schurz,  1869-75;  D.  F.  Jewett,  1870,  in  place  of 
Drake,  resigned;  F.  P.  Blair,  1871-77;  L.  V.  Bogy,  1873;  F.  M.  Cock- 
rell,  1875-81 ;  re-elected  1881  ;  Geo.  C.  Vest,  1879. 

Representatives  to  Congress. — Jno.  Scott,  1820-26:  Ed.  Bates,  1826- 
28;  Spencer  Pettis,  1828-31  ;  Wm.  H.  Ashley,  1831-36;  John  Bull,  1832- 
34;  Albert  G.  Harrison,  1834-39;  Jno.  Miller,  1836-43;  John  Jameson. 


44 


HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI. 


tR  39-44,  re-elected  1846  for  two  years;  Jno.  C.  Edwards,  1840-42;  Jas. 
M.  Hughes,  1842-44;  Jas.  H.Relfe,  1842-46;  Jas.  B.  Bowlin,  1842-50; 
Gustavus  M.  Boner,  1842-44;  Sterling  Price,  1844-46;  Wm.  McDaniel, 
1846;  Leonard  H.  Sims,  1844-46;  John  S.  Phelps,  1844-60;  Jas.  S.  Green, 
1846-50,  re-elected  1856,  resigned;  Willard  P.  Hall,  1846-53;  Wm.  V. 
N.  Bay,  1848-61;  John  F.  Darby,  1850-53;  Gilchrist 'Porter,  1850-57; 
John  G.  Miller,  1850-56 ;  Alfred  W.  Lamb,  1852-54;  Thos.  H.  Benton, 
1852-54;  Mord&sai  Oliver,  1852-57;  Jas.  J.  Lindley,  1852-56;  Samuel 
Caruthers,  1852-58;  Thomas  P.  Akers,  1855,  to  fill  unexpired  term  of  J. 
G.  Miller ;  Francis  P.  Blair,  Jr.,  1856,  re-elected  i860,  resigned ;  Thomas 
L.  Anderson,  1856-1860;  James  Craig,  1856-60;  Samuel  H.  Woodson, 
1856-60;  John  B.  Clark,  Sr.,  1857-61  ;  J.  Richard  Barrett,  i860;  John  W. 
Noel,  1858-63;  James  S.  Rollins,  1860-64;  Elijah  H.  Norton,  1860-63; 
John  W.  Reid,  1860-61;  William  A.  Hall,  1862-64;  Thomas  L.  Price, 
1862,  in  place  of  Reid,  expelled;  Henry  T.  Blow,  1862-66;  Sempronius 
T.  Boyd,  elected  in  1862,  and  again  in  1868,  for  two  years;  Joseph  W. 
McClurg,  1862-66;  Austin  A.  King,  1862-64;  Benjamin  F.  Loan,  1862-69; 
John  G.  Scott,  1863,  in  place  of  Noel,  deceased;  John  Hogan,  1864-66; 
Thomas  F.  Noel,  1864-67;  John  R.  Kelsoe,  1864-66;  Robt.  T.  Van 
Horn,  1864-71  ;  John  F.  Benjamin,  1864-71 ;  George  W.  Anderson, 
1864-69;  William  A.  Pile,  1866-68;  C.  A.  Newcomb,  1866-68;  Joseph  E. 
Gravely,  1866-68 ;  James  R.  McCormack,  1866-73  ;  John  H.  Stover,  1867, 
in  place  of  McClurg,  resigned;  Erastus  Wells,  1868-82;  G.  A.  Finklin- 
burg,  1868-71;  Samuel  S.  Burdett,  1868-71;  Joel  F.  Asper,  1868-70; 
David  P.  Dyer,  1868-70;  Harrison  E.  Havens,  1870-75  ;  Isaac  C.  Parker, 
1870-75;  James  G.  Blair,  1870-72;  Andrew  King,  1870-72;  Edwin  O. 
Stannard,  1872-74;  William  H.  Stone,  1872-78;  Robert  A.  Hatcher, 
elected  1872;  Richard  P.  Bland,  1872;  Thomas  Crittenden,  1872-74;  Ira 
B.  Hyde,  1872-74;  John  B.  Clark,  1872-78;  John  M.  Glover,  1872  ;  Aylett 
H.  Buckner,  1872;  Edward  C.  Kerr,  1874-78;  Charles  H.  Morgan,  1874; 
John  F.  Phelps,  1874;  B.  J.  Franklin,  1874;  David  Rea,  1874;  Rezin  A. 
DeBoet,  1874;  Anthony  Ittner,  1876;  Nathaniel  Cole,  1876;  Robert  A. 
Hatcher,  1876-78;  R.  P.  Bland,  1876-78;  A.  H.  Buckner,  1876-78  ;  J.  B. 
Clark,  Jr.,  1876-78;  T.  T.  Crittenden,  1876-78;  B.  J.  Franklin,  1876-78; 
Jno.  M.  Glover,  1876-78;  Robert  A.  Hatcher,  1876-78;  Chas.  H.  Morgan, 
1876-78;  L.  S.  Metcalfe,  1876-78;  H.  M.  Pollard,  1876-78;  David  Rea, 
1876-78;  S.  L.  Sawyer,  1878-80;  N.  Ford,  1878-82;  G.  E.  Rothwell, 
1878-82;  John  B.  Clark,  Jr.,  1878-82;  W.  H.  Hatch,  1878-82;  A.  H. 
Buckner,  1878-82;  M.  L.  Clardy,  1878-82;  R.  G.  Frost,  1878-82;  L.  H. 
Davis,  1878-82;  R.  P.  Bland,  1878-82;  J.  R.  Waddill,  1878-80;  T.  Allen, 
1880-82;  R.  Hazeltine,  1880-82;  T.  M.  Rice,  1880-82;  R.  T.  Van  Horn, 
1880-82, 


HISTORY  OF   MISSOURI. 


45 


COUNTIES— WHEN  ORGANIZED. 


Adair  .«••• January  29,  1841 

Andrew January  29   1841 

Atchison  ........  January  14,  1845 

Audrain  ........  December  17,  1836 

Barry January  5,  1835 

B.irton December  12,   1 835 

Bates January  29,  1S41 

Benton January  3,  1835 

Bollinger March  1,  1851 

Boone November  16,  1820 

Buchanan February  10,  1839 

Butler February  27, 1849 

Caldwell  .......  December  26,  1836 

Callaway November  25    1820 

Camden January  29,  1841 

Cape  Girardeau October  1,  18 1 2 

Carroll January  3,  1833 

Carter March  10,  1859 

Cass.  ,......:.  September  14,    1835 

Cedar February  14   1845 

Chariton  .......  November  16,  1820 

Christian March  8,  i860 

Clark December  15,  1818 

Clay January  2,   1822 

Clinton  .........  January  15,  1833 

Cole November  16,  1820 

Cooper December  17,  1818 

Crawford January  23,   1829 

Dade  ..........  January  29,  1841 

Dallas .  December  10,  1844 

Daviess December  29,  1836 

DeKalb February  25,  1845 

Dent February  10,  185 1 

Douglas October  19,  1857 

Dunklin February  14,  1845 

Franklin December  1 1,  1818 

Gasconade November  25,  1820 

Gentry  .........  February  12,  1841 

Greene January  2,  1833 

Grundy January  2,  1843 

Harrison February  14,  1845 

Henry December  13,  1834 

Hickory February  14,  1845 

Holt  ..........  February  15,  1841 

Howard January  23,  1816 

Howell March  2,  1857 

Iron February  17,  1857 

Jackson December  15,  1826 

Jasper January  29,    1841 

Jefferson December  8,  1818 

Tohnson  . December  13,  1834 


Knox February  14,  1845 

Laclede February  24,  1849 

Lafayette November  16,  1820 

Lawrence February  25,  1845 

Lewis January  2,  1833 

Lincoln December  14,  181 8 

Linn January  7,   1837 

Livingston January  6,  1837 

McDonald March   3,    1849 

Macon January   6,    1837 

Madison December  14,  1818 

Maries March  2,  1855 

Marion December  23,  1826 

Mercer February  14,   1845 

Miller February  6,  1837 

Mississippi February  14,  1845 

Moniteau  . February  14,  1845 

Monroe January  6,  1831 

Montgomery December  14,  1818 

Morgan  .........  January  5,   1833 

New  Madrid October  I,  1812 

Newton December  31,  1838 

Nodaway February  14,  1845 

Oregon February   14    1845 

Osage January   29    1841 

Ozark  .........  January   29,  1841 

Pemiscot February    19,    1861 

Perry November    16,    1820 

Pettis January  26,  1833 

Phelps  ........  November  13,  1857 

Pike December  14,  1818 

Platte December  31,   1838 

Polk March    13.    1835 

Pulaski December  15,  1818 

Putnam  ........  February  28,  1845 

Ralls  ........  November    16,    1820 

Randolph  ........  January  22,   1829 

Ray  .........  November  16,  1820 

Reynolds February  25,   1845 

Ripley January  5,  1833 

St.  Charles  . October  1,  1812 

St.  Clair  .    .  .• January  29,  1841 

St.  Francois December  19,  1821 

Ste.  Genevieve October  1,  1812 

St.  Louis October  1,  1812 

Saline  . November   2$,  1820 

Schuyler February    14,  1845 

Scotland January  29,  1841 

Scott December  28,    1821 

Shannon  ........  January  29,  1841 

Shelby January  2,  1835 


46 


HISTORY   OF  MISSOURI. 

COUNTIES— when   ORGANIZED.— Continued. 


Stoddard January  2,  1835 

Stone February  10,  185 1 

Sullivan February  16,  1845 

Taney January  16,  1837 

Texas February  14,  1835 

Vernon February  17,  1851 


Warren January  5,  1833 

Washington August  2.1,  1813 

Wayne December  11,  1818 

Webster March  3,1855 

Worth February  8,  1861 

Wright.   •••«•••   .January  29,  1S41 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


EARLY  MILITARY  RECORD. 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR-MORMON  DIFFICULTIES-FLORIDA  WAR— MEXICAN  WAR. 

On  the  14th  day  of  May,  1832,  a  bloody  engagement  took  place 
between  the  regular  forces  of  the  United  States,  and  a  part  of  the  Sacs, 
Foxes  and  Winnebago  Indians,  commanded  by  Black  Hawk  and 
Keokuk,  near  Dixon's  Ferry,  in  Illinois. 

The  Governor  (John  Miller)  of  Missouri,  fearing  these  savages  would 
invade  the  soil  of  his  state,  ordered  Major-General  Richard  Gentry  to 
raise  one  thousand  volunteers  for  the  defense  of  the  frontier.  Five  com- 
panies were  at  once  raised  in  Boone  County,  and  in  Callaway,  Mont- 
gomery, St.  Charles,  Lincoln,  Pike,  Marion,  Ralls,  Clay  and  Monroe 
other  companies  were  raised. 

Two  of  these  companies,  commanded  respectively  by  Captain  John 
Jaimison,  of  Callaway,  and  Captain  David  M.  Hickman,  of  Boone  County, 
were  mustered  into  service  in  July  for  thirty  days,  and  put  under  com- 
mand of  Major  Thomas  W.  Conyers. 

This  detachment,  accompanied  by  General  Gentry,  arrived  at  Fort 
Pike  on  the  15th  of  July,  1832.  Finding  that  the  Indians  had  not  crossed 
the  Mississippi  into  Missouri,  General  Gentry  returned  to  Columbia, 
leaving  the  fort  in  charge  of  M-ajor  Conyers.  Thirty  days  having  expired, 
the  command  under  Major  Conyers  was  relieved  by  two  other  com- 
panies under  Captains  Sinclair  Kirtley,  of  Boone,  and  Patrick  Ewing, 
of  Callaway.  This  detachment  was  marched  to  Fort  Pike  by  Col.  Austin 
A.  King,  who  conducted  the  two  companies  under  Major  Conyers  home. 
Major  Conyers  was  left  in  charge  of  the  fort,  where  he  remained  until 
September  following,  at  which  time  the  Indian  troubles,  so  far  as  Mis- 
souri was  concerned,  having  all  subsided,  the  frontier  forces  were  mus- 
tered out  of  service. 

Black  Hawk  continued  the  war  in  Iowa  and  Illinois,  and  was  finally 
defeated  and  captured  in  1833. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  47 

MORMON  DIFFICULTIES. 

In  1832,  Joseph  Smith,  the  leader  of  the  Mormons^  and  the  chosen 
prophet  and  apostle,  as  he  claimed,  of  the  Most  High,  came  with  many 
followers  to  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  where  they  located  and.  entered; 
several  thousand  acres  of  land. 

The  object  of  his  coming  so  far  west— upon  the  very  outskirts  of 
civilization  at  that  time — was  to  more  securely  establish  his  church,, 
and  the  more  effectively  to  instruct  his  followers  in  its  peculiar  tenets 
and  practices. 

Upon  the  present  town  site  of  Independence  the  Mormons  located 
their  "Zion"  and  gave  it  the  name  of  "The  New  Jerusalem."  They  pub 
lished  hei»e  the  Evening  Star,  and  made  themselves  generally  obnox- 
ious to  the  Gentiles,  who  were  then  in  the  minority,  by  their  denunciatory 
articles  through  their  paper,  their  clannishness  and  their  polygamous- 
practices. 

Dreading  the  demoralizing  influence  of  a  paper  which  seemed  to  be 
inspired  only  with  hatred  and  malice  toward  them,  the  Gentiles  threw 
the  press  and  type  into  the  Missouri  river,  tarred  and  feathered  one  of 
their  bishops,  and  otherwise  gave  the  Mormons  and  their  leaders  to 
understand  that  they  must  conduct  themselves  in  an.  entirely  different 
manner  if  they  wished  to  be  let  alone. 

After  the  destruction  of  their  paper  and  press  they  became  furiously 
incensed,  and  sought  many  opportunities  for  retaliation.  Matters  con- 
tinued in  an  uncertain  condition  until  the  31st  of  October,  1833,  when  a 
deadly  conflict  occurred  near  Westport,  in  which  two  Gentiles  and  one 
Mormon  were  killed. 

On  the  2d  of  November  following  the  Mormons  were  overpowered, 
and  compelled  to  lay  down  their  arms  and  agree  to  leave  the  country 
with  their  families  by  January  1st,  on  the  condition  that  the  owner 
would  be  paid  for  his  printing  press. 

Leaving  Jackson  County,  they  crossed  the  Missouri  and  located  in 
Clay,  Carroll,  Caldwell  and  other  counties,  and  selected  in  Caldwell 
County  a  town  site,  which  they  called  "Far  West,"  and  where  they 
entered  more  land  for  their  future  homes. 

Through  the  influence  of  their  missionaries,  who  were  exerting 
themselves  in  the  East  and  in  different  portions  of  Europe,  converts  had 
constantly  flocked  to  their  standard,  and  "Far  West"  and  other  Mormon 
settlements  rapidly  prospered. 

In  1837  they  commenced  the  erection  of  a  magnificent  temple,  but 
never  finished  it.  As  their  settlements  increased  in  numbers  they 
became  bolder  in  their  practices  and  deeds  of  lawlessness. 

During  the  summer  of  1838  two  of  their  leaders  settled  in  the  town 
of  DeWitt,  on  the  Missouri  River,  having  purchased  the  land,  from  an 


48  HISTORY  OF   MISSOURI. 

Illinois  merchant.  DeWitt  was  in  Carroll  County,  and  a  good  point 
from  which  to  forward  goods  and  immigrants  to  their  town — Far  West. 

Upon  its  being  ascertained  that  these  parties  were  Mormon  leaders, 
the  Gentiles  called  a  public  meeting,  which  was  addressed  by  some  of 
the  prominent  citizens  of  the  county.  Nothing,  however,  was  done  at 
this  meeting,  but  at  a  subsequent  meeting,  which  was  held  a  few  days 
afterward,  a  committee  of  citizens  was  appointed  to  notify  Colonel 
Hinkle  (one  of  the  Mormon  leaders  at  DeWitt),  what  they  intended  to  do. 

Col.  Hinkle,  upon  being  notified  by  this  committee,  became  indig- 
nant, and  threatened  extermination  to  all  who  should  attempt  to  molest 
him  or  the  Saints. 

In  anticipation  of  trouble,  and  believing  that  the  Gentiles  would 
attempt  to  force  them  from  DeWitt,  Mormon  recruits  flocked  to  the  town 
from  every  direction,  and  pitched  their  tents  in  and  around  the  town  in 
great  numbers. 

The  Gentiles,  nothing  daunted,  planned  an  attack  upon  this  encamp- 
ment, to  take  place  on  the  21st  day  of  September,  1838,  and,  accordingly, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men  bivouacked  near  the  town  on  that  day.  A 
conflict  ensued,  but  nothing  serious  occurred. 

The  Mormons  evacuated  their  works  and  fled  to  some,  log  houses, 
where  they  could  the  more  successfully  resist  the  Gentiles,  \vho  had  in 
the  meantime  returned  to  their  camp  to  await  reinforcemencs.  Troops 
from  Howard,  Ray  and  other  counties  came  to  their  assistance,  and 
increased  their  number  to  five  hundred  men. 

Congreve  Jackson  was  chosen  Brigadier  General ;  Ebenezer  Price, 
Colonel ;  Singleton  Vaughn,  Lieutenant  Colonel,  and  Sarchel  Woods, 
Major.  After  some  days  of  discipline,  this  brigade  prepared  for  an 
assault,  but  before  the  attack  was  commenced  Judge  James  Earickson 
and  William  F.  Dunnica,  influential  citizens  of  Howard  County,  asked 
permission  of  General  Jackson  to  let  them  try  and  adjust  the  difficulties 
without  any  bloodshed. 

It  was  finally  agreed  that  Judge  Earickson  should  propose  to  the 
Mormons  that,  if  they  would  pay  for  all  the  cattle  they  had  killed 
belonging  to  the  citizens,  and  load  their  wagons  during  the  night  and  be 
ready  to  move  by  ten  o'clock  next  morning,  and  make  no  further  attempt 
to  settle  in  Howard  County,  the  citizens  would  purchase  at  first  cost  their 
lots  in  DeWitt  and  one  or  two  adjoining  tracts  of  land. 

Col.  Hinkle,  the  leader  of  the  Mormons,  at  first  refused  all  attempts 
to  settle  the  difficulties  in  this  way,  but  finally  agreed  to  the  proposition. 

In  accordance  therewith,  the  Mormons,  without  further  delay,  loaded 
up  their  wagons  for  the  town  of  Far  West,  in  Caldwell  County.  Whether 
the  terms  of  the  agreement  were  ever  carried  out  on  the  part  of  the  cit- 
izens, is  not  known. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI  49 

The  Mormons  had  doubtless  suffered  much  and  in  many  ways — the 
result  of  their  own  acts — but  their  trials  and  sufferings  were  not  at  an 

end. 

In  1838  the  discord  between  the  citizens  and  Mormons  became  so 
great  that  Governor  Boggs  issued  a  proclamation  ordering  Major  General 
David  R.  Atchison  to  call  the  militia  of  his  division  to  enforce  the  laws. 
He  called  out  a  part  of  the  First  Brigade  of  the  Missouri  state  militia, 
under  command  of  General  A.  W.  Doniphan,  who  proceeded  to  the  seat 
of  war.  General  John  B.  Clark,  of  Howard  County,  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  militia. 

The  Mormon  forces  numbered  about  1,000  men,  and  were  led  by  G. 
W.  Hinkle.  The  first  engagement  occurred  at  Crooked  River,  where 
one  Mormon  was  killed.  The  principal  fight  took  place  at  Haughn's 
Mills,  where  eighteen  Mormons  were  killed  and  the  balance  captured, 
some  of  them  being  killed  after  they  had  surrendered.  Only  one  militia- 
man was  wounded. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1838,  Joe  Smith  surrendered  the  town  of 
Far  West  to  General  Doniphan,  agreeing  to  his  conditions,  viz :  That 
they  should  deliver  up  their  arms,  surrender  their  prominent  leaders  for 
trial,  and  the  remainder  of  the  Mormons  should,  with  their  families, 
leave  the  State.  Indictments  were  found  against  a  number  of  these 
leaders,  including  Joe  Smith,  who,  while  being  taken  to  Boone  County 
for  trial,  made  his  escape,  and  was  afterward,  in  1844,  killed  at  Carthage, 
Illinois,  with  his  brother  Hyrum. 

FLORIDA  WAR. 

In  September,  1837,  the  Secretary  of  War  issued  a  requisition  on 
Governor  Boggs,  of  Missouri,  for  six  hundred  volunteers,  for  service  in 
Florida  against  the  Seminole  Indians,  with  whom  the  Creek  nation  had 
made  common  cause  under  Osceola. 

The  first  regiment  was  chiefly  raised  in  Boone  County  by  Colonel 
Richard  Gentry,  of  which  he  was  elected  Colonel ;  John  W.  Price,  of 
Howard  County,  Lieutenant  Colonel ;  Harrison  H.  Hughes,  also  of 
Howard,  Major.  Four  companies  of  the  Second  regiment  were  raised 
and  attached  to  the  First.  Two  of  these  companies  were  composed  of 
Delaware  and  Osage  Indians. 

October  6,  1837,  Colonel  Gentry's  regiment  left  Columbia  for  the 
seat  of  war,  stopping  on  the  way  at  Jefferson  barracks,  where  they  were 
mustered  into  service. 

Arriving  at  Jackson  barracks,  New  Orleans,  they  were  from  thence 
transported  in  brigs  across  the  Gulf  to  Tampa  Bay,  Florida.  General 
Zachary  Taylor,  who  then  commanded  in  Florida,  ordered  Colonel 
Gentry  to  march  to  Okee-cho-bee  Lake,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
miles  inland  by  the   route  traveled.      Having  reached  the  Kissimmee 


50  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

River,  seventy  miles  distant,  a  bloody  battle  ensued  in  which  Colonel 
Gentry  was  killed.  The  Missourians,  though  losing  their  gallant  leader, 
continued  the  fight  until  the  Indians  were  totally  routed,  leaving  many 
of  their  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field.  There  being  no  further  service 
required  of  the  Missourians,  they  returned  to  their  homes  in  1838. 

MEXICAN  WAR. 

Soon  after  Mexico  declared  war  against  the  United  States,  on  the 
8th  and  9th  of  May,  1846,  the  battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la 
Palma  were  fought.  Great  excitement  prevailed  throughout  the  country. 
In  none  of  her  sister  states  however,  did  the  fires  of  patriotism  burn 
more  intensely  than  in  Missouri.  Not  waiting  for  the  call  for  volunteers, 
the  "St.  Louis  Legion"  hastened  to  the  field  of  conflict.  The  Legion 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  A.  R.  Easton.  During  the  month  of  May, 
1846,  Governor  Edwards,  of  Missouri,  called  for  voluoteers  to  join  the 
"Army  of  the  West,"  an  expedition  to  the  Santa  Fe — under  command 
of  General  Stephen  W.  Kearny. 

Fort  Leavenworth  was  the  appointed  rendezvous  for  the  volunteers. 
By  the  18th  of  June,  the  full  complement  of  companies  to  compose  the 
First  Regiment  had  arrived  from  Jackson,  Lafayette,  Clay,  Saline,  Frank- 
lin, Cole,  Howard  and  Callaway  Counties.  Of  this  regiment  A.  W.  Don- 
iphan was  made  Colonel ;  C.  F.  Ruff,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  William 
Gilpin,  Major.  The  battalion  of  light  artillery  from  St.  Louis,  was  com- 
manded by  Captains  R.  A.  Weightman  and  A.  W.  Fischer,  with  Major 
M.  L.  Clark  as  field  officer;  battalions  of  infantry  from  Platte  and  Cole 
Counties,  commanded  by  Captains  Murphy  and  W.  Z.  Augney,  respect- 
ively, and  the  "  Laclede  Rangers,"  from  St.  Louis,  by  Captain  Thomas  B. 
Hudson,  aggregating,  all  told,  from  Missouri,  1,658  men.  In  the  summer 
of  1846  Hon.  Sterling  Price  resigned  his  seat  in  Congress,  and  raised  one 
mounted  regiment,  one  mounted  extra  battalion,  and  one  extra  battalion 
of  Mormon  infantry  to  reinforce  the  "Army  of  the  West."  Mr.  Price  was 
made  Colonel,  and  D.  D.  Mitchell,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

In  August,  1847,  Governor  Edwards  made  another  requisition  for  one 
thousand  men,  to  consist  of  infantry.  The  regiment  was  raised  at  once. 
John  Dougherty,  of  Clay  County,  was  chosen  Colonel,  but  before  the  regi- 
ment marched  the  President  countermanded  the  order. 

A  company  of  mounted  volunteers  was  raised  in  Ralls  County,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Wm.  T.  Lalfland.  Conspicuous  among  the  engage- 
ments in  which  the  Missouri  volunteers  participated  in  Mexico  we're 
the  battles  of  Brazito,  Sacramento,  Canada,  El  Embudo,  Taos  and  Santa 
Cruz  de  Rosales.  The  forces  from  Missouri  were  mustered  out  in  1848, 
and  will  ever  be  remembered  in  the  history  of  the  Mexican  war,  for 

"A  thousand  glorious  actions  that  might  claim 
Triumphant  laurels,  and  immortal  fame." 


HISTORY  OF  Ml  SOURL  51 

CHAPTER  IX. 

CIVIL  WAR  IN  MISSOURI. 


ffOKT  SUMTER  FIRED  UPON-CALL  TOR  75,000  MEN— GOV.  JACKSON  REFUSES  TO  FUR- 
NISH A  MAN— U.  S.  ARSENAL  AT  LIBERTY,  MO.,  SEIZED— PROCLAMATION  OF  GOV- 
ERNOR JACKSON  — GENERAL  ORDER  NO.  7- LEGISLATURE  CONVENES  — CAMP 
JACKSON  Or  GANIZED— STERLING  PRICE  APPOINTED  MAJOR-GENERAL— FROST'S 
LETTER  TO  1  YON— LVON'S  LETTER  TO  FROST— SURRENDER  OF  CAMP  JACKSON- 
PROCLAMATION  OF  GEN  HARNEY-CONFERENCE  BETWEEN  PRICE  AND  HARNEY- 
HARNEY  SUl'ERSEDED  BY  LYON— SECOND  CONFERENCE— GOV.  JACKSON  BURNS 
THE  BRIDGES  BKHIND  HIM  -PROCLAMATION  OF  GOV.  JACKSON— GEN.  BLAIR  TAKES 
POSSESSION  OF  JEFFERSON  CITY— PROCLAMATION  OF  LYON— LYON  AT  SPRINGFIELD 
—STATE  OFFICES  DECLARED  VACANT— GEN.  FREMONT  ASSUMES  COMMAND-PRO- 
CLAMATION OF  LIEUT.  GOV.  REYNOLDS  — PROCLAMATION  OF  JEFF.  THOMPSON 
AND  GOV.  JACKSON— DEATH  OF  GEN.  LYON— SUCCEEDED  BY  STURGIS— PROCLAMA- 
TION OF  M'CULLOCH  AND  GAMBLE  — MARTIAL  LAW  DECLARED— SECOND  PRO- 
CLAMATION OF  JEFF.  THOMPSON— PRESIDENT  MODIFIES  FREMONT'S  ORDER— FRE- 
MONT RELIEVED  BY  HUNTER— PROCLAMATION  OF  PRICE— HUNTER'S  ORDER  OF 
ASSESSMENT  — HUNTER  DECLARES  MARTIAL  LAW  — ORDER  RELATING  TO  NEWS- 
PAPERS-HALLECK  SUCCEEDS  HUNTER-HALLECK'S  ORDER  81-SIMILAR  ORDER  BY 
HALLECK -BOONE  COUNTY  STANDARD  CONFISCATED-EXECUTION  OF  PRISONERS 
AT  MACON  AND  PALMYRA— GEN.  EWING'S  ORDER  NO.  11— GEN.  ROSECRANS  TAKES 
COMMAND— MASSACRE  AT  CENTRALIA-DEATH  OF  BILL  ANDERSON— GEN.  DODGE 
SUCCEEDS  GEN.  ROSECRANS-LIST  Or  BATTLES. 

■ 

M  Lastly  stood  war— 

With  visage  grim,  stern  looks,  and  blackly  hued, 
******  * 

Ah  !  why  will  kings  forget  that  they  are  men  ? 
And  men  that  they  are  brethren  ?     Why  delight 
In  human  sacrifice  ?     Why  burst  the  ties 
Ot  nature,  that  should  knit  their  souls  together 
In  one  bond  of  amity  and  love?" 

Fort  Sumter  wss  fired  upon  April  12,  1861.  On  April  15th,  President 
Lincoln  issued  a  proclamation,  calling  for  75,000  men,  from  the  militia 
of  the  several  states,  to  suppress  combinations  in  the  Southern  States 
therein  named.  Simultaneously  therewith  the  secretary  of  war  sent  a 
telegram  to  all  the  governors  of  the  states,  excepting  those  mentioned 
in  the  proclamation,  requesting  them  to  detail  a.  certain  number  of 
militia  to  serve  for  three  months,  Missouri's  quota  being  four  regiments. 

In  response  to  this  telegram  Gov.  Jackson  sent  the  following  answer: 

Executive  Department  of  Missouri, 
Jefferson  City,  April  17,  1861. 
To  the  Hon.  Simon  Cameron, 

Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C: 

Sir:    Your  dispatch  of  the  15th  inst.,  making  a  call  on  Missouri 

for  four  regiments  of  men  for  immediate  service,  has  been  received. 

There  can  be,  I  apprehend,  no  doubt  but  thase  men  are  intended  to  form 

a  part  of  the  President's  army  to  make  war  upon  the  people  of  the 


52  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

seceded  states.  Your  requisition,  in  my  judgment,  is  illegal,  unconsti- 
tutional, and  cannot  be  complied  with.  Not  one  man  will  the  State  of 
Missouri  furnish  to  carry  on  such  an  unholy  war. 

C.  F.  JACKSON, 

Governor  of  Missouri, 

April  21,  1861.  U.  S.  Arsenal  at  Liberty  was  seized  by  order  of 
Governor  Jackson. 

April  22,  1861.  Governor  Jackson  issued  a  proclamation  convening 
the  Legislature  of  Missouri  in  May  following,  in  extra  session,  to  take 
into  consideration  the  momentuous  issues,  which  were  presented,  and 
the  attitude  to  be  assumed  by  the  state  in  the  impending  struggle. 

On  the  22nd  of  April,  1861,  the  Adjutant-General  of  Missouri  issued 
the  following  military  order  : 

Headquarters  Adjutant-General's  Office,  Mo., 
Jefferson  City,  April  22,  1861. 
{General  Order  No.  7.) 

I.  To  attain  a  greater  degree  of  efficiency  and  perfection  in  organi- 
zation and  discipline,  the  commanding  officers  of-th:  several  military 
districts  in  this  state,  having  four  or  more  legally  erg  mized  companies 
therein,  whose  armories  are  within  fifteen  miles  of  eacn  other,  will  assem- 
ble their  respective  commands  at  some  place  to  be  by  them  severally 
designated,  on  the  3rd  of  May,  and  to  go  into  an  encampment  for  a 
period  of  six  days  as  provided  by  law.  Captains  of  companies  not  organ- 
ized into  battalions,  will  report  the  strength  of  their  companies  immedi- 
ately to  these  headquarters,  and  await  further  orders. 

II.  The  quartermaster-general  will  procure  and  issue  to  quarter- 
masters of  districts,  for  these  commands  not  now  provided  for,  all  nec- 
essary tents  and  camp  equipage,  to  enable  the  commanding  officers 
thereof  to  carry  the  foregoing  orders  into  effect. 

III.  The  Light  Battery  now  attached  to  the  Southwest  Battalion, 
and  one  company  of  mounted  riflemen,  including  all  officers  and  soldiers 
belonging  to  the  First  District,  will  proceed  forthwith  to  St.  Louis  and 
report  to  Gen.  D.  M.  Frost  for  duty.  The  remaining  companies  of  said 
battalion  will  be  disbanded  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  companies  upon  that  frontier.  The  details  in  the  execution  of 
the  foregoing  are  intrusted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  John  S.  Bowen,  com- 
manding the  battalion. 

IV.  The  strength,  organization  and  equipment  of  the  several  com- 
panies in  the  districts  will  be  reported  at  once  to  these  headquarters, 
and  district  inspectors  will  furnish  all  information  which  may  be  servic- 
able  in  ascertaining  the  condition  of  state  forces. 

By  order  of  the  Governor. 

WARWICK  HOUGH, 

Adjutant-General  of  Missouri. 

May  2,  1861.  The  Legislature  convened  in  extra  session.  Many 
acts  were  passed  among  which  was  one  to  authorize  the  Governor  to 
purchase  or  lease  David  Ballantine's  foundry,  at  Boonville,  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  arms  and  munitions  of  war ;  to  authorize  the  governor  to 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  53 

appoint  one  major-general ;  to  authorize  the  governor,  when  in  his  opinion 
the  security  and  welfare  of  the  state  required  it,  to  take  possession 
of  the  railroad  and  telegraph  lines  of  the  state  ;  to  provide  for  the  organ- 
ization, government  and  support  of  the  military  forces  ;  to  borrow  one 
million  of  dollars  to  arm  and  equip  the  militia  of  the  state  to  repel 
invasion  and  protect  the  lives  and  property  of  the  people.  An  act  was 
also  passed  creating  a  "Military  Fund,"  to  consist  o(  all  the  money  then 
in  the  treasury  or  that  might  thereafter  be  received  from  the  one-tenth 
of  one  per  cent,  on  the  hundred  dollars,  levied  by  act  of  November,  1857, 
to  complete  certain  railroads  ;  also  the  proceeds  of  a  tax  of  fifteen  cents 
on  the  hundred  dollars  of  the  assessed  value  of  the  taxable  property  of 
the  several  counties  in  the  state,  and  the  proceeds  of  the  two  mill  tax, 
which  had  been  theretofore  appropriated  for  educational  purposes. 

May  3,  1861.     "Camp  Jackson"  was  organized. 

May  10,  1861.  Sterling  Price  appointed  major-general  of  state 
guard. 

May  10,  1861.  General  Frost,  commanding  "Camp  Jackson," 
addressed  General  N#  Lyon,  as  follows: 

Headquarters  Camp  Jackson,  Missouri  Militia. 

May  10,  1861. 

Capt.  N.  Lyon,  Commanding  United  States  Troops  in  and  about  St. 

Louis  Arsenal: 

Sir  : — I  am  constantly  in  receipt  of  information  that  you  contem- 
plate an  attack  upon  my  camp,  whilst  I  understand  that  you  are  impressed 
with  the  idea  that  an  attack  upon  the  arsenal  and  United  States  troops 
is  intended  on  the  part  of  the  Militia  of  Missouri.  I  am  greatly  at  a 
loss  to  know  what  could  justify  you  in  attacking  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  who  are  in  lawful  performance  of  their  duties,  devolving  upon 
them  under  the  constitution  in  organizing  and  instructing  the  militia  of 
the  state  in  obedience  to  her  laws,  and,  therefore,  have  been  disposed  to 
doubt  the  correctness  of  the  information  I  have  received. 

I  would  be  glad  to  know  from  you  personally  whether  there  is  any 
truth  in  the  statements  that  are  constantly  pouring  into  my  ears.  So 
far  as  regards  any  hostility  being  intended  toward  the  United  States, 
or  its  property  or  representatives  by  any  portion  of  my  command,  or,  as 
far  as  I  can  learn,  (and  I  think  I  am  fully  informed,)  of  any  other  part  of 
the  state  forces,  I  can  positively  say  that  the  idea  has  never  been  enter- 
tained. On  the  contrary,  prior  to  your  taking  command  of  the  arsenal, 
I  proffered  to  Mayor  Bell,  then  in  command  of  the  very  few  troops  con- 
stituting its  guard,  the  services  of  myself  and  all  my  command,  and,  if 
necessary,  the  whole  power  of  the  state,  to  protect  the  United  States 
in  the  full  possession  of  all  her  property.  Upon  General  Harney  taking 
command  of  this  department,  I  made  the  some  proffer  of  services  to  him, 
and  authorized  his  Adjutant  General,  Captain  Williams,  to  communicate 
the  fact  that  such  had  been  done  to  the  War  Department.  I  have  had 
no  occasion  since  to  change  any  of  the  views  I  entertained  at  the  time, 
neither  of  my  own  volition  nor  through  the  orders  of  my  constitutional 
commander. 


54  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

I  trust  that  after  this  explicit  statement  that  we  may  be  able,  by 
fully  understanding  each  other,  to  keep  far  from  our  borders  the  misfor- 
tunes which  so  unhappily  affect  our  common  country. 

This  communication  will  be  handed  you  by  Colonel  Bowen,  my 
Chief  of  Staff,  who  will  be  able  to  explain  anything  not  fully  set  forth  in 
the  foregoing. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

iRIGADIER  GENERAL  D.  M.  FROST, 

Commanding  Camp  Jackson,  M.  V.  M. 

May  10,  1861.     General  Lyon  sent  the  following  to  General  Frost : 

Headquarters  United  States  Troops, 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  10,  1861. 

General  D.  M.  Frost,  Commanding  Camp  Jackson: 

SrR : — Your  command  is  regarded  as  evidently  hostile  toward  the 
Government  of  the  United  States. 

It  is,  for  the  most  part,  made  up  of  those  Secessionists  who  have 
openly  avowed  their  hostility  to  the  general  government,  and  have  been 
plotting  at  the  seizure  of  its  property  and  the  overthrow  of  its  authority. 
You  are  openly  in  communication  with  the  so-called  Southern  Confed- 
eracy, which  is  now  at  war  with  the  United  States,  and  you  are  receiv- 
ing at  your  camp,  from  the  said  Confederacy  and  under  its  flag,  large 
supplies  of  the  material  of  war,  most  of  which  is  known  to  be  the  prop- 
erty of  the  United  States.  These  extraordinary  preparations  plainly 
indicate  none  other  than  the  well-known  purpose  of  the  Governor  of  this 
state,  under  whose  orders  you  are  acting,  and  whose  communication  to 
the  Legislature  has  just  been  responded  to  by  that  body  in  the  most 
unparalleled  legislation,  having  in  direct  view  hostilities  to  the  general 
government  and  co-operation  with  its  enemies. 

In  view  of  these  considerations,  and  of  your  failure  to  disperse  in 
obedience  to  the  proclamation  of  the  President,  and  of  the  imminent 
necessities  of  state  policy  and  warfare,  and  the  obligations  imposed  upon 
me  by  instructions  from  Washington,  it  is  my  duty  to  demand,  and  I  do 
hereby  demand  of  you  an  immediate  surrender  of  your  command,  with 
no  other  conditions  than  that  all  persons  surrendering  under  this  com- 
mand shall  be  humanely  and  kindly  treated.  Believing  myself  prepared 
to  enforce  this  demand,  one-half  hour's  time  before  doing  so  will  be 
allowed  for  your  compliance  therewith. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

N.  LYON, 

Capt.  2d  Infantry,  Commanding  Troops. 

May  10,  1861.  Camp  Jackson  surrendered  and  prisoners  all  released 
excepting  Capt.  Emmet  McDonald,  who  refused  to  subscribe  the  parole. 

May  12,  1861.  Brigadier  General  Wm.  S.  Harney  issued  a  procla- 
mation to  the  people  of  Missouri,  saying,  "he  would  carefully  abstain 
from  the  exercise  of  any  unnecessary  powers,"  and  only  use  "  the  military 
force  stationed  in  this  district  in  the  last  resort  to  preserve  peace." 

M.Ly  14,  1861.     General  Harney  issued  a  second  proclamation. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  55 

May  21,  1 86 1.  General  Harney  held  a  conference  with  General 
Sterling  Price,  of  the  Missouri  State  Guards. 

May  31,  1 86 1.     General  Harney  superseded  by  General  Lyon. 

June  ii,  1861  A  second  conference  was  held  between  the  national 
and  state  authorities  in  St.  Louis,  which  resulted  in  nothing. 

June  11,  1861.  Governor  Jackson  left  St.  Louis  for  Jefferson  City, 
burning  the  railroad  bridges  behind  him,  and  cutting  telegraph  wires. 

June  12,  1861.  Governor  Jackson  issued  a  proclamation  calling 
into  active  service  50,000  militia,  "  to  repel  invasion,  protect  life,  prop- 
erty, etc." 

June  15,  1861.  Colonel  F  P.  Blair  took  possession  of  the  state  capi- 
tal, Governor  Jackson,  General  Price  and  other  officers  having  left  on 
the  13th  of  June  for  Boonville. 

June  17,  1861.  Battle  of  Boonville  took  place  between  the  forces  of 
General  Lyon  and  Colonel  John  S.  Marmaduke. 

June  18,  1861.  General  Lyon  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  people 
of  Missouri. 

July  5,  1 861.  Battle  at  Carthage  between  the  forces  of  Genera] 
Sigel  and  Governor  Jackson. 

July  6,  1861.     General  Lyon  reached  Springfield. 

July  22,  1861.  State  convention  met  and  declared  the  offices  of 
Governor,  Lieutenant  Governor  and  Secretary  of  State  vacated. 

July  26,  1 861.  General  John  C.  Fremont  assumed  command  of  the 
Western  Department,  with  headquarters  in  St.  Louis. 

July  31,  1 86 1.  Lieutenant  Governor  Thomas  C.  Reynolds  issued  a 
proclamation  at  New  Madrid. 

August  1,  1861.  General  Jeff.  Thompson  issued  a  proclamation  at 
Bloomfield. 

August  2,  1861.  Battle  of  Dug  Springs,  between  Captain  Steele's 
forces  and  General  Rains. 

August  5,  1 86 1.  Governor  Jackson  issued  a  proclamation  at  New 
Madrid. 

August  5,  1861.     Battle  of  Athens. 

August  10,  1861.  Battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  between  the  forces 
under  General  Lyon  and  General  McCulloch.  In  this  engagemeet  Gen- 
eral Lyon  was  killed.     General  Sturgis  succeeded  General  Lyon. 

August  12,  1861.  McCulloch  issued  a  proclamation,  and  soon  left 
Missouri. 

August  20,  1861.     General  Price  issued  a  proclamation. 

August  24,  1861.  Governor  Gamble  issued  a  proclamation  calling 
for  32,000  men  for  six  months,  to  protect  the  property  and  lives  of  the 
citizens  of  the  state. 

August  30,  1861.  General  Fremont  declared  martial  law,  and 
declared  that  the  slaves  of  all  persons  who  should  thereafter  take  an 
active  part  with  the  enemies  of  the  Government  should  be  free. 


56  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

September  2,  1861.  General  Jeff.  Thompson  issued  a  proclamation 
in  response  to  Fremont's  proclamation. 

September  7,  1861.     Battle  at  Drywood  Creek. 

September  II,  1861.  President  Lincoln  modified  the  clause  in  Gen- 
eral Fremont's  declaration  of  martial  law,  in  reference  to  the  confiscation 
of  property  and  liberation  of  slaves. 

September  12,  1861.  General  Price  begins  the  attack  at  Springfield 
on  Colonel  Mulligan's  forces.   ' 

September  20,  1861.     Colonel  Mulligan  with  2,640  men  surrendered. 

October  25,  1861.     Second  battle  at  Springfield. 

November  2,  1861.  General  Fremont  succeeded  by  General  David 
Hunter. 

November  7,  *86i.     General  Grant  attacked  Belmont. 

November  9,  1861.  General  Hunter  succeeded  by  General  Halleck, 
who  took  command  on  the  19th  of  same  month,  with  headquarters  in  St. 
Louis. 

November  27,  1861.  General  Price  issued  proclamation  calling  for 
50,000  men,  at  Neosho,  Missouri. 

December  12,  1861.  General  Hunter  issued  his  order  of  assessment 
upon  certain  wealthy  citizens  in  St.  Louis,  for  feeding  and  clothing  Union 
refugees. 

December  23-25,  1861.  Declared  martial  law  in  St.  Louis  and  the 
country  adjacent,  and  covering  all  the  railroad  lines. 

March  6,  1862.  Battle  at  Pea  Ridge  between  the  forces  under  Gen- 
erals Curtis  and  Van  Dorn. 

January  8,  1862.  Provost  Marshal  Farrar,  of  St.  Louis,  issued  the 
following  order  in  reference  to  newspapers : 

Office  of  the  Provost  Marshal, 
General  Department  of  Missouri, 
St.  Louis,  January  8,  1862. 

{General  Order  No.  10.) 

It  is  hereby  ordered  that  from  and  after  this  date  the  publishers  of 
newspapers  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  (St.  Louis  city  papers  excepted), 
furnish  to  this  office,  immediately  upon  publication,  one  copy  of  each 
issue,  for  inspection.  A  failure  to  comply  with  this  order  will  render  the 
newspaper  liable  to  suppression. 

Local  Provost  Marshals  will  furnish  the  proprietors  with  copies  of 
this  order,  and  attend  to  its  immediate  enforcement. 

BERNARD  G.  FARRAR, 
Provost  Marshal  General. 

January  26,  1862.  General  Halleck  issued  order  (No.  18)  which  for* 
bade,  among  other  things,  the  display  of  Secession  flags  in  the  hands  of 
women  or  on  carriages,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  military  prison  in  McDow- 
ell's College,  the  carriages  to  be  confiscated  and  the  offending  women  to 
be  arrested. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  57 

February  4,  1862.  General  Halleck  issued  another  order  similar  to 
Order  No.  18,  to  railway  companies,  and  to  the  professors  and  directors 
of  the  State  University  at  Columbia,  forbidding  the  funds  of  the  institu- 
tion to  be  used  "to  teach  treason  or  to  instruct  traitors." 

February  20,  1862.  Special  Order  No.  120  convened  a  military  com- 
mission, which  sat  in  Columbia,  March  following,  and  tried  Edmund  J. 
Ellis,  of  Columbia,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Boone  County  Standard, 
for  the  publication  of  information  for  the  benefit  of  the  enemy,  and 
encouraging  resistance  to  the  United  States  Government.  Ellis  was 
found  guilty,  was  banished  during  the  war  from  Missouri,  and  his  print- 
ing materials  confiscated  and  sold. 

April,  1862.  General  Halleck  left  for  Corinth,  Mississippi,  leaving 
General  Schofield  in  command. 

June,  1862.  Battle  at  Cherry  Grove  between  the  forces  under 
Colonel  Joseph  C.  Porter  and  Colonel  H.  S.  Lipscomb. 

June,  1862.  Battle  at  Pierce's  Mill  between  the  forces  under  Major 
John  Y.  Clopper  and  Colonel  Porter. 

July  22,  1862.     Battle  at  Florida. 

July  28,  1862.     Battle  at  Moore's  Mill. 

August  6,  1862.     Battle  near  Kirksville 

August  II,  1862.     Battle  at  Independence. 

August  16,  1862.     Battle  at  Lone  Jack. 

September  13,  1862.     Battle  at  Newtonia. 

September  25,  1862.  Ten  Confederate  prisoners  were  executed  at 
Macon  by  order  of  General  Merrill. 

October  18,  1862.  Ten  Confederate  prisoners  executed  at  Palmyra 
by  order  of  General  McNeill. 

January  8,  1863.  Battle  at  Springfield  between  the  foces  of  General 
Marmaduke  and  General  E.  B.  Brown. 

April  26,  1863.     Battle  at  Cape  Girardeau. 

August  — ,  1863.  General  Jeff.  Thompson  captured  at  Pocahontas, 
Arkansas,  with  his  staff. 

August  25,  1863.  General  Thomas  Ewing  issued  his  celebrated 
Order  No.  11,  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  which  is  as  follows: 

Headquarters  District  of  the  Border, 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  August  25,  1863. 

("  General  Order  No.  //.") 

First. — All  persons  living  in  Cass,  Jackson  and  Bates  Counties,  Mis- 
souri, and  in  that  part  of  Vernon  included  in  this  district,  except  those 
living  within  one  mile  of  the  limits  of  Independence,  Hickman's  Mills, 
Pleasant  Hill  and  Harrisonville,  and  except  those  in  that  part  of  Kaw 
Township,  Jackson  County,  north  of  Brush  Creek  and  west  of  the  Big 
Blue,  embracing  Kansas  City  and  Westport,  are  hereby  ordered  to  remove 
from  their  present  places  of  residence  within  fifteen  days  from  the  date 
hereoi 


58  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

Those  who,  within  that  time,  establish  their  loyalty  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  commanding  officer  of  the  military  station  nearest  their 
present  places  of  residence,  will  receive  from  him  certificates  stating  the 
fact  of  their  loyalty,  and  the  names  of  the  witnesses  by  whom  it  can  be 
shown.  All  who  receive  such  certificate  will  be  permitted  to  remove  to 
any  military  station  in  this  district,  or  to  any  part  of  the  State  of  Kansas, 
except  the  counties  on  the  eastern  borders  of  the  state.  All  others  shall 
remove  out  of  this  district.  Officers  commanding  companies  and  detach- 
ments serving  in  the  counties  named,  will  see  that  this  paragraph  is 
promptly  obeyed. 

Second. — All  grain  and  hay  in  the  field,  or  under  shelter,  in  the  dis- 
trict from  which  the  inhabitants  are  required  to  remove,  within  reach  of 
military  stations,  after  the  9th  day  of  September  next,  will  be  taken  to 
such  stations  and  turned  over  to  the  proper  officer  there,  and  report  of 
the  amount  so  turned  over  made  to  district  headquarters,  specifying  the 
names  of  all  loyal  owners  and  the  amount  of  such  produce  taken  from 
them.  All  grain  and  hay  found  in  such  district  after  the  9th  day  of  Sep- 
tember next,  not  convenient  to  such  stations,  will  be  destroyed. 

Third. — The  provisions  of  General  Order  No.  10,  from  these  head- 
quarters, will  at  once  be  vigorously  executed  by  officers  commanding  in 
the  parts  of  the  district,  and  at  stations  not  subject  to  the  operations  of 
paragraph  First  of  this  Order — and  especially  in  the  towns  of  Independ- 
ence, Westport  and  Kansas  City. 

Fourth — Paragraph  3,  General  Order  No.  10,  is  revoked  as  to  all  who 
have  borne  arms  against  the  government  in  the  district  since  August  20, 
1863. 

By  order  of  Brigadier-General  Ewing. 

H.  HANNAHS,  Adjutant. 

October  12-13,  1863.     Battle  of  Arrow  Creek. 

January,  1864.  General  Rosecrans  takes  command  of  the  depart- 
ment. 

September,  1864.  Battle  at  Pilot  Knob,  Harrison  and  Little  Mor- 
ceau  River. 

September  27,  1864.  Massacre  at  Centralia,  by  Captain  William 
Anderson. 

October  5,  1864.     Battle  at  Prince's  Ford  and  James  Gordon's  farm. 

October  15,  1864.     Battle  at  Glasgow. 

October  20,  1864.     Battle  at  Little  Blue  Creek. 

October  27,  1864.     Capt.  Anderson  killed. 

December  — ,  1864.  General  Rosecrans  relieved,  and  General 
Dodge  appointed  to  succeed  him. 

Nothing  occurred  specially,  of  a  military  character,  in  the  state, 
after  December,  1864.  We  have,  in  the  main,  given  the  facts  as  they 
occurred,  without  comment  or  entering  into  details.  Many  of  the 
minor  incidents  and  skirmishes  of  the  war  have  been  omitted  because 
of  our  limited  space. 

It  is  utterly  impossible,  at  this  date,  to  give  the  names  and  dates  of 
all  the  battles  fought  in  Missouri  during  the  civil  war.     It  will  be  found, 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  59 

however,  that  the  list  given  below,  which  has  been  arranged  for  conven- 
ience, contains  the  prominent  battles  and  skirmishes  which  took  place 

within  the  State  : 

Potosi,  May  14,  1861. 
Booneville,  June  17,  1861. 
Carthage,  July  5,  1861. 
Monroe  Station,  July  10,  1861. 
Overton's  Run,  July  17,  1861. 
Dug  Spring,  August  2,  1861. 
Wilson's  Creek,  August  9,  1861. 
Athens,  August  5,  1861. 
Moreton,  August  20,  1861 
Bennett's  Mills,  September  — ,  1861. 
Dry  wood  Creek,  September  7,  1861. 
Norfolk,  September  10,  1861. 
Lexington,  September  12-20,  1861. 
Blue  Mills  Landing,  September  17,  l86l* 
Glasgow  Mistake,  September  20,  1861. 
Osceola,  September  25,  1861. 
Shanghai,  October  13,  1861. 
Lebanon,  October  13,  1861. 
Linn  Creek,  October  15,  1861. 
Big  River  Bridge,  October  15,  186L 
Fredericktown,  October  21,  1861. 
Springfield,  October  25,  1861. 
Belmont,  November  7,  1861. 
Piketon,  November  8,  1861. 
Little  Blue,  November  10,  1861. 
Clark's  Station,  November  11,  1861. 
Zion  Church,  December  28,  1861. 
Silver  Creek,  January  15,  1862. 
New  Madrid,  February  28,  1862. 
Pea  Ridge,  March  6,  1862. 
Neosho,  April  22,  1862. 
Rose  Hill,  July  10,  1862. 
Chariton  River,  July  30,  1862. 
Cherry  Grove,  June  — ,  1862. 
Pierce's  Mill,  June  — ,  1862. 
Florida,  July  22,  1862. 
Moore's  Mill,  July  28,  1862. 
Kirksville,  August  6,  1862. 
Compton's  Ferry,  August  8,  1862. 
Yellow  Creek,  August  13,  1862, 


60  HISTORY  OF   MISSOURI. 

Independence,  August  II,  1862. 
Lone  Jack,  August  16,  1862. 
Newtonia,  September  13,  1862. 
Springfield,  January  8,  1863. 
Cape  Girardeau,  April  29,  1863. 
Arrow  Rock,  October  12  and  13,  1863. 
Pilot  Knob,  September  — ,  1864. 
Harrison,  September  — ,  1864 
Moreau  River,  October  7,  1864. 
Prince's  Ford,  October  5,  1864. 
Glasgow,  October  15,  1864. 
Little  Blue  Creek,  October  20,  1864. 
Albany,  October  27,  1864. 
Near  Rocheport,  September  23,  1864, 
Centralia,  September  27,  1864. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AGRICULTURE  AND  MATERIAL  WEALTH. 

MISSOURI  AS  AN  AGRICULTURAL  STATE— THE  DIFFERENT  CROPS-LIVE  STOCK-  HQI&tfr 
MULES-MILCH  COWS-OXEN  AND  OTHER  CATTLE— SHEEP- HOGS— COMPARISONS- 
MISSOURI  ADAPTED  TO  LIVE  STOCK— COTTON— BROOM-CORN  AND  OTHER  PRO? 
DUCTS-  FRUITS  — BERRIES— GRAPES  — RAILROADS— FIRST  NEIGH  OF  THE  "  IROH 
HORSE"  IN  MISSOURI— NAMES  OF  RAILROADS— MANUFACTURES— GREAT  BRIDGE 
AT  ST.  LOUIS. 

Agriculture  is  the  greatest  among  all  the  arts  of  man,  as  it  is  the 
first  in  supplying  his  necessities.  It  favors  and  strengthens  population ; 
it  creates  and  maintains  manufactures ;  gives  employment  to  navigation, 
and  furnishes  materials  to  commerce.  It  animates  every  species  of  indus- 
try, and  opens  to  nations  the  safest  channels  of  wealth.  It  is  the  strong- 
est bond  of  well-regulated  society,  the  surest  basis  of  internal  peace,  and 
the  natural  associate  of  correct  morals.  Among  all  the  occupations  and 
professions  of  life  there  is  none  more  honorable,  none  more  independent 
and  none  more  conducive  to  health  and  happiness. 

"In  ancient  times  the  sacred  plow  employ' d 
The  kings,  and  awful  fathers  of  mankind ; 
And  some,  with  whom  compared,  your  insect  tribes 
Are  but  the  beings  of  a  summer's  day, 
Have  held  the  scale  of  empire,  ruled  the  storm 
Of  mighty  war  with  unwearied  hand, 
Disdaining  little  delicacies,  seized 
The  plow  and  greatly  independent  livedo" 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURL  6l 

As  an  agricultural  region,  Missouri  is  not  surpassed  by  any  state  in 
the  Union.  It  is  indeed  the  farmer's  kingdom,  where  he  always  reaps 
an  abundant  harvest.  The  soil,  in  many  portions  of  the  state,  has  an 
open,  flexible  structure,  quickly  absorbs  the  most  excessive  rains,  and 
retains  moisture  with  great  tenacity.  This  being  the  case  it  is  not  so 
easily  affected  by  drouth.  The  prairies  are  covered  with  sweet,  luxuri- 
ant grass,  equally  good  for  grazing  and  hay ;  grass  not  surpassed  by  the 
Kentucky  blue  grass — the  best  of  clover  and  timothy  in  growing  and 
fattening  cattle.  This  grass  is  now  as  full  of  life-giving  nutriment  as  it 
was  when  cropped  by  the  buffalo,  the  elk,  the  antelope  and  the  deer, 
and  costs  the  herdsman  nothing. 

No  state  or  territory  has  a  more  complete  or  rapid  system  of  nat- 
ural drainage,  or  a  more  abundant  supply  of  pure,  fresh  water,  than 
Missouri.  Both  man  and  beast  may  slake  their  thirst  from  a  thousand 
perennial  fountains,  which  gush  in  limpid  streams  from  the  hillsides  and 
wend  their  way  through  verdant  valleys  and  along  smiling  prairies, 
varying  in  size  as  they  onward  flow,  from  the  diminutive  brooklet  to  the 
giant  river. 

Here  nature  has  generously  bestowed  her  attractions  of  climate, 
soil  and  scenery  to  please  and  gratify  man  while  earning  his  bread  in 
the  sweat  of  his  brow.  Being  thus  munificiently  endowed,  Missouri 
offers  superior  inducements  to  the  farmer,  and  bids  him  enter  her  broad 
domain  and  avail  himself  of  her  varied  resources. 

We  present  here  a  table  showing  the  product  of  each  principal  crop 
in  Missouri  for  1878. 

Indian  Corn •*••• 93,062,000  bushels 

Wheat 20,196000       " 

Rye 732,000       «« 

Oats 19,584  000       " 

Buckwheat 46,400      *» 

Potatoes 5,415,000       u 

Tobacco 23023,000  pounds 

Hay 1,620,000  tons 

There  were  3,522,000  acres  in  corn;  wheat,  1,836,000;  rye,  48,800; 
oats,  640,000  ;  buckwheat,  2,900  ;  potatoes,  72,200  ;  tobacco,  29,900  ;  hay; 
850,000.  Value  of  each  crop:  corn,  $24,196,224;  wheat,  $13,531,320; 
rye,  $300,120 ;  oats,  $3,325,120  ;  buckwheat,  $24,128  ;  potatoes,  $2,057,- 
700;  tobacco,  $1,151,150;  hay,  $10,416,600. 

Average  cash  value  of  crops  per  acre,  $7.69 ;  average  yield  of  corn 
per  acre,  26  bushels  ;  wheat,  1 1  bushels. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  com  crop  in  value  is  the  live  stock.  The 
following  table  shows  the  number  of  horses,  mules  and  milch  cows  in 
the  different  states  for  1S79 : 


62 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 


STATES.  HORSES. 

Maine ••••••••••••••       81,700 


MULES, 


New  Hampshir 
Vermont  .  .    . 
Massachusetts 
Rhode  Island 
Connecticut  .   . 


57,100 

77400 

131,000 

1 6, 200 

S3.500 


New  York ••...     898,000  11,800 

New  Jersey H4>5°°  14,400 

Pennsylvania .............     614  500  24,900 

Delaware • 19,900  4,000 

Maryland 108,600  11,300 

Virginia 208  700  30,600 

North  Carolina 144,200  74,000 

South  Carolina 59,6o°  51,5°° 

Georgia 119,200  97,200 

Florida 22,400  11,900 

Alabama 112,800  III, 700 

Mississippi .       97, 200  100,000 

Louisiana    .   .    , •   •   •       79. 3°°  80,700 

Texas • 618,000  180,200   . 

Arkansas 180,500  89,300 

Tennessee 329  700  99,700 

West  Virginia 122,200  2,400 

Kentucky 386,900  117,800 

Ohio 772,700  26,700 

Michigan 333,8oo  4,300 

Indiana 688,800  61,200 

Illinois 1,100,000  138,000 

Wisconsin 384,400  8,700 

Minnesota 247,300  7,000 

Iowa 770,700  43,400 

Missouri 627,300  191,900 

Kansas 265,000  50,000 

Nebraska 157,200  13,600 

California , 173,000  25,700 

Oregon 109,700  3,500 

Nevada,   Colorado,  and  Territories 250,000  25,700 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  table  that  Missouri  is  the  fifth  state 
in  the  number  of  horses  ;  fifth  in  number  of  milch  cows,  and  the  lead- 
ing state  in  number  of  mules,  having  11,700  more  than  Texas,  which 
produces  the  next  largest  number.  Of  oxen  and  cattle  Missouri  pro- 
duced in  1879,  1,632,000,  which  was  more  than  any  other  state  pro- 
duced excepting  Texas,  which  had  4,800,000.  In  1879,  Missouri  raised 
2,817,600  hogs,  which  was  more  than  any  other  state  produced  excepting 
Iowa.  The  number  of  sheep  was  1,296,400.  The  number  of  hogs  packed 
in  1879  by  the  different  states  is  as  follows  : 


MTLcH  COWS. 
169,100 

98,100 
217,800 
16070O 

22,000 

116,500 

1,446,200 

152,200 

828,400 

23,200 
100,500 
236,200 
232,300 
131,300 
273,100 

70,000 
2I5',200 
188,000 
110,900 

544,500 
187,700 

245.700 
130,500 
237,200 
714,100 
416  9OO 
439,200 
702,400 
477,300 
278  900 
676,200 
516,200 
321,900 
127,600 
459,600 
112,400 
423  600 


STATES.  NO. 

Ohio 932,878 

Indiana 622,321 

Illinois 3,214,896 

Iowa 569,763 


STATES.  NO. 

Missouri     .   .   •  • 965,839 

Wisconsin  .  » 472,108 

Kentucky .  212,412 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOU     .  63 

Average  weight  per  head  for  each  state : 

gTATKS.  POUNDS.  STATES.  POUNDS. 

Ohio    .  •  • 210.47  Missouri.   .    .   .   .    ........  213.32 

Indiana 19380  Wisconsin 220  81 

Illinois 225.71  Kentucky 210. 1 1 

Iowa 211.98 

From  the  above,  it  will  be  seen  that  Missouri  annually  packs  more 
hogs  than  any  other  state,  except  Illinois,  and  that  she  ranks  third  in 
the  average  weight. 

We  see  no  reason  why  Missouri  should  not  be  the  foremost  stock- 
raising  state  of  the  Union.  In  addition  to  the  enormous  yield  of  corn 
and  oats  upon  which  the  stock  is  largely  dependent,  the  climate  is  well 
adapted  to  their  growth  and  health.  Water  is  not  only  inexhaustible, 
but  everywhere  convenient.  The  ranges  for  stock  are  boundless,  afford- 
ing for  nine  months  of  the  year,  excellent  pasturage  of  nutritious  wild 
grasses,  which  grow  in  great  luxuriance  upon  her  thousand  prairies. 

Cotton  is  grown  successfully  in  many  counties  of  the  southeastern 
portions  of  the  state,  especially  in  Stoddard,  Scott,  Pemiscott,  Butler, 
New  Madrid,  Lawrence  and  Mississippi. 

Sweet  potatoes  are  produced  in  abundance  and  are  not  only  sure 
but  profitable. 

Broom  corn,  sorghum,  castor  beans,  white  beans,  peas  and  hops, 
thrive  well,  and  all  kinds  of  garden  vegetables  are  produced  in  great 
abundance  and  are  found  in  the  markets  during  all  seasons  of  the  year. 
Fruits  of  every  variety,  including  the  apple,  pear,  peach,  cherries,  apricots 
and  nectarines  are  cultivated  with  great  success,  as  are  also  the  straw- 
berry, gooseberry,  currant,  raspberry  and  blackberry. 

The  grape  has  not  been  produced  with  that  success  that  was  at  first 
anticipated,  yet  the  yield  of  wine  for  the  year  1879  was  nearly  half  a 
million  gallons.  Grapes  do  well  in  Kansas,  and  we  see  no  reason  why 
they  should  not  be  as  surely  and  profitably  grown  in  a  similar  climate 
and  soil  in  Missouri,  and  particularly  in  many  of  the  counties  north  and 
east  of  the  Missouri  River. 

RAILROADS. 

Twenty-nine  years  ago  the  neigh  of  the  "iron  horse"  was  heard  for 
the  first  time  within  the  broad  domain  of  Missouri.  His  coming  pres- 
aged the  dawn  of  a  brighter  and  grander  era  in  the  history  of  the  state. 
Her  fertile  prairies  and  more  prolific  valleys  would  soon  be  of  easy  access 
to  the  oncoming  tide  of  immigration,  and  the  ores  and  minerals  of  her 
hills  and  mountains  would  be  developed  and  utilized  in  her  manufactur- 
ing and  industrial  enterprises. 

Additional  facilities  would  be  opened  to  the  marts  of  trade  and 
commerce;  transportation  from  the  interior  of  the  state  would  be  secured; 


64  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

a  fresh  impetus  would  be  given  to  the  growth  of  her  towns  and  cities, 
and  new  hopes  and  inspirations  would  be  imparted  to  all  her  people. 

Since  1852,  the  initial  period  of  railroad  building  in  Missouri,  between 
four  and  five  thousand  miles  of  track  have  been  laid  ;  additional  roads 
are  now  being  constructed  and  many  others  in  contemplation.  The 
state  is  already  supplied  with  railroads  which  thread  her  surface  in  all 
directions,  bringing  her  remotest  districts  into  close  connection  with  St. 
Louis,  that  great  centre  of  western  railroads  and  inland  commerce. 
These  roads  have  a  capital  stock  aggregating  more  than  one  hundred 
millions  of  dollars,  and  a  funded  debt  of  about  the  same  amount. 

The  lines  of  railroads  which  are  operated  in  the  state  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Missouri  Pacific — chartered  May  10th,  1850 ;  the  St.  Louis,  Iron 
Mountain  &  Southern  Railroad,  which  is  a  consolidation  of  the  Arkansas 
Branch  ;  the  Cairo,  Arkansas  &  Texas  Railroad  ;  the  Cairo  &  Fulton 
Railroad  ;  the  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City  &  Northern  Railway ;  the  St. 
Louis  &  San  Francisco  Railway  ;  the  Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
road ;  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad  ;  the  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Texas  Railroad  ;  the  Illinois,  Missouri  &  Texas  Railroad  ;  the  Kansas 
City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  ;  the  Keokuk  &  Kansas  City 
Railway  Company ;  the  St.  Louis,  Salem  &  Little  Rock  Railroad  Com- 
pany ;  the  Missouri  &  Western  ;  the  St.  Louis,  Keokuk  &  Northwestern  ; 
the  St.  Louis,  Hannibal  &  Keokuk  Railroad  ;  the  Missouri,  Iowa  & 
Nebraska  Railway  ;  the  Quincy,  Missouri  &  Pacific  Railroad  ;  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway  ;  the  Burlington  &  Southwestern 
Railroad ;  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  and  the  St. 
Joseph  &  Des  Moines. 

MANUFACTURES. 

The  natural  resources  of  Missouri  especially  fit  her  for  a  great  man- 
ufacturing state.  She  is  rich  in  soil ;  rich  in  all  the  elements  which  sup- 
ply the  furnace,  the  machine  shop  and  the  planing  mill ;  rich  in  the  mul- 
titude and  variety  of  her  gigantic  forests ;  rich  in  her  marble,  stone  and 
granite  quarries ;  rich  in  her  mines  of  iron,  coal,  lead  and  zinc  ;  rich  in 
strong  arms  and  willing  hands  to  apply  the  force  ;  rich  in  water  power 
and  river  navigation ;  and  rich  in  her  numerous  and  well  built  railroads, 
whose  numberless  engines  thunder  along  their  multiplied  trackways. 

Missouri  contains  over  fourteen  thousand  manufacturing  establish- 
ments, 1,965  of  which  are  using  steam  and  give  employment  to  80,000 
hands.  The  capital  employed  is  about  $100,000,000,  the  material  annu- 
ally used  and  worked  up  amounts  to  over  $150,000,000  and  the  value  of 
the  products  put  upon  the  markets  $250,000,000,  while  the  wages  paid 
are  more  than  $40,000,000. 


HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI.  65 

The  leading  manufacturing  counties  of  the  state  are  St.  Louis,  Jack- 
son, Buchanan,  St.  Charles,  Marion,  Franklin,  Green,  Lafayette,  Platte, 
Cape  Girardeau  and  Boone.  Three-fourths,  however,  of  the  manufactur- 
ing is  done  in  St.  Louis,  which  vs  now  about  the  second  manufacturing 
city  of  the  Union.  Flouring  mi/Is  produce  annually  about  $38,194,000; 
carpentering,  $18,763,000;  me  a':  packing,  $16,769,000;  tobacco,  $12,496,- 
000;  iron  and  castings,  $12,000,000;  liquors,  $11,245,000;  clothing, 
10,022,000;  lumber,  $8,652,000;  bagging  and  bags,  $6,914,000,  and  many 
other  smaller  industries  in  proportion. 

GREAT  BRIDGE  AT  ST.  LOUIS. 

Of  the  many  public  improvements  which  do  honor  to  the  state  and 
reflect  great  credit  upon  the  genius  of  their  projectors,  we  have  space 
only  to  mention  the  great  bridge  at  St.  Louis. 

This  truly  wonderful  structure  is  built  of  tubular  steel,  the  total 
length  of  which,  with  its  approaches,  is  6,277  feet,  at  a  cost  of  nearly 
$8,000,000.  The  bridge  spans  the  Mississippi  from  the  Illinois  to  the 
Missouri  shore,  and  has  separate  railroad  tracks,  roadways  and  foot 
paths.  In  durability,  architectural  beauty  and  practical  utility,  there  is, 
perhaps,  no  similar  piece  of  workmanship  that  opproximates  it. 

The  structure  of  Darius  upon  the  Bosphorus ;  of  Xerxes  upon  the 
Hellespont;  of  Caesar  upon  the  Rhine;  and  Trajan  upon  the  Danube, 
famous  in  ancient  history,  were  built  for  military  purposes,  that  over 
them  might  pass  invading  armies  with  their  munitions  of  war,  to  destroy 
commerce,  to  lay  in  waste  the  provinces,  and  to  slaughter  the  people. 

But  the  erection  of  this  was  for  a  higher  and  nobler  purpose.  Over 
it  are  coming  the  trade  and  merchandise  of  the  opulent  East,  and  thence 
are  passing  the  untold  riches  of  the  West.  Over  it  are  crowding  legions 
of  men,  armed  not  with  the  weapons  of  war,  but  the  implements  of 
peace  and  industry ;  men  who  are  skilled  in  all  the  arts  of  agriculture, 
of  manufacture  and  of  mining ;  men  who  will  hasten  the  day  when  St. 
Louis  shall  rank  in  population  and  importance  second  to  no  city  on  the 
continent,  and  when  Missouri  shall  proudly  fill  the  measure  of  greatness, 
to  which  she  is  naturally  so  justly  entitled. 


66  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 


CHAPTER  XL 


EDUCATION. 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM-PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM  OF  MISSOURI— LINCOLN  INSTITUTE- 
OFFICERS  OF  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM— CERTIFICATES  OF  TEACHERS— UNIVERSITY 
OF  MISSOURI-SCHOOLS— COLLEGES -INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING— LOCATION- 
LIBRARIES  -  NEWSPAPERS  AND  PERIODICALS  — NO.  OF  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  — 
AMOUNT  EXPENDED— VALUE  OF  GROUNDS  AND  BUILDINGS— "  THE  PRESS." 


The  first  constitution  of  Missouri  provided  that  "  one  school  or  more 
shall  be  established  in  each  township,  as  soon  as  practicable  and  neces- 
sary, where  the  poor  shall  be  taught  gratis." 

It  will  be  seen  that  even  at  that  early  day  (1820),  the  framers  of 
the  constitution  made  provision  for  at  least  a  primary  education  for  the 
poorest  and  the  humblest,  taking  it  for  granted  that  those  who  were 
able  would  avail  themselves  of  educational  advantages  which  were  not 
gratuitous. 

The  establishment  of  the  public  school  system  in  its  essential  feat- 
ures was  not  perfected  until  1839,  during  the  administration  of  Governor 
Boggs,  and  since  that  period  the  system  has  slowly  grown  into  favor, 
not  only  in  Missouri,  but  throughout  the  United  States.  The  idea  of  a 
free  or  public  school  for  all  classes  was  not  at  first  a  popular  one,  espe- 
cially among  those  who  had  the  means  to  patronize  private  institutions 
of  learning.  In  upholding  and  maintaining  public  schools,  the  oppo- 
nents of  the  system  felt  that  they  were  not  only  compromising  their 
own  standing  among  their  more  wealthy  neighbors,  but  that  they  were 
to  some  extent  bringing  opprobrium  upon  their  children.  Entertaining 
such  prejudices  they  naturally  thought  that  the  training  received  in  pub- 
lic schools  could  not  be  otherwise  than  defective,  hence  many  years  of 
probation  passed  before  the  popular  mind  was  prepared  to  appreciate 
the  benefits  and  blessings  which  spring  from  these  institutions. 

Every  year  only  adds  to  their  popularity,  and  commends  them  the 
more  earnestly  to  the  fostering  care  of  our  State  and  National  Legisla- 
tures, and  to  the  esteem  and  favor  of  all  classes  of  our  people. 

We  can  hardly  conceive  of  two  grander  and  more  potent  promoters 
of  civilization  than  the  free  school  and  the  free  press.  They  would 
indeed  seem  to  constitute  all  that  was  necessary  to  the  attainment  of 
the  happiness  and  intellectual  growth  of  the  republic,  and  all  that  was 
necessary  to  broaden,  to  liberalize,  and  to  instruct. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  67 

"  Tit  education  forms  the  common  mind  | 
****** 

For  noble  youth  there  is  nothing  so  meet 
As  learning  is,  to  know  the  good  from  ill ; 
To  know  the  tongues,  and  perfectly  indite, 
And  of  the  laws  to  have  a  perfect  skill, 
Things  to  reform  as  right  and  justice  will, 
For  honor  is  ordained  for  no  cause 
But  to  see  right  maintained  by  the  laws. 

All  the  states  of  the  Union  have  in  practical  operation  the  public 
school  system,  governed  in  the  main  by  similar  laws,  and  not  differing 
materially  in  the  manner  and  methods  by  which  they  are  taught,  but 
none  have  a  wiser,  a  more  liberal  and  comprehensive  machinery  of 
instruction  than  Missouri.  Her  school  laws  since  1839  have  undergone 
many  changes,  and  always  for  the  better,  keeping  pace  with  the  most 
enlightened  and  advanced  theories  of  the  most  experienced  educators 
of  the  land.  But  not  until  1875,  when  the  new  constitution  was  adopted, 
did  the  present  admirable  system  of  public  instruction  go  into  effect 

Provisions  were  made  not  only  for  white,  but  for  children  of  African 
descent,  and  are  a  part  of  the  organic  law,  not  subject  to  the  caprices 
of  unfriendly  legislatures,  or  the  whims  of  political  parties.  The  Lincoln 
Institute,  located  at  Jefferson  City,  for  the  education  of  colored  teachers, 
receives  an  annual  appropriation  from  the  General  Assembly. 

For  the  support  of  the  public  schools,  in  addition  to  the  annual 
income  derived  from  the  public  school  fund,  which  is  set  apart  by  law, 
not  less  than  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  state  revenue,  exclusive  of  the 
interest  and  sinking  fund,  is  annually  applied  to  this  purpose. 

The  officers  having  in  charge  the  public  school  interests  are  the 
State  Board  of  Education,  the  State  Superintendent,  County  Superin- 
tendent, County  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  Board  of  Directors,  City  and 
Town  School  Board  and  teacher.  The  State  Board  of  Education  is 
composed  of  the  State  Superintendent,  the  Governor,  Secretary  of  State 
and  the  Attorney  General,  the  executive  officer  of  this  board  being  the 
State  Superintendent,  who  is  chosen  by  the  people  every  four  years.  His 
duties  are  numerous.  He  renders  decisions  concerning  the  local  appli- 
cation of  school  law;  keeps  a  record  of  all  the  school  funds  and  annually 
distributes  the  same  to  the  counties  ;  supervises  the  work  of  county 
school  officers  ;  delivers  lectures ;  visits  schools  ;  distributes  educational 
information ;  grants  certificates  of  higher  qualifications  and  makes  an 
annual  report  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  condition  of  the  schools. 

The  County  Superintendents  are  also  elected  by  the  people  for  two 
years.  Their  work  is  to  examine  teachers,  to  distribute  blanks  and 
make  reports.  County  clerks  receive  estimates  from  the  local  directors 
and  extend  them  upon  the  tax-books.  In  addition  to  this  they  keep  the 
general  records  of  the  county  and  township  school  funds,  and  return  an 


68  HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI. 

annual  report  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  schools  of  their  county  to 
the  State  Superintendent.  School  taxes  are  gathered  with  other  taxes 
by  the  county  collector.  The  custodian  of  the  school  funds  belonging  to 
the  schools  of  the  counties  is  the  county  treasurer,  except  in  counties 
adopting  the  township  organization,  in  which  case  the  township  trustee 
discharges  these  duties. 

Districts  organized  under  the  special  law  for  cities  and  towns  are 
governed  by  a  board  of  six  directors,  two  of  whom  are  selected  annually 
on  the  second  Saturday  in  September,  and  hold  their  office  for  three 
years. 

One  director  is  elected  to  serve  for  three  years  in  each  school  dis- 
trict at  the  annual  meeting.  These  directors  may  levy  a  tax  not  exceed- 
ing forty  per  cent,  on  the  one  hundred  dollars  valuation,  provided  such 
annual  rates  for  school  purposes  may  be  increased  in  districts  formed  of 
cities  and  towns,  to  an  amount  not  to  exceed  one  dollar  on  the  hundred 
dollars  valuation  ;  and  in  other  districts  to  an  amount  not  to  exceed 
sixty-five  cents  on  the  one  hundred  dollars  valuation,  on  the  condition 
that  a  majority  of  the  voters  who  are  tax  payers,  voting  at  an  election 
held  to  decide  the  question,  vote  for  said  increase.  For  the  purpose  of 
erecting  public  buildings  in  school  districts,  the  rates  of  taxation  thus 
limited,  may  be  increased  when  the  rate  of  such  increase  and  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  is  intended  shall  have  been  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the 
people,  and  two-thirds  of  the  qualified  voters  of  such  school  district  vot- 
ing at  such  election  shall  vote  therefor. 

Local  directors  may  direct  the  management  of  the  school  in  respect 
to  the  choice  of  teachers  and  other  details,  but  in  the  discharge  of  all 
important  business  such  as  the  erection  of  a  school  house  or  the  exten- 
sion of  a  term  of  school  beyond  the  constitutional  period,  they  simply 
execute  the  will  of  the  people.  The  clerk  of  this  board  may  be  a 
director.  He  keeps  a  record  of  the  names  of  all  the  children  and  youth 
in  the  district  between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one ;  records  all  busi- 
ness proceedings  of  the  district,  and  reports  to  the  annual  meeting,  to 
the  County  Clerk  and  County  Superintendents. 

Teachers  must  hold  a  certificate  from  the  State  Superintendent  or 
County  Commissioner  of  the  county  where  they  teach.  State  certificates 
are  granted  upon  personal  written  examinations  in  the  common  branches, 
together  with  the  natural  sciences  and  higher  mathematics.  The  holder 
of  such  certificate  may  teach  in  any  of  the  public  schools  of  the  state 
without  further  examination.  Certificates  granted  by  County  Commis- 
sioners are  of  two  classes,  with  two  grades  in  each  class.  Those  issued 
for  a  longer  term  than  one  year  belong  to  the  first  class,  and  are  suscep- 
tible of  two  grades,  differing  both  as  to  length  of  time  and  attainments. 
Those  issued  for  one  year  may  represent  two  grades,  marked  by  qualifi- 
cation alone.     The  township  school  fund  arises  from  a  grant  of  land  by 


HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI.  69 

the  general  government,  consisting  of  section  sixteen  in  each  Congres- 
sional township.  The  annual  income  of  the  township  fund  is  appropri- 
ated to  the  various  townships,  according  to  their  respective  proprietary 
claims.  The  support  from  the  permanent  funds  is  supplemented  by 
direct  taxation  laid  upon  the  taxable  property  of  each  district.  The 
greatest  limit  of  taxation  for  the  current  expenses  is  one  per  cent.;  the 
tax  permitted  for  school  house  building  cannot  exceed  the  same  amount. 

Among  the  institutions  of  learning,  and  ranking,  perhaps,  the  first 
in  importance,  is  the  State  University,  located  at  Columbia,  Boone 
County.  When  the  state  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  Congress  granted 
to  it  one  entire  township  of  land  (46,080  acres)  for  the  support  of  a 
"Seminary  of  Learning."  The  lands  secured  for  this  purpose  are  among 
the  best  and  most  valuable  in  the  state.  These  lands  were  put  upon 
the  market  in  1832  and  brought  $75,000,  which  amount  was  invested  in  the 
stock  of  the  old  Bank  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  where  it  remained  and 
increased  by  accumulation  to  the  sum  of  $100,000.  In  1839,  by  an  act 
of  the  General  Assembly,  five  commissioners  were  appointed  to  select  a 
site  for  the  State  University,  the  site  to  contain  at  least  fifty  acres  of 
land  in  a  compact  form,  within  two  miles  of  the  county  seat  of  Cole, 
Cooper,  Howard,  Boone,  Callaway  or  Saline.  Bids  were  let  among  the 
counties  named,  and  the  county  of  Boone  having  subscribed  the  sum  of 
$117,921,  some  $18,000  more  than. any  other  county,  the  State  Univer- 
sity was  located  in  that  county,  and  on  the  4th  of  July,  1840,  the  corner- 
stone was  laid  with  imposing  ceremonies. 

The  present  annual  income  of  the  university  is  nearly  $65,000. 
There  are  still  unsold  about  200,000  acres  of  land  from  the  grant  of 
1862.  The  donations  to  the  institutions  connected  therewith  amount  to 
nearly  $400,000.  This  university,  with  its  different  departments,  is 
opened  to  both  male  and  female,  and  both  sexes  enjoy  alike  its 
rights  and  privileges.  Among  the  professional  schools,  which  form  a 
part  of  the  university,  are  the  Normal,  or  College  of  Instruction  in 
Teaching ;  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College ;  the  School  of 
Mines  and  Metallurgy  ;  the  College  of  Law ;  the  Medical  College,  and 
Department  of  Analytical  and  Applied  Chemistry.  Other  departments 
are  contemplated  and  will  be  added  as  necessity  requires. 

The  following  will  show  the  names  and  locations  of  the  schools  and 
institutions  of  the  state  as  reported  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education 
in  1875. 

UNIVERSITIES  AND  COLLEGES. 

Christian  University Canton. 

St.  Vincent's  College Cape  Girardeau. 

University  of  Missouri Columbia. 

Central  College Fayette, 


70  HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI. 

Westminster  College Fulton. 

Lewis  College Glasgow. 

Pritchett  School  Institute Glasgow. 

Lincoln  College Greenwood. 

Hannibal  College Hannibal. 

Woodland  College Independence. 

Thayer  College Kidder. 

LaGrange  College LaGrange. 

William  Jewell  College.' Liberty. 

Baptist  College Louisiana. 

St.  Joseph  College St.  Josoph. 

College  of  Christian  Brothers St.  Louis. 

St.  Louis  Uni  versity St.  Louis. 

Washington  University St.  Louis. 

Drury  College Springfield. 

Central  Wesleyan  College Warrenton. 

FOR  SUPERIOR  INSTRUCTION  OF  WOMEN. 

St.  Joseph  Female  Seminary St.  Joseph. 

Christian  College Columbia. 

Stephens'  College Columbia. 

Howard  College Fayette. 

Independence  Female  College Independence. 

Central  Female  College .Lexington. 

Clay  Seminary Liberty. 

Ingleside  Female  College Palmyra. 

Linden  Wood  College  for  Young  Ladies St.  Charles. 

Mary  Institute  (Washington  University) St.  Louis. 

St.  Louis  Seminary St.  Louis. 

Ursuline  Academy St.  Louis. 

FOR  SECONDARY  INSTRUCTION. 

Arcadia  College Arcadia. 

St.  Vincent's  Academy Cape  Girardeau. 

Chillicothe  Academy Chillicothe. 

Grand  River  College.    Edinburgh. 

Marionville  College  Institute Marionville. 

Palmyra  Seminary Palmyra. 

St.  Paul's  College Palmyra. 

Van  Rensselaer  Academy Rensselaer. 

Shelby  High  School Shelbyville. 

Stewartsville  Male  and  Female  Seminary Stewartsville. 

SCHOOLS  OF  SCIENCE.. 

Mo.  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  (University  of  Mo.).  Columbia. 

Schools  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy  (Universy  of  Missouri) Rolla. 

Polytechnic  Institute  (Washington  University) St.  Louis. 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  J\ 

SCHOOLS  OF  THEOLOGY. 

St.  Vincent's  College  (Theological  Department) Cape  Girardeau 

Westminster  College  (Theological  School) Fulton 

Vardeman  School  of  Theology  (William  Jewell  College) Liberty- 
Concordia  College St.  Louis 

SCHOOLS  OF  LAW. 

Law  School  of  the  University  of  Missouri Columbia 

Law  School  of  the  Washington  University. St.  Louis 

SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE. 

Medical  College,  University  of  Missouri Columbia 

College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons . St.  Joseph 

Kansas  City  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons Kansas  City 

Hospital  Medical  College , St.  Joseph 

Missouri  Medical  College St.  Louis 

Northwestern  Medical  College St.  Joseph 

St.  Louis  Medical  College St.  Louis 

Homeopathic  Medical  College  of  Missouri St.  Louis 

Mo.  School  of  Midwifery  and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children,  St.  Louis 

Missouri  Central  College St.  Louis 

St.  Louis  College  of  Pharmacy St.  Louis 


LARGEST  PUBLIC  LIBRARIES. 


St.  Vincent's  College Cape  Girardeau ....   5>5°° 

Southeast  Missouri  State  Normal  School Cape  Girardeau. .  . .    1,225 

University  of  Missouri Columbia 10,000 

Athenian  Society Columbia * .    1,200 

Union  Literary  Society Columbia 1,200 

Law   College Columbia 1,000 

Westminster  College Fulton 5,000 

Lewis  College Glasgow 3,000 

Mercantile  Library Hannibal 2,219 

Library  Association Independence 1,100 

Fruitland  Normal  Institute Jackson 1,000 

State  Library Jefferson  City 1 3,000 

Fetterman's  Circulating  Library Kansas  City 1,300 

Law  Library Kansas  City 3,ooo 

Whittemore's  Circulating  Library Kansas  City 1,000 

North  Missouri  State  Normal  School Kirksville 1,050 

William  Jewell  College Liberty 4,000 

St.  Paul's  College Palmyra 2,000 

Missouri  Schools  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy. .  .Rolla 2,478 

St.  Charles  Catholic  Library St.  Charles 1,716 

Carl  Fuelling's  Library St.  Joseph 6,000 

Law  Library  St.  Joseph 2,000 

Public  School  Library St.  Joseph 2,500 


72  HISTORY  OF   MISSOURI. 

Wool  worth  &  Colt's  Circulating  Library St.  Joseph 4,000 

Academy  of  Science St.  Louis 2,744 

Academy  of  Visitation St.  Louis 4,000 

College  of  the  Christian  Brothers St.  Louis 22,000 

Deutsche  Institute , St.  Louis 1,000 

German  Evang.  Lutheran,  Concordia  College . .  St.  Louis 4,800 

Law  Library  Association St.  Louis 8,000 

Missouri  Medical  College St.  Louis 1,000 

Mrs.  Cuthbert's  Seminary  (Young  Ladies). .  .St.  Louis 1, 500 

Odd  Fellows  Library St.  Louis 4,000 

Public  School  Library St.  Louis 40,097 

St.  Louis  Medical  College St.  Louis 1 ,  100 

St.  Louis  Mercantile  Library St.  Louis 45,000 

St.  Louis  Seminary -  , St.  Louis 2,000 

St.  Louis  Turn  Verein St.  Louis 2,000 

St.  Louis  University St.  Louis 17,000 

St.  Louis  University  Libraries St.  Louis 8,000 

Ursuline  Academy St.  Louis 2,000 

Washington   University St.  Louis 4,500 

St.  Louis  Law  School St.  Louis 3,000 

Young  Men's  Sodality St.  Louis 1,327 

Library  Association .    Sedalia 1 ,500 

Public  School  Library Sedalia 1,015 

Drury  College Springfield 2,000 

IN  1 88a 
Newspapers  and  periodicals •••••••••■ 48 1 

CHARITIES. 

State  Asylum  for  Deaf  and  Dumb Fulton. 

St.  Bridget's  Institution  for  Deaf  and  Dumb St.  Louis. 

Institution  for  the  Education  of  the  ^lind St.  Louis. 

State  Asylum  for  Insane Fulton. 

State  Asylum  for  the  Insane St.  Joseph. 

NORMAL  SCHOOLS. 

Normal  Institute Bolivar. 

Southeast  Missouri  State  Normal  School Cape  Girardeau. 

Normal  School  (University  of  Missouri) Columbia. 

Fruitland  Normal  Institute Jackson. 

Lincoln  Institute  (for  colored) Jefferson  City. 

City  Normal  School ' St.  Louis. 

Missouri  State  Normal  School Warrensburg. 

IN  1878. 

Estimated  value  of  school  property. • $r>321>399 

Total  receipts  for  public  schools 4,207,617 

Total  expenditures 2,406, 1 30 


HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI.  73 

NUMBER  OF  TEACHERS. 

Male  teachers,       6,239  ;  average  monthly  pay $36.36 

Female  teachers,  5,060  ;  average  monthly  pay 21.09 

NEWSPAPERS  AND   PERIODICALS. 

The  fact  that  Missouri  supports  and  maintains  four  hundred  and 
seventy-one  newspapers  and  periodicals  shows  that  her  inhabitants  are 
not  only  a  reading  and  reflecting  people,  but  that  they  appreciate  "The 
Press,"  and  its  wonderful  influence  as  an  educator.  The  poet  has  well 
said ; 

But  mightiest  of  the  mighty  means, 
On  which  the  arm  of  progress  leans, 
Man's  noblest  mission  to  advance, 
His  woes  assuage,  his  weal  enhance, 
His  rights  enforce,  his  wrongs  redress- 
Mightiest  of  mighty  is  the  Press. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS. 

BAPTIST  CHURCH— ITS  HISTORY— CONGREGATIONAL— WHEN  FOUNDED— ITS  HISTORY- 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH— ITS  HISTORY— CUMBERLAND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— ITS 
HISTORY  — METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  —  ITS  HISTORY  -  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH-ITS  HISTORY— PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH— ITS  HISTORY— UNITED 
PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— ITS  HISTORY— UNITARIAN  CHURCH-ITS  HISTORY— RO- 
MAN CATHOLIC  CHURCH— ITS  HISTORY. 


The  first  representatives  of  religious  thought  and  training  who  pene- 
trated the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  Valleys  were  Pere  Marquette,  La  Salle, 
and  others  of  Catholic  persuasion,  who  performed  missionary  labor  among 
.the  Indians.  A  century  afterward  came  the  Protestants.  At  that  early 
period 

"A  church  in  every  grove  that  spread 
Its  living  root  above  their  heads," 

constituted  for  a  time,  their  only  house  of  worship,  and  yet  to  them 

I*'  No  temple  built  with  hands  could  vie 
In  glory  with  its  majesty." 
In  the  course  01  time  the  seeds  of  Protestantism  were  scattered  along 
the  shores  of  the  two  great  rivers  which  form  the  eastern  and  western 
boundaries  of  the  state,  and  still  a  little  later  they  were  sown  upon  her 
hillsides  and  broad  prairies,  where  they  have  since  bloomed  and  blos- 
somed as  the  rose. 


74  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

The  earliest  anti-Catholic  religious  denomination  of  which  there  is 
any  record,  was  organized  in  Cape  Girardeau  County  in  1806,  through 
the  efforts  of  Rev.  David  Green,  a  Baptist,  and  a  native  of  Virginia.  In 
1816  the  first  association  of  Missouri  Baptists  was  formed,  which  was 
composed  of  seven  churches,  all  of  which  were  located  in  the  southeast- 
ern part  of  the  state.  In  18 17  a  second  association  of  churches  was 
formed,  called  the  Missouri  Association,  the  name  being  afterwards 
changed  to  St.  Louis  Association.  1834  a  general  convention  of  all  the 
churches  of  this  denomination  was  held  in  Howard  County,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  effecting  a  central  organization,  at  which  time  was  commenced 
what  is  now  known  as  the  "General  Association  of  Missouri  Baptists." 

To  this  body  is  committed  the  state  mission  work,  denominational 
education,  foreign  missions  and  the  circulation  of  religious  literature. 
The  Baptist  Church  has  under  its  control  ^  number  of  schools  and  col- 
leges, the  most  important  of  which  is  WilK.  Jewell  College,  located  at 
Liberty,  Clay  County.  As  shown  by  the  annual  report  for  1875,  there 
were  in  Missouri  at  that  date,  sixty-one  associations,  one  thousand  four 
hundred  churches,  eight  hundred  and  twenty-four  ministers  and  eighty- 
nine  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty  church  members. 

CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH. 

The  Congregationalists  inaugurated  their  missionary  labors  in  the 
state  in  18 14.  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Mills,  of  Torringford,  Connecticut,  and 
Rev.  Daniel  Smith,  of  Bennington,  Vermont,  were  sent  west  by  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society  during  that  year, 
and  in  November,  18 14,  they  preached  the  first  regular  Protestant  ser- 
mons in  St.  Louis.  Rev.  Salmon  Giddings,  sent  out  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Connecticut  Congregational  Missionary  Society,  organized  the 
first  Protestant  church  in  the  city,  consisting  of  ten  members,  constituted 
Presbyterian.  The  churches  organized  by  Mr.  Giddings  were  all  Presby- 
terian in  their  order. 

No  exclusively  Congregational  church  was  founded  until  1852,  when 
the  First  Trinitarian  Congregation?l  Church  of  St.  Louis  was  organized. 
The  next  church  of  this  denomination  was  organized  at  Hannibal,  in 
1S59.  Then  followed  a  Welsh  church  in  New  Cambria,  in  1864,  and 
after  the  close  of  the  war  fifteen  churches  of  the  same  order  were  formed 
in  different  parts  of  the  state.  In  1866  Pilgrim  Church,  St.  Louis  was 
organized.  The  General  Conference  of  Churches  of  Missouri  was  formed 
in  1865,  which  was  changed  in  1868  to  General  Association  In  1866 
Hannibal,  Kidder  and  St.  Louis  District  Associations  were  formed,  and 
following  these  were  the  Kansas  City  and  Springfield  District  Associa- 


HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI.  75 

tions.  This  denomination  in  1875  had  70  churches,  41  ministers,  3,363 
church  members,  and  had  also  several  schools  and  colleges  and  one 
monthly  newspaper. 

CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 

The  earliest  churches  of  this  denomination  were  organized  in  Cal- 
laway, Boone  and  Howard  Counties,  some  time  previously  to  1829.  The 
first  church  was  formed  in  St.  Louis  in  1836,  by  Elder  R.  B.  Fife.  The 
first  state  Sunday  school  convention  of  the  Christian  Church  was  held 
in  Mexico,  in  1876.  Besides  a  number  of  private  institutions  this 
denomination  has  three  state  institutions,  all  of  which  have  an  able  corps 
of  professors  and  have  a  good  attendance  of  pupils.  It  has  one  religious 
paper  published  in  St.  Louis,  The  Christian,  which  is  a  weekly  publica- 
tion and  well  patronized.  The  membership  of  this  church  now  numbers 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  in  the  state  and  is  increasing  Rapidly.  It 
has  more  than  five  hundred  organized  churches,  the  greater  portion  of 
which  are  north  of  the  Missouri  River. 

CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

In  the  spring  of  1820  the  first  Presbytery  of  this  denomination  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  was  organized  in  Pike  County.  This  Presbytery 
included  all  the  territory  of  Missouri,  Western  Illinois  and  Arkansas, 
and  numbered  only  four  ministers,  two  of  whom  resided  at  the  time  in 
Missouri.  There  are  now  in  the  state  twelve  Presbyteries,  three  Synods, 
nearly  three  hundred  ministers  and  over  twenty  thousand  members. 
The  Board  of  Missions  is  located  at  St.  Louis.  They  have  a  number  of 
High  Schools  and  two  monthly  papers  published  at  St.  Louis. 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

In  1806,  Rev.  John  Travis,  a  young  Methodist  minister,  was  sent  out 
to  the  Western  Conference,  which  then  embraced  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
from  Green  County,  Tennessee.  During  that  year  Mr.  Travis  organized 
a  number  of  small  churches.  At  the  close  of  his  conference  year  he 
reported  the  result  of  his  labors  to  the  Western  Conference,  which  was 
held  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  in  1807,  and  showed  an  aggregate  of  one  hun- 
dred and  six  members  and  two  circuits,  one  called  Missouri  and  the 
other  Meramec.  In  1808  two  circuits  had  been  formed,  and  at  each  suc- 
ceeding year  the  number  of  circuits  and  members  constantly  increased, 
until  18 1 2,  when  what  was  called  the  Western  Conference  was  divided 
into  the  Ohio  and  Tennessee  Conferences,  Missouri  falling  into  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference.  In  18 16  there  was  another  division  when  the  Mis- 
souri Annual  Conference  was  formed.     In  1810  there  were  four  traveling 


76  HISTORY  OF  MISSOURI. 

preachers,  and  in  1820  fifteen  traveling  preachers,  with  over  two  thousand 
members.  In  1836  the  territory  of  the  Missouri  Conference  was  again 
divided  when  the  Missouri  Conference  included  only  the  state.  In  1840 
there  were  seventy-two  traveling  preachers,  177  local  ministers  and  13,992 
church  members.  Between  1840  and  1850  the  church  was  divided  by  the 
organization  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  In  1850  the 
membership  of  the  M.  E.  Church  was  over  25,000,  and  during  the  succeed- 
ing ten  years  the  church  prospered  rapidly.  In  1875  the  M.  E.  Church 
reported  274  church  edifices  and  34,156  members;  the  M.  E.  Church 
South  reported  443  church  edifices  and  49,588  members.  This  denom- 
ination has  under  its  control  several  schools  and  colleges  and  two  weekly 
newspapers* 

PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

The  Presbyterian  church  dates  the  beginning  of  their  missionary 
efforts  in  the  state  as  far  back  as  18 14,  but  the  first  Presbyterian  Church 
was  not  organized  until  18 16,  at  Bellevue  settlement,  eight  miles  from 
St.  Louis.  The  next  churches  were  formed  in  18 16  and  1817,  at  Bon- 
homme,  Pike  County.  The  first  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  in 
St.  Louis  in  18 17,  by  Rev.  Salmon  Gidding.  The  first  Presbytery  was 
organized  1817,  by  the  Synod  of  Tennessee,  with  four  ministers  and  four 
churches.  The  first  Presbyterian  house  of  worship  (which  was  the  first 
Protestant)  was  commenced  in  1819  and  completed  in  1826.  In  1820  a 
mission  was  formed  among  the  Osage  Indians.  In  183 1,  the  Presbytery 
was  divided  into  three :  Missouri,  St.  Louis  and  St.  Charles.  These 
were  erected  with  a  synod,  comprising  eighteen  ministers  and  twenty- 
three  churches. 

The  church  was  divided  in  1838,  throughout  the  United  States.  In 
i860  the  rolls  of  the  Old  and  New  School  Synods  together  showed  109 
ministers  and  146  churches.  In  1866  the  Old  School  Synod  was  divided 
on  political  questions  springing  out  of  the  war — a  part  forming  the  Old 
School  or  Independent  Synod  of  Missouri,  who  are  connected  with  the 
General  Assembly  South.  In  1870  the  Old  and  New  School  Presbyterians 
united,  since  which  time  this  Synod  has  steadily  increased  until  it  now 
numbers  more  than  12,000  members,  with  more  than  220  churches  and 
150  ministers. 

This  Synod  is  composed  of  six  Presbyteries  and  has  under  its  con- 
trol one  or  two  institutions  of  learning  and  one  or  two  newspapers. 
That  part  of  the  original  Synod  which  withdrew  from  the  General 
Assembly  remained  an  independent  body  until  1874,  when  it  united  with 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church.  The  Synod  in  1875  numbered  80 
ministers,  140  churches  and  9,000  members.  It  has  under  its  control 
several  male  and  female  institutions  of  a  high  order.  The  St.  Louis 
Presbyterian,  weekly  paper,  is  the  recognized  organ  of  the  Synod. 


HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI.  77 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

The  missionary  enterprises  of  this  church  began  in  the  state  in 
1818,  when  a  parish  was  organized  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis.  In  1828  an 
agent  of  the  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  visited  the  city, 
who  reported  the  condition  of  things  so  favorably  that  Rev.  Thomas 
Horrell  was  sent  out  as  a  missionary,  and  in  1825  he  began  his  labors  in 
St.  Louis.  A  church  edifice  was  completed  in  1830.  In  1836  there  were 
five  clergymen  of  this  denomination  in  Missouri,  who  had  organized 
congregations  in  Booneville,  Fayette,  St.  Charles,  Hannibal  and  other 
places.  In  1840,  the  clergy  and  laity  met  in  convention,  a  diocese  was 
formed,  a  constitution  and  canons  adopted,  and  in  1844  a  Bishop  was 
chosen,  he  being  the  Rev.  Cicero  S.  Hawks. 

Through  the  efforts  of  Bishop  Kemper,  Kemper  College  was  founded 
near  St.  Louis,  but  was  afterward  given  up  on  account  of  pecuniary 
troubles.  In  1847,  the  Clark  Mission  began  and  in  1849  the  Orphans 
Home,  a  charitable  institution  was  founded.  In  1865,  St.  Luke's  Hospital 
was  established.  In  1875,  there  were  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  twelve 
parishes  and  missions  and  twelve  clergymen.  This  denomination  has 
several  schools  and  colleges  and  one  newspaper. 

UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

This  denomination  is  made  up  of  the  members  of  the  Associate  and 
Associate  Reformed  churches  of  the  Northern  states,  which  two  bodies 
united  in  1858,  taking  the  name  of  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North 
America.  Its  members  were  generally  bitterly  opposed  to  the  institu- 
tion of  slavery.  The  first  congregation  was  organized  at  Warrensburg, 
Johnson  County,  in  1867.  It  rapidly  increased  in  numbers  and  had,  in 
1875,  ten  ministers  and  five  hundred  members. 

UNITARIAN  CHURCH. 

This  church  was  formed  in  1834,  by  Rev.  W.  G.  Eliot,  in  St.  Louis. 
The  churches  are  few  in  number  throughout  the  state,  the  membership 
being  probably  less  than  300,  all  told.  It  has  a  mission  house  and  free 
school,  for  poor  children,  supported  by  donations. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

The  earliest  written  record  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  Missouri 
shows  that  Father  Watrin  performed  ministerial  services  in  Ste.  Gene- 
vieve in  1760,  and  in  St.  Louis  in  1766.  In  1770  Father  Meurin  erected 
a  small  log  church  in  St.  Louis.  In  1818  there  were  in  the  state  four 
chapels,  and  for  Upper  Louisiana,  seven  priests.     A  college  and  semin- 


7£  HISTORY   OF   MISSOURI. 

ary  were  opened  in  Perry  County  about  this  period  for  the  education  of 
the  young,  being  the  first  college  west  of  the  Mississippi  river.  In  1824 
a  college  was  opened  in  St.  Louis,  which  is  now  known  as  the  St.  Louis 
University.  In  1826,  Father  Rosatti  was  appointed  Bishop  of  St.  Louis, 
and,  through  his  instrumentality,  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  Sisters  of  St. 
Joseph  and  of  the  Visitation  were  founded,  besides  other  benevolent 
and  charitable  institutions.  In  1834  he  completed  the  present  Cathedral 
Church.  Churches  were  built  in  different  portions  of  the  state.  In  1847 
St.  Louis  was  created  an  arch-diocese,  with  Bishop  Kenrick,  Arch- 
bishop. 

In  Kansas  City  there  are  five  parish  churches,  a  hospital,  a  convent 
and  several  parish  schools.  In  1868  the  northwestern  portion  of  the 
state  was  erected  into  a  separate  diocese,  with  its  seat  at  St.  Joseph,  and 
Right-Reverend  John  J.  Hogan  appointed  Bishop.  There  were,  in  1875, 
in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  34  churches,  27  schools,  5  hospitals,  3  colleges, 
7  orphan  asylums  and  3  female  protectorates.  There  were  also  105 
priests,  7  male  and  13  female  orders,  and  20  conferences  of  St.  Vincent 
de  Paul,  numbering  1,100  members.  In  the  diocese,  outside  of  St.  Louis, 
there  is  a  college,  a  male  protectorate,  9  convents,  about  120  priests,  150 
churches  and  30  stations.  In  the  diocese  of  St.  Joseph  there  were,  in 
1875,21  priests,  29  churches,  24  stations,  1  college,  I  monastery,  5  con- 
vents and  14  parish  schools. 

THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOLS. 

Instruction  preparatory  to  ministerial  work  is  given  in  connection 
with  collegiate  study,  or  in  special  theological  courses,  at : 

Central  College,  (M.  E.  South) Fayette 

Central  Wesleyan  College  (M.  E.  Church) Warrenton 

Christian  University  (Christian) Canton 

Concordia  College  Seminary  (Evangelical  Lutheran) .St.  Louis 

Lewis  College  (M.  E.  Church) Glasgow 

St.  Vincent's  College  (Roman  Catholic) Cape  Girardeau 

Vardeman  School  of  Theology  (Baptist) Liberty 

The  last  is  connected  with  William  Jewell  College. 


STATE    HIGHWAYS    AND  COUNTY   AID  ROADS  CORRECTED  TO   APRIL    I  1946 


JUN23  1955 
GENERAL    HIGHWAY   MAP 

HOLT    COUNTY 

MISSOURI 

PnCPARED        BY       THC 

HIGHWAY      PLANNING       DEPARTMENT 
MISSOURI       STATE      HIGHWAY     DEPARTMENT 

IN      COOPERATION       WITH     THC 

PUBLIC       ROADS      ADMINISTRATION 
FEDERAL      WORKS      AGENCY 

KALI 


1946 


STATE     LINE    (WOlCATlOtl    KTNtCN     THC   STATE    OF    MlllOUMl 
AND   THE    STATE  OF   KANSAS    IS  THE    CHANNEL    OF    THC 
MDSOUfli     MIVEf)    AS    SMOWN   ON    UNITED     STATES    CNSINfEN 

OEHNTMENT    CHANTS.     '•«•  •  i*«T 


+ 


+ 


GENERAL     HIGHWAY      MAP  HOLT  COUNTY  MISSOURI  44 


HISTORY 


OF 


HOLT! ATCHISON  COUNTIES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PREFATORY. 

Two  score  years  have  passed  since  the  first  white  settlements  were 
made  within  the  bounds  of  that  territory,  now  known  as  Holt  and 
Atchison  Counties,  Missouri. 

Previous  to  that  time  the  uncivilized  aborigines  roamed  the  prairies 
wild  and  free,  unfettered  by  the  restraint  of  common  or  statutory  law, 
and  uncircumscribed  by  township  boundaries.  The  transformation 
which  has  taken  place,  in  the  physiognomy  of  the  country  alone,  is 
beyond  the  comprehension  of  the  finite  mind  ;  luxuriant  groves  where 
were  the  wide  stretching  prairies;  cultivated  fields  where  was  the  prim- 
eval forest  ;  orchards,  vineyards  and  gardens  where  waved  the  tall 
prairie  grass.  So  marked  has  been  the  change  in  the  physical  features 
of  the  country,  that  there  has  been  a  decided  change  in  the  climatology. 
The  elements  themselves,  seem  to  have  taken  notice  of  this  change,  and 
have  governed  themselves  accordingly.  While  the  annual  rainfall  and 
the  mean  annual  temperature  remain  about  the  same,  in  quantity,  they 
are  now  entirely  different  in  quality,  and  although  imperceptible  and 
independent  of  man's  will,  they  have,  nevertheless,  come  under  the 
same  civilizing  power,  which  has  changed  the  wilderness  into  a  fruitful 
land. 

The  great  change  which  has  taken  place  in  the  development  of  the 
material  resources  of  the  country,  is  more  noticeable,  as  man  can  more 
readily  discern  the  changes  which  take  place,  by  detail,  in  his  own  circum- 
scribed field  of  activity,  than  he  can  those  grand  revolutions  in  the 
boundless  domain  of  nature.  The  changes  which  have  occurred  in  the 
social,  moral  and  intellectual  conditions  are  still  more  marked,  mind,, 
being  more  swift  to  act  on  mind  than  on  matter. 


u**rvm(B 


&}  W.N..JI  il 


SMlWnl  ■**■, 
St*  Lf«**«    ri,L^ 


^=     '-' 


Oh*  Ual 


537^* 


#»   .   ■    ***»:  M* 


La*!  *•„  v  W, 
Ar«f  Bmm*  I*" 
**■*!  * i  t>-r»  (Mum  r> 

0HXh»<r  L«t*M 


D 


C»-|  ■■■»»■*  WmJmIjm 

ImC*  L-t 

U*  GrM   Wm*  La* 

C*j.  Im-   *4  V  ■  '—*  LM 

imwV»*4  1>W  Clwl  I. 

'  ■•  -**•*-■ 


(MM  0»w  "••  ft™ 
.  [MUUtM,  S+k* 

*        «        C-A— 1  DniUf-4  ■« 


1         1  Oat*  v  O**-  Um  ■»»* 

•        0  H**>MI 

.  ■*.<»  a*     .-.».,  U*u*> 

J  ■...*■..  MW4   Pl» 

V  hU..    Sk.it,    OMI  •    **rf 

*       I  'inri  ii 

V      y  C ■»<  •  im  St-* 

CM  Ottc* 


STATE    HIGHWAYS   AND  COUNTY   AID   ROADS  CORRECTED   TO    APRIL  I   1949 


GENERAL 


JUN2"^ 
HIGHWAY 


ATCHISON    C 


Cmnjm 

"""i^T"     ft«M  S*N- 

*  'Aw.*  Up* 


MISSOURI 


KEY  MAP 

SHOWING   LOCATION   Of   COUNTY 


PREPARED        BT       THE 

HIGHWAY     PLANNING      DEPARl 
MISSOURI       STATE      HIGHWAY     D| 

IN      COOPERATION        WITH       THC 

PUBLIC       ROADS      ADMINlSTRAl 
FEDERAL      WORKS       AGENC| 

SCALC 


1946 


C€N£RAL    highway    map       ATI 


80  HISTORY   OF  HOLT  AND  ATCHISON  COUNTIES. 

These  changes  can  best  be  estimated  by  the  institution  of  a  brief 
comparison  : 

Then  the  material  resources  of  the  country  consisted  simply  in  the 
streams  of  water,  which  quenched  the  thirst  of  the  aborigine,  wherein 
was  found  the  fish  which  he  ate,  and  upon  which  floated  his  frail  canoe  ; 
the  forest  where  he  procured  his  fuel,  material  for  the  construction  of 
his  rude  weapons,  and  which  sheltered  the  game  which  afforded  him  a 
meagre  and  uncertain  sustenance.  Such  were  the  material  resources* 
made  available  to  the  owner  of  the  soil.  The  social  condition  of  the 
people  was  scarcely  more  advanced  than  is  that  of  certain  orders  of  the 
lower  animals,  whose  social  attainments  are  comprehended  in  their 
ability  to  unite  for  mutual  offense  or  defense.  In  intellect  and  morals, 
the  original  proprietors  of  the  soil,  were  somewhat  above  the  brute,  but 
still  on  the  lowest  round  of  the  ladder. 

Now  the  material  resources  of  the  country  include  in  their  number 
the  soil,  with  every  useful  and  ornamental  product  known  to  the  temper- 
ate zone  ;  the  forest,  with  every  species  for  manufacture  known  to  the 
civilized  world.  The  water  in  the  streams,  and  the  currents  of  air  above 
us,  are  alike  trained  to  do  man's  bidding,  while  from  the  depths  of  the 
earth,  beneath  our  feet,  is  brought  forth  the  hidden  wealth,  which  was 
hoarded  by  the  turmoil  of  ages.  Cities  with  their  thousands  of  people, 
a  country  with  its  thousands  of  inhabitants,  while  in  city  and  country 
the  lofty  spires  of  churches  and  school  houses  are  evidences  of  a  moral, 
intelligent  and  reflecting  people. 

All  this  change  has  been  brought  about  by  the  incoming  of  a  new 
people — the  pale  face — from  the  far  off  east  and  south,  and  that,  too, 
within  the  space  of  half  a  century.  History  furnishes  no  parallel  to  the 
rapid  development  of  this  western  country;  it  has  been  a  chain  whose 
links  were  ever  recurring  surprises,  and  among  the  astonished,  there 
are  none  more  so  than  those  whose  throbbing  brains  have  planned,  and 
whose  busy  hands  have  executed  the  work. 

Almost  a  century  ago,  a  friend  of  America,  although  an  Englishman, 
in  language  almost  prophetic,  wrote  : 

"  Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way, 
The  four  first  acts  already  prist, 
The  fifth  shall  close  the  diama  of  the  day  ; 
Time's  noblest  <  ffering  is  the  last." 


o 


The  settlement  of  the  New  World,  alluded  to  by  the  writer,  has,  as 
a  whole,  fully  met  the  conditions  of  that  prophecy,  but  not  till  the  past 
half  a  century  did  the  onward  march  of  empire  culminate  in  the  settle- 
ment of  Northwest  Missouri.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  mining 
towns  in  the  gold  regions  of  California,  and  the  silver  districts  of  Col- 
orado, nothing  has  been  like  it  before,  and  will  not  be  exceeded  in  time 


HISTORY  OF  HOLT  AND 'ATCHISON  COUNTIES.  8 1 

to  come.  This  has  not  been  by  accident.  All  kinds  of  material  devel- 
opment follow  recognized  and  well  established  laws,  and  in  nothing  does 
this  fact  more  reveal  itself  than  in  the  settlement  of  a  country.  Who- 
ever has  made  it  his  business  to  study  the  "Great  Northwest,"  as  it  has 
unfolded  itself  in  history,  during  the  last  three  decades,  has  doubtless 
met  with  ever  returning  wonders.  The  story  of  its  unparalleled  growth 
and  almost  phenomenal  development,  has  so  often  been  repeated,  that 
it  has  become  a  common  place  platitude  ;  but  a  careful  study  of  the 
country  will  suggest  questions  which  have  thus  far  not  been  answered, 
and  cannot  be.  Why,  for  instance,  have  some  sections  filled  up  so 
rapidly,  and  certain  cities  sprung  up,  as  if  by  magic,  while  others,  seem- 
ingly no  less  favored  by  nature,  are  still  in  the  first  stages  of  develop- 
ment ?  These  questions  cannot  in  all  cases  be  answered,  but  whoever 
has  studied  the  matter  carefully,  cannot  fail  to  have  discovered  a  law  of 
growth,  which  is  as  unvarying  as  any  law  of  nature. 

The  two  leading  factors  in  the  problem  of  municipal  growth  are, 
location  and  character  of  first  settlers.  The  location  of  Holt  and 
Atchison  Counties  was  most  favorable,  and  what  is  true  of  these  coun- 
ties is  true  of  the  entire  state.  More  than  half  of  the  state  is  surrounded 
by  two  of  the  most  renowned  water  courses  of  the  world,  and  one  can 
readily  see  that  it  possesses  advantages  enjoyed  by  no  other  state  in  the 
Union.  These  conditions,  so  favorable  to  the  past  and  future  develop- 
ment of  the  country,  are  beautifully  illustrated  by  an  ingenious  little 
poem,  entitled  "  Two  Ancient  Misses,"  written  by  a  gentleman  who  has 
won 'a  wide-spread  reputation  at  the  bar.  We  here  quote  it,  as  it  well 
illustrates  our  point,  and  is  of  sufficient  merit  to  be  preserved  : 

"  TWO  ANCIENT   MISSES. 

"  I  know  two  ancient  misses 
Who  ever  onward  go, 
From  a  cold  and  rigid  northern  clime, 
Through  a  land  of  wheat,  and  corn,  and  wine, 
To  the  southern  sea,  where  the  fig  and  the  lime, 
And  the  golden  orange  grow. 

"  In  graceful  curves  they  wind  about, 
Upon  iheir  long  and  lonely  route 

Among  the  beauteous  hills  ; 
They  never  cease  their  onward  step, 
Though  night  and  day  they're  dripping  wet, 
And  oft  with  sleet  and  snow  beset, 
And  sometimes  with  the  chills. 

"  The  one  is  a  romping,  dark  brunette, 
As  fickle  and  gay  as  any  coquette; 
She  glides  along  by  the  western  plains, 
And  changes  her  bed  each  time  it  rains  ; 
Witching  as  any  dark-eyed  houri, 
This  romping,  wild  brunette,  Missouri. 
6 


82  HISTORY  OF  HOLT  AND  ATCHISON  COUNTIES. 

"  The  other  is  placid,  mild  and  fair. 
With  a  gentle,  sylph-like,  quiet  air, 
And  voice  as  sweet  as  soft  guitar  ; 
She  moves  along  the  vales  and  parks 
Where  naiads  play  ^Ejlian  harps — 
Nor  ever  go  by  fits  and  starts — 
No  fickle  coquette  of    the  city, 
But  gentle,  constant  Mississippi 

"  [  love  the  wild  and  dark  brunette 
Because  she  is  a  gay  coquette; 
Her,  too,  I  love  of  quiet  air, 
Because  she's  gentle,  true  and  fair  ; 
Land  of  my  birth  !  the  east  and  west,  . 
Embraced  by  these  is  doubly  blest — 
'Tis  hard  to  tell  which  I  love  best. 

In  entering  upon  the  work  before  us — the  work  of  writing  the 
history  of  Holt  and  Atchison  Counties,  we  have  not  underestimated  the 
difficulty  and  importance  of  the  task.  The  chief  difficulty  lies  in  the 
fact,  that  the  events  to  be  treated  of,  while  they  have  to  do  with  the 
past,  are  so  intimately  interwoven  with  the  present,  that  they  are  prop- 
erly a  part  of  it.  The  writer  of  history,  as  a  general  thing,  deals  wholly 
with  the  affairs  of  past  generations,  and  his  aim  is  to  pause  when  he 
arrives  at  that  realm  bounded  by  the  memory  of  men  now  living.  The 
whole  field  of  our  investigation  lies  this  side  of  that  boundary  line,  as 
there  are  a  few  who  will,  doubless,  peruse  this  work,  who,  from  the  first, 
have  witnessed  and  taken  part  in  the  events  we  shall  attempt  to  narrate. 

While  there  are  a  few  who  came  to  Holt  County  as  early  as  1838, 
its  permanent  settlement  did  not  properly  begin  until  1841,  the  date  of 
its  organization.  The  permanent  settlement  of  Atchison  County  did 
not  commence  until  1845.  Assuming  the  years  1841  and  184S,  to  be  the 
beginning  of  the  history  proper  of  these  two  counties,  there  have  elapsed) 
in  the  first  instance,  but  forty-one  years,  and  in  the  second,  but  thirty- 
seven.  Some  of  the  first  settlers,  who  were  here  at  the  dates  mentioned, 
still  live  within  the  limits  of  the  counties.  And  such,  while  they  have 
grown  prematurely  old  in  body,  by  reason  of  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions incident  to  a  life  of  more  than  ordinary  activity  and  trial,  have  not 
grown  old  in  spirit.  Each  one  of  such  knows  the  history  of  the  county, 
and,  be  it  said,  with  due  reverence  for  their  hoary  heads  and  bended 
forms,  each  one  knows  the  history  of  his  county  better  than  any  one 
else.  Such  readers  are  very  uncharitable  critics,  and  a  work  of  this 
kind,  absolutely  accurate  in  all  its  details  and  particulars,  were  it  within 
the  scope  of  human  possibility  to  make  such  a  work,  would  undoubtedly 
be  pronounced  by  many  well  meaning  and  honest  persons  faulty  and 
untrustworthy.  This  results  from  the  fact,  that  the  periods  above  men- 
tioned, though  not  long  periods  in  the  history  of  the  world,  constitute  a 


HISTORY  OF  HOLT  AND  ATCHISON  COUNTIES.  83 

long  time  in  the  life  of  an  individual.  Events  occurring  forty  years  ago 
we  think  we  know  perfectly  well,  when  the  fact  is  we  know  them  very 
imperfectly.  This  is  proved  and  illustrated  by  the  reluctancy  and  hesi- 
tation manifested  invariably  by  old  settlers,  when  called  upon  to  give 
the  details  of  some  early  transaction  ;  the  old  settler  usually  hesitates 
before  giving  a  date,  and  after  having  finally  settled  down  upon  the  year 
and  the  month  when  a  certain  event  occurred,  will  probably  hunt  you 
up  in  less  than  a  day,  and  request  the  privilege  of  correcting  the  date. 
In  the  meantime,  you  have  found  another  old  settler,  who  was  an  eye 
witness  of  the  act  in  question,  and  the  date  he  will  give  you  does  not 
correspond  with  the  first  date,  nor  with  the  corrected  date,  as  given  by 
the  first  old  settler.  There  are  some  marked  exceptions,  but  as  a  rule, 
the  memory  of  the  old  settler  is  not  trustworthy  ;  his  ideas  of  the  gen- 
eral outlines  are  usually  comparatively  correct,  but  no  one  who  has  the 
grace  to  put  the  proper  estimate  upon  his  mental  faculties,  when  impaired 
by  age  and  weakened  by  the  many  infirmities  of  years,  will  trust  it  to 
the  arbitrament  of  questions  of  particulars  and  details.  The  stranger 
who  comes  into  the  county  with  none  of  the  information  which  those 
possess  who  have  resided  here  for  years,  works  at  a  great  disadvantage 
in  many  respects.  He  does  not  at  first  know  whom  to  consult,  or  where 
to  find  the  custodians  of  important  records.  He  possesses,  however, 
•one  great  advantage,  which  more  than  makes  up  for  this  ;  he  enters 
upon  his  work  with  an  unbiased  mind  ;  he  has  no  friends  to  reward,  and 
no  enemies  to  punish  ;  his  mind  is  not  preoccupied  and  prejudged  by 
reports  which  may  have  incidentally  come  into  his  possession  while 
transacting  the  ordinary  affairs  of  business;  and  when,  in  addition  to  this, 
he  is  a  person  whose  business  is  to  collect  statements  and  weigh  facts  of 
history,  he  is  much  better  qualified  for  the  task,  and  to  discriminate 
between  statements,  seemingly  of  equal  weight,  than  those  who  either 
immediately  or  remotely  are  interested  parties,  and  whose  regular 
■employment  lies  in  other  fields  of  industry.  This  is  true,  even  though 
the  former  be  a  total  stranger  and  the  latter  have  become  familiar  with 
men  and  things  by  many  years  of  intercourse  and  acquaintanceship. 
He  is  best  judge  and  best  juror  who  is  totally  unacquainted  with  both 
plaintiff  and  defendant,  and  he  is  best  qualified  to  arbitrate  between 
conflicting  facts  of  history  who  comes  to  the  task  without  that  bias 
which  is  the  price  one  must  pay  for  acquaintanceship  and  familiarity. 
The  best  history  of  France  was  written  by  an  Englishman,  and  the 
most  authentic  account  of  American  institutions  was  written  by  a 
Frenchman,  and  it  remained  for  an  American  to  write  the  only  authentic 
history  of  the  Dutch  Republic. 

The  American  people  are  much  given  to  reading,  but  the  character 
of  the  matter  read  is  such,  that,  with  regard  to  a  large  proportion  of  them, 
it  may  truthfully  be  said  that  "  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction."     Espec- 


84  HISTORY  OF  HOLT  AND  ATCHISON  COUNTIES. 

ially  is  this  the  case  in  respect  to  those  facts  of  local  history  belonging 
to  their  own  immediate  county  or  neighborhood.  This  is  perhaps  not 
so  much  the  fault  of  the  people,  as  a  neglect  on  the  part  of  the.  book 
publishers.  Books,  as  a  rule,  are  made  to  sell,  and  in  order  that  a  book 
may  have  a  large  sale,  its  matter  must  be  of  such  a  general  character 
as  to  be  applicable  to  general  rather  than  special  conditions — to  the 
nation  and  state  rather  than  to  county  and  township.  Thus  it  is,  that 
no  histories  heretofore  published  pertain  to  matters  relating  to  county 
and  neighborhood  affairs,  for  such  books,  in  order  to  have  a  sale  over  a 
large  section  of  country,  must  necessarily  be  very  voluminous  and  con- 
tain much  matter  of  no  interest  to  the  reader. 

After  having  given  a  synopsis  of  the  history  of  the  state,  which  is 
as  brief  as  could  well  be,  we  shall  then  enter  upon  the  history  of  Holt 
County,  giving  its  physical  features,  its  geology,  its  organization,  its 
pioneer  times,  settlement  of  the  different  townships,  its  political  and 
financial  history,  its  schools,  churches,  railroads,  manufactures,  public 
buildings,  newspapers,  enterprises,  citizens,  agriculture,  and,  in  fact, 
everything  that  pertains  to  the  history  of  the  county.  We  shall  then 
take  up  the  history  of  Atchison  County,  treating  of  it  in  form  and  man- 
ner and  as  fully  as  we  do  that  of  Holt,  and,  if  we  mistake  not,  the  his- 
tory of  these  two  counties,  which  are  a  part  and  parcel  of  the  Platte 
Purchase,  settled  so  nearly  at  the  same  time — the  latter  preceding  that 
of  the  former  but  four  years  in  the  date  of  its  organization — will  be 
replete  with  interest,  not  only  to  the  remaining  few  of  the  old  pioneers 
now  living,  but  to  their  descendants. 

The  compiler  of  a  county  history  has  a  task  which  may  seem  to  be 
comparatively  easy,  and  the  facts  which  come  within  the  legitimate 
scope  of  the  work  may  appear  commonplace  when  compared  with 
national  events  ;  the  narration  of  the  peaceful  events  attending  the  con- 
quests of  industry  as — 

"  Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way," 

may  seem  tame  when  compared  with  accounts  of  battles  and  sieges. 
Nevertheless,  the  faithful  gathering,  and  the  truthful  narration  of  facts, 
bearing  upon  the  early  settlement  of  these  two  counties,  and  the  dangers, 
hardships  and  privations  encountered  by  the  early  pioneers,  engaged  in 
advancing  the  standards  of  civilization,  is  a  work  of  no  small  magnitude, 
and  the  facts  thus  narrated  are  such  as  may  challenge  the  admiration 
and  arouse  the  sympathy  of  the  reader,  albeit  they  have  nothing  to  do 
with  the  feats  of  arms. 

We  shall  conclude  the  history  of  each  township  with  a  biographical 
directory,  the  value  of  which  will  increase  with  years. 


HISTORY  OF  HOLT  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  II. 

PLATTE     PURCHASE. 

THE  PLATTE  COUNTRY-CORRESPONDENCE  IN  REFERENCE  THERETO  -  MEETING  AT 
LIBERTY,  MISSOURI-ITS  OBJECT— MEMORIAL— EFFORTS  OF  BENTON  AND  LINN- 
TREATY  WITH  THE  IOWAYS,  SACS  AND  FOX  INDIANS. 

Holt  and  Atchison  Counties  being  a  portion  of  the  territory  origin- 
ally included  in  the  Platte  Purchase,  a  short  history,  detailing  how,  when, 
and  through  whom,  the  purchase  of  this  territory  was  accomplished, 
will  doubtless  be  of  interest  to  citizens  of  the  counties. 

For  several  years,  prior  to  the  acquisition  of  the  Platte  Purchase  by 
the  United  States  Government,  the  people  of  Missouri  desired  its  annex- 
ation. By  moving  the  Indians,  and  possessing  this  territory  now  con- 
stituting the  counties  of  Platte,  Buchanan,  Andrew,  Holt,  Nodaway  and 
Atchison,  some  of  the  richest,  best  timbered,  and  best  watered  lands  in 
the  state,  would  be  opened  for  settlement.  The  state  would  then  have 
a  natural  boundary  line  (the  Missouri  River)  between  the  whites  and 
the  Indians,  and  the  people  having  already  located  in  the  counties  con- 
tiguous to  this  territory  on  the  east,  could  avail  themselves  of  the  trans- 
portation facilities  afforded  by  the  Missouri  River,  without  being 
compelled  to  cross  the  Indian  territory.  In  pursuance  of  these  objects, 
the  Hon.  L.  F.  Linn,  then  a  United  States  Senator,  from  Missouri,  in 
January,  1835,  addressed  H.  Ellsworth,  Esq,,  the  following  communica- 
tion : 

Washington,  January  23,  1835. 

Sir  :  It  has  long  been  desired  by  the  people  of  Missouri  to  have 
annexed  to  the  state  that  portion  ot  territory  lying  between  her  western 
boundary  and  the  great  river,  Missouri,  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
the  location  of  an  annoying  Indian  population,  and  for  the  purpose  of 
having  points  on  the  river  to  receive  their  supplies  and  ship  their  pro- 
ductions, within  a  moderate  distance  from  the  homes  of  those  inhabitants 
residing  along  that  line  of  the  frontier. 

The  location  of  the  Pottawatomies,  by  the  treaty  of  Chicago,  on  this 
territory,  interposes  a  barrier  to  the  attainment  of  these  objects,  so 
important  to  the  welfare  and  tranquility  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  north- 
ern and  western  counties.     Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  furnish  me  your 


86  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of  ratifying  that  treaty,  and  the  danger  of 
collision  between  the  two  races,  from  placing  the  Indians  between  the 
white  population  and  the  river  Missouri. 

Very  respectfully, 
H.  Ellsworth,  Esq.  L.  F.  LINN. 

The  following  is  the  answer  of  Mr.  Ellsworth  : 

Washington,  January  27,  1835. 

SIR  :  Yours  of  the  23d  instant,  requesting  my  opinion  as  to  the 
propriety  of  ratifying  the  Chicago  treaty,  and  the  danger  of  collision 
that  will  probably  arise  from  placing  the  Indians  between  the  white 
population  and  the  river  Missouri,  at  the  northwest  section  of  the  state, 
was  received  this  morning.  In  reply,  I  hasten  to  observe  that  the  small 
strip  of  land  lying  between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  State  of  Missouri, 
is,  compared  with  the  country  lying  north  of  the  state  line,  an  unfavor- 
able location  for  the  Indian  tribes. 

In  the  fall  of  1833,  I  held  a  council  with  the  Ioways  and  the  little 
band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes  living  on  this  strip,  who  complained  of  the  great 
difficulty  attending  their  present  situation,  on  account  of  the  contiguity 
and  encroachments  of  white  men  in  the  state,  and  all  the  chiefs  desired 
me  to  make  a  treaty  for  their  removal  to  land  lying  north  of  the  state 
line.  Not  being  authorized  to  make  this  treaty,  I  did  not  attempt  it, 
but  have  recommended  the  subject  to  the  favorable  consideration  of"  the 
government. 

I  have  understood  that  the  Pottawatomies  are  willing  to  receive 
other  land,  in  equal  amount,  for  that  lying  south  of  the  north  line  of  Mis- 
souri extended.  If  this  can  be  done  I  have  no  doubt  it  would  be  advan- 
tageous to  all  the  parties  concerned.  The  government  would  realize 
the  value  of  land,  but  more  especially  the  Pottawatomies  would  have  an 
excellent  location,  one  far  less  likely  to  be  interrupted  by  the  encroach- 
ment of  white  neighbors.  The  State  of  Missouri  might  hereafter  be 
accommodated  with  a  good  natural  boundary,  several  excellent  water 
privileges,  and  additional  landings  on  the  navigable  waters  of  Missouri 
for  one  hundred  and  forty  miles.  The  ratification  of  the  Chicago  treaty 
will  prevent  the  future  disposal  of  this  narrow  strip  to  Missouri.  Hence 
I  conceive  it  highly  important  that  the  Pottawatomies  should  make  an 
exchange  of  part  of  the  lands  embraced  within  the  original  treaty.  It 
may  be  proper  to  state  that;  from  the  concurrent  testimony  of  all  per- 
sons residing  on  the  Missouri,  as  well  as  from  a  personal  view  from  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  the  location  of  the  Pottawatomies  north  of 
the  land  in  question,  will  give  them  a  rich  and  fertile  tract,  equal  to  that 
of  any  tribe  already  migrated. 

It  ought  to  be  noticed  that  the  general  expectation  that  the  Chicago 
treaty  would  be  modified,  has  emboldened  many  squatters  to  enter  upon 
the  lands  in  question,  in  hopes  of  fixing  their  future  residence.  I  have, 
therefore,  no  hesitation  in  giving  an  opinion  as  to  the  expediency  of 
altering  the  Chicago  treaty,  so  as  to  confine  the  Pottawatomies  north  of 
the  little  strip  now  wanted  by  the  State  of  Missouri. 

Having  given  this  opinion,  permit  me  to  say  that  I  believe  it  prac 
ticable,  with  little  expense  or  delay,  to  remove  the  Indians  now  on  this 
strip  of  land,  and  to  extinquish  any  remaining  right  in  the  red  men  fos 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY.  87 

hunting  or  other  privileges,  and  this  removal  and  extinguishment  I 
would  respectfully  recommend  before  the  state  jurisdiction  is  extended 
to  the  waters  of  the  Missouri. 

Yours,  most  respectfully, 

HENRY  ELLSWORTH. 
HON.  L.  F.  LINN,  Senator. 

At  the  same  time  the  Hon.  L.  F.  Linn  wrote  to  Maj.  John  Dough- 
erty, Indian  Agent,  for  information  concerning  the  geography  and  topo- 
graphy of  the  country  embraced  in  the  "  Platte  Purchase,"  and  in  three 
days  thereafter  received  the  following  answer  : 

Washington,  January  26,  1835. 

Sir  :  Your  communication  of  the  23d  instant,  containing  certain 
queries  touching  the  slip  of  land  lying  between  the  western  boundary 
line  of  the  State  of  Missouri  and  the  Missouri  River  has  been  received. 

I  assure  you  it  will  afford  me  great  pleasure  to  furnish  the  answers 
called  for,  and  in  the  order  in  which  you  have  proposed  the  questions. 

1st.  The  length  of  the  strip  of  land  referred  to  is,  on  its  east  line, 
one  hundred  miles  long  ;  the  west  line,  following  the  meanders  of  the 
Missouri  River,  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  length,  to  a 
point  on  said  river  due  west  from  the  northwest  corner  of  the  state,  the 
average  breadth  being  about  fifteen  miles. 

,  2d.  I  feel  no  hesitation  in  stating  (and  this  without  the  fear  of  con- 
tradiction) that  the  location  of  Indians  upon  this  territory  would  be 
attended  with  the  most  ruinous  effects  ;  It  would  alike  be  injurious  to 
the  Indians  and  whites;  take,  for  example,  the  Ioways,  who  now  reside 
upon  the  upper  end  of  this  strip — they  are  a  poor,  drunken,  miserable 
set  of  beings,  dwindling  away  to  nothing,  quarreling  among  themselves, 
killing  each  other,  and  in  constant  broils  with  their  white  neighbors. 
Those  evils  would  be  greatly  increased  were  the  Indians  located  all  the 
way  down  this  strip  of  land,  between  the  white  settlements  and  the 
Missouri  River  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  River,  where  it  becomes 
narrow  and  the  white  population  more  dense. 

3d.  The  inconvenience  to  our  citizens  would  be  incalculable,  if 
those  along  the  western  line  of  the  state  were  compelled  to  transport 
their  productions  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  River  for  shipment  ;  some 
of  them  residing  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  steamboats  passing  every 
day,  would  be  obliged  to  haul  everything  for  market  over  a  new  country 
one  hundred  miles. 

4th.  There  is  a  great  deficiency  of  water  power  and  springs  in  the 
northern  counties  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  whilst  the  strip  of  land  you 
have  reference  to  abounds  with  numerous  flush  running  springs  and 
creeks,  with  great  falls,  well  calculated  for  mills  or  other  water  works. 

5th.  The  country  north  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  reaching  from  the 
Mississippi  to  the  Missouri  River,  and  extending  north  between  four  and 
five  hundred  miles,  is  well  timbered,  interspersed  with  fine  rich  prairies, 
and  abounds  with  numerous  large,  bold  running  streams,  coming  in 
from  the  high  lands  between  these  two  great  rivers  ;  in  short,  the  whole 
country  is  well  adapted  to  agricultural  purposes,  with  a  fine  climate,  and 
exceedingly  healthy. 


88  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

In  reply  to  your  6th  question,  I  deem  it  sufficient  to  refer  to  the 
answer  under  the  second  query.  The  peace  and  tranquility  of  both 
whites  and  Indians  require  that  this  long  strip  of  land  should  be  attached 
to  the  State  of  Missouri ;  and  I  cannot  suppose  that  any  gentlemen  as 
well  acquainted  with  its  locality  as  I  am,  would  entertain  a  different 
opinion,  or  dissent  from  the  views  herein  expressed. 

With  great  respect,  I  have  the  honor  to  be 
Your  obedient  servant, 

JNO.  DOUGHERTY, 
Hon.  L.  F.  Linn,  Senate  U.  S.  Indian  Agent. 

As  early  as  1834-5,  two  years  before  the  removal  of  the  Indians, 
the  narrow  strip  of  land  between  the  western  boundary  of  the  state  and 
the  Missouri  River  began  to  be  settled  by  white  men.  So  numerous 
were  these  settlers  that  the  United  States  Government  sent  a  military 
force  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  remove  them.  What  proportion  of 
these  daring  frontiersmen  had  located  in  this  territory  wecannot  deter- 
mine, but  the  number  must  have  been  considerable,  as  will  be  seen  from 
the  following  letter  from  Hon.  L.  F.  Linn  to  Hon.  John  Forsyth,  Secre- 
tary of  State : 

Saint  Genevieve,  August  10,  1835. 

Sir  :  I  take  the  liberty  of  enclosing  you  a  copy  (perhaps  imperfect, 
from  having  mislaid  the  original),  of  a  letter  dated  May  14,  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  War,  on  a  subject  of  much  interest  to  the  people  of  this  state. 
To  this  communication  no  answer  has  been  received.  May  I  tax  your 
kindness  by  asking  that  you  will  read  the  letter,  and  give  the  subject 
your  friendly  attention  in  any  way  you  may  deem  advisable.  I  feel  that 
there  is  a  propriety  in  endeavoring  to  obtain  your  assistance,  knowing 
the  state  you  so  long  represented  in  Congress  with  such  distinguished 
credit,*  has  been  greatly  annoyed  by  an  Indian  population.  I  hear  an 
order  has  come  from  the  War  Department  to  remove  the  families  who 
have  settled  on  the  Indian  lands  lying  between  our  western  boundary 
and  the  Missouri  River,  by  military  force. 

You  know  the  independent  and  daring, character  of  our  frontier 
population,  and,  knowing  you  will  easily  believe  that  this  step  is  not  to 
be  accomplished  without  violence  and  much  distress,  as  the  families  are 
two  or  three  hundred  in  number.  The  accompanying  diagram  will  at  a 
glance  show  you  what  we  want,  and  at  the  same  time  the  utter  useless- 
ness  of  this  portion  of  country  for  Indian  purposes. 

The  long  absence  of  Governor  Cass,  and  multiplicity  of  business 
since  his  return,  may  have  caused  him  to  lose  sight  of  my  letter.  His 
order  has  caused  much  sensation  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  and 
for  the  present  ought  to  be  suspended.     Yours  truly, 

Hon.  John  Forsyth,  L.  F,  LINN. 

Secretary  of  State. 

In  the  summer  of  1835,  there  was  held  a  regimental  militia  muster 
at  Dale's  farm,  three  miles  from  the  town  of  Liberty,  in  Clay  County. 
After  the  morning  parade,  and  during  the  recess  for  dinner,  a  mass 
meeting  of  the  citizens  present  was  addressed,  among  others,  by  General 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  89 

Andrew  S.  Hughes,  who  came  to  Clay  from  Montgomery  County,  Ken- 
tucky, in  1828,  and  who  soon  afterward  was  appointed  Indian  agent  by 
President  John  Quincy  Adams.    At  this  meeting  he  proposed  the  acqui- 
sition  of  the  Platte   Country,  and  the  measure   met  with  such  hearty 
approval  that  a  committee  was  at  once' appointed  to  make  an  effort  to 
accomplish  it.    The  committee  was  composed  of  William  T.  Wood,  now 
judge  of  the  Lexington  Circuit ;  David  R.  Atchison,  ex-United  States 
Senator  ;  A.  W.  Doniphan,  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  hero  of  the  Mex- 
ican War  ;  Peter  H.  Burnett,  afterward  one  of  the  supreme  judges  of 
California,  and  Edward  M.  Samuel,  afterward  president  of  the  Commer- 
cial   Bank   in  St.   Louis- — all   of  them   at  that  time   residents  of  Clay 
County.     Subsequently  an  able   memorial  to  Congress  was  drafted  by 
Judge  Wood,  embracing  the  facts  and  considerations  in  behalf  of  the 
measure,  which,  after  being  signed  by  the  committee,  was  forwarded  to 
the  senators  and  representatives  at  Washington  from  Missouri. 

Following  the  prayer  of  this  memorial,  in  1836,  a  bill  was  introduced 
in  Congress  by  Thomas  H.  Benton,  and  zealously  supported  by  his  col- 
league, Senator  Linn,  which  provided  for  the  extension  of  the  then 
existing  boundary  of  the  state,  so  as  to  include  the  triangle  between  the 
existing  line  and  the  Missouri  River,  then  a  part  of  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory, now  comprising  the  counties  of  Atchison,  Andrew,  Buchanan, 
Holt,  Nodaway  and  Platte.  The  difficulties  encountered  were  three 
fold  :  1.  To  make  still  larger  a  state  which  was  already  one  of  the  larg- 
est in  the  Union.  2.  To  remove  Indians  from  a  possession  which  had 
just  been  assigned  to  them  in  perpetuity.  3.  To  alter  the  Missouri 
Compromise  line  in  relation  to  slave  territory,  and  thereby  convert  free 
soil  into  slave  soil.  Notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  the  two  first 
mentioned  serious  and  the  last  formidable,  the  act  was  passed  and  the 
treaties  negotiated,  and  in  1837,  the  Indians  removed  west  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  thus  adding  to  the  state  a  large  body  of  the  richest  land  in 
the  world. 

During  the  fall  of  1835,  after  the  meeting  held  at  the  regimental 
muster  above  referred  to,  General  Andrew  S.  Hughes  wrote  to  Hon.  L. 
F.  Linn  in  reference  to  a  treaty  with  the  Ioways  and  Sacs  of  his  agency. 
His  letter  is  as  follows  : 

Ioway  Sub-Agency,  September  3,  1835. 

Sir  :  I  have  written  a  hasty  scrawl  to  you.  It  might  be  well  to  pub- 
lish your  letter  to  show  to  the  people  what  you  are  doing.  I  send  this 
to  St.  Genevieve,  not  exactly  knowing  where  to  find  you.  I  give  you 
liberty  to  do  just  as  you  may  think  proper  with  my  letter. 

All  letters  addressed  to  me,  I  wish  directed  to  the  "  Elm  Grove 
Post  Office,  Clay  County,  Missouri.  This  is  most  convenient  to  me. 
When  I  hear  from  you  I  will  write  again.  I  desire  to  see  you  before 
you  go  east. 


90  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

A  treaty  can  be  made  with  the  Ioways  of  my  agency  and  Sacs, 
without  expense  to  the  government,  or  any  other  unnecessary  pomp 
and  parade,  as  has  heretofore  been  the  case.  Colonel  Dodge  could 
make  treaty  with  the  Indians  as  a  part  of  his  official  duty.  They  are 
near  his  post,  and  I  should  have  no  objections  to  render  any  assistance 
that  might  be  asked  of  me.     Believe  me,  your  sincere  friend, 

ANDREW  S.  HUGHES. 

To  Hon.  Lewis  F.  Linn. 

The  treaty  which  was  negotiated  with  the  Sacs  and  Fox  Indians, 
whereby  Missouri  extended  her  western  boundary  line,  is  as  follows  : 

ARTICLES    OF   A   TREATY 

made  and  concluded  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  own  the  Missouri  River, 
between  William  Clark,  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States,  of  the  one  part,  and  the  undersigned,  chiefs,  warriors 
and  counsellors  of  the  Ioway  tribe,  and  the  band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes  of 
the  Missouri  (residing  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri)  in  behalf  of  their 
respective  tribes,  of  the  other  part. 

ARTICLE  i.  By  the  first  article  of  the  treaty  of  Prairie  du  Chien, 
held  the  15th  of  July,  1830,  with  the  confederate  tribes  of  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  Ioways,  Omahaws,  Missourias,  Ottoes  and  Sioux,  the  country 
cededto  the  United  States  by  that  treaty  is  to  be  "  assigned  and  allotted, 
under  the  President  of  the  United  States,  to  the  tribes  living  thereon,  or 
to  such  other  tribes  as  the  President  may  locate  thereon  for  hunting  and 
other  purposes."  And  whereas,  it  is  further  represented  to  us,  the  chiefs, 
warriors  and  counsellors  of  the  Ioways  and  Sacs  and  Fox  band  afore- 
said, to  be  desirable  that  the  lands  lying  between  the  State  of  Missouri 
and  the  Missouri  River  should  be  attached  to  and  become  a  part  of  the 
said  state,  and  the  Indian  title  thereto  should  be  extinguished  ;  but  that, 
notwithstanding,  as  these  lands  compose  a  part  of  the  country  embraced 
by  the  provisions  of  said  first  article  of  the  treaty  aforesaid,  the  stipula- 
tions thereof  will  be  strictly  observed,  until  the  assent  of  the  Indians 
interested  is  given  to  the  proposed  measure. 

Now  we,  the  chiefs,  warriors  and  counsellors  of  the  Ioways  and  Mis- 
souri bands  of  Sacs  and  Foxes,  fully  understanding  the  subject,  and  well 
satisfied  from  the  local  position  of  the  lands  in  question,  that  they  can 
never  be  made  available  for  Indian  purposes,  and  that  an  attempt  to 
place  an  Indian  population  on  them  must  inevitably  lead  to  collision 
with  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  ;  and  further,  believing  that  the 
extension  of  the  state  line  in  the  direction  indicated,  would  have  a  happy 
effect,  by  presenting  a  natural  boundary  between  the  whites  and  the 
Indians  ;  and  willing,  moreover,  to  give  the  United  States  a  renewed 
evidence  of  our  attachment  and  friendship,  do  hereby,  for  ourselves  and 
on  behalf  of  our  respective  tribes  (having  full  power  and  authority  to  this 
effect)  forever  cede,  relinquish  and  quit-claim  to  the  United  States,  all 
our  right,  title  and  interest,  of  whatever  nature,  in  and  to  the  land  lying 
between  the  State  of  Missouri  and  the  Missouri  River,  and  do  freely  and 
fully  exonerate  the  United  States  from  any  guarantee,  condition  or  lim- 
itation, expressed  or  implied,  under  the  treaty  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  afore- 
said or  otherwise,  as  to  the  entire  and  absolute  disposition  of  the  said 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  91 

lands  ;  fully  authorizing  the  United  States  to  do  with  the  same  whatever 
shall  seem  expedient  or  necessary. 

As  a  proof  of  the  continued  friendship  and  liberality  of  the  United 
States  toward  the  Ioways  and  band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes  of  the  Missourias, 
and  as  an  evidence  of  the  same  entertained  for  the  good  will  manifested 
by  said  tribes  to  the  citizens  and  Government  of  the  United  States,  as 
evinced  in  the  preceding  cession  or  relinquishment,  the  undersigned, 
William  Clark,  agrees,  on  behalf  of  the  United  States,  to  pay  as  a  pres- 
ent to  the  said  Ioways  and  band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes  $7,500  in  money,  the 
receipt  of  which  they  hereby  acknowledge. 

Article  2.  As  the  said  tribes  of  Ioways  and  Sacs  and  Foxes  have 
applied  for  a  small  piece  of  land  south  of  the  Missouri  for  a  permanent 
home,  on  which  they  can  settle,  and  request  the  assistance  of  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  to  place  them  on  the  land,  in  a  situation 
at  least  equal  to  that  they  now  enjoy  on  the  lands  ceded  by  them, 
Therefore,  I,  William  Clark,  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  do  further 
agree  on  behalf  of  the  United  States,  to  assign  to  the  Ioway  tribes  and 
Missouri  band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes,  the  small  strip  of  land  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Missouri  River,  lying  between  the  Kickapoo  northern  boun- 
dary line  and  the  Grand  Nemaha  River,  and  extending  from  the  Mis- 
souri back  and  westwardly  with  the  said  Kickapoo  line  and  the  Grand 
Nemaha,  making  four  hundred  sections,  to  be  divided  between  the  said 
Ioways  and  the  Missouri  band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes,  the  lower  half  to  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes,  the  upper  half  to  the  Ioways. 

Article  3.  The  Ioways  and  Missouri  band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes,  fur- 
ther agree  that  they  will  move  and  settle  on  the  lands  assigned  them  in 
the  above  article  as  soon  as  arrangements  can  be  made,  and  the  under- 
signed, William  Clark,  in  behalf  of  the  United  States,  agrees  that,  as 
soon  as  the  above  tribes  have  selected  a  site  for  their  villages,  and  places 
for  their  fields,  and  moved  to  them,  to  erect  for  the  Ioways  five  comfort- 
able houses  ;  to  enclose  and  break  up  for  them  two  hundred  acres  of 
ground  ;  to  furnish  them  with  a  farmer,  blacksmith,  schoolmaster  and 
interpreter,  as  long  as  the  President  of  the  United  States  deems  proper  ; 
to  furnish  them  with  such  agricultural  implements  as  may  be  necessary, 
for  five  years  ;  to  furnish  them  with  rations  for  one  year,  commencing  at 
the  time  of  their  arrival  at  their  new  home  ;  to  furnish  them  with  one  ferry- 
boat ;  to  furnish  them  with  one  hundred  cows  and  calves,  and  five  bulls,  and 
one  hundred  stock  hogs,  when  they  require  them  ;  to  furnish  them  with 
a  mill,  and  assist  in  removing  them,  to  the  extent  of  five  hundred  dollars. 
And  to  erect  for  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  three  comfortable  houses  ;  to 
enclose  and  break  up  for  them  two  hundred  acres  of  land  ;  to  furnish 
them  with  a  farmer,  blacksmith,  schoolmaster  and  interpreter,  as  long  as 
the  President  of  the  United  States  shall  deem  proper  ;  to  furnish  them 
with  such  agricultural  implements  as  may  be  necessary,  for  five  years  ; 
to  furnish  them  with  rations  for  one  year,  commencing  at  the  time  of 
their  arrival  at  their  new  home  ;  to  furnish  them  with  one  ferryboat  ;  to 
furnish  them  with  one  hundred  cows  and  calves,  and  five  bulls;  one  hun- 
dred stock  hogs,  when  they  require  them  ;  to  furnish  them  with  a  mill, 
and  to  assist  in  removing  them  to  the  extent  of  four  hundred  dollars. 

ARTICLE  4.  This'treaty  shall  be  obligatory  on  the  tribes,  parties 
hereto,  from  and  after  the  date  hereof,  and  on  the  United  States,  from 
and  after  its  ratification  by  the  Government  thereof. 


92 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


Done  and  signed  and  sealed  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  on  the  Missouri, 
this  seventeenth  day  of  September,  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-six, 
and  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States  the  sixtv-first. 

WILLIAM    CLARK, 
Superintendent  Indian  Affairs. 


IOWAYS  : 


Mo-HOS-CA  (or  White  Cloud), 
Nau-CHE-NING  (or  No  Heart), 
Wa-che-mo-NE  (or  the  Orator), 
MAN-O-MONE  (or  Pumpkin), 
Ne-O-MO-NE  (or  Raining  Cloud), 


Ne-wan-thaw-chu     (Hair   Shed- 

der), 
Cha-tau-the-ne  (Big  Bull), 
CONGU  (or  Plumb), 
Cha-ta-thaw  (Buffalo  Bull), 


Wau-THAW-CA-BE-CHU  (one'  that  Man-haw-ka  (or  Bunch  of  Arrows.) 
eats  rats.) 

SACS   AND    FOXES.: 

Ca-HA-QUA  (Red  Fox),  Pe-SHAW-CA  (Bear), 

Pe-CAW-MA  (Deer),  NE-BOSH-CA-NA  (Wolf), 

Ke-SQUI-IN-a  (Deer),  Ne-SAW-AN-QUA  (Bear), 

QUA-CO-OUSI-SI  (Wolf),  Se-QUIL-i-a  (Deer), 

As-KE-pa-ke-  KA-AS- A    (Green  Wa-PE-SA  (Swan), 

Lake),  No-CHA-TAW-WA-TA-SA  (Star), 

Can-CA-CAR-MACK    (Bald    Headed  Se-A-SA-ho  (Sturgeon), 

Eagle),  Pe-a-chim-a-car-mack,  Jr.,    (Bald 

Headed  Eagle). 

WITNESSES  : 


S.  W.  Kearny,  Jr., 
John  Dougherty, 
A.  S.  Hughes, 
George  R.  H.  Clark, 
William  Duncan, 
Joseph  V.  Hamilton, 


H.  Robidou,  Jr., 
William  Bowman, 
jeffry  dorion, 
Peter  Constine,    ■ 
Jacques  Mette, 
Louis  M.  Davidson. 


X6  sg&i  t»x 


CHAPTER  III. 

GEOLOGY  OF  HOLT  COUNTY. 

LOCATION-BOUNDARY— AREA— TOPOGRAPH Y-TIMBER- PRAIRIE— SOIL— STREAMS— COAL 
GRINDSTONES  —  LIMESTONE  -  MINLRAL  RESOURCES  —  CEMENT  WORKS  -  GOLD 
MINKS. 

Holt  County  is  located  in  the  Northwestern  portion  of  the  state, 
and  is  separated  from  Iowa  by  Atchison  County.  It  is  nearly  the  same 
parallel  as  Philadelphia  and  Sacramento,  and  about  the  same  meridian 
as  Lake  of  the  Woods  and  Galveston. 

BOUNDARY — AREA. 

It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Atchison  and  Nodaway  Counties,  on 
the  east  by  Nodaway  and  Andrew  Counties,  on  the  south  by  Kansas, 
and  on  the  west  by  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  from  which  it  is  separated  by 
the  Missouri  River,  and  has  an  area  of  434  square  miles.  It  has  ten 
municipal,  four  full  congressional,  and  nineteen  fractional  congressional 
townships. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The  Missouri  River  bottoms  occupy  considerably  more  than  one- 
third  of  the  area  of  the  county,  and  above  township  sixty,  they  are  at 
least  ten  miles  in  width.  Southward  they  are  narrower,  converging 
gradually  towards  the  southern  boundary  line  of  the  county.  The 
bluffs  attain  a  height  of  from  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  two  hun- 
dred feet,  with  occasional  intervals  of  low  hills.  After  leaving  the  Mis- 
souri bluffs,  about  two  miles,  the  country  becomes  less  hilly,  and  soon 
passes  into  a  beautiful  rolling  country.  From  the  mouth  of  the  Noda- 
way River,  for  ten  miles  north,  the  adjacent  hills  are  high  and  the  sur- 
face of  the  land  is  broken. 

The  hills  in  the  northeast  part*  of  the  county  are  low  and  gently 
undulating.  Near  Squaw  Creek,  Davis  Creek  and  Tarkio,  the  hills  have 
gradual  slopes,  with  often  marshy  bases,  leading  into  the  adjacent  nar- 
row bottoms.  By  the  burrowing  of  gophers,  the  bottoms  of  Squaw 
Creek  and  a  few  other  streams  are  rendered  dangerous  for  horses  to 
pass  over,  and  their  banks  are  so  steep  and  marshy  as  to  render  them, 
almost  impassable,  as  far  up  as  their  sources. 


94  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 


TIMBER. 


Soutla  of  Oregon  the  country  consists  mostly  of  timbered  land. 
Near  the  streams  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  but  few  trees  are 
seen,  and  they  are  generally  either  of  small  growth  or  shrubs.  On  the 
banks  is  sometimes  a  fringe  of  willow,  white  maple,  American  elm,  box 
elder,  greenbrier,  grape  and  cormus.  On  the  bottoms,  black  walnut, 
honey  locust,  coralberry,  chokeberry,  red  and  American  elm,  wahoo, 
sumach,  cormus  and  gooseberry  occur. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  trees  and  shrubs  in  Holt  County  :  Crab- 
apple,  white  ash,  prickly  ash,  blackberry,  bladdernut,  buckeye,  box-el- 
der, buttonbush,  blackberry,  chokecherry,  coffeetree,  cottonwood,  Amor- 
pha  canescens,  Am.  fruticosa,  coralberry,  cormus  sericea,  cormus  csperifo- 
lia  gooseberry,  hackberry,  hazel,  shellbark  hickory,  thick  shellbark  hick- 
ory, pignut  hickory,  ironwood,  honey  locust,  white  maple,  mulberry,  lin- 
den, chinquepin  oak,  sarsaparilla,  burr  oak,  rock-chestnut  oak,  scarlet  oak, 
red  oak,  pin  oak,  pawpaw,  American  plum,  rose,  rosa  lucida,  redbud, 
sycamore,  sumach,  poison  oak,  thorn,  black  walnut,  redroot  and  wahoo. 
The  Missouri  bottoms  afford  an  excellent  supply  of  good  timber. 

PRAIRIE. 

'  About  one-third  of  the  county  is  prairie— fully  one-half  of  the 
Missouri  bottom  is  prairie.  The  main  prairie  districts  of  the  county 
are  to  be  found,  as  a  general  thing,  in  Benton,  Union,  Liberty,  Clay, 
Nodaway  and  Lincoln,  and  present  an  undulating  surface,  rather  roll- 
ing, but  admirably  adapted  to  tillage,  and  being  productive  in  the  high- 
est degree. 

SOIL. 

Poor  land  is  scarcely  known  in  Holt  County;  the  broken  hills  near 
the  rivers  are  sometimes  poor,  and  on  the  prairie  between  Squaw  Creek 
and  the  Tarkio  the  soil  is  rather  thin.  Between  Big  and  Little  Tarkio, 
in  township  sixty-three,  the  soil  is  rich,  and  lies  well  for  cultivation, 
excepting  a  broken  strip,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  width,  lying  along 
the  blufts.  A  rich  belt,  one-quarter  of  a  mile  to  one  mile  in  width,  of 
gently  sloping  land  connects  the  bluffs  and  extends  from  the  north  line 
of  township  sixty-two,  to  the  north  line  of  township  fifty-nine.  The 
"  bluff"  washed  from  the  hills  above  is  the  principal  ingredient  in  this 
soil.  This  land  slopes  off  gently,  and  is  capable  of  producing  fine 
crops,  and  the  steep  hillsides,  which  have  often  thirty  to  forty  degrees 
ascent,  produce  crops  of  corn  and  wheat. 

South  of  Oregon,  and  lying  between  the  Missouri  bluffs  and  Noda- 
way River,  the  soil  is  based  on  the  bluff  aid  disintegrated  limestone. 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  95 

The  very  broken  country  does  not  exceed  a  mile  in  width,  while  beyond 
the  rich,  hilly,  black-oak  land  extends  for  several  miles.  Then  we  have 
rich  prairies  and  thicket  land.  The  southern  portion  is  suitable  for 
most  crops.  The  upland  prairies,  toward  the  north  and  northeast  of  the 
county,  are  high,  rolling  and  rich,  with  fertile,  beautiful  valleys  between 
the  hills.  The  bluff  knobs,  seem  to  have  been  left  by  Nature  for  vine- 
yards. 

'    STREAMS. 

The  streams  and  water  courses  are  numerous,  veining  the  surface  of 
the  county,  in  almost  every  direction,  and  furnishing  an  ample  supply  of 
water  in  ordinary  seasons  for  all  purposes. 

Big  Tarkio  rises  in  Montgomery  County,  Iowa,  a  distance  of  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  enters  Holt  County  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  northwestern  corner,  and  flows  through  the  Great  Bottom  and 
empties  into  the  Missouri  River  near  its  intersection  with  Oiler's  Base 
Line. 

Little  Tarkio  rises  in  the  central  part  of  Atchison  County,  enters 
Holt  County,  about  eight  miles  east  of  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
county,  and  enters  the  Missouri  bottom,  about  one  mile  east  of  Craig, 
thence  meandering  through  the  bottom,  enters  what  is  now  known  as 
the  slough,  about  half  a  mile  north  of  Forest  City.  This  stream  form- 
erly emptied  into  the  Missouri  River,  about  fifteen  miles  below  its  pres- 
ent mouth,  but  the  changes  made  by  that  treacherous  stream  cut  it  off 
opposite  Forest  City  twenty  years  ago. 

Squaw  Creek  rises  in  the  southern  part  of  Atchison  County,  and 
flowing  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  enters  the  Missouri  bottom  two 
miles  north  of  Mound  City,  and  thence  continuing  in  a  more  southerly 
course,  it  flows  into  the  Little  Tarkio,  near  Bigelow.  Its  principal  trib- 
utaries are  Ross  Branch,  Hog  Branch,  Donan's  Branch  and  Porter's 
Branch. 

Davis  Creek  rises  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  flows 
southwest  and  empties  into  Squaw  Creek.  Pierson's  Branch,  Kinsey 
Creek,  Luckhardt's  Branch,  Mill  Creek,  Easter  Branch,  Hardin's  Branch, 
Nicholl's  Creek,  Hickory  Creek,  Hog  Creek,  Higley  Creek  and  Rolling 
Fork,  are  all  small  water  courses,  running  in  different  directions  through 
the  county,  constituting  a  great  net-work  in  that  system  of  drainage 
which  renders  Holt  County  one  of  the  best  watered  and  best  farming 
districts  in  the  state.' 

The  Nodaway  River  is  the  largest  stream  touching  the  county, 
excepting  the  Missouri.  The  Nodaway  rises  in  Iowa,  and  flows  along 
the  eastern  border  of  the  county,  affording  the  finest  water  power  in 
Northwest  Missouri.  In  fact,  many  of  the  streams  above  mentioned, 
furnished  excellent  mill  sites,  which  have  been  utilized  from  the  days 


96  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

of  the  pioneer  to  the  present  time  (1882).  The  Nodaway  was,  when 
first  discovered,  considered  a  navigable  stream.  During  the  year  1871, 
a  steamboat,  of  light  draft,  ascended  several  miles  above  its  mouth,  but 
its  course  is  too  tortuous  and  narrow  to  admit  of  successful  navigation. 

LAKES. 

There  are  in  the  county  a  number  of  lakes,  among  which  are 
Impassable  Lake,  Tarkio,  Wallace  and  Lovelady  Lakes,  which  generally 
abound  in  fish  and  water-fowl. 

COAL. 

Mr.  A.  Kunkell.'on  Mill  Creek,  near  Oregon,  says  that  he  found  a 
four  foot  vein  of  good  coal  at  the  depth  of  665  feet.  Whether  it  can  be 
found  at  this  depth  in  paying  quantities  is  extremely  problematical. 
Professor  G.  C.  Broadhead,  who  made  a  geological  survey  of  the  county 
in  1872,  says,  in  his  report  of  that  survey,  "that  the  first  workable  seam 
of  coal  in  the  county  is  1,170  feet  below  the  surface."  He  intimates 
that  the  seam  of  Lexington  coal  could  be  reached  aj  this  depth. 

GRINDSTONES. 

The  sandstone  quarry,  at  Forest  City,  although  rather  soft,  affords 
a  useful  material  for  making  grindstones  ;  it  is  a  tolerably  coarse- 
grained drab,  or  gray,  sandstone,  somewhat  micaceous  ;  is  easily  quar- 
ried and  works  free.  It  is  used  for  cappings,  and  door  and  window  fac- 
ings, and  makes  beautiful  mantles  and  jambs. 

QUARRIES   OF   LIMESTONE. 

There  are  very  many  good  quarries  near  Forest  City,  and  for  six 
miles  southeast  ;  also  on  Mill  Creek,  Brockman's  Branch  and  Nicholl's 
Creek.  The  texture  of  the  stone  is  often  fine  grained.  No.  84,  occur- 
ring about  five  miles  southeast  of  Forest  City,  and  on  Brockman's 
Branch,  would  look  well  polished. 

THE    MINERAL   RESOURCES 

of  Lewis  Township  are,  as  yet,  in  a  crude  and  undeveloped  state.  There 
is,  however,  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  those  who  have,  with  any  degree 
of  intelligence,  investigated  the  matter,  that  the  rugged  hills  of  the  bluff 
region  abound  in  valuable,  if  not  precious  deposits  of  mineral.  Daniel 
Kunkel  claims  to  have  discovered,  about  1874-5,  at  a  depth  of  600  feet,  a 
vein  of  excellent  coal,  in  his  mill  near  Oregon.  About  the  year  1875  an 
interest  in  this  character  of  enterprise  was  developed  on  the  part  of  cer- 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  97 

tain  progressive  citizens  of  Holt  County,  and  a  result  of  this  effort  is 
thus  graphically  described  in  the  St.  Joseph  Morning  Herald  of  August 
or  September,    1875,    by  a    correspondent    of  that  able  journal,  whose 
descriptive  letters,  in  those  days,  rendered  the  paper  as  interesting  as  a 
first-class  magazine  :     "  There  yet  remained  another  object  of  interest, 
and  source  of  revenue  to  the  neighborhood,   and  determined  to  do   the 
sights  of  this    part  of  Holt,  we  started  up' the   bluff  along  the  railroad 
track  for  the   purpose  of  examining  the  Cement  Works  that  have  been 
recently  established  about  two  and  a-half  miles  south  by  west  of  Oregon. 
Following  our  indefatigable  guide,  we   again  mounted  the  rocky  wood- 
land bluff,  and  toiled  onward  to  the.  newly  discovered  quarries,  whence 
is  excavated  the  peculiar  petrous  formation  from  which  a  valuable  quality 
of  cement  is  prepared.     Having  inspected  the  quarry  and  its   surround- 
ings, we  again  started  on  our  tour  of  exploration.     One  remarkable  fea- 
ture of  our  expedition  was  that,  go  in  what  direction  we  might,  we  never 
were    more   than    two  and  a-half    or  three   miles    from   Oregon.     We 
at  last  reached  the  works.     The  building  is  a  spacious  and  lofty  frame 
structure,  erected  some  six  years   ago,  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000,  for  the 
purpose   of  an  elevator,  and  was  fitted  up  in  good  style,  with  powerful 
engine,  etc.     But  either  for  want  of  the  necessary  means,  enterprise,  or 
some  other  requisite,  the   Oregon  Elevator  Company,  as  it  was  styled, 
failed,  and  the  building  remained  idle  till  about  a  year  ago,  when  it  was 
sold,  at  sheriff's  sale,  and  became,  with  all  its  fixtures,  the  property  of 
James  B.  Payne,  one  of  the  present  parties  in  the  cement  factory.     The 
machinery  includes,  with  other  appliances,  a  run  of  burrs,  and  was,  for 
some  time,  used    for  grinding    corn.     The  new  enterprise  inaugurated 
here  by  Messrs.  Rhodes  &  Payne,  promises  to  be  a  complete  success,  and 
is  regarded   by  the  skeptics  in  the  county  as  a  more  tangible  source  of 
remuneration  than  the  gold  mine.     William  Baskins,  of  Oregon,  is  gen- 
eral agent  for  this  cement,  and   is  now  prepared  to  fill  all  orders.     The 
kiln  is  capable  of  burning  rock  enough  in  one  day  to  furnish  fifty  barrels 
of  cement,  and  the  mill  can  be  readily  made  to  grind  the  same  amount 
in  twelve  hours.     Mr.  Rhodes  is  a  practical  plasterer,  and  has  been  pros- 
pecting for  the  past  two  years  for  cement  rock.     It  appears  that  he  has 
discovered  two  qualities  of  this  mineral,  both  of  which  he  has  manufac- 
tured.    One  of  them  produces  a  darker  colored   cement  than  the  other. 
Their  several   properties  have  not  yet  been  fully  tested,  but  the  lighter 
colored  product  is  said  by  competent  judges  to  surpass  in  quality  the  St. 
Louis,    and    to    be    little   inferior  to  the  celebrated  Louisville  Cement. 
There  are  seven  and  a-half  acres  of  ground  attached  to  the  works." 

This  cement  continued  to  be  made  here  for  some  time,  and  found  a 
ready  market,  but  the  company  being  financially  unable  to  compete  with 
wealthy  eastern  manufacturers  who  had  determined  to  break  down,  at 
all  hazards,  this  young  enterprise,  the  same  was  ultimately  suspended. 


98  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

GOLD   MINES. 

During  the  summer  of  1875,  a  considerable  interest,  if  not  excite- 
ment, was  caused  in  Holt  County,  in  consequence  of  the  alleged  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  the  neighborhood  of  Oregon.  That  gold,  in  a  very 
limited  quantity,  was  found  in  this  locality,  is  believed  by  many  disin- 
terested parties,  who  are  men  of  intelligence  in  the  community.  Others, 
however,  who  were  never  present  at  the  mines,  or  who  failed  to  see  any 
gold  taken  out  while  there,  denounce  the  whole  thing  as  a  preposterous 
humbug. 

The  same  interesting  correspondent  thus  refers  to  the  gold  discovery 
of  that  region  : 

"  Blundering  and  stumbling  amid  rocks  and  the  fallen  debris  of 
forest  monarchs,  that  had  lived  their  day  in  a  forgotten  generation,  we 
gained,  at  last,  the  summit  of  a  bluff  range,  far  below  the  steep  declivity 
of  which  the  murmur  of  a  swollen  stream  warned  us  of  our  proximity  to 
the  auriferous  region.  Guided  by  the  sound,  we  soon  gained  the  brink 
of  this  water  course,  which  proved  to  be  Swank  Branch.  Following  the 
course  of  this  stream,  a  few  minutes  walk  brought  us  in  full  view  of  the 
gloomy  portal  leading  to  the  mysterious  cavern,  which  is  said  to  con- 
tain the  rich  deposits  of  gold  for  which  this,  till  recently,  wild  and 
unoccupied  locality  is  becoming  renowned. 

"Approaching,  we  discovered  the  arch  of  the  tunnel  to  be  low,  less 
than  six  feet  to  the  summit,  narrow  and,  as  we  afterwards  discovered, 
this  mine  ,  is  unsupported  through  its  entire  length  of  230  feet  by  any- 
thing save  the  strength  developed  in  the  cohesive  properties  of  the  soil. 

"The  aspect  of  the  locality  was  singularly  weird  and  solitary,  and 
no  sound  save  the  tramp  of  our  footsteps  on  the  debris  of  the  mine  con- 
tributed to  break  the  loneliness  of  the  scene.  A  smothered  and  rumb- 
ling echo  from  the  mouth  of  the  mine  alone  responded  to  our  shout ; 
and,  concluding  the  place  deserted,  we  wandered  off  in  a  westerly 
direction,  around  the  base  of  the  bluff,  when  a  small  house  appeared  in 
view,  from  the  inmates  of  which  we  learned,  on  approaching,  that  work 
had  been  abandoned  in  the  tunnel  we  had  observed,  and  that  the  hands 
were  engaged  in  the  new  mine  above.  We  accordingly  returned,  passed 
beyond  the  entrance  of  the  long  tunnel,  and  arrived  at  the  second,  which 
presented  from  its  more  elevated  arch  a  rather  more  inviting  appear- 
ance, and  revealing  in  the  dim  and  distant  perspective  the  feeble  glim- 
mer of  a  light.  Guided  by  this  beacon,  we  descended  a  gradual  slope, 
ninety-five  feet  into  the  bowels  of  the  bluff.  The  temperature  without 
was  exceedingly  warm,  and  by  the  time  we  had  reached  the  extremity 
of  this  tunnel,  the  atmosphere  was  oppressively  damp  and  chilly,  and, 
as  there  was  nothing  to  look  at  but  the  end  of  a  hole,  with  one  man  dig- 
ging dirt  that  did  not  seem  to  our  inexperienced  eyes  to  have  anything 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY.  99 

in  it  but  dirt,  and  another  wheeling  it  out,  we  beat  a  hasty  retreat  into 
daylight  and  sunshine.  Returning  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Levi  Crouser, 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  mines,  we  were  favored  by  that  gentleman 
with  an  opportunity  of  viewing  several  rich  and  beautiful  specimens  of 
quartz  and  wire  gold,  taken  from  the  first  mine. 

"  These,  we  were  informed  by  Mr.  Crouser,  were  pronounced  by  Dr. 
Hays,  of  Boston,  the  celebrated  assayist,  to  be  the  richest  specimens 
that  had  come  under  his  observation.  Mr.  C.  also  showed  us  several 
minerals  said  to  be  ruby  and  sapphire  of  unusual  richness.  We  were 
also  shown  a  remarkable  fossil,  evidently  the  tooth  and  gum  of  some 
strange  animaL  The  first  tunnel,  on  which  work  is  at  present  suspended, 
slopes  with  a  gradual  descent  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  to  the  bed 
rock.  About  the  middle  of  this  subterranean  gallery,  a  singular  pit  was 
encountered,  the  aperture  or  rather  the  apertures,  for  there  are  several 
of  them,  ramifying  from  the  main  orifice  at  various  angles,  and  to,  as  yet, 
unsounded  depths.  This  is  unmistakably  the  crater  of  a  volcano,  extinct 
probably  thousands,  perhaps  millions  of  years  before  Crouser  &  Co. 
began  to  bore  for  gold  or  anything  else." 

"The  location  of  the  mine  is  near  the  waters  of  Swank  Branch,  a 
tributary  of  Tarkio  Creek,  and  is  about  two  and  a  half  miles  due  south 
of  Oregon.  It  is  owned  by  a  joint  stock  company,  consisting  of  Levi 
Crouser,  John  H.  Mclntyre  and  J.  Ham. 

"The  first  discovery  was  made  by  Mr.  Mclntyre,  in  digging  a  well 
near  the  site  of  the  mine,  about  two  years  ago.  They  immediately 
began  to  prospect  ;  and  the  success  which  has  since  crowned  their 
efforts  seems  to  be  highly  encouraging.  There  are  at  present  five  men 
employed  in  the  mine." 

Such  was  the  report  in  the  fall  of  1875.  No  one,  it  seems,  so  far, 
has  grown  rich  from  the  yield  of  the  mines,  which  have  passed  into  the 
hands  of  their  present  (1882)  owner,  Ira  B.  Stocking,  at  one  time  a  jew- 
eler and  watchmaker  of  Oregon. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HOLT  COUNTY  ORGANIZED. 


ACT  ORGANIZING  HOLT  COUNTY— TERRITORY  OF  NEATAWAH  -  HON.  D.  R.   HOLT— FIRST 

COUNTY  COURT-ITS    PROCEEDINGS-ORDERS-FERRIES- TOWNSHIPS   ORGANIZED 

—FIRST   ELECTION— REPORT  OF  COMMISSIONERS   ON  COUNTY  SEAT-SUBSEQUENT 

PROCEEDINGS  —  REVENUE—  FIRST    CIRCUIT   COURT— ITS    PROCEEDINGS  —  FIRST 

GRAND    JURY  — INDICTMENTS -FIRST  INSTRUMENTS    RECORDED  —  EARLY  MAR- 
RIAGES. 

The  original  act  organizing  the  county  of  Holt  reads  as  follows : 

"  That  portion  of  territory  included  within  the  following  described 
limits,  to  wit:  Beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the 
Missouri  River,  at  a  point  where  the  range  line  dividing  ranges  thirty- 
six  and  thirty-seven  would  intersect  the  same  ;  thence  north  with  said 
range  line  to  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Nodaway  River; 
thence  up  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  said  river,  to  the  northern 
boundary  line  of  the  state  ;  thence  west  with  said  boundary  line,  to  the 
middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Missouri  River;  thence  down  said 
river,  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  thereof,  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning, shall  be  called  Holt,  in  honor  of  David  R.  Holt,  Esq.,  late  repre- 
sentative from  Platte  County,  any  law  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding." 

This  act  was  approved  February  15,  1841.  On  January  29,  1841, 
some  seventeen  days  previously  to  the  passage  of  the  act  we  have  given 
above,  the  legislature  had  erected  the  same  territory  into  the  county  of 
Nodaway,  hence  the  words  "  any  law  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding." 

The  present  boundaries  of  Holt  County  are  as  follows  : 

'Beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Missouri 
River,  at  a  point  where  the  line  dividing  ranges  thirty-six  and  thirty- 
seven,  extended,  would  intersect  the  same ;  thence  south  with  said 
range  line  to  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Nodaway  River ; 
thence  up  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  said  river,  to  the  line  of 
Atchison  County  ;  thence  west  with  said  line  to  the  middle  of  the  main 
channel  of  the  Missouri  River;  thence  down  the  middle  of  the  main 
channel  thereof,  to  the  beginning." 

Holt  County,  when  first  formed,  embraced  Atchison  County  ;  that 
part  of  Nodaway  lying  west  of  Nodaway  River,  and  extended  north  ten 
miles  into  the  state  of  Iowa — Missouri  claiming  jurisdiction  over  a  strip 
of  country  ten  miles  wide  along  the  southern  line  of  Iowa — the  dispute 
concerning  the  boundary  line,  not  at  that  date  having  been  settled. 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  10 1 

In  January,  1841,  all  that  part  of  Holt  County  lying  north  of  a  line, 
running  from  a  point  on  the  Missouri  River,  opposite  the  house  of  H. 
Wallace  (now  known  as  the  G.  Schulte  place),  to  the  main  crossing  of 
the  Big  Tarkio,  about  a  mile  above  Craig,  thence  northeasterly  to  the 
state  line,  was  cut  off  by  the  legislature,  and  named  Allen  County,  but 
left  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Holt  County  Court,  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  territory  of  Neatawah  had  been  attached  to  Buchanan  County. 
February  14,  1845,  Allen  County  was  abolished,  Atchison  and  Nodaway 
were  organized,  and  Holt  County  was  thus  reduced  to  its  present 
limits. 

The  first  act  naming  and  defining  the  boundaries  of  Nodaway 
County,  approved  January  29,  1841,  directed  the  circuit  and  county 
courts  of  that  county  to  be  held  at  the  dwelling  house  of  William  Thorp, 
until  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  could  be  established,  or  until  the 
county  court  otherwise  ordered.  That  act  also  named  Travis  Finley,  of 
Clay  County,  Edward  Smith,  of  Clinton  County,  and  John  A.  Wil- 
•  liams,  of  Daviess  County,  commissioners  to  select  the  permanent  seat 
of  justice,  and  after  the  passage  of  the  act  organizing  the  same  terri- 
tory into  Holt  County  (the  name  simply  being  changed  from  Nodaway 
to  Holt),  the  parties  named  as  commissioners  in  the  act  organizing 
Nodaway  County,  proceeded  in  due  course  of  time  to  select  the  perma- 
nent seat  of  justice.  . 

TERRITORY    OF   NEATAWAH. 

This  territory  contained  about  3,200  square  miles,  and  extended 
ten  miles  north  of  the  present  state  line,  between  Iowa  and  Missouri; 
embracing  the  counties  of  Andrew,  Holt,  Atchison  and  Nodaway,  so 
that  the  Buchanan  County  Court  held  jurisdiction  over  a  country  almost 
as  large  as  the  combined  states  of  Rhode  Island  and  Delaware.  The 
territory  of  Neatawah  was  abolished  in  1841. 

HON.    DAVID    R.    HOLT. 

Shakespeare  intimates  that  there  is  nothing  in  a  name,  but  a  name 
sometimes  means  a  great  deal.  In  many  instances  it  indicates,  in  a  meas- 
ure, the  character  of  the  people  who  settle  the  county,  and  who  have 
given  to  it  its  distinctive  characteristics.  Names  are  sometimes  given 
by  accident.  In  this  instance,  however,  the  county  did  not  receive  its 
name  by  accident,  but  the  christening  took  place,  after  mature  delibera- 
tion and  by  general  consent.  In  order  that  our  readers  may  know  some- 
thing of  the  man  after  whom  the  county  was  named,  we  will  here  present 
of  him  a  brief  biographical  sketch  : 

Hon.  David  Rice  Holt  was  born  in  Virginia  in  about  the  year  1805. 
He  was  both  a  minister  of  the  gospel  and  a  physician,  and  had  attained 
an  enviable  standing  in  each.     He  was  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 


102  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Church  (Old  School),  in  which  he  was  reared.  He  moved  from  Virginia 
to  Saline  County,  Missouri,  between  i830and  1834.  Soon  after  the  Platte 
Purchase  was  opened  for  settlement  Dr.  Holt  came  to  Platte  County, 
where  he  located  on  wild  and  unsurveyed  land.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
in  Platte  the  county  was  organized.  The  first  election  for  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  occurred  in  August,  1840.  Under  the  most  favorable 
circumstances,  new  counties  generally,  require  much  local  legislation, 
and  especially  was  this  the  case  in  Platte  County.  Hence  the  people  of 
that  county,  fully  realizing  their  wants,  and  wishing  to  send  a  man  of 
superior  legislative  ability,  instinctively  turned  to  Dr.  Holt  as  the  only 
proper  person  for  the  emergency.  The  Constitution  of  Missouri  at  that 
time  prohibited  ministers  of  the  gospel  from  serving  as  members  of  the 
Legislature.  This  rendered  the  position  of  the  doctor  extremely 
unpleasant.  Upon  the  one  hand,  he  disliked  to  refuse  the  importunities 
of  his  countrymen,  who  thought  him  to  be  the  only  person  in  their  midst 
who  could  bring  order  out  of  confusion  ;  and  upon  the  other,  he  regretted 
the  idea  of  severing  his  connection  with  the  pulpit.  He  finally,  however, 
yielded  to  their  solicitations,  and  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  without 
opposition,  in  1841.*  Although  the  doctor  had  no  legislative  experience, 
he  was  at  once  selected  as  one  of  the  three  members  of  a  committee, 
from  the  Upper  and  Lower  House,  whose  duty  it  was  to  settle  the  accounts 
of  the  Auditor  and  Treasurer  before  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature.  The 
session  had  scarcely  commenced  before  the  doctor  was  taken  sick,  and 
after  lingering  some  two  weeks  it  became  apparent  to  him  and  his  friends 
that  he  could  not  live.  His  wife  was  written  to,  and  although  she  left 
her  home  promptly,  horseback, — about  the  only  possible  mode  of  travel 
in  those  days — she  did  not  reach  Jefferson  City  until  the  day  of  his  death. 
He  was  buried  on  the  20th  of  December,  1840,  in  the  State  Cemetery, 
with  appropriate  honors,  and  Gen.  A.  W.  Doniphan,  who  was  at  the  same 
time  a  member  of  the  Legislature  and  a  friend  of  the  doctor,  announced 
his  death  to  the  Assembly.  He  married  a  Miss  White,  a  sister  of  Cap- 
tain John  H.  White,  who  once  represented,  respectively,  the  counties  of 
Platte  and  Andrew.  She  was  an  accomplished  and  beautiful  woman. 
The  doctor  was  nearly  or  quite  six  feet  in  height  ;  perfectly  erect  ;  cast 
in  the  mould  of  admirable  proportions,  and  active  in  his  movements. 
He  was  a  ripe  scholar,  a  graceful  and  fluent  speaker,  possessed  a  clear, 
bright  face,  sparkling  and  brilliant  eyes — especially  when  speaking  in  the 
pulpit  or  on  the  rostrum.  He  was  fair  and  manly  in  debate,  his  bearing 
was  courteous,  and  his  social  qualities  were  of  the  highest  order.  His 
attainments  were  great  and  varied.  He  devoted  much  time  to  his  two 
professions,  yet  never  lost  his  taste  for  the  ancient  or  modern  classics 
and  general  literature.  He  was  deeply  versed  on  all  subjects  in  the  range 
of  polite  erudition  and  scholarship,  and  a  man  of  untiring  energy  and  of 
indomitable  will. 


HISTORY  OF    HOLT   COUNTY.  IO3 

COUNTY  ORGANIZATION. 

March  24,  1841,  the  first  County  Court  of  Holt  County  convened  at 
the  house  of  William  Thorp,  on  the  northwest  quarter  section  12,  town- 
ship 59,  range  33,  now  (1882)  in  Lewis  Township,  "adjoining  the  west 
line  of  Forbes  Township,  and  owned  by  the  heirs  of  James  Stephenson. 

Harrison  G.  Noland,  James  Crowley  and  Joshua  Adkins  then  and 
there  produced  from  his  Excellency,  Thomas  Reynolds,  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Missouri,  their  several  commissions  appointing  them  Justices 
of  the  Holt  County  Court,  together  with  the  oath  of  office  therein 
endorsed,  which  were  ordered  to  be  certified  for  record.  These  com- 
missions were  dated  "  City  of  Jefferson,  February  16,  1841."  The  record 
of  the  proceedings  of  that  day  sets  forth  that  the  oath  of  office  was 
subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  these  parties,  before  William  Thorp,  Jr., 
Justice  of  the  Peace. 

The  first  order  of  the  court  passed,  on  its  organization,  was  the 
appointment  of  Harrison  G.  Noland  president  of  the  same.  At  this 
meeting  Bayless  B.  Grigsby  was  appointed  clerk  pro  tern,  and,  before  its 
adjournment,  clerk  until  the  legal  termination  of  said  office.  His  secu- 
rities were  William  Thorp,  Jr.,  and  G.  B.  Thorp.  The*second  order  was 
the  enrollment  of  John  W.  Kelley,  as  attorney,  to  practice  in  said  court. 

On  the  same  day,  it  was  "  ordered  that  Joshua  Horn  and  Josiah 
Shelton  be  granted  a  grocer's  license,  to  be  kept  at  their  residence,  for 
six  months  next  ensuing,  by  paying  a  state  tax  thereon  of  ten  dollars." 
The  court,  on  that  day,  further  ordered  that  R.  M.  Barkhurst  be  granted 
a  license  to  keep  a  ferry  across  the  Nodaway  River,  at  the  rapids  thereof, 
for  the  space  of  twelve  months,  without  paying  tax  thereon,  at  the  fol- 
lowing rates,  to  wit :  For  crossing  a  man,  6\  cents ;  for  crossing  a  man 
and  horse,  I2§  cents  ;  for  crossing  a  two-horse  wagon  and  team,  empty, 
27h  cents ;  for  crossing  a  two-horse  wagon  and  team,  loaded,  75  cents ; 
for  crossing  a  six-horse  wagon  and  team,  empty,  50  cents ;  for  crossing 
a  six-horse  wagon  and  team,  loaded,  $1  ;  for  crossing  loose  horses  and 
•cattle,  each,  3  cents  ;  for  crossing  hogs  and  sheep,  each  head,  ij  cents. 

It  was  then  and  there  further  "  ordered  that  Green  B.  Thorp  be  and 
is  hereby  appointed  assessor  for  Holt  County  for  the  year  1841."  It  is 
further  recorded  that  the  said  G.  B.  Thorp  forthwith  entered  into  bond 
with  Wm.  Thorp,  as  his  security,  in  the  penal  sum  of  $500,  conditioned 
according  to  law,  which  bond  was  approved  by  the  court.  It  was  finally 
"'ordered  that  the  sheriff  advertise  at  three  of  the  most  public  places  in 
the  county,  that  the  County  Court  of  Holt  County  will  meet  at  Wil- 
liam Thorp's,  on  the  second  Thursday  in  April  next.  Whereupon  the 
first  session  of  the  county  court  adjourned  till  the  above  specified  day 
and  date.  H.  G.  NOLAND, 

B.  B.  Grisby,  Clerk.  JOSHUA  ADKINS, 

JAMES  CROWLEY." 


104  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

At  the  special  adjourned  term  of  the  Holt  County  Court,  begun  and 
held  at  the  house  of  William  Thorp,  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  on  the 
second  Thursday  of  April,  1841  (judges  and  clerk  as  above),  it  was 
ordered  that  the  county  be  divided  into  three  municipal  townships,  to  wit: 

Nodaway  Township. — Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Nodaway  River, 
and  thence  up  said  river  to  the  point  of  intersection  with  range  line 
dividing  ranges  thirty-seven  and  thirty-eight ;  thence  south  with  said 
range  line  to  the  Missouri  River;  thence  to  the  point  of  beginning 
with  the  Missouri. 

It  will  be  thus -seen  that  Nodaway  Township  included,  originally, 
a  strip  of  territory  not  more  than  six  miles  in  width  near  its  base  or 
southern  limits,  and  tapering  more  or  less  gradually,  narrowed  to  a 
point  where  the  Nodaway  River  touches  the  range  line  of  thirty-seven 
and  thirty-eight,  in  Atchison  County,  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles  north  of 
the  present  (1882)  northern  boundary  of  Holt  County,  and  thus  embrac- 
ing a  strip  of  country  now  included  within  the  limits  of  Nodaway 
County. 

Lewis  Township — Beginning  at  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of 
the  Missouri  River  where  the  range  line  between  thirty-seven  and 
thirty-eight  intersects  said  river;  thence  north  to  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  county  ;  thence  west  to  the  High  Bridge  Creek  ;  thence  down 
said  creek  to  the  Missouri  River,  thence  down  the  Missouri  River  to  the 
point  of  beginning. 

Nishnebotna  Township,  also  organized  at  this  term  of  court, 
included  a  strip  of  territory  between  the  Nishnebotna  and  Missouri 
Rivers  from  the  mouth  of  the  former  to  the  northern  limits  of  the 
state,  and  consequently  comprised  no  part  of  the  territory  embraced 
within  the  present  area  of  Holt  County,  which  area  at  the  original 
organization  of  the  county,  included  only  the  townships  of  Lewis  and 
Nodaway.  Out  of  these  two,  with  various  modifications,  from  time  to 
time,  have  been  erected  the  present  (1882)  townships,  ten  in  number,  of 
Lincoln,  Union,  Liberty,  Clay,  Bigelow,  Benton,  Hickory,  Nodaway, 
Forbes  and  Lewis,  which  latter  for  the  convenience  of  election  purposes, 
is  divided  into  two  precincts,  known  as  East  and  West  Lewis. 

The  following  extraordinary  enactment  of  this  potent  and  astute 
court  at  this,  its  second  term,  will  doubtless  be  read  with  astonishment: 

"  Ordered,  that  the  act  concerning  groceries,  etc.,  passed  by  the 
legislature  in  the  year  1829,  shall  not  extend  to  nor  be  in  force  in  Noda- 
way County" 

It  would  seem  that  these  wise  judges  were  not  only  state  rights 
men,  but  believed  in  the  application  of  the  cardinal  principles  of  their 
political  creed  to  county  organizations.  At  this  term  Robert  H.  Rus- 
sell was  appointed  allotting  justice  for  Lewis  Township. 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  105 

FIRST   ELECTION. 


In  May,  1841,  occurred  the  first  election  of  justices  of  the  peace  in 
Holt  County,  with  the  following  result :  In  Lewis  Township :  John 
Gibson  and  Gallatin  Adkins  ;  John  Lewis  was,  at  the  same  time,  elected 
constable  of  Lewis  Township. 

Abraham  Brown  and  James  C.  Templeton  were  elected  justices  for 
Nodaway  Township. 

John  R.  Jackson  and  Jacob  McKissock  were  elected  justices,  and 
James  Handley,  constable  for  Nishnebotna  Township,  then  a  part  of 
Holt,  but,  as  before  stated,  included  in  what  is  now  Atchison  County. 

June  14,  1841,  the  county  court,  which  had  heretofore  assembled  at 
William  Thorp's,  convened  at  the  residence  of  Gilbert  Ray,  two  and  a 
half  miles  east  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Oregon.  At  this 
term  Joseph  Brenard  was  granted  a  license  to  keep  a  ferry  across  the 
Nishnebotna  River,  at  his  residence  thereon,  for  the  space  of  twelve 
months,  by  paying  a  tax  of  two  dollars.  At  this  term  of  court  was 
rendered  by  the  county  seat  commissioners,  as  fully  set  forth  under  the 
caption  of  "  Oregon,"  their  report  on  the  same.  At  the  same  term, 
David  Templeton  was  appointed  County  Surveyor  of  Holt  County,  to 
hold  office  till  the  legal  termination  of  the  same  ;  and  William  P.  Steph- 
enson was  appointed  administrator  of  the  estate  of  Blank  Stephenson, 
deceased.     This  was  the  first  appointment  of  the  kind  in  the  county. 

REPORT    OF   COMMISSIONERS   ON   COUNTY   SEAT. 

"June  23D,  1841. 

"  In  pursuance  of  an  act  passed  by  the  last  Missouri  Legislature, 
appointing  the  undersigned  as  commissioners  to  select  a  permanent 
seat  of  justice  for  Holt  County,  and  in  pursuance  also  of  an  order  of  the 
county  court  of  Holt  County,  made  at  the  May  Term,  1841,  designating 
the  7th  day  of  June  then  next  ensuing,  and  requiring  the  undersigned 
to  assemble  on  that  day,  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Jackson,  to  make  said  loca- 
tion ;  and,  whereas,  John  A.  Williams,  one  of  the  undersigned,  assembled 
at  said  place  and  time,  and  no  other  commissioners  having  appeared, 
he,  the  said  John  A.  Williams,  adjourned  until  the  21st  day  of  June 
(this  instant),  when  the  undersigned  commissioners  convened,  and  hav- 
ing been  first  duly  sworn  according  to  law,  proceeded  to  discharge  the 
duties  devolving  on  them,  according  to  the  act  of  the  legislature,  and 
the  requisitions  of  the  order  of  the  county  court.  After  having  made 
an  examination  for  a  suitable  site  whereon  to  locate  a  permanent  seat 
of  justice  for  said  county,  we  have  selected  the  following  quarter  section 
of  land,  for  said  county  seat,  lying  in  range  38,  township  60,  and  the 
east  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  27,  and  the  west  half  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  26,  which  said  seat  of  justice  is  to  be 
known  and  called  "  Finley."  Given  under  our  hands  this  23d  day  of 
June,  1841.  "JOHN  A.  WILLIAMS, 

"EDWARD  SMITH, 
"TRAVIS  FINLEY." 


106  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

It  appears  that  the  action  of  the  commissioners  above  referred  to, 
in  locating  the  quarter  for  the  town  site  on  two  separate  sections,  was  in 
violation  of  an  established  precedent,  if  not  statutory  provision  restrict- 
ing the  same  to  one  section,  and  in  consequence  involved  the  county  in 
no  little  embarrassment.  The  east  eighty  included  a  portion  of  a  quar- 
ter section  preempted  by  Roland  Burnett,  and  the  west  eighty  of  another 
section  by  Larkin.  Packwood. 

At  the  September  term  of  the  county  court,  which  was  convened  at 
the  residence  of  Gilbert  Ray,  September  15,  1841,  it  was  "Ordered  by  the 
court  that  the  commissioner  for  the  seat  of  justice  for  this  county,  pro- 
ceed to  lay  off  said  seat  of  justice  into  lots,  eighty  feet  in  front  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  squares  containing  eight  lots,  with 
an  avenue  sixty  feet  wide,  and  one  alley  fourteen  feet  in  width,  making 
four  streets,  two  nortk  and  south  and  two  east  and  west,  one  of  which 
on  each  side  of  the  public  square,  each  eighty  feet  wide  ;  all  other  streets 
to  be  sixty  feet  wide  ;  the  stake  stuck  by  the  judges  to  be  the  center  of 
of  the  public  square.  Provided,  that  he  divide  into  lots,  avenues  and 
alleys,  from  the  said  public  square  east,  only  one  square,  south  two,  west 
two,  and  north  two  squares,  and  that  he  make  to  this  court,  at  its  next 
session,  a  report  of  his  proceedings,  making  a  plat  of  the  town." 

"  Ordered,  that  the  commissioner  advertise  in  ten  most  public  places 
in  Holt,  five  in  Andrew,  and  five  in  Buchanan  County,  a  sale  of  lots  in 
the  county  seat  of  Holt  County,  on  the  21st  day  of  October,  1841,  on  the 
following  terms  :  One-tenth  in  hand,  and  the  balance  in  three  semi- 
annual installments." 

At  the  October  term  following,  it  was  ordered  by  the  county  court 
"that  the  commissioner  be  authorized  and  required  to  make  the  public 
square  of  said  county  seat  at  or  near  the  stake  now  stuck."  The  commis- 
sioner referred  to  was  John  Thorp,  who  had  resigned  the  office  of  deputy 
clerk  of  the  Holt  County  Court,  at  the  July,  1841,  term  of  the  same,  and 
accepted  the  position  of  county  seat  commissioner. 

It  appears  that,  previously  to  the  above  mentioned  order  of  sale,  the 
county  court,  at  its  July  term,  had  ordered  the  first  sale  of  lots  in  the 
cojjnty  seat,  to  take  place  September  1,  1841. 

At  the  August  term,  1841,  of  the  county  court,  James  Kimsey  was 
nominated  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  Joshua 
Adkins,  the  first  official  to  resign  an  office  in  the  county. 

At  the  September  term,  1841,  county  court  met  at  the  residence  of 
G.  Ray,  Judges  Noland,  Crowley  and  Kimsey  on  the  bench.  The  latter 
produced  his  commission  from  his  Excellency,  Thomas  Reynolds,  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  and  was  duly  sworn.  At  this  term  the  following 
orders  were  made  and  recorded  : 

"  It  is  considered  by  the  court  that  five  hundred  dollars  is  necessary 
to  be  raised   for  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  county  for  the  present 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT  COUNTY.  107 

year,  and  that  on  all  subjects  of  taxation  the  county  tax  shall  exceed  the 
state  tax  one  hundred  per  cent.,  and  on  all  licenses,  ferries  excepted,  the 
county  tax  shall  exceed  that  of  the  state  one  hundred  per  cent.;  on 
ferries  the  county  and  state  tax  shall  be  the  same." 

"Ordered,  that  R.  M.  Barkhurst  be  required  to  enter  into  bond  as 
Collector  of  Holt  County,  in  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars." 

"  Ordered,  that  Gilbert  Ray  be  appointed  Treasurer  of  Holt  County." 

The  following  rather  original  order  closed  the  proceedings  of  this 
term  of  the  court  : 

'•Ordered  that,  whereas  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  court,  that  as  the 
county  is  poor  and  thinly  settled,  it  is  not  the  interest  of  this  county 
that  the  grand  jurors  thereof  should  be  paid.  It  is  therefore  ordered 
that  no  compensation  shall  be  paid  to  the  grand  jurors  of  this  county." 

At  the  October  term  of  1841,  held  at  the  residence  of  Gilbert  Ray, 
the  Collector  of  Holt  County  made  the  following  settlement,  to  wit  : 

Received  on  ferry  license  . $  2  00 

For  County 2  00 

Merchants'  license,  state  tax 26  12^ 

County  tax 52  25 

Total : $82  371 

RICHARD  M.  BARKHURST,  Collector. 

Court  then  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Larkin  Packwood, 
October  21,  1841. 

At  the  January  term,  1842,  R.  M.  Barkhurst  presented  his  delinquent 
list  for  taxes  during  the  year  1841,  which  amounted  to  $15.50  state  tax, 
and  $31.02  to  the  county.  At  the  February  term,  1842,  it  was  ordered 
"that  the  Courts  of  Record  be  hereafter  held  at  Rachel  Jackson's  in  this 
county." 

At  the  same  term,  "  Gilbert  Ray,  Treasurer,  comes  into  court  and 
makes  settlement  for  the  preceding  year,  and  has  a  balance  of  twenty- 
five  cents  on  hand.  He  is  therefore  charged  with  the  same."  The  Sher- 
iff also  comes  into  court  and  makes  settlement  for  county  tax  on  the  tax 
book  for  1841,  and  is  charged  with  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-six 
dollars  and  twenty-three  and  three-quarters  cents. 

CIRCUIT   COURT. 

The  first  term  of  the  circuit  court,  within  and  for  the  County  of 
Holt,  was  held  at  the  house  of  William  Thorp,  commencing  on  the  4th 
day  of  March,  A.  D.  1841.     The  record  in  reference  thereto,  is  as  follows  : 

"  March  Term,  1841. 
"At  a  circuit  court,  held  for  the  County  of  Holt,  in  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri, at  the  house  of  William  Thorp,  in  said  county,  on  Thursday,  the 


108  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

4th  day  of  March,  1841,  was  present,  the  Hon.  David  R.  Atchison, 
who  presented  a  commission  from  His  Excellency,  Thomas  Reynolds, 
Governor  of  this  State,  appointing  him  judge  of  the  twelfth  judicial 
circuit,  which  commission,  together  with  the  testimonials  thereon 
endorsed,  are  ordered  to  be  recorded,  which  are  in  the  following  words 
and  figures,  to  wit  : 

The  State  of  Missouri. 
To  all  who  shall  see  these  presents,  greeting: 

Know  ye,  that  it  having  been  certified  to  me,  that  the  Senate  of 
Missouri  has  advised  and  consented  to  the  nomination  of  David  R. 
Atchison,  as  Judge  of  the  Twelfth  Judicial  Circuit,  now,  therefore,  in 
the  name  and  on  behalf  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  I,  Thomas  Reynolds, 
Governor  thereof,  do  hereby  commission  him  judge  of  the  aforesaid  cir- 
cuit, and  do  authorize  and  empower  him  to  discharge  the  duties  of  said 
office,  according  to  law.  In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  and  caused  the  great  seal  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  to  be  affixed  at 
Jefferson  City,  this  first  day  of  February,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-one,  of  the  independence  of  the  United 
States  the  sixty-fifth,  and  of  this  state  the  twenty-first. 

By  the  Governor, 

James  L.  Minor,  Sec'y  of  State.  THOMAS  REYNOLDS." 

ENDORSED. — I,  David  R.  Atchison,  do  solemnly  swear,  that  I  will 
support  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  the  constitution  of 
this  state,  and  faithfully  demean  myself  in  the  office  of  Judge  of  the 
Twelfth  Judicial  Circuit,  in  the  State  of  Missouri. 

DAVID  R.  ATCHISON. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  in  and 
for  Clay  County,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  this  13th  day  of  February,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  eighteen  hundred  and  forty-one. 

ABRAHAM  SHAFER,  J.  P. 

General  Andrew  S.  Hughes  was  appointed  clerk  pro  tern,  and  Wil- 
liam Thorp  was  appointed  sheriff.  Peter  H.  Burnett  had  received  the 
appointment  of  prosecuting  attorney  from  the  governor. 

•  The  names  of  the  first  grand  jurors  were  :  Joshua  Adkins,  Isaac 
Massic,  Gilbert  Ray,  George  Drane,  Harman  G.  Noland,  Green  B. 
Thorp,  B.  B.  Grigsby,  R.  H.  Russell,  Thomas  Crowley,  Roland  Burnett, 
John  Gibson,  John  Russell,  John  Starrill,  James  Kimsey,  Henry  Holder, 
John  Morgan  and  David  Jones.  Harman  G.  Noland  was  foreman.  Of 
this  body,  R.  H.  Russell,  now  (1882)  judge  of  the  probate  court  of  Holt 
County,  and  Roland  Burnett,  both  residents  of  the  town  of  Oregon, 
alone  survive. 

The  first  bills  of  indictment  were  the  following: 

"  The  State  of  Missouri  against  Joseph  Roberts  for  trading  with 
Indians,"     The  same  against  Henry  Casner  for  robbery. 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY.  IO9 

The  first  case  that  was  called  and  tried  in  court  (on  motion),  was 
the  State  of  Missouri  against  Jonas  Casner,  who  was  under  a  recogniz- 
ance to  keep  the  peace.  The  grand  jurors  having  no  further  business 
before  them,  were  discharged  from  further  service. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  1841,  Andrew  S.  Hughes  resigned  his  office 
of  clerk  pro  tern,  of  the  Circuit  Court,  which  resignation  was  accepted  ; 
and,  thereupon,  Bayless  B.  Grigsby  was  appointed  Clerk  of  the  Circuit 
Court  of  Holt  County,  to  hold  his  office  till  his  successor  should  be 
elected  and  qualified.  The  said  B.  B.  Grigsby  then  took  the  oath 
required  by  law  and  entered  and  acknowledged  two  several  bonds,  with 
Harman  G.  Noland,  Rowland  Burnett  and  John  Gibson  as  securities. 
One  of  these  was  in  the  penalty  of  $5,000  conditioned  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  his  duties  as  Circuit  Clerk  of  Holt  County,  and  the  other 
in  the  penalty  of  $1,500  conditioned  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his 
duties  as  Recorder  of  Holt  County.  Both  of  these  being  inspected  by 
the  court,  were  approved,  and  ordered  to  be  certified  for  record  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State. 

June  24,  1841,  Circuit  Court  met  at  the  house  of  Gilbert  Ray,  such 
being  the  place  designated  by  Holt  County  Court  for  holding  courts  of 
record  till  the  place  should  by  law  be  changed.  D.  R.  Atchison,  Judge; 
R.  M.  Barkhurst,  Sheriff,  and  Bayless  B.  Grigsby,  Clerk.  The  commis- 
sioners report  having  selected  a  location  for  county  seat,  which  they 
name  Finley. 

At  this  term  of  court,  on  motion  of  Peter  H.  Burnett,  prosecuting 
attorney  for  Holt  County,  Prince  L.  Hudgens,  James  B.  Gardenhire, 
Benjamin  Hays,  Edwin  Toole,  James  S.Thomas,  Solomon  S.  Leonard, 
Lansford  M.  Hastings,  Frederick  Greenough,  James  Baldwin,  John  M. 
Young,  Christopher  P.  Brown,  Elias  P.  West,  and  Theodore  D.  Wheaton, 
were  ordered  enrolled  as  attorneys  of  the  Holt  Circuit  Court. 

Richard  M.  Barkhurst's  bond  as  sheriff  of  Holt  County,  conditioned 
in  the  sum  of  $5,000,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  said 
office,  with  Gilbert  Ray,  James  C.  Templeton,  John  Robinson,  and  Abra- 
ham Brown  as  securities,  approved. 

The  first  case  that  came  up  for  trial  was  the  State  vs.  Joseph  Roberts 
on  indictment  found  by  the  grand  jury  at  the  (first)  March  term  for  trading 
with  the  Indians.  The  sheriff  who,  it  appears,  failed  to  find  the  defend- 
ant, feeling  himself  under  the  necessity  of  using  some  Latin  term  and 
not  clearly  comprehending  the  meaning  of  any,  perhaps  intending  to 
convey  the  idea  non  est,  made  a  return  in   the   case  of  "  nolle  prosequi.'' 

In  the  case  of  the  State  vs.  Henry  Casner,  the  court  awarded  an 
alias  capias  to  Carroll  County. 

The  clerk  of  the  court  was  ordered,  at  this  term,  to  certify  to  the 
Secretary  of  State  that  there  were  four  townships  in  the  county  and 
that  there  was  not,  within  the  limits  of  the  same,  a  single  volume  of  the 


I  IO  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

laws  of  Missouri.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  limits  of  the 
county,  at  this  period,  included,  besides  its  present  area,  the  whole 
extent  of  what  is  now  Atchison  County. 

The  second  grand  jury  empaneled  served  at  the  June  term  of  1841, 
and  consisted  of  John  M.  Briggs,  Job  Carter,  Elias  Davidson,  Smith 
Mclntyre,  Benjamin  Davidson,  William  Stephenson,  John  Blair,  Jeremiah 
Baldwin,  Holdin,  Nathan  Robinson,  Riley  H.  Roland,  Zedekiah  Davis,  9 
Benjamin  Marlow,  Thomas  Keeny,  Abijah  Duncan,  Jacob  Davis,  and  I 
James  Miller.  John  M.  Briggs  was  chosen  foreman.  The  following 
indictments  were  found  by  this  body  :  The  State  vs.  Joseph  Roberts 
for  trading  with  an  Indian  ;  the  State  vs.  David  Templeton  charged 
with  assault  with  intent  to  kill.  (Templeton  was  tried  at  the  October 
term  following  and  acquitted.)  State  vs.  Seriah  Stevens  and  Perry 
Curtis,  for  forgery  ;  State  vs.  George  Comegy,  for  peddling  without 
license,  also  State  vs.  James  and  William  for  same  offense  ;  and  State 
vs.  Charles  Bennett,  for  selling  goods  without  license.  This,  the  second 
grand  jury,  seems  to  have  been  a  little  more  fortunate  than  its  prede- 
cessor, for  we  find  an  order  of  court  granting  them,  for  their  services, 
fifty  dollars  and  twenty  cents. 

The  first  petit  jury  in  Holt  County  were  empanneled  at  the  October 
term  of  the  Circuit  Court,  which  met,  pursuant  to  adjournment,  at  the 
house  of  Gilbert  Ray,  three  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  present  town  of 
Oregon,  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Springer. 

The  jury  consisted  of  George  Borchers,  the  pioneer  merchant, 
Samuel  G.  Vest,  William  H.  Cunningham,  John  Sweare,  Jessie  Carroll, 
John  Olfrey,  Jacob  Tarwater,  Abraham  Keeney,  Silas  Pearce,  Francis 
Cassada,  Wm.  P.  Braden  and  Thomas  Ferguson.  The  first  case  tried  by 
this  jury  was  that  of  the  State  vs.  Josiah  Roberts  for  trading  with  the 
Indians.     The  trial  resulted  in  the  acquittal  of  the  prisoner. 

FIRST   RECORDS. 

The  first  instrument  recorded  is  a  chattel  mortgage,  and  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

This  indenture,  made  and  entered  into  by  and  between  Tolbert 
Bass,  of  the  county  of  Holt  and  State  of  Missouri,  of  the  first  part,  and 
Henry  Holder,  of  the  county  and  state  aforesaid,  of  the  other  part,  wit- 
nesseth  :  That  the  said  Tolbert  Bass,  of  the  first  part,  for  and  in  con- 
sideration of  the  sum  of  thirty-one  dollars  and  eighty-one  cents,  to  him 
in  hand  paid,  the  receipt  whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged,  hath  bar- 
gained, sold  and  conveyed,  and  doth  bargain,  sell  and  convey,  by  these 
presents,  unto  the  said  Henry  Holder,  of  the  second  part,  the  following 
property,  to  wit  :  One  roan  mare  'and  colt  ;  one  yoke  of  oxen  and 
wagon,  and  one  cow  and  calf,  to  hold,  have  and  to  hold  the  same,  to 
the  said  Henry  Holder,  his  heirs,  executors,  administrators  and  assigns, 
and  to  his  and  their  own  proper  use  and  behoof,  forever.     But  the  above 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  I  IT 

is  made  and  entered  into,  and  this  conveyance  is  to  have  effect  upon  this 
condition  :  That  if  the  said  Tolbert  Bass,  his  executors  and  administra- 
tors or  assigns,  shall  and  do,  well  and  truly  pay,  or  .cause  to  be  paid 
unto  the  said  Henry  Holder,  his  executors,  administrators  or  assigns, 
the  full  sum  of  thirty-one  dollars  and  eighty-one  cents,  on  or  before  the 
25th  day  of  December,  eighteen  hundred  and  forty-two,  agreeable  to  an 
obligation  of  the  said  Tolbert  Bass,  for  the  sum  of  thirty-one  dollars  and 
eighty-one  cents,  dated  21st  October,  1841,  then  and  in  such  case  these 
presents,  and  every  matter  and  thing  herein  mentioned  and  contained 
shall  cease,  determine  and  be  utterly  void,  anything  herein  contained 
to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  as  witness  my  hand  and  seal,  this  20th 
day  of  October,  1841.  TOLBERT  BASS. 

Attest :     B.  B.  Grigsby. 

Filed  October  20,  1841.  B.  B.  GRIGSBY,  Recorder. 

The  second  instrument  is  a  lease. 

This  indenture  made  the  24th  day  of  December,  1841,  between  Jon- 
athan Keeney,  of  the  County  of  Holt,  and  State  of  Missouri,  of  the  one 
part,  and  Lazarus  Philips  and  Jeremiah  Philips,  of  the  same  county  and 
state,  of  the  other  part,  witnesseth,  that  the  said  Jonathan  Keeney,  for 
the  consideration  hereinafter  mentioned,  hath  devised,  granted  and 
leased  unto  the  said  L.  and  J.  Philips,  the  farm  and  the  improvements 
thereon,  on  which  the  said  J.  Keeney  now  resides,  together  with  the  dis- 
tillery and  all  the  appurtenances  attached  thereto,  two  wagons  and  three 
yoke  of  oxen,  two  plows  and  three  hoes,  and  fifty  head  of  hogs.  The 
said  J.  Keeney  also  agrees  to  aid  and  assist,  as  a  hand  on  the  farm,  and 
to  have  the  washing  done  for  the  said  L.  and  J.  Philips.  The  said 
Keeney  has  given  possession  of  the  above  farm,  improvements,  distillery 
and  appurtenances,  wagons,  &c,  above  specified,  to  the  said  L.  and  J. 
Philips,  which  they  are  to  have  the  peaceable  and  quiet  possession  of,, 
and  all  the  profits  and  increase  of  the  farm,  distillery  and  stock.  They 
are  also  to  have  and  to  hold  until  the  first  day  of  March,  1843.  The  said 
L.  and  J.  Philips,  for  the  above  consideration,  bind  themselves,  their 
heirs  and  administrators,  to  pay  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1843,  to  the 
said  Jonathan  Keeney,  his  heirs,  executors  and  administrators,  the  sum 
of  three  thousand  dollars,  good  and  lawful  money  of  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri. They  also  bind  themselves  to  keep  and  hold  in  their  possession, 
all  of  the  above  specified  property,  nor  are  they  to  part  with  any  portion 
of  it,  without  the  consent  of  all  the  parties  hereto  bound.  They  are  also- 
bound  to  furnish  for  the  maintenance  of  the  said  J.  Keeney  and  his  fam- 
ily, whatever  is  necessary  for  their  support,  out  of  the  proceeds  arising 
from  the  farm  and  stock  above  described.  The  said  L.  and  J.  Philips 
bind  themselves  to  make  a  good  and  substantial  fence,  commencing  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  said  Keeney's  cornfield,  and  running  east  with 
the  bluff,  until  it  strikes  the  Tarkio.  They  are  also  to  put  up  two  tobacco- 
houses,  each  eighteen  by  twenty  feet  square,  and  they  are  to  make  other 
necessary  fencing,  such  as  lots  for  the  keeping  of  stock  in,  &c.  The  said 
L.  and  J.  Philips  bind  and  obligate  themselves  to  be  faithful,  diligent  and 
attentive  to  the  stock,  farm  and  distillery,  and  to  give  due  attention  to 
preserve  them  from  injury.  It  is  further  agreed  and  stipulated  between 
the  parties,  that  at  the  expiration  of  the  above  lease,  to  wit :  On  the  first 
day  of  March,  1843,  if  the  above  named  L.  and  J.  Philips  shall  well  and 


112  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

truly  pay  unto  the  said  Jonathan  Keeney  the  above  named  sum  of  three 
thousand  dollars,  then  all  the  above  described  property,  together  with 
the  profits  and  increase  that  shall  have  arisen  therefrom,  are  to  become 
and  be  the  property  of  them,  the  said  L.  and  J.  Philips.  But  if  the  said 
L.  and  J.  Philips  should  make  default,  and  fail  to  make  the  above  pay- 
ment at  the  time  they  therein  bind  themselves  to  do,  then  the  farm, 
improvements,  distillery  and  its  appurtenances,  and  the  other  property 
above  described,  reverts  and  becomes  the  property  of  Jonathan  Keeney, 
together  with  the  one-half  of  all  the  profits  and  proceeds  which  may 
have  arisen  from  it  during  the  above  period,  and  the  other  and  remain- 
ing half  of  the  profits  and  increase,  shall  become  and  be  the  property  of 
L.  and  J.  Philips.  The  said  Jonathan  Keeney  has  received,  and  hereby 
acknowledges  the  receipt  of  eighteen  dollars  in  hand,  paid  him,  by  the 
said  L.  and  J.  Philips,  which  is  to  be  deducted  out  of  the  amount  of  the 
above  three  thousand  dollars,  when  the  same  becomes  due. 

In  witness  whereof,  the  parties  have  hereunto  set  their  hands  and 
seals,  the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

JONATHAN   KEENEY, 
LAZARUS  PHILIPS, 
JEREMIAH  PHILIPS. 
Signed,  sealed  and  acknowledged  in  presence  of  us. 

JOHN  W.  KELLEY, 
ROBERT   NOCHETT. 
Filed  the  5th  day  of  January,  1842. 

B.  B.  GRIGSBY,  Clerk. 
By  H.  LlNVlLLE,  D.  P. 

EARLY  MARRIAGES. 

Cupid,  the  God  of  Love,  whose  universal  sway  over  the  hearts  and 
affections  of  mankind,  has  been  commensurate  with  the  history  of  our 
race,  early  manifested  his  presence  among  the  pioneers  of  Holt  County, 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  verbatim  copies  of  a  few  of  the  earlier 
marriages. 

John  A.  Benson  to  Miss  Kimsey. — This  is  to  certify  that  on  the 
18th  day  of  April,  1841,  the  rites  of  matrimony  were  solemnized  by  the 

undersigned,  between  John   A.  Benson   and  Kimsey,   both  of  the 

County  of  Holt,  and  State  of  Missouri.  G.  B.  THORP, 

July  7,  1841.  An  ordained  minister. 

Certificate  : 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  ) 
County  of  Holt.        f * 

I,  Bayless  B.  Grigsby,  Recorder  of  the  County  of  Holt,  aforesaid,  do 
certify  that  the  foregoing  marriage  was  duly  recorded  by  me  on  the  7th 
day  of  July,  1841.  BAYLESS  B.  GRIGSBY,  Recorder. 

This  is  to  certify  that  on  the  25th  day  of  July,  1841,  John  M.  Briggs 
and  Elizabeth  Follen  were  joined  together  in  the  holy  state  of  matri- 
mony by  the  undersigned,  an  ordained  minister  of  the  gospel.  Given 
under  my  hand  this  9th  day  of  August,  1841.  G.  B.  THORP. 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY.  113 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI, 


County  of  Holt. 


Lawfully  married  by  me,  the  undersigned  Justice'  of  the  Peace,  of 
Nishnebotna  Township,  Mr.  William  Barret,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Jones, 
daughter  of  David  Jones.  JACOB  McKISSICK,  J.  P. 

November  17th,  1841. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI, 


County  of  Holt. 

November,  the  25th  day,  1841. 
This  day  William  Grissum  and  Jane  Ellen   Roberts  were   married, 
according  to  law,  by  me,  John  Stewart,  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace 
in  and  for  said  county. 

To  the  Circuit  Clerk  of  Holt  County,  Missouri : 

This  is  to  certify  that  on  the  ninth  day  of  December,  1841,  in  the 
presence  of  R.  H.  Barkhurst  and  I.  Kelley,  esquire,  I  solemnized  the 
rites  of  matrimony  between  Cain  Owen  and  Mary  Nichols,  all  of  Holt 
County,  Mo.     Given  under  my  hand  this  9th  day  of  December,  1841. 

THOMAS  B.  RUBLE, 
Ordained  elder  in  the  M.  E.  Church. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  ) 
County  of  Holt.        f ss' 

Mrs.  Permelia  Walton  was  married  to  Absalom  Taylor,  on  the  19th 
•dav  of  December,  1841,  both  of  the  County  of  Holt.  Solemnized  accord- 
ing to  law  by  JOHN  STEWART,  J.  P. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  ) 
County  of  Holt.        f  ss' 

Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  I,  John  Gibson,  within  and 
for  the  county  aforesaid,  have  this  day  joined  together  in  the  holy  state 
-of  matrimpny,  Crittenden  A.  Root  and  Phebe  Ann  Baldwin,  of  the 
county  and  state  aforesaid.  Given  under  my  hand  this  18th  day  of 
January,  1842.  JOHN  GIBSON,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Holt  County,  Missouri. 

Married  on  the  19th  of  February,  A.  D.  1842,  William  Hicks  and 
Elizabeth  Clark,  by  J.  W.  TAYLOR,  Minister. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  )  c 
County  of  Holt.        j  ss" 

Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  I,  John  Gibson,  J.  P.,  within 
and  for  the  county  aforesaid,  have  this  day  joined  together  in  the  holy 
state  of  matrimony  Manson  B.  Noland  and  Sewrena  Barnes,  of  the 
county  and  state  aforesaid.  Given  under  my  hand  this  19th  day  of 
May,  1842.  JOHN  GIBSON,  J.  P. 

For  the  year  1841  there  were  recorded  seven  marriages.  The  mar- 
riages for  1881  numbered  about  one  hundred. 

8 


CHAPTER  V. 

FIRST  SETTLEMENTS. 

Scarcely  had  the  Indian  left  the  haunts,  whither  he  had  roamed  for 
so  many  years — the  undisputed  possessor  of  that  territory  now  known 
as  Holt  County — before  the  adventurous  pioneer,  came  crowding  upon 
his  receding  footsteps.     Its  wide  undulating  prairies,  over  which   the 
red  man  had  chased  the  buffalo,  the  elk  and  the  deer,  were  now  right 
speedily  to  be  turned  by  the  plowshare  to  the  sun-light  of  Heaven,  and 
the  numerous  streams,  wherein  he  slaked  his  thirst,  and  whence  he  pro- 
cured a  portion  of  his  sustenance,  were  to  be  utilized  in  the  propulsion 
of   myriad  wheels   and   buzzing  saws.     Its  forests,  which  had  echoed 
only  to  the  savage  warhoops,  or  to  the  roar  of  wild  beasts,  were  soon  to 
resound  with  the  stroke  of  the  woodman's  ax,  and  the  din  of  civiliza- 
tion.    Its  hills  and  valleys,  where  stood  the  fragile  wigwam,  were  soon 
to  be  dotted  over  with  the  more  enduring  and  stately  habitations  of 
man.     Its  physiognomical  features,  which  had  been  cast  in  the  mold  of 
ceaseless  ages,  were  soon  to  take  on  a  more  comely  appearance,  at  the 
hands  of  a  people  with  new  thoughts  and  grander  purposes  of  living. 
The  aborigine  had  run  his  course  ;  the  time  had  come,  in  the  wisdom  of 
the  powers  that  be,  when  he  must  take  up  his  line  of  march  toward  the 
setting  sun,  where  it  is  hoped  he  found  a  hunting  ground,  no  less  genial 
and  no  less  happy.     That  portion  of  the  Platte  Purchase,  which  was  the 
most  accessible  to  the  emigrant,  was  the  first  to  be  settled.     Nor  did  it 
require  a  long  series  of  years  to  do  this,  for  the  tide  of  immigration 
which  began   to  pour  itself  into  Platte  County  in  the  spring  of  1837,. 
increased  with  such  momentum,  that,  before  the  lapse  of  the  year  1838, 
it  had  in  a  great  measure,  overspread  the  county  of  Platte,  had  passed 
through  the  counties  of  Buchanan  and  Andrew,  and  was  rapidly  rolling 
onward  in  its  course,  through  Holt,  Atchison   and   Nodaway.     There 
never  had  been   anything  like  it  in  the  history  of  the  country.     The 
information  which  had  been  obtained  of  the  Platte  Purchase  had  trav- 
eled eastward  with  the  rapidity  of  the  steamboat.     The  richness  of  its 
soil,    the    salubrity   of  its  climate,  the  number  and  importance  of  its 
water  courses,  had  all  been  presented  in  glowing  colors  to  the  inhabit- 
ants who  resided  east  of  the  Mississippi  ;  its  fame  going  beyond  the 
Ohio,  and  even  crossing  the  Alleghanies.     The  enthusiasm  inspired  by 
these  reports  was  but  a  little  less  than  that  enkindled  in  the  minds  of 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  I  I  5 

men,  upon  the  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Califor- 
nia. All  who  could  and  were  so  inclined,  were  eager  to  test  the  truth 
of  what  they  had  heard,  and  the  result  was  that  thousands  of  emigrants 
left  their  homes  in  the  east,  during  the  spring  and  fall  of  1837  and  1838, 
destined  for  the  Platte  Purchase,  hoping  and  believing  that  the  land  to 
which  they  were  coming  would  be  to  them  a  Canaan,  wherein  they 
could  with  perfect  confidence  cast  their  lots  for  the  remainder  of  life. 

True,  a  few  were  disappointed,  and  returned  again  to  their  former 
homes,  or  sought  newer  fields  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains,  but  the 
great  majority  of  those  who  came  hither  and  planted  their  vine  and  fig- 
tree  at  an  early  day  remained,  many  of  whom  are  still  living,  and  are 
now  (1882)  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  early  struggles  and  privations. 

Whence  came  the  early  settlers  of  Holt  County  ?  When  did  they 
come  ?  Who  were  they  ?  These  are  questions  which  naturally  suggest 
themselves  to  all  who  are  anxious  to  learn  the  beginning  of  their  coun- 
try's history,  for  no  country  can  have  a  history  without  first  having  a 
settlement.  With  the  date,  therefore,  of  its  first  settlement,  begins  its 
history.  The  student  searching  for  the  origin  of  things,  is  never  satis- 
fied with  the  result  of  his  investigation  until  he  has  prosecuted  his 
explorations  abinitio.  In  this  way,  he  is  made  acquainted  with  what 
would  otherwise  be  to  him  the  secret  causes  which  produced  or  had 
wrought  out  certain  conditions  or  results. 

The  character  of  the  first  settlers,  have  much  to  do  with  the  subse- 
quent growth  and  development  of  the  country,  hence  we  perceive  the 
significance  and  bearing  of  the  beginning. 

Among  the  older  states,  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  were, 
perhaps,  more  largely  represented  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  Platte 
Purchase  than  all  others  combined,  and  many  of  its  present  inhabitants, 
although  natives  of  other  states,  trace  their  ancestry  back  to  the  states 
above  named.  In  the  settlement  of  Holt  County,  however,  the  first 
pioneers  were  from  the  state  of  Indiana,  whence  they  came  in  the  early 
spring  of  1838.  These  were  Peter  and  Blank  Stephenson,  from  Parke 
County,  Indiana.  These  men  settled  about  five  miles  southeast  of  the 
present  town  of  Oregon,  on  section  7,  in  township  59,  range  37.  In  the 
spring  of  1838  Judge  R.  H.  Russell,  John  Sterrett,  John'  Russell  and 
James  Kee,  left  Indiana  for  the  Platte  Purchase.  Judge  Russell  pro- 
ceeded by  steamboat  to  Clay  County,  Missouri,  where  he  remained,  cul- 
tivating a  crop  of  corn  until  the  month  of  August,  when  he  was  joined 
by  the  others,  who  had  come  overland.  The  whole  party  then  came  to 
Holt  County  and  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood  where  Blank  and 
Peter  Stephenson  lived.  Judge  Russell,  who  is  still  living  in  Oregon, 
says  that  the  Stephensons  had  put  in  a  small  crop  of  corn,  and  when  he 
arrived  in  Holt  County,  and  stopped  at  Stephenson's  cabin,  they  gave 
him  roasting  ears. 


Il6  HISTORY   OF    HOLT    COUNTY. 

The  first  postmaster  in  the  county  was  Judge  R.  H.  Russell.  The 
post  office  was  at  Thorp's  Mill,  and  was  kept  in  Judge  Russell's  house. 
Thorp's  Mill  was  called  after  one  John  Thorp,  who  built  the  first  mill  on 
Mill  Creek,  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Oregon. 

John  Baldwin  came  also  from  Parke  County,  Indiana,  in  the  fall  of 
1839,  and  settled  on  section  18,  township  55,  range  37.  George  Mcln- 
tyre  came  in  the  fall  of  1839,  and  located  on  section  5,  same  congres- 
sional township.  Smith  Mclntyre  came  at  the  same  time  and  settled 
on  the  same  section.  John  M.  Briggs,  the  Widow  Jackson  and  family, 
were  other  early  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  county,  in  1840. 

Roland  Burnett,  (brother  of  Peter  H.  Burnett,  once  prosecuting 
attorney  of  this  judicial  circuit,  and  now  one  of  the  most  eminent  and 
most  wealthy  citizens  of  California),  Harmon  G.  Noland,  John  Gibson, 
and  others,  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Oregon  in  1839.  Burnett  estab- 
lished a  claim  on  what  afterwards  became  the  town  site  of  Oregon,  but 
it  was  subsequently  decided  that  the  county  possessed  the  title,  and  Mr. 
Burnett  moved  to  the  farm  north  of  town. 

The  Blairs  and  Baldwins  were  the  earliest  settlers  of  Benton  Town- 
ship. John  M.  Blair,  with  his  sons,  Uriah  and  James,  reached  Holt 
County  April  12th,  1839,  and  locating  near  the  bluff  line  south  of  Mound 
City,  on  section  20,  township  61,  range  38.  The  Blairs  came  from  Indi- 
ana, about  1827,  went  to  Pike  County,  Illinois,  subsequently  to  Iowa, 
and  came  to  Holt  County,  as  stated  above,  in  1839.  John  M.  Blair  died 
in  the  summer  of  1849,  on  Carson  River,  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  while  en  route  to  California,  with  an  expedition  from  Holt 
County.  James  and  Uriah  Blair  are  still  citizens  of  the  county.  Jere- 
miah Baldwin,  his  brother,  Daniel  Baldwin,  and  his  son,  Lambert  Bald- 
win, settled,  in  the  fall  of  1839,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Blairs.  John 
Hughes  and  son,  also  named  John,  were  settled,  in  1839,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Blairs  and  Baldwins,  and  additional  settlements  were  made 
in  the  same  locality  in  1840.  The  Sharps,  W.  A.  and  Abraham,  settled 
Sharp's  Grove,  in  the  locality  of  Craig,  in  1841,  and  about  the  same  time 
Robert  and  John  Nickols  gave  their  name  to  Nickol's  Grove,  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  county.  German  settlers  were  the  first  to  begin  the 
improvement  of  the  extreme  northwestern  part.  John  H.  Roselius  was 
the  pioneer,  and  Henry  Dankers,  Henry  Peters  and  Andrew  Buck,  fol- 
lowed soon  after.  The  descendants  of  these  men  are  generally  living 
in  that  part  of  the  county,  and  are  among  our  most   influential  citizens. 

Whig  Valley,  where  the  political  sentiments  of  the  inhabitants  seem 
to  have  been  so  marked  as  to  leave  a  record  in  the  name  of  the  locality, 
was  first  settled  by  Theodore  Higley,  who  gave  the  name  of  that  once 
great  party  to  the  beautiful  and  fertile  valley  which  he  settled. 


CHAPTER  VI 


COUNTY  AND    TOWNSHIP   SYSTEM— GOVERNMENT  SURVEYS-ORGANIZATION    OF  TOWN- 
SHIPS. 


Before  proceeding  any  further,  we  deem  it  proper  to  give  some 
explanations  of  the  county  and  township  system  and  government  sur- 
veys, as  so  much  depends  in  business  and  civil  transactions  upon  county 
limits  and  county  organizations. 

COUNTY   AND    TOWNSHIP   SYSTEM. 

With  regard  to  the  origin  of  dividing  individual  states  into  county 
and  township  organizations,  which,  in  an  important  measure,  should  have 
the  power  and  opportunity  of  transacting  their  own  business  and  gov- 
erning themselves,  under  the  approval  of,  and  subject  to,  the  state  and 
general  government,  of  which  they  both  form  a  part,  we  quote  from 
Elijah  M.  Haines,  who  is  considered  good  authority  on  the  subject. 

In  his  "  Laws  of  Illinois,  relative  to  Township  Organizations,"  he 
says  :  "The  county  system  originating  with  Virginia,  whose  early  set- 
tlers soon  became  large  landed  proprietors,  aristocratic  in  feeling,  living 
apart  in  almost  baronial  magnificence,  on  their  own  estates,  and  owning 
the  laboring  part  of  the  population.  Thus  the  materials  for  a  town  were 
not  at  hand,  the  voters  being  thinly  distributed  over  a  great  area. 

"The  county  organization,  where  a  few  influential  men  managed 
the  whole  business  of  a  community,  retaining  their  places  almost  at 
their  pleasure,  scarcely  responsible  at  all,  except  in  name,  and  permitted 
to  conduct  the  county  concerns  as  their  ideas  or  wishes  might  direct, 
was  moreover  consonant  with  their  recollections  or  traditions  of  the 
judicial  and  social  dignities  of  the  landed  aristocracy  of  England,  in 
descent  from  whom  the  Virginia  gentlemen  felt  so  much  pride.  In  1834, 
eight  counties  were  organized  in  Virginia,  and  the  system  extending 
throughout  the  state,  spread  into  all  the  Southern  States,  and  some  of 
the  Northern  States  ;  unless  we  except  the  nearly  similar  division  into 
'districts'  in  South  Carolina,  and  that  into  'parishes  '  in  Louisiana,  from 
the  French  laws. 

"Illinois,  which,  with  its  vast  additional  territory,  became  a  county 
of  Virginia,  on  its  conquest  by  General  George  Rogers  Clark,  retained 
the  county  organization,  which  was  formerly  extended  over  the  state  by 


Il8  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  constitution  of  1818,  and  continued  in  exclusive  use  under  the  con- 
stitution of  1848. 

"  Under  this  system,  as  in  other  states  adopting  it,  most  local  busi- 
ness was  transacted  by  those  commissioners  in  each  county  who  consti- 
tuted a  county  court,  with  quarterly  sessions. 

"During  the  period  ending  with  the  constitution  of  1847,  a  large 
portion  of  the  state  had  become  filled  up  with  a  population  of  NewEng-' 
land  birth  or  character,  daily  growing  more  and  more  compact  and  dis- 
satisfied with  the  comparatively  arbitrary  and  inefficient  county  system. 
It  was  maintained  by  the  people  that  the  heavy  populated  districts 
would  always  control  the  election  of  the  commissioners  to  the  disadvan- 
tage of  the  more  thinly  populated  sections — in  short,  that  under  that 
system  'equal  and  exact  justice'  to  all  parts  of  the  county  could  not 
be  secured. 

"  The  township  system  had  its  origin  in  Massachusetts,  and  dates 
back  to  1635. 

"  The  first  legal  enactment  concerning  this  system  provided  that, 
whereas,  '  particular  townships  have  many  things  which  concern  only 
themseles,  and  the  ordering  of  their  own  affairs,  and  disposing  of  busi- 
ness in  their  own  town,'  therefore,  '  the  freemen  of  every  township,  or 
a  majority  part  of  them,  shall  only  have  power  to  dispose  of  their  own 
lands  and  woods,  with  all  the  appurtenances  of  said  town,  to  grant  lots, 
and  to  make  such  orders  as  may. concern  the  well-ordering  of  their  own 
towns,  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  and  orders  established  by  the  general 
court. 

"  They  might,  also,  (says  Mr.  Haines)  impose  fines  of  not  more  than 
twenty  shillings,  and  '  choose  their  own  particular  officers,  as  constables, 
surveyors  for  the  highways  and  the  like.' 

"Evidently  this  enactment  relieved  the  general  court  of  a  mass  of 
municipal  details,  without  any  danger  to  the  power  of  that  body  in  con- 
trolling general  measures  of  public  policy. 

"  Probably,  also,  a  demand  from  the  freemen  of  the  towns  was  felt 
for  the  control  of  their  own  home  concerns. 

"  The  New  England  colonies  were  first  governed  by  a  general  court 
or  legislature,  composed  of  a  governor  and  a  small  council,  which  court 
consisted  of  the  most  influential  inhabitants  and  possessed  and  exercised 
both  legislative  and  judicial  powers,  which  were  limited  only  by  the 
wisdom  of  the  holders. 

"  They  made  laws,  ordered  their  execution  by  officers,  tried  and 
decided  civil  and  criminal  causes,  enacted  all  manner  of  municipal  reg- 
ulations, and,  in  fact,  did  all  the  public  business  of  the  colony." 

Similar  provisions  for  the  incorporation  of  towns  were  made  in  the 
first  constitution  of  Connecticut,  adopted  in  1639,  and  the  plan  of  town- 
ship organization,  as  experience  proved  its   remarkable  economy,  effi- 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  1 19 

ciency  and  adaptation  to  the  requirements  of  a  free  and  intelligent 
people,  became  universal  throughout  New  England,  and  went  westward 
with  the  immigrants  from  New  England  into  New  York,  Ohio  and  other 
Western  States. 

Thus  we  find  that  the  vahaable  system  of  county,  township  and  town 
organizations  had  been  thoroughly  tried  and  proven  long  before  there 
was  need  of  adopting  it  in  Missouri  or  any  of  the  broad  region  west. of 
the  Mississippi  River.  But  as  the  new  country  began  to  be  opened,  and 
as  eastern  people  began  to  move  westward  across  the  mighty  river,  and 
form  thick  settlements  along  its  western  bank,  the  territory,  and  state, 
and  county  and  township  organizations  soon  followed  in  quick  succes- 
sion, and  those  different  systems  became  more  or  less  improved,  accord- 
ing as  deemed  necessary  by  the  experience,  and  judgment  and  demands 
of  the  people,  until  they  have  arrived  at  the  present  stage  and  advance- 
ment and  efficiency.  In  the  settlement  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri,  the 
Legislature  began  by  organizing  counties  on  the  Mississippi  River.  As 
each  new  county  was  formed  it  was  made  to  include  under  legal  jurisdic- 
tion all  the  country  bordering  west  of  it,  and  required  to  grant  to  the 
actual  settlers  electoral  privileges  and  an  equal  share  of  the  county  gov- 
ernment with  those  who  properly  lived  in  the  geographioal  limits  of  the 
county. 

The  counties  first  organized  along  the  eastern  borders  of  the  state 
were  given  for  a  short  time  jurisdiction  over  the  lands  and  settlements 
adjoining  each  on  the  west,  until  these  localities  became  sufficiently 
settled  to  support  organizations  of  their  own. 

GOVERNMENT   SURVEYS. 

No  person  can  intelligently  understand  the  history  of  a  country 
without  at  the  same  time  knowing  its  geography,  and  in  order  that  a 
clear  and  correct  idea  of  the  geography  of  Holt  County  may  be  obtained 
from  the  language  already  used  in  defining  different  localities  and  pieces 
of  land,  we  insert  herewith  the  plan  of  Government  surveys  as  given  in 
Mr.  E.  A.  Hickman'*  Property  Map  of  Jackson  County,  Missouri  : 

Previous  to  the  formation  of  our  present  Government,  the  eastern 
portion  of  North  America  consisted  of  a  number  of  British  colonies,  the 
territory  of  which  was  granted  in  large  tracts  to  British  noblemen.  By 
treaty  of  1783,  these  grants  were  acknowledged  as  valid  by  the  colonies. 
After  the  Revolutionary  war,  when  these  colonies  were  acknowledged 
"  Independent  States,"  all  public  domain  within  their  boundaries  was 
acknowledged  to  be  the  property  of  the  colony  within  the  bounds  of 
which  said  domain  was  situated. 

Virginia  claimed  all  the  northwest  territory,  including  what  is  now 
known  as  Wisconsin,  Michigan,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Indiana  and  Illinois. 
After  a  meeting  of  the  representatives  of  the  various  states  to   form  a 


120  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Union,  Virginia  ceded  the  northwest  territory  to  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment. This  took  place  in  1784;  then  all  this  northwest  territory- 
became  Government  land.  It  comprised  all  south  of  the  lakes  and  east 
of  the  Mississippi  River  and  north  and  west  of  the  states  having  definite 
boundary  lines.  This  territory  had  been  known  as  New  France,  and 
had  ben  ceded  by  France  to  England  in  1768.  In  the  year  1803,  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte  sold  to  the  United  States  all  territory  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  and  north  of  Mexico,  extending  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
While  the  public  domain  was  the  property  of  the  colonies,  it  was 
disposed  of  as  follow :  Each  individual  caused  the  tract  he  desired  to 
purchase  to  be  surveyed  and  platted.  A  copy  of  the  survey  was  then 
filed  with  the  register  of  lands,  when,  by  paying  into  the  state  or  colonial 
treasury  an  agreed  price,  the  purchaser  received  a  patent  for  the  land. 
This  method  of  disposing  of  public  lands  made  lawsuits  numerous,  owing 
to  different  surveys  often  including  the  same  ground.  To  avoid  these 
difficulties,  and  effect  a  general  measurement  of  the  territories,  the 
United  States  adopted  the  present  mode  or  system  of  land  surveys,  a 
description  of  which  we  give  as  follows  : 

In  an  unsurveyed  region  a  point  of  marked  and  changeless  topo- 
graphical features  is  selected  as  an  initial  point.  The  exact  latitude  and 
longitude  of  this  point  is  ascertained  by  astronomical  observation,  and  a 
suitable  monument  of  iron  or  stone  to  perpetuate  the  position.  Through 
this  point  a  true  north  and  south  line  is  run,  which  is  called  a  Principal 
Meridian.  This  principal  meridian  may  be  extended  north  and  south 
any  desired  distance.  Along  this  line  are  placed,  at  distances  of  one- 
half  mile  from  each  other,  posts  of  wood  or  stone,  or  mounds  of  earth. 
These  posts  are  said  to  establish  the  line,  and  are  called  section  and 
quarter-section  posts.  Principal  meridians  are  numbered  in  the  order 
in  which  they  are  established.  Through  the  same  initial  point  from 
which  the  principal  meridian  was  surveyed,  another  line  is  now  run  and 
established  by  mile  and  half-mile  posts,  as  before,  in  a  true  east  and  west 
direction.  This  line  is  called  the  Base  Line,  and  like  the  principal  meri- 
dian, may  be  extended  indefinitely  in  either  direction.  These  lines  form 
the  basis  of  the  survey  of  the  country  into  townships  and  ranges.  Town- 
ship lines  extend  east  and  west,  parallel  with  the  base  line,  at  distances 
of  six  miles  from  the  base  line  and  from  each  other,  dividing  the  country 
into  strips  six  miles  wide,  which  strips  are  called  townships.  Range 
lines  run  north  and  south,  parallel  to  the  principal  meridian,  dividing  the 
country  into  strips  six  miles  wide,  which  strips  are  called  ranges.  Town- 
ship strips  are  numbered  from  the  base  line  and  range  strips  are  num- 
bered from  the  principal  meridian.  Townships  lying  north  of  the  base 
line  are  "  townships  north,"  those  on  the  south  are  "  townships  south." 
The  strip  lying  next  the  base  line  is  township  one,  the  next  one  to  that 
township  two,  and  so  on.     The  range  strips  are  numbered  in  the  same 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


121 


manner,  counting  from  the  principal  meridian  east  or  west,  as  the  case 
may  be. 

The  township  and  range  lines  thus  divide  the  county  into  six-mile 
squares.  Each  of  these  squares  is  called  a  Congressional  township.  All 
north  and  south  lines  north  of  the  equator  approach  each  other  as  they 
extend  north,  finally  meeting  at  the  north  pole  ;  therefore,  north  and 
south  lines  are  not  literally  parallel.  The  east  and  west  boundary  lines 
of  any  range  being  six  miles  apart  in  the  latitude  of  Missouri  or  Kansas, 
would,  in  thirty  miles,  approach  each  other  2.9  chains,  or  190  feet.  If, 
therefore,  the  width  of  the  range  when  started  from  the  base  line  is  made 
exactly  six  miles,  it  would  be  2.9  chains  too  narrow  at  the  distance  of 
thirty  miles,  or  five  townships  north.  To  correct  the  width  of  ranges 
and  keep  them  to  the  proper  width,  the  range  lines  are  not  surveyed  in 
a  continuous  straight  line,  like  the  principal  meridian,  entirely  across 
the  state,  but  only  across  a  limited  number  of  townships,  usually  five, 
where  the  width  of  the  range  is  corrected  hy  beginning  a  new  line  on  the 
side  of  the  range  most  distant  from  the  principal  meridian,  at  such  a 
point  as  will  make  the  range  its  correct  width.  All  range  lines  are  cor- 
rected in  the  same  manner.  The  last  and  west  township  line  on  which 
these  corrections  are  made  are  called  correction  lines,  or  standard  par- 
allels. The  surveys  of  the  State  of  Missouri  were  made  from  the  fifth 
principal  meridian,  which  runs  through  the  state,  and  its  ranges  are 
numbered  from  it.  The  State  of  Kansas  is  surveyed  and  numbered  from 
the  sixth.  Congressional  townships  are  divided  into  thirty-six  square 
miles,  called  sections,  and  are  known  by  numbers,  according  to  their 
positions.  The  following  diagram  shows  the  order  of  numbers  and  the 
sections  in  a  Congressional  township  : 


-2  — 


-10- 


-11- 


-18- 


-]8- 


-16- 


-15- 


-14- 


-13- 


-19- 


-20- 


-21- 


-22- 


-23- 


—  30- 


-29- 


-28- 


-26- 


-25- 


-31 — 


-32- 


-33- 


-34- 


•35- 


-36- 


122 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


Sections  are  divided  into  quarters,  eighths  and  sixteenths,  and  are 
described  by  their  position  in  the  section.  The  full  section  contains 
640  acres,  the  quarter  160,  the  eighth  80,  and  the  sixteenth  40.  In  the 
following  diagram  of  a  section  the  position  designated  by  a  is  known  as 
the  northwest  quarter  ;  i  is  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quar- 
ter ;  d  would  be  the  south  half  of  the  southeast  quarter,  and  would 
contain  80  acres. 


Sec-  post 


Yx  Sec   post. 


Sec.  post. 


A  Sec. 

post. 

Sec.  post 

a 
rbo  acres 

h 

i 

yx  Sec.  post 

J 

g 

b 

c 

e 

Sec.  post. 

d 

]4,  Sec.  post. 


Congressional  townships,  as  we  have  seen,  are  six  mile  squares  of 
land,  made  by  the  township  and  range  lines,  while  civil  or  municipal 
townships  are  civil  divisions,  made  for  purposes  of  government,  the  one 
having  no  reference  to  the  other,  though  similar  in  name.  On  the 
county  map  we  see  both  kinds  of  townships — the  congressional,  usually 
designated  by  numbers  and  in  squares  ;  the  municipal  or  civil  township, 
by  name  and  in  various  forms. 

By  the  measurement  thus  made  by  the  Government  the  courses  and 
distances  are  defined  between  any  two  points.  St.  Louis  is  in  township 
44  north,  range  8  east,  and  Independence  is  in  township  49  north,  range 
32  west  ;  how  far,  then,  are  Kansas  City  and  St.  Louis  apart  on  a  direct 
line  ?  St.  Louis  is  forty  townships  east — 240  miles — and  five  townships 
south — thirty  miles  ;  the  base  and  perpendicular  of  a  right-angled  tri- 
angle, the  hypothenuse  being  the  required  distance. 

ORGANIZATION   OF   TOWNSHIPS. 


The  "  townships,"  as  the  term  is  used  in  common  phraseology,  in 
many  instances,  is  widely  distinguished  from  that  of  "  town,"  though 
many  persons  persist  in  confounding  the  two.  "  In  the  United  States, 
many  of  the  states  are  divided  into  townships  of  five,  six,  seven,  or  per- 
haps ten  miles  square,  and  the  inhabitants  of  such  townships  are  vested 
with  certain  powers  for  regulating  their  own  affairs,  such  as  repairing 
roads  and  providing  for  the  poor.  The  township  is  subordinate  to  the 
county."  A  "town"  is  simply  a  collection  of  houses,  either  large  or 
small,  and  opposed  to  "  country." 


HISTQRY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY.  1 23 

The  most  important  features  connected  with  this  system  of  town- 
ship surveys  should  be  thoroughly  understood  by  every  intelligent 
farmer  and  business  man  ;  still  there  are  some  points  connected  with 
the  understanding  of  it,  which  need  close  and  careful  attention.  The 
law  which  established  this  system  required  that  the  north  and  south 
lines  should  correspond  exactly  with  the  meridian  passing  through  that 
point  ;  also,  that  each  township  should  be  six  miles  square.  To  do  this 
would  be  an  utter  impossibility,  since  the  figure  of  the  earth  causes  the 
meridians  to  converge  toward  the  pole,  making  the  north  line  of  each 
township  shorter  than  the  south  line  of  the  same  township.  To  obviate 
the  errors  which  are,  on  this  account,  constantly  occurring,  correction 
lines  are  established.  They  are  parallels  bounding  a  line  of  townships 
on  the  north,  when  lying  north  of  the  principal  base  ;  on  the  south  line 
of  townships  when  lying  south  of  the  principal  base,  from  which  the 
surveys,  as  they  are  continued,  are  laid  out  anew  ;  the  range  lines  again 
starting  at  correct  distances  from  the  principal  meridian.  In  Michigan 
these  correction  lines  are  repeated  at  the  end  of  every  tenth  township, 
but  in  Oregon  they  have  been  repeated  with  every  fifth  township.  The 
instructions  to  the  surveyors  have  been  that  each  range  of  townships 
should  be  made  as  much  over  six  miles  in  width  on  each  base  and  cor- 
rection line  as  it  will  fall  short  of  the  same  width  where  it  closes  on  to 
the  next  correction  line  north ;  and  it  is  further  provided  that  in  all 
cases  where  the  exterior  lines  of  the  township  shall  exceed  or  shall  not 
extend  six  miles,  the  excess  of  deficiency  shall  be  specially  noted,  and 
added  to  or  deducted  from  the  western  or  northern  sections  or  half 
sections  in  such  township,  according  as  the  error  may  be  in  running  the 
lines  Irom  east  to  west,  or  from  south  to  north.  In  order  to  throw  the 
excess  of  deficiencies  on  the  north  and  on  the  west  sides  of  the  town- 
ship, it  is  necessary  to  survey  the  section  lines  from  south  to  north,  on 
a  true  meridian,  leaving  the  result  in  the  north  line  of  the  township  to 
be  governed  by  the  convexity  of  the  earth,  and  the  convergency  of  the 
meridians. 

Navigable  rivers,  lakes  and  islands  are  "  meandered  "  or  surveyed 
by  the  compass  and  chain  along  the  banks.  "The  instruments  employed 
on  these  surveys,  besides  the  solar  compass,  are  a  surveying  chain 
thirty-feet  long,  of  fifty  links,  and  another  of  smaller  wire,  as  a  stand- 
ard to  be  used  for  correcting  the  former  as  often  at  least  as  every  other 
day,  also  eleven  tally  pins,  made  of  steel,  telescope,  targets,  tape  meas- 
ure, and  tools  for  marking  the  lines  upon  trees  or  stones.  In  surveying 
through  the  woods,  trees  intercepted  by  the  line  are  marked  with  two 
•chips  or  notches,  one  on  each  side;  these  are  called  sight  or  line  trees. 
Sometimes  other  trees  in  the  vicinity  are  blazed  on  two  sides  quartering 
toward  the  line  ;  but  if  some  distance  from  the  line  the  two  blazes 
should  be  near  together  on  the  side  facing  the  line.     These  are  found  to 


124 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


be  permanent  marks,  not  only  recognizable  for  many  years,  but  carry- 
ing with  them  their  own  age  by  the  rings  of  growth  around  the  blaze 
which  may  at  any  subsequent  time  be  cut  out  and  counted  as  years  ; 
and  the  same  are  recognized  in  courts  of  law  as  evidence  of  the  date  of 
the  survey.  They  cannot  be  obliterated  by  cutting  down  the  trees  or 
otherwise,  without  leaving  evidence  of  the  act.  Corners  are  marked 
upon  trees  if  found  at  the  right  spots,  or  else  upon  posts  set  in  the 
ground,  and  sometimes  a  monument  of  stones  is  used  for  a  township 
corner,  and  a  single  stone  for  section  corner  ;  mounds  of  earth  are 
made  where  there  are  no  stones  nor  timber.  At  the  corners  the  four 
adjacent  sections  are  designated  by  distinct  marks  cut  into  a  tree,  one 
in  each  section.  These  trees,  facing  the  corner,  are  plainly  marked 
with  the  letters  B.  T.  (bearing  tree)  cut  into  the  wood.  Notches  cut 
upon  the  corner  posts  or  trees  indicate  the  number  of  miles  to  the  out 
lines  of  the  township,  or  if  on  the  boundaries  of  the  township,  to  the 
township  corners." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BENTON  TOWNSHIP. 

OUNDARIES— PHYSICAL  FEATURES-EARLY  SETTLERS-MINERAL  RESOURCES —JACK- 
SON'S POINT— FIRST  SCHOOL— FIRST  PREACHER— MOUND  CITY-PUBLIC  SCHOOL- 
MASONIC  FRATERNITY— CHURCHES— MILLS— NEWSPAPERS -PROFESSIONAL-R.  R. 
FACILITIES— BANK— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Benton  Township,  which  originally  extended  northward  to  the 
outh  boundary  of  Atchison  County,  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits 
>y  the  organization,  on  the  17th  day  of  June,  1874,  of  Lincoln  Town- 
hip,  which  forms  its  entire  northern  boundary  in  a  distance  of  eight 
niles.  On  the  east  it  is  bounded  by  Clay  and  Hickory  Townships,  on 
he  south  by  Lewis  and  Bigelow  Townships,  and  on  the  west  by  Bigelow 
md  Union  Townships.  It  constitutes  one  of  the  larger  municipal  divis- 
ons  of  the  county,  including  in  its  area  fifty  entire  sections. 

■ 

PHYSICAL  FEATURES. 

« 

Benton  Township  affords  considerable  diversity  of  surface.  The 
jluff  range  entering  the  same  in  the  northeast  corner  of  section  21, 
ownship  62,  range  39,  (which  section  is  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
ownship),  extends  in  a  southeasterly  direction  through  Mound  City, 
ind  onward,  in  nearly  the  same  course,  to  the  northeast  corner  of  sec- 
ion  20,  township  61,  range  38,  where  it  bends  in  a  southwesterly  direc- 
tion to  the  dividing  line  between  Bigelow  and  Benton  Townships, 
between  section  36  of  the  former  and  section  31  of  the  latter.  From  a 
point  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  where  stands  the  town  of  Mound  City, 
extends  the  wide  expanse  of  level,  bottom  land,  stretching  westward  to 
a  distance  often  miles,  nine  of  which  run  through  Bigelow  Township  to 
the  Missouri  River.  An  area  amounting  to  about  sixteen  square  miles 
cf  the  territory  of  Benton  Township  is  included  in  this  bottom.  To  the 
eastward,  beyond  these  bluffs,  extends  the  high,  rolling  prairie,  diversi- 
fied, in  the  neighborhood  of  the  streams  which  vein  its  surface,  with 
groves  of  valuable  timber.  In  common  with  the  general  face  of  the 
county,  Benton  Township,  both  in  its  upland  and  lowland  districts,  is 
well  watered.  Kimsey  Creek  enters  its  borders  from  Hickory  Town- 
ship (which  here  bounds  it  on  the  east),  in  section  15,  and  flows  in  a 
nearly  due  southerly  direction,  entering  Lewis  Township  in  section  4  of 


126  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY, 

the  same.  Hugh's  Creek  rises  in  the  south  part  of  section  10,  and  flow- 
ing in  a  southwesterly  and  northwesterly  direction  through  six  sections, 
spreads  out  from  section  18,  over  the  Missouri  River  bottom.  Its  aver- 
age width  is  eight  or  ten  links.  This  stream  runs  near  John  Blair's 
residence,  in  section  20,  township  61,  range  38.  The  said  John  Blair 
settled  there  in  1839,  and,  in  1849,  started  to  California  and  died  on  the 
way.  George  Blair,  (long  since  dead),  lived  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  20. 

The  south  fork  of  Davis  Creek  heads  in  section  26,  near  the  south- 
west corner  of  Clay  Township,  and  flowing  in  a  southwesterly  and  wes- 
terly direction,  unites  at  Mound  City  with  the  main  stream  of  the  same, 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  section  6,  township  61,  range  38.  The 
north  fork  of  Davis  Creek  heads  near  the  north  line  of  section  10, 
township  62,  range  38,  in  Liberty  Township,  and  flowing  in  a  southwes- 
terly direction  through  four  sections  of  Benton  Township,  unites,  at 
Mound  City,  with  the  south  fork  of  Davis  Creek,  which  here  becomes 
the  main  stream  of  that  affluent,  flowing  thence  one  and  a-half  miles 
westward  into  Squaw  Creek. 

Little  Tarkio  enters  Benton  Township  in  section  21,  township  62, 
range  39,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  southwest  80  of  said  section, 
a  farm  now  (1882)  owned  by  William  McKell.  It  flows  through  four  or 
five  sections  of  the  township,  generally  in  an  easterly  and  southerly 
direction,  and  enters  Bigelow  Township  in  section  3,  township  61,  range 
39.  The  Little  Tarkio,  in  its  course  through  this  township,  is  about 
100  links  wide. 

Squaw  Creek,  with  its  west  branch,  enters  Benton  Township,  in 
section  23,  township  62,  range  39,  and  flows  in  a  southerly  and  westerly 
direction  through  portions  of  five  sections,  entering  Bigelow-  Township 
in  section  2,  township  61,  range  39. 

There  formerly  existed  in  section  1,  in  the  western  part  of  Benton 
Township,  and  in  sections  n,  12,  13,  14  and  2,  of  Bigelow  Township, 
adjoining,  a  body  of  water  known  as  Shallow  Lake.  It  was  formed  by 
Davis  Creek,  which  now  flows  into  Squaw  Creek  in  section  1,  township 
61,  range  39,  as  above  stated.  The  water  of  this  lake  has,  long  since, 
been  absorbed.  There  stood,  many  years  ago,  on  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  18,  township  61,  of  range  38,  where  was  formerly  a  small  lake, 
a  steam  saw  mill.     Both  the  lake  and  mill  have  passed  out  of  existence. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

The  first  white  man  to  make  his  home  within  the  limits  of  what  is 
now  Benton  Township  was  John  N.  Blair,  originally  from  Indiana.  He 
settled  the  farm  in  section  20,  township  61,  range  38,  where  he  arrived 
April  12,  1839.     In  the  same  year  came  George  Blair  to  the  same  locality. 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP.  1 27 

The  Blairs  on  leaving  Indiana,  moved  to  Pike  County,  Illinois,  in  1827  ; 
in  1836,  to  Iowa;  thence  back  to  Pike  County,  Illinois;  and,  in  the 
spring  of  1839,  to  the  Platte  Purchase  settling  as  above  stated.  It  is 
claimed  that  John  N.  Blair  erected  on  this  farm  in  Benton  Township  the 
first  frame  house  built  in  the  county.  John  N.  Blair  died  on  Carson 
River,  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra,  Nevada  Mountains,  while  on  his  way  to 
California,  in  1849-     George  Blair,  as  before  stated,  also  died  years  ago. 

James  and  Uriah  Blair,  sons  of  John  N.  Blair,  still  (1882)  reside  on 
the  place  originally  settled  by  their  father  below  the  present  town  of 
Mound  City,  and  are  recognized  as  representative  citizens  of  the 
county. 

In  the  fall  of  1839  came,  also  from  Indiana,  Jeremiah  and  Daniel 
Baldwin,  who  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Blairs.  John  R.  Bald- 
win, a  son  of  the  pioneer  Daniel,  is  still  living  in  the  township,  as  is  also 
Daniel  Baldwin,  Jr.,  a  son  of  Jeremiah  Baldwin.  John  Hughes,  from 
Illinois,  arrived  in  the  fall  of  1839,  and  settled  the  farm  now  (1882} 
owned  by  Washington  Hutton,  in  section  28,  township  61,  range,  38,  four 
and  a  half  miles  south  and  two  miles  east  of  Mound  City. 

William  Holloway,  John  Holloway  and  Henry  Holloway,  from  Indi- 
ana, in  1840,  also  settled  in  the  same  locality.  In  the  same  year,  John 
Hughes,  Sr.,  the  father  of  John  Hughes,  above  mentioned,  settled  the 
Kimsey  Farm.  In  the  spring  of  1840,  Judge  John  Kimsey  came  from 
Clay  County,  Missouri,  and  purchased  the  improvements  of  John 
Hughes,  Jr.  He  continued  to  live  on  the  place  till  1846,  when  he  moved 
to  Oregon. 

Judge  Kimsey,  who  was  at  one  time  on  the  county  bench,  was  the 
second  blacksmith  who  worked  at  his  trade  in  Holt  County,  and  the 
[first  of  his  calling  to  locate  within  the  present  limits  of  Benton  Town- 
ship. His  shop,  in  1840,  stood  in  the  southeast  quarter  section  21, 
township  61,  range  38,  two  miles  east  and  four  miles  south  of  Mound 
City.  He  also  worked  at  Jackson's  Point.  The  original  Kimsey  Farm 
is  in  southeast  quarter  section  21,  and  southwest  quarter  section  22,  and 
is  now  (1882)  owned  by  Samuel  Glick.  It  lies  within  one-fourth  of  a 
mile  of  Kimsey  Creek,  which  derived  its  name  from  John  Kimsey,  a  son 
of  the  judge.  In  1840,  J.  Bawn  settled  the  place  afterwards  owned  by 
Mosher,  to  whom  he  sold  the  land.  — —  South,  who  went  to  Oregon  in 
1846,  settled,  in  1840,  the  place  now  (1882)  owned  by  the  Widow  Beeler. 
In  the  same  year,  John  Benson  settled  the  farm  afterwards  owned  by 
Strother  Moore,  a  noted  stock  dealer.  This  farm  is  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  south  ot  Mound  City.  He  (Benson)  was  killed  in  California,  in 
1844.  Claiborne  F.  Parmer  settled,  in  1841,  on  a  place  now  owned  by 
Jonathan  Andes.  In  1840,  William  Mobly,  a  native  of  the  State  of 
Maine,  who  afterwards  moved  to  Oregon,  where  he  died,  settled  half  a. 
mile  north  of  the  site  of  Mound  City.     In  the  same  year,  settled  in  the 


128  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY, 

neighborhood  John  dinger,  who  subsequently  moved  to  California  ;  and 
also  the  widow  Ellison. 

A  noted  character,  by  the  name  of  William  Walker,  also  arrived  in 
1840,  and  made  his  home  not  a  great  distance  from  the  present  site  of 
Mound  City.  He  was  popularly  known  as  "  Hog  Walker,"  from  his  suc- 
cess in  acquiring  property  in  swine.  It  is  narrated  of  this  enterprising 
settler,  who  counted  his  hogs  by  the  dozen,  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
fencing  in  any  sow  with  a  litter  of  pigs  he  happened  to  find  in  the  wild 
bottoms.  These  he  took  care  to  mark,  and  they,  of  course,  became  his 
property.  He,  at  one  time,  is  said  to  have  claimed  seventy  dozen  hogs 
and  pigs. 

About  the  same  period,  a  similarly  enterprising  settler  by  the  name 
of  John  Walker,  located  in  the  neighborhood.  He  soon  achieved  the 
distinction  of  "  Cow  Walker,"  a  cognomen  by  which  he  was  universally 
distinguished  in  the  country.  It  is  said  that  Cow  Walker,  who  was 
always  on  the  hunt  of  a  stray  cow,  was  dreaded  by  the  herders  in  the 
bottoms  who  often  had  charge  of  thousands  of  cattle  which,  in  those 
days,  were  wintered  on  the  rushes  which  there  grew  luxuriantly. 

Among  other  early  settlers  of  the  township  were  Jacob  Mosher,  who 
came  in  1842,  and  died  thirty  years  after.  Andrew  Mackoy,  from  Ohio, 
and  Washam  came  in  1843.  Andrew  Meyer,  now  (1882)  a  representative 
citizen  of  the  township,  came  in  1843.  William  Gady,  in  the  same  year, 
made  a  claim  adjoining  the  site  of  Mound  City,  but  subsequently 
abandoned  it.     Henry  Swimiller  came  in  1846. 

Among  the  noted  settlers  of  Benton  Township,  was  Levi  Dodge,  now 
(1882)  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  town  of  Mound  City.  Mr.  Dodge,  who 
is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Maine,  moved  thence  to  Ohio,  in  an  early  day, 
thence  to  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  and,  in  the  fall  of  1850,  to  what  is 
now  Benton  Township,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  settled  on  sec- 
tion 26,  township  62,  range  39,  a  farm  now  owned  by  John  Shrautz. 

In  18^3,  the  settlers  to  the  eastward  of  the  Nodaway  River,  and 
those  in  the  territory  of  Benton  Township,  in  Holt  County,  were  as 
ignorant  of  each  other  as  though  a  sea  rolled  between  them.  The  first 
settler  to  make  tracks  across  this  territory  was  Levi  Dodge,  in  the 
summer  of  1853.  The  course  which  he  marked  across  these  prairies  and 
streams  afterwards  became  the  regular  beaten  road. 

.  The  farm  north  of  Mound  City,  now  (1882)  owned  by  Ed.  Gillis,  was 
settled  in  1848  by  William  Marshall,  who  afterwards  sold  it  to  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Brown. 

David  Worsham,  about  1841,  located  on  Davis  Creek,  southeast  of 
Mound  City.  This  stream  was  so  named  from  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Davis,  who  was  the  first  settler  on  its  banks. 


BENTON     TOWNSHIP.  1 29 

THE    MINERAL    RESOURCES 

of  Benton  Township  are,  as  yet,  scarcely  determined,  and,  though  no 
very  positive  evidence  exists  of  the  presence  of  valuable  deposits  of  coal, 
it  is  confidently  believed  by  many  that  this  mineral  underlies  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  this  section  of  the  count}'. 

In  1871,  Henry  Kunkel,  in  prospecting  for  mineral  on  the  north 
branch  of  Davis  Creek  encountered,  at  a  distance  of  forty-one  feet  below 
the  level,  a  stream  of  water  which  flowed  out  above  the  surface  of  the 
ground  in  the  manner  of  an  artesian  well.  An  investigation  of  the 
component  elements  of  the  water  of  this  fountain  proved  it  highly 
valuable  as  a  remedial  agent  in  many  diseases.  The  well  subsequently 
became  a  place  of  popular  resort,  and  has  since  continued  to  enjoy  an 
uninterrupted  prosperity. 

The  following  is  an  analysis  made  by  Professor  Charles  Williams,  of 
Rolla,  Missouri,  of  one  gallon  of  this  water  : 

Chloride  of  Sodium 0,684,290  gra 

Sulphate  of  Soda 5,207,067  gra 

Sulphate  of  Potassa 0,925,686  gra 

Sulphate  of  Lime 0,459,595  gra 

Carbonate  of  Lime 6,912,480  gra 

Carbonate  of  Magnesia 2,646,414  gra 

Carbonate  Protoxide  Iron 0,575,015  gra 

Carbonate  Protoxide  Manganese 0,009,433  gra 

Aluminia 0,268, 163  gra 

Silicic  Acid 0,766,390  gra 

Organic  Matter 3,452,425  gra 


ns 
ns 
ns 
ns 
ns 
ns 
ns 
ns 
ns 
ns 
ns 


Total  Solids 24,907,138 

Total  Solids  found  by  Evaporator 21,950,895 

The  fountain  is  on  the  southwest  forty  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  29,  township  62,  range  38,  one  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Mound 
City,  and  is  the  property  of  John  W.  Ogle,  who  built  the  hotel  and  made 
the  other  improvements  on  the  premises. 

To  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  in  the  Town  of  Mound  City,  reference  will  be 
found  under  that  head. 

About  1875,  General  George  Hall,  of  St.  Joseph,  erected  machinery 
at  the  edge  of  the  bluff  at  Mound  City  and  undertook  to  bore  for  coal,  or 
any  other  solid  or  fluid  mineral  he  might  chance  to  encounter.  As  soon 
as  he  reached  the  level  of  the  Missouri,  however,  the  water  flowed  in 
faster  than  his  engine  could  pump  it  out,  and  the  enterprise  was  abandoned. 
The  idea  of  the  existence  of  coal  at  this  point  has  since  been  generally 
ridiculed. 

JACKSON'S   POINT. 

In    1840  a  man  by  the   name  of  Thomas  Ferguson   settled   at   the 

mouth  of  the  south  fork  of  Davis  Creek,  where  the  same  debouches  into 

9 


130  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  north  fork  of  that  stream,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  6,  town- 
ship 61,  range  38.  He  built,  at  the  foot  of  thebluff  at  this  point,  a  double 
log  cabin,  in  which  he  entertained  the  traveling  public.  Ferguson  had 
purchased  this  claim  from  a  man  bythe  name  of  Davis,  after  whom  Davis 
Creek  was  named.  About  1844  or  1845  he  (Ferguson)  sold  the  place  to 
Andrew  P.  Jackson.  This  was,  for  years  after,  called  Jackson's  Point, 
and  was,  at  one  period,  one  of  the  widest  known  localities  of  the  Platte 
Purchase.  Jackson's  Point  was  a  stage  station  on  the  great  line  of 
coaches  which,  in  that  early  day,  carried  the  mail  between  St.  Joseph  and 
Council  Bluffs  at  that  period,  called  Cainsville.  This  line  was  originally 
started  by  a  company  of  Mormons,  who  afterwards  sold  out  to  Frost,  the 
great  overland  mail  contractor.  This  was,  up  to  the  period  of  the  build- 
ing of  the  Kansas  City  Railroad,  the  regular  mail  route  between  these 
two  points.  The  first  post-office  established  within  the  limits  of  what  is 
now  Benton  Township  was  located  here  and  called  Jackson's  Point  Post 
Office.  This  was  in  a  very  early  day  (about  1844).  A.  P.  Jackson  was 
the  first  postmaster.  In  1855  this  post-office  was  moved  across  Davis 
Creek,  to  the  single  store  which  then  stood  on  the  site  of  what  is  now 
Mound  City.  This  was  kept  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Galen  Crow,  and 
the  name  of  the  post-office  was  changed  to  North  Point. 

To  return,  however,  to  Jackson  Point.  Aside  from  the  Jackson  House,, 
which  was  spacious,  and,  for  that  day,  well  kept,  the  Point  was  a  noted 
camping  place  during  the  period  of  the  Mormon  and  California  emigra- 
tion, as  the  neighborhood  abounded  in  excellent  wood  and  water.  The 
road,  for  miles  above  and  below,  were,  from  day's  end  to  day's  end, 
white  with  the  wagon  sheets  of  the  westward  bound  emigrant  trains. 

In  1853,  Jackson  sold  out  to  Galen  Crow  and  moved  to  California. 
Ten  years  after  H.  S.  Busick  became,  by  purchase,  the  owner  of  the 
property.  In  1870,  he  sold  the  place  to  Jacob  Grosbeck,  the  present 
(1882)  proprietor.  The  building  which  is  still  a  prominent  landmark 
near  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  a  few  hundred  yards  south  of  the  limits  of 
Mound  City,  is  a  large,  well  appearing  double  two-story  frame  building 
with  a  brick  rear  extension.  The  whole  was  built  as  early  as  1844.  The 
frame  portion  of  the  house  was  almost  entirely  reconstructed  by  Mr. 
Grosbeck,  the  present  proprietor. 

FIRST   SCHOOL. 

It  seems  to  be  a  question  as  to  who  was  the  first  teacher  to  pursue 
his  calling  in  Benton  Township.  By  some  of  the  old  settlers  it  is 
claimed  that  an  eastern  man  by  the  name  of  Latty,  as  early  as  1842, 
taught  a  school  one-fourth  of  a  mile  east  of  the  present  public  school 
building  which  stands  on  land  now  owned  by  'Squire  Young.  The 
primitive  school  house  was  a  log  cabin  fourteen  feet  square.     By  others. 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  131 

it  is  maintained  that  the  first  school  in  the  township  was  not  taught 
until  1844,  and  that  the  original  teacher  was  Professor  John  Collins,  a 
noted  instructed  of  youth  in  that  early  day.  His  school  house  was  one 
and  a  half  miles  northwest  of  Mound  City,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  on  a 
farm  first  settled  by  the  pioneer  Edward  Dodge,  the  father  of  Levi 
Dodge,  the  proprietor  of  the  Pool  of  Siloam  in  Mound  City. 

FIRST    PREACHER. 

The  first  to  preach  the  gospel  in  Benton  Township  was  the  Rev.  E. 
Marvin,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  preached  his  first  ser- 
mon in  this  township,  at  the  residence  of  J.  N.  Blair  below  Mound  City. 
This  was  very  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  first  settlers.  Marvin  was 
then  a  very  young  man,  just  starting  in  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He 
afterwards  achieved  a  national  reputation  as  Bishop  Marvin. 

Rev.  Dr.  G.  B.  Thorp,  of  the  Hard  Shell  Baptist  Church,  was  the 
second  minister  of  the  gospel  to  preach  within  the  limits  of  Benton 
Township.  He  was  also  among  the  earliest  to  practice  medicine  in  that 
locality. 

No  section  of  Holt  County  has  settled  up  and  improved  more 
rapidly  than  has  Benton  Township  in  the  past  few  years.  A  majority 
of  the  farmers  are  men  of  intelligence  and  progressive  spirit.  Excel- 
lent and  well  kept  roads  traverse  its  surface  in  all  directions,  and  the 
general  character  of  recent  farm  improvements  is  above  the  average. 
In  common  with  other  portions  of  the  county,  excellent  and  well 
appointed  school  buildings  appear  in  every  district. 

The  raising  of  cattle  and  of  swine,  as  well  as  the  culture  of  bees 
engage  the  attention  of  many.  Of  the  former,  Edward  Gillis,  two  miles 
and  a  half  north  of  Mound  City,  has  a  fine  herd  of  twenty  thoroughbred 
short  horn  cattle  and  sixty  or  seventy  head  of  high  grades.  He  was 
the  first  to  introduce  the  former  character  of  cattle  into  this  township. 

MOUND   CITY. 

•  As  early  as  1852  there  stood  on  the  east  boundary  of  the  present 
town  of  Mound  City  a  log  cabin  in  which  was  run  a  blacksmith  shop  by 
E.  Porter  Forbes.  This  was  the  first  house  to  stand  on  the  site  of  the 
town,  which  was  laid  out  five  years  after.  Mr.  Forbes,  who  now  (1882) 
resides  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  19,  township  72,  range  38, 
two  and  a-half  miles  north  of  Mound  City,  thus  enjoys  the  distinction  ot 
being  the  original  blacksmith  of  the  place. 

The  town  of  Mound  City,  which  is  located  in  the  southern  part  of 
section  31,  township  62,  range  38,  and  in  the  northern  part  of  section  6, 
township  61,  range  38,  on  the  waters  of  Davis  Creek,  at  the  base  and  on 


132  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  slope  of  the  bluff,  range  which  traverses  the  county  from  northwest 
to  southeast,  is  the  only  trading  point  in  the  township,  and  is  an  enter- 
prising and  rapidly  progressing  business  centre. 

In  1855  Galen  Crow  put  up  a  building  in  which  he  opened  a  stock  of 
goods.  This  stood  on  what  was  the  corner  of  several  lots  when  the 
town  was  laid  out,  and  occupied  a  portion  of  the  lot  on  which  stands  the 
rear  of  Hamsher's  building,  in  the  second  story  of  which  is  the  present 
(1882)  Masonic  Hall,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  State  and  Main 
Streets.  Crow,  who  had  purchased  Jackson's  Point,  then  moved  the 
postoffice  across  the  creek  to  his  recently  established  store  and  called 
the  postoffice  North  Point.  The  postoffice  continued  to  be  so  called 
until  April  1,  1872,  when  its  name  was  changed  to  Mound  City.  Soon 
after  starting  his  store  at  this  place  Galen  Crow  sold  out  to  Gaines  & 
Strickler. 

On  the  18th  of  February,  1857,  the  property  having  previously 
passed  into  the  hands  of  William  A.  Jones,  a  merchant  of  Oregon,  a  town 
which  was  laid  out  on  the  north  side  of  Davis  Creek,  embracing  a  por- 
tion of  the  present  town  of  Mound  City,  was  incorporated  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  under  the  name  of  Mound  City.  The  company  included 
William  Jones,  Galen  Crow,  Ira  Peter,  George  E.  Glass,  John  Burnett,  B. 
F.  Ruftner,  C.  J.  Holly  and  James  Foster.  Galen  Crow  was  elected 
president  of  the  company,  and  George  E.  Glass  secretary.  On  the  22d 
of  May,  1857,  the  town  company  met  for  the  first  time  and  organized 
under  their  charter.  About  this  time  Gaines  &  Strickler  closed  out  their 
business,  and  Galen  Crow  put  up  another  store  building.  This  was  on 
the  west  side  of  State  Street,  a  few  doors  north  of  Main,  on  a  lot  on 
which  now  (1882)  stands  the  furniture  store  of  William  Dean.  Here,  in 
partnership  with  D.  Jones,  he  sold  goods  under  the  firm  name  of  Crow  & 
Jones. 

At  the  first  public  sale  of  lots  in  Mound  City,  which.occurred  May 
25.  1857,  forty-two  were  sold,  at  prices  ranging  from  $180,  paid  by  F. 
Ruffner,  for  lot  1,  in  block  3,  to  $22,  the  price  paid  by  George  P.  Ter- 
hune  for  lot  6,  in  block  42. 

The  first  residence  erected  on  the  town  site,  after  it  was  laid  out, 
was  a  small  frame  building  on  State  Street,  afterwards  enlarged,  and 
now  (1882)  owned  and  occupied  by  Captain  W.  W.  Frazer.  This  was  in 
1857.  In  August,  of  the  same  year,  was  erected  the  first  school  build- 
ing in  the  town.  This  was  a  small  frame.  It  stands  on  lot  12,  in  blocks, 
on  the  northwest  corner  Fifth  and  Mill  Streets.  The  building  was  after- 
wards converted  into  a  dwelling,  and  is  now  (1882)  owned  and  occupied 
as  such  by  George  Bennett,  druggist.  In  the  same  fall,  the  town  com- 
pany contributed  a  bonus  of  several  hundred  dollars,  and  induced  Abso- 
lom  Hoover  to  erect,  in  the  east  part  of  the  town  site,  a  steam  saw  mill. 
This  was  the  first  mill  put  up  within  the  present  limits  of  Benton  Town- 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  1 33 

ship,  and  was  operated  several  successive  years,  till  it  was  moved  to  the 
bottom.  The  last  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  town  of  Mound 
City  occurred  May  4th,  i860. 

At  the  period  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  the  place  did 
not  contain  above  a  dozen  houses,  and  there  seemed  then  little  prospect 
of  its  ever  becoming  what  it  is  to-day  (1882),  the  commercial  as  well  as 
the  geographical  center  of  Holt  County. 

Galen  Crow,  the  founder  of  the  town,  was  afterwards  sheriff  of  the 
county  and  representative  from  the  same  to  the  state  legislature.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  be  followed  Governor  Claib  Jackson,  as  a 
member  of  the  lower  house,  to  Arkansas,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Austin, 
Texas.  He  was  a  man  who  ranked  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  people, 
as  an  accurate  business  man  and  upright  citizen. 

The  town  of  Mound  City  almost  lost  its  existence  during  the  period 
of  the  civil  war,  and  was  not  revived  till  several  years  after.  In  1870, 
when  John  H.  Glenn,  of  Whig  Valley,  secured  a  controlling  interest  in 
the  town,  the  business  of  the  same  included  two  small  general  stores, 
one  of  which  was  kept  by  A.  N.  Glenn  and  Major  Dill,  and  the 
other  by  Hurd  Brothers.  There  was  also,  at  that  time,  a  blacksmith 
shop  in  the  place,  kept  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  McChristian.  H. 
Hershbeger  also  had  a  harness  shop.  This  included  the  entire  business 
of  the  town  at  that  period.  There  was  no  house  of  public  entertain- 
ment in  the  place  till  1872,  when  the  Landsdown  House,  on  Savannah, 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth  Streets,  was  opened  by  Stephen  Landsdown. 
The  building  is  a  two  story  frame,  with  a  Mansard  roof.  Its  remote 
location  from  the  business  center  rendered  it  unpopular,  and  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  was  designed  was  subsequently  abandoned. 

Mound  City  languished  till  the  spring  of  1873,  when  a  sudden 
impetus  seemed  to  be  given  to  the  enterprise  of  the  place,  and  the 
I  boom,"  so  to  speak,  has  been  ever  since  steadily  kept  up.  In  that  year 
W.  T.  Hiatt,  who  also  ran  a  transfer  between  Bigelow  and  Mound  City, 
started  the  first  livery  stable  in  the  town,  and  Davis  &  Crannell  opened 
the  first  exclusive  hardware  store.  The  style  of  this  firm  soon  after 
became  Crannell,  Bates  &  Co.  The  first  man  who  ever  sold  drugs  in 
Mound  City,  was  Dr.  B.  Meek,  a  graduate  of  St.  Louis  Medical  College, 
and  the  oldest  established  physician  in  the  place,  having  been  located 
there  since  1857.  He  opened  his  drug  store  in  1858,  and  continued  to 
sell  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war.  The  first  to  sell  lumber  in 
the  town  were  J.  H.  Glenn  &  Co.,  who  commenced  in  1871.  R.  C.  Glenn 
&  Co.,  put  up,  on  State  Street,  in  1875,  a  spacious  two  story  brick  building 
in  which  they  have  since  continued  to  sell  drugs.  This  was  the  first 
cast-iron  front  put  up  in  the  county.  There  was  no  store  exclusively 
devoted  to  the  sale  of  family  groceries  till  Creswell  &  Gordon  opened 
their  house  in  1881. 


134  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

PUBLIC   SCHOOLS. 

Mound  City  was  without  a  regular  graded  school  till  1874,  when  a 
handsome  two-story  brick  building  was  erected  on  Nebraska  Street  on  a 
commanding  elevation  overlooking  the  business  quarter  of  the  town,  and 
a  wide  expanse  of  surrounding  country.  The  structure  included  two 
rooms  below  and  one  above,  besides  the  halls,  and  was  completed  at  a 
cost  of  $4,000.  In  the  fall  of  1881,  the  school  edifice  was  enlarged  by  a 
two-story  front  addition  ninety-three  by  thirty-two  feet,  affording  five 
new  class  rooms,  besides  halls,  cloak  rooms,  etc.,  above  and  below. 
These  additions  when  entirely  completed  will  cost  over  five  thousand 
dollars.  The  first  board  of  directors  of  this  school  were  W.  W.  Frazer, 
Milton  Herron,  George  Gillis,  M.  Houston,  Wingate  King  and  James 
Johnson.  The  school  opened  in  September,  1874,  with  Nelson  Carr, 
Principal,  assisted  by  Miss  Mary  L.  Austin.  September,  1875,  the 
teachers  were  E.  A.  Welty,  Principal,  assisted  by  Miss  Fanny  Soper  and 
Mrs.  I.  M.  Bacon. 

September,  1876,  L.  M.  May  was  Principal,  assisted  by  Mrs.  I.  M. 
Bacon  and  Miss  Jose  Wilkinson. 

September,  1877,  Professor  Samuel  P.  Ruley  was  Principal,  assisted 
by  Miss  Jose  Wilkinson. 

September,  1878,  the  teachers  were  Samuel  P.  Ruley,  Principal, 
assisted  by  Miss  Sallie  C.  Bennett  and  Mrs.  I.  M.  Bacon. 

September,  1879,  W.  R.  Burton  was  Principal,  assisted  by  Miss  Sallie 

C.  Bennett  and  Mrs.  I.  M.  Bacon. 

September,  1880,  Professor  W.  F.  Drake  was  Principal,  and  Miss  Sal- 
lie C.  Bennett  and  Mrs.  I.  M.  Bacon  assistants. 

September,  1881,  the  teachers  were  Professor  W.  F.  Drake,  Miss 
Sallie  C.  Bennett,  Mrs.  I.  M.  Bacon  and  Miss  Lomira  Herron. 

The  present  (1882)  board  of  directors  include  G.  H.  Carpenter,  Pres- 
ident ;  W.  M.  Hamsher,  Secretary  ;  M.  M.  Smith,  Treasurer.  The  other 
members  are  J.  B.  Denney,  John  F.  Davis  and  W.  T.  Hiatt. 

The  enrollment  of  the  school  includes  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  pupils. 

MASONIC. 

Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  was  set  to  work  U.  D. 
from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  January  25,  1868,  with 

D.  P.  Ballard,  W.  M.;  John  Schrautz,  S.  W.;  Samuel  See,  J.  W.;  Dr.  B. 
Meek,  Treasurer  ;  William  Hoblitzell,  Secretary  ;  N.  Browning,  S.  D.; 
James  Wilson,  J.  D.,  and  M.  D.  Merrett,  S.  and  Tyler. 

October  15,  1868,  a  charter  was  granted  by  Grand  Master  John  D. 
Vincil,  with  the  above  mentioned  officers.  On  the  26th  of  December 
following  the  first  election  under  this  charter  was  held,  with  the  follow- 


o 

G 

o 


o     i 


H 

«i 

T! 

G 

W 

r 
»-^ 

c 

cr. 

o 

o 
o 

r 

w 

G 

I— I 

r 
o 

O 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  135 

ing  result  :  D.P.  Ballard,  W.  M.;  Henry  S.  Buzick,  S.  W.;  John  Schrautz, 
J.  W.;  Dr.  B.  Meek,  Treasurer  ;  William  Hoblitzell,  Secretary  ;  N.  Brown- 
ing, S.  D.;  G.  M.  Dodge,  J.  D.;  Mark  Strickler,  S.  and  Tyler. 

December,  1869,  the  election  resulted  as  follows  :  D.  P.  Ballard,  W. 
M.;  N.  Browning,  S.  W.;  Ed  Gillis,  J.  W.,  William  Hoblitzell,  Treasurer  ; 
John  Schrautz,  Secretary;  G.  M.  Dodge,  S.  D.;  M.  Houston,  J.  D.;  M. 
Strickler,  S.  and  Tyler. 

December  31,  1870,  the  following  were  elected  :  Napoleon  Brown- 
ing, W.  M.;  Ed.  Gillis,  S.  W.;  G.  M.  Dodge,  J.  W.;  John  W.  Bridgeman, 
Sr.,  Treasurer  ;  John  Schrautz,  Secretary;  D.  P.  Ballard,  S.  D.;  Hamilton 
Dill,  J.  D.;  T.  H.  Heard,  S.  and  Tyler. 

December,  1871,  the  following  officers  were  chosen  :  N.  Browning, 
W.  M.;  William  Hoblitzell,  S.  W.;  J.  D.  Jones,  J.  W.;  J.  W.  Bridgeman, 
Sr.,  Treasurer;  Dr.  J.  M.  Tracy,  Secretary;  G.  M.  Dodge,  S.  D.;  James 
Wilson,  J.  D.;  M.  Strickler,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

December,  1872,  the  election  was  as  follows  :  G.  M.  Dodge,  W.  M. 
George  H.  Trook,  S.  W.;  J.  M.  Tracy,  J.  W.;  John  Schrautz,  Treasurer 
Edward  Gillis,  Secretary;  William  Andes,  S.  D.;  J.  F.  Bridgeman,  J.  D. 
J.  L.  Nicholson,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

December,  1873,  the  following  were  elected  :  N.  Browning,  W.  M.: 
William  Andes,  S.  W.;  J.  F.  Bridgeman,  J.  W.;  John  Schrautz,  Treasurer  ; 
Edward  Gillis,  Secretary  ;  G.  M.  Dodge,  S.  D.;  G.  Erwin,  J.  D.;  George 
H.  Trook,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

December  26,  1874,  the  following  were  elected  :  Samuel  P.  Jewell, 
W.  M.;  Edward  Gillis,  S.  W.;  N.  Browning,  J.  W.;  John  W.  Bridgeman, 
Treasurer  ;  George  H.  Trook,  Secretary  ;  G.  M.  Dodge,  S.  D.;  W.  H.  R. 
Dean,  J.  D.;  George  L.  Nicholson,  Tyler. 

December,  1875,  the  following  were  chosen  :  N.  Browning,  W.  M.; 
Edward  Gillis,  S.  W.;  G.  M.  Dodge,  J.  W.;  Eli  Meek,  Treasurer;  W.  M. 
Hamsher,  Secretary;  W.  C.  Andes,  S.  D.;  A.  Crannell.J.  D.;  George  L. 
Nicholson,  Tyler  ;  F.  T.  Nichols  and  George  H.  Trook,  Seniorand  Junior 
Stewards. 

December  27,  1876,  were  elected:  J.  S.  Hart,  W.  M.;  Ed.  Gillis,  S.  W.; 
W.  M.  Hamsher,  J.  W.;  John  Schrautz,  Treasurer  ;  E.  D.  McCoy,  Secre- 
tary ;  A.  Crannell,  S.  D.;  George  L.  Nicholson,  J.  D.;  Albert  Clark,  Tyler  ; 
Levi  Gillis  and  H.  Dill,  Stewards. 

December  27,  1877,  the  following  were  elected  :  M.  M.  Smith,  W. 
M.;  J.  S.  Hart,  S.  W.;  E.  A.  Welty,  J.  W.;  John  Schrautz,  Treasurer  ; 
Edward  Gillis,  Secretary;  Charles  Corsaut,  S.  D.;  P.  S.  Durham,  J.  D.; 
G.  M.  Dodge  and  H.  Dill,  Stewards ;  M.  S.  Strickler,  Tyler. 

In  December,  1878,  were  elected:  M.  M.  Smith,  W.  M.;  E.  A. 
Welty,  S.  W.;  C.  K.  Corsaut,  J.  W.;  George  H.  Carpenter,  Treasurer; 
Peter  Welty,  Secretary;  J.  S.  Hart,  S.  D.;  P.  S.  Durham,  J.  D.;  M. 
Strickler,  Tyler  ;  George  H.  Trook  and  William  Hoblitzell,  Stewards. 


136  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

In  December,  1879,  the  following  were  chosen  :  M.  M.  Smith,  W. 
M.;  Alvin  Bates,  S.  W.;  J.  B.  Denny,  J.  W.;  George  H.  Carpenter, 
Treasurer;  J.  S.  Hart,  Secretary;  G.  M.  Dodge,  S.  D. ;  P.  S.  Durham,  J. 
D.;  M.  D.  Merritt,  Tyler. 

In  December,  1880,  were  elected  Alvin  Bates,  W.  M. ;  William 
Hamshef,  S.  W.;  P.  P.  Welty,  J.  W.;  George  H.  Carpenter,  Treasurer; 
Lee  Durham,  Secretary;  C.  K.  Corsaut,  S.  D.;  C.  S.  Armstrong,  J.  D.; 
M.  D.  Merritt,  Tyler  ;  J.  S.  Hart  and  M.  M.  Smith,  Stewards. 

In  December,  1881,  the  election  resulted  as  follows  :  J.  S.  Hart,  W. 
M.;  W.  M.  Hamsher,  S.  W.;  C.  S.  Armstrong,  J.  W.;  George  H.  Car- 
penter, Treasurer;  M.  M.  Smith,  Secretary;  Peter  Welty,  S.  D.;  P.  S. 
Durham,  J.  D.;  G.  M.  Dodge  and  J.  B.  Denny,  Stewards  ;  M.  D.  Merritt, 
Tyler. 

Keystone  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  No.  46,  was  set  to  work  in  Oregon, 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  by  C.  A.  Rowley,  D.  D.  H.  P.,  November  23, 
1867,  with  the  following  officers  :  H.  Murphey,  H.  P.;  H.  C.  Busick, 
J.  G.  Cowan,  Scribe  ;  Daniel  Zook,  Secretary  ;  George  Weber,  C.  H.; 
W.  H.  Williams,  P.  S.;  A.  Gillfillin,  R.  A.  C;  J.  B.  Curry,  G.  M.  3d  V.; 
Dr.  C.  S.  Meek,  G.  M.  2d  V.;   Henry  Meyer,  G.  M.  1st  V. 

This  Chapter  was  again  organized  on  the  10th  of  March,  1870,  by 
virtue  of  a  charter  granted  October  7,  1869.  The  first  officers  under 
this  charter  were  J.  S.  Hart,  H.  P.;  J.  T.  Sedwick,  K. ;  E.  VanBuskirk, 
S.;  M.  M.  Smith,  P.  S.;  J.  N.  Masters,  C.  H.;  E.  L.  Allen,  Treasurer; 
Daniel  Zook,  Secretary;  H.  Murphey,  R.  A.  C;  Samuel  C.  Masters,  G. 
M.  3d  V.;  C.  A.  David,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  A.  Gillfillin,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  James 
Curry,  Guard. 

The  above  were  elected  October  24,  1869,  and  the  Chapter  was  set 
to  work  March  10,  1870,  by  John  F.  Houston,  M.  E.  G.  H.  P.,.  with  the 
folloAving  officers:  J.  S.  Hart,  H.  P.;  H.  Murphey,  K.;  E.  Van  Buskirk, 
S.;  J.  N.  Masters,  C.  H.;  M.  M.  Smith,  P.  S.;  E.  L.  Allen,  R.  A.  C;  A. 
Gillfillin,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  Daniel  Zook,  Secretary  ;  J.  G.  Cowan,  Treasurer; 
F.  S.  Rostock,  Guard. 

December  26,  1871,  the  following  were  elected  :  M.  M.  Smith,  H. 
P.;  H.  Murphey,  K.;  E.  Van  Buskirk,  S.;  T.  C.  Dungan,  P.  S.;  S.  P.  Jewell, 
C.  H.;  Levi  Oren,  Treasurer;  Daniel  Zook,  Secretary;  E.  L.  Allen,  R.  A. 
C;  R.  N.  Howell,  G.  M.  3rd  V.;  John  Wallace,  G.  M.  2nd  V.;  Charles 
David,  G.  M.  1st  V. 

December  1872,  the  same  officers  were  again  chosen. 

December  1873  were  chosen,  M.  M.  Smith,  H.  P.;  R.  N.  Howell,  K.; 
John  Wallace,  S. ;  J.  N.  Masters,  C.  H. ;  T.  C.  Dungan,  P.  S. ;  E.  L.  Allen,  R. 
A.  C;  Daniel  Zook,  Treasurer;  A.  Roecker,  Secretary;  Levi  Oren,  G.  M. 
3rd  V;  E.  Van  Buskirk,  G.  M.  2nd  N.;  R.  Montgomery,  G.  M.  1st  V;  F. 
S.  Rostock,  Guard.  The  above  were  installed  and  set  to  work  by  Past 
High  Priest  Joseph  S.  Browne,  of  St.  Joseph. 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP.  137 

December  8,  1874,  were  elected  the  following  :  M.  M.  Smith,  H.  P.; 
R.  N.  Howell,  K.;  John  Wallace,  S.;  J.  N.  Masters,  C.  H. ;  T,  C.  Dungan, 
P.  S.;  E.  L.  Allen,  R.  A.  C;  John  Dyche,  G.  M.  3rd  V.;  Robert  Mont- 
gomery, G.  M.  2nd  V.;  E.  Van  Buskirk,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  Daniel  Zook, 
Treasurer;  Albert  Roecker,  Secretary;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Guard. 

December  14,  1875  the  following  were  elected  :  M.  M.  Smith,  H.  P.; 
R.  N.  Howell,  K.;  John  Wallace,  S.;  J.  N.  Masters,  C.  H.;  T.  C.  Dungan, 
P.  S.;  E.  L.  Allen,  R.  A.  C;  W.  B.  Orr,  G.  M.  3rd  V.;  E.  Van  Buskirk, 
G.  M.  2nd  V.;  Robert  Montgomery,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  Levi  Oren,  Treasurer; 
E.  A.  Brown,  Secretary;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Guard. 

December  12,  1876  the  following  were  chosen  :  W.  H.  Williams, 
H.  P.;  G.  M.  Dodge,  K.;  W.  B.  Orr,  Scribe;  J.  N.  Masters,  C.  H.;  T.  C. 
Dungan,  P.  S.;  E.  L.  Allen,  R.  A.  C.;  Levi  Oren,  G.  M.  3rd  V.;  E.  Van 
Buskirk,  G.  M.  2nd  V.;  Robert  Montgomery,  G.  M.  1st  N.;  Albert  Roecker, 
Treasurer;  W.  G.  Mclntyre,  Secretary;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Guard. 

December  11,  1877  the  following  were  the  officers  chosen:  T.  C. 
Dungan,  H.  P.;  M.  M.  Smith,  K.;  G.  M.  Dodge,  S  ;  J.  N.  Masters,  C.  H.; 
W.  G.  Mclntyre,  P.  S.;  E.  L.  Allen,  R.  A.  C;  Levi  Oren,  G.  M.  3rd  V.; 
E.  Van  Buskirk,  G.  M.  2nd  V.;  B.  F.  Fleming,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  Albert 
Roecker,  Treasurer;  Robert  Montgomery,  Secretary;  John  Wallace, 
Guard. 

In  1878  there  was  no  election  held. 

December  9,  1879  tne  officers  chosen  were  M.  M.  Smith,  H.  P.;  E. 
VanBuskirk,  K.;  E.  Annibal,  S  ;  J.  S.  Hart,  C.  H.;  G.  M.  Dodge,  P.  S.;  W. 
G.  Mclntyre,  R.  A.  C;  B.  F.  Fleming,  G.  M.  3rd  V.;  J.  F.  Bridgeman,  G. 
M.  2nd  V;  J.  N.  Masters,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  E.  A.  Brown,  Treasurer;  E.  Gillis, 
Secretary;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Guard. 

In  1880,  the  above  officers  were  all  re-elected. 

Februarys,  1881,  the  Chapter  was  moved  to  Mound  City,  where  it 
has  since  continued  to  occupy  the  hall  of  Mound  City  Lodge  No.  294, 
over  W.  M.  Hamsher's  store,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  State  and  Main 
Streets. 

December,  1881,  occurred  the  first  election  of  officers  of  the  Chapter 
in  Mound  City.  The  following  was  the  result:  M.  M.  Smith,  H.  P.; 
Robert  Montgomery,  K.;  E.  Annibal,  S.;  J.  S.  Hart,  C.  H.;  G.  M. 
Dodge,  P.  S.;  Ed.  Gilles,  R.  A.  C;  B.  F.  Fleming,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  J.  F. 
Bridgeman,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  E.  VanBuskirk,  G.  M.  1st  V;  E.  A.  Brown, 
Treasurer  ;  W.  G.  Mclntyre,  Secretary,  and  F.  S.  Rostock,  Guard. 

There  are  in  the  town  of  Mound  City  three 

CHURCHES. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  E.  B.  Sherwood, 
May,   1872,  with   the   following   members  :    W.  W.  Frazer,  Miss  M.  A. 


138  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Frazer,  Mrs.  Jane  Glenn,  Andrew  Frazer  and  Mrs.  C.  E.  Strickler,  the 
first  three  of  whom  are  still  numbered  with  its  membership.  Rev.  M. 
L.  Anderson  was  their  first  minister,  remaining-  till  July,  1873,  when 
Rev.  W.  G.  Thomas  was  elected  pastor.  He  remained  for  a  little  more 
than  a  year,  after  which  the  church  was  without  regular  preaching, 
except  for  a  few  months,  during  which  period  Mr.  Carr  and  Mr.  J.  O. 
Pierce^  licentiates,  served  the  congregation.  June,  1877,  Rev.  Duncan 
Brown,  the  present  (1882)  pastor,  took  charge  of  the  church,  which  then 
included,  in  all,  thirteen  members.  Since  that  period  124  persons  have 
united  with  this  church.  Its  present  membership  is  122,  fourteen  having 
withdrawn  to  unite  with  other  organizations,  and  one  having  been 
added.  The  church  edifice  is  a  neat  gothic  frame  structure,  with  vesti- 
bule and  gallery.  It  was  built  in  1874  and  1875,  at  a  cost  of  $2,500. 
In  the  three  years  immediately  preceding  the  present  (1882),  further 
improvements  were  added  at  a  cost  of  about  $600,  rendering  it  a  taste- 
ful and  comfortable  house  of  worship.  The  structure  is  not  only  com- 
pleted,but  entirelypaid  for.  Regular  services  are  held  in  this  church  every 
Sunday.  Attached  to  this  church  is  a  ladies'  missionary  society,  a  child- 
ren's missionary  society,  and  a  Sabbath  school  numbering  150  scholars. 
The  present  (1882)  church  officers  are  Elders  W.  W.  Frazer,  Dr.  George  C. 
Brown,  M.  M.  Smith,  W.  H.  Watt,  W.  M.  Hamsher  and  George  H.  Car- 
penter. The  deacons  are  W.  M.  Hamsher  and  W.  A.  Long.  E.  A. 
Welty,  Sunday  school  superintendent.  The  history  of  this  church  is 
remarkable,  from  the  fact  that  in  the  rear  of  and  adjoining  this  church, 
is  the  Mound  City  Academy,  a  private  institution  of  learning,  superin- 
tended by  Rev.  D.  Brown,  pastor  of  the  said  church.  It  is  liberally 
patronized,  and  a  credit  to  the  educational  enterprise  of  the  town. 

CHRISTIAN    CHURCH. 

The  Christian  Church  in  Mound  City  is  a  frame  building  of  sub- 
tantial  character  and  fair  appearance.  It  was  erected  in  1878.  The 
organization,  however,  of  which  it  is  the  outgrowth,  existed  before  the 
civil  war.  It  now  includes  a  membership  of  between  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  and  two  hundred.  In  December,  1879,  David  Wetzel,  the 
present  (1882)  minister,  was  chosen  pastor.  The  present  church  was 
dedicated  on  the  third  Sunday  of  February,  188 1.  The  Sunday  School, 
which  includes  over  one  hundred  scholars,  is  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
J.  B.  Denny,  a  representative  druggist  of  the  town. 

M.    E.    CHURCH. 

The  society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Mound  City  was 
organized  in  1864,  with  a  membership  of  five.  Thest  deluded  David 
Gillis  and  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  Dodge  and  Mrs.  Hoblitzell. 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  1 39 


Mound  City  was  an  appointment  on  the  Oregon  circuit.  Rev. 
Thos.  Hollingsworth  was  preacher  in  charge.  The  church  building,  a 
neat  frame  structure  30x40  feet,  was  erected  in  1879,  and -cost,  including 
bell,  organ  and  furniture,  about  $1,400. 

The  present  (1882)  membership  of  this  organization,  including  those 
on  probation,  is  one  hundred.  The  society  also  owns  a  neat  frame  resi- 
dence building  occupied  as  a  parsonage,  on  which  they  have  expended, 
in  the  past  year  in  the  way  of  repairs,  the  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars. 

MILLS. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  original  saw  mill,  built  in 
the  town  by  Hoover,  in  1857.  This  has  long  been  numbered  with  the 
things  of  the  past. 

The  first  flouring  mill  in  Mound  City,  and,  indeed,  in  Benton  Town- 
ship, was  built  in  1871,  by  John  Handford,  the  present  (1882)  proprietor. 
In  1869  he  put  up,  on  the  site  of  this  mill,  a  steam-power  saw  mill,  which 
he  operated  till  he  substituted  for  the  same  the  enterprise  above  referred 
to.  This  he  began  on  a  very  small  scale,  a  single  run  of  burrs  for  grind- 
ing corn  completing  the  capacity  of  the  mill,  which  is  now  provided  with 
three  run  of  burrs,  with  a  grinding  capacity  of  250  bushels  of  grain  per 
day.  It  is  known  as  the  East  Mound  City  Mills  and  is  operated  by  steam 
power. 

Mound  City  Steam  Flouring  Mills  were  built  in  1876,  by  W.  J.  Hall, 
at  a  cost  of  about  eight  thousand  dollars.  The  building  is  a  two  and  a 
half  story  frame  structure,  fifty  by  thirty-six  feet  area.  It  is  furnished 
with  three  run  of  burrs,  affording  a  grinding  capacity  of  three  hundred 
bushels  of  wheat  and  corn  per  day. 

On  the  23d  of  February,  1878,  occurred  a  disastrous  explosion  of  the 
boiler  of  this  mill,  attended  with  terrible  fatal  results.  Five  men  fell  vic- 
tims to  the  catastrophe.  These  were  Caldwell,  the  miller  ;  a  wood-hauler 
by  the  name  of  Riley  McWilliams,  James  Anderson,  a  farmer  ;  James 
Dawson,  and  the  engineer.  No  just  blame  was  considered  to  attach 
to  the  engineer,  or  any  one  connected  with  the  mill,  the  explosion 
being  purely  accidental.  The  structure  of  the  mill,  which  was  entirely 
wrecked,  was  rebuilt  in  1878  by  R.  H.  Dawson  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Hall,  the 
widow  of  the  original  proprietor,  who  died  in  July,  1877. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

A  full  reference  to  the  history  of  the  newspapers  published  in  Mound 
City  will  be  found  under  the  general  head  of  Newspaper  Press  of  Holt 
County.  The  Mound  City  News  now  (1882)  is  a  handsome  nine-column 
sheet,  printed  and  published  by  Brink  &  Spencer,  who  purchased  the 
paper  January  28,  1881.  This  paper  is  printed  entirely  at  home,  and  re- 
flects credit  on  the  publishers. 


140  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

SECOND   INCORPORATION. 


At  the    August  term  of  the  county  court,  held   August  n,   1873, 
Mound  City  was  incorporated  under  the  village  .act,  and  the  following- 
were    appointed  to  constitute  the  town   board  :     Dr.  B.    Meek,  Milton 
Herron,  Daniel  H.   Gillis,  M.   Houston  and  William  Hoblitzell.     D.  H. 
Gillis  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  board,  and  W.  A.  Mackoy,  secretary. 

The  first  election  for  town  officers  was  held  April  7,  1874,  resulting 
as  follows  :  Wingate  King  (who  was  chosen  chairman),  Milton  Herron, 
D.  H.  Gillis,  William  Hoblitzell  and  S.  J.  Landsdown. 

The  election  of  April,  1875,  was  as  follows  :  Amer  Crannell,  Adolph 
Albiez,  George  Emmerson,  M.  B.  Moore,  Henry  Tipton.  George  Emmer- 
son  was  chosen  chairman. 

At  the  election  held  April,  1876,  the  following  were  chosen:  Henry 
Tipton,  W.  A.  Mackoy,  A.  J.  Martin,  James  Hart  and  M.  Houston;  James 
Hart  was  elected  chairman. 

The  election  of  April,  1877,  resulted  as  follows:  William  Wilkin- 
son, J.  S.  Hart,  J.  F.  Davis,  Henry  Tipton  and  W.  T.  Hyde.  William 
Wilkinson  was  chosen  chairman. 

The  election  of  April,  1878,  was  with  the  following  result  ;  William 
Wilkinson,  who  was  chosen  chairman,  Henry  Tipton,  W.  T.  Hiatt, 
James  S.  Hart  and  T.  Eben  Cooper. 

At  the  election  of  April,  1879,  were  chosen:  William  Wilkinson, 
also  elected  chairman,  W.  T.  Hiatt,  James  S.  Hart,  Henry  Tipton  and 
T.  Eben  Cooper. 

The  election  of  April,  1880,  resulted  as  follows  :  William  Wilkin- 
son, chairman,  W.  T.  Hiatt,  H.  Tipton,  K.  F.  Rice  and  E.  A.  Welty. 

The  election  of  April,  188 1,  was  with  the  following  result  :  M.  M. 
Smith,  who  was  chosen  chairman,  W.  T.  Hiatt,  E.  A.  Welty,  Jacob 
Mumm  and  Lee  Durham.  M.  M.  Smith  afterwards  resigning,  Lee  Dur- 
ham was  elected  to  succeed  him  as  president  of  the  town  board. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  mineral  springs  of  J.  Ogle, 
a  mile  and  a-half  northwest  of  Mound  City.  At  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  town,  about  five  hundred  yards  from  the  public  square,  is  the 

POOL   OF   SILOAM, 

the  property  of  the  pioneer,  Levi  Dodge.  The  pool  was  built  at  a  cost 
of  several  hundred  dollars,  and  is  stocked  with  several  varieties  of  fish. 
In  the  park,  east  of  the  pool,  is  a  bath  house.  Two  springs  feed  the 
pool.  The  following  analysis  by  Professor  Charles  P.  Williams,  of  Phila- 
delphia, determined  the  component  elements  of  these  two  springs  to  be 
as  follows : 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  141 


NORTH    SPRING.  SOUTH    SPRING. 

Chloride  of  Sodium 0.352  Chloride  of  Sodium  .  .  .• 0.35 17 

Sulphate  of  Soda    0.099  Sulphate  of  Soda    . .- 0.0992 

Carbonate  of  Iron 1 .849  Carbonate  of  Iron 1.8490 

Carbonate  of  Lime 5.3 16  Carbonate  of  Lime 5.3160 

Carbonate  of  Magnesia 3.68 1  Carbonate  of  Magnesia.  .  .  .  3.6810 

Aluminia Trace.  Silica 1.1480 

Oxide  Manganese Trace.  Organic  Matters 3.4722 

Silica 1,148  


Organic  Matters 17.062 


Total  Solids 15.9171 


Total  Solids 29.507 

An  infirmary  is  to  be  built  here  in  the  spring  of  1882. 

PROFESSIONAL. 

The  legal  learning  of  Mound  City  is  centered  in  the  following-named 
gentlemen  :  Brigadier  General  Wilkinson,  also  in  the  commission  of  the 
peace  ;  C.  C.  Akin,  Esq.,  H.  C.  Pepper,  Esq.,  and  A.  H.  Jamison,  Esq. 
The  latter-named  gentleman  is  also  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 

The  medical  profession  is  represented  by  B.  Meek,  M.  D.,  the  pioneer 
physician  and  surgeon  of  the  vicinity  ;  Dr.  J.  M.  Tracy,  G.  W.  Haken,  M. 
D.,  etc.,  Dr.  G.  E.  Brown,  Dr.  H.  Pool,  the  magnetic  healer,  and  Dr.  M. 
Seville.  The  latter  named  gentleman,  though  a  comparatively  recent 
settler  in  Mound  City,  is  recognized  as  a  physician  of  long  standing  in 
Holt  County. 

Dr.  W.  D.  Trinque  is  the  representative  dentist  of  Mound  City. 

POSTMASTERS. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  fact  that  Hon.  Galen  Crow  was  the 
first  to  hold  the  position  of  postmaster,  on  the  removal,  in  1855,  of  the 
office  to  North  Point,  now  Mound  City.  His  successor  was  Daniel  Gillis. 
After  him  came  W.  J.  Marshall,  succeeded  by  Major  H.  Dill,  who  served 
till  July  27,  1867,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Addison  N.  Glenn.  In  1875 
Joseph  V.  Hinchman  succeeded  to  the  charge  of  the  post-office,  and  con- 
tinued to  discharge  its  duties  till  1877,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Win- 
gate  King.  January  7,  1882,  King  died,  and  ten  days  after  Addison  N. 
Glenn  was  appointed  his  successor. 

RAILROAD   FACILITIES. 

The  Nodaway  Valley  Branch  of  the  Kansas  City  St.  Joseph  and 
Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  extending  in  a  northeasterly  direction  from 
Bigelow  to  Burlington  Junction,  in  Nodaway  County,  a  distance  of  thirty- 


142 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 


three  miles,  was  completed  to  Mound  City  in  the  summer  of  1880.;  andr 
on  the  2d  day  of  August,  of  the  same  year,  a  station  was  opened  in  that 
place,  and  F.  Peter  Rogers,  the  present  (1882)  agent,  appointed  to  the 
charge  of  the  same.  This  station,  which  is  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
town,  in  the  Davis  Creek  bottom,  stands  on  a  surface  eight  hundred  and 
ninety-four  and  a  half  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  following  is  a  cor- 
rect statement  of  the  shipments  from  Mound  City,  for  the  year  ending 
December  31,  1881,  as  furnished  us  by  the  accommodating  agent,  F, 
Peter  Rogers  : 


Names  of   Shippers. 

Cars  of  Grain 
to  Chicago. 

Cars  of  grain 
St.  Louis. 

Cars  of  Stock 
to  Chicago 

Cars  of  Stock 
to  Kan.  City. 

Cars  of  Stock 
to  St.  Joe. 

Cars  of  Grain 
to  Kan  City. 

s    of     Hay  to 

■it.    Joseph. 

*W 

1-c 

W 

c 

to 

144 
«5 

25 

27 
3i 
17 
17 
10 

51 

3° 

377 

78 
4 

22 

14 

IO 
128 

Ct 
6 

6 
12 

H 

52 

5 

8 
65 

Ct 
6 

7 
13 

H 

5" 

17 
67 

W 

c 

24 
24 

U 

John  E  Caton 

J   G   Elliott 

B    F.   Doran 

James    Paden 

G    H    Root 

Cain  &  Co 

J.   Baker  .    . 

E.  D.  Nash 

0.  Bryant  &  Co 

D.  Dows  &  Co 

15 
29 
66 

13 

44 

7 

115 

22 
22 

6 
4 

10 

9 

Totals 

no 

9, 

*W  Wheat;  fC  Corn  ;  JCc    Cattle;  \  H  Hogs 

The  shipments  to  Mound  City  during  the  same  period  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

From  Chicago — 171  car  loads  pine  lumber;  5  car  loads  wagons  ;  r 
car  load  horses ;  2  car  loads  lime ;  1  car  load  potatoes ;  2  car  loads 
barbed  wire  ;  4  car  loads  salt,  amounting  to  186  car  loads  from  Chicago. 

From  St.  Joseph  and  other  points  were  received  in  the  same  period 
— 27  car  loads  coal  ;  12  car  loads  lime  ;  1  car  load  stoves  ;  23  car  loads- 
native  lumber;  5  car  loads  cord  wood  ;  1  car  load  cement;.  2.  car  loads 
furniture  ;  2  car  loads  salt ;  17  car  loads  brick  ;  5  car  loads  railroad  iron  ;: 
7  car  loads  rock;  1  car  load  earthen  ware  ;  I  car  load  fruit  trees  ;  13  car 
loads  sand  ;  3  car  loads  barbed  wire  ;  7  car  loads  cattle  ;  3;  car  loads- 
hogs  ;  4  car  loads  agricultural  implements  ;  2  car  loads  wagons  ;  2,  car 
loads  piling:  2  car  loads  nails,  amounting  in  all  to  140  car  loads,,  which, 
added  to  the  receipts  from  Chicago,  made  326  car  loads. 


KENTON  TOWNSHIP. 


H3 


BANK. 

February  14,  1880,  the  Holt  County  Bank  was  organized  in  Mound 
City,  with  a  capital  of  $20,000,  and  has  since  continued  to  do  a  prosper- 
ous business.  The  officers  of  this  institution  are  Robert  Montgomery, 
President ;  Albert  Roecker,  Vice  President,  and  Hugh  Montgomery, 
Cashier.  The  bank  is  located  on  State  Street,  opposite  W.  Hamsher's 
store,  and  is  regarded  as  a  substantial  and  reliable  concern. 

From  the  sworn  statements  of  merchants  doing  business  in  Mound 
City,  as  shown  in  the  tax  book  for  1881,  it  appears  that  the  valuation  of 
mercantile  property  in  that  town  was  $37,290,  on  which  was  paid  a  state 
tax  of  $  146.82!,  and  a  county  tax  of  $  146.32!,  making  a  total  of  $293. 65^,. 
and  showing  over  Craig,  the  next  town  in  point  of  commercial  importance 
in  the  county,  an  excess  in  valuation  of  $9,275. 

The  commercial  and  mechanical  business  of  Mound  City,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1882,  was  transacted  by  the  following  named  persons  : 


Austin,  S.  B.  &  J.  M.,  general  mer- 
chants. 

Bennett  &  Co.,  druggists. 

Bradley,  N.  M.,  saloon. 

Book,  Jacob,  dealer  in  native  lum- 
ber. 

Biggers,  Miss  Rose,  milliner. 

Backus  &  Co.,  carpenters. 

Bariteau  &  Welch,  elevator. 

Caton,  John  E..  live  stock  shipper. 

Carter,  G.  M.,  sewing  machine  agt. 

Criswell,  James,  family  groceries. 

Crannell,  Amer,  dealer  in  buggies, 
wagons,  etc. 

Cooper,  T.  E.,  shoemaker. 

Corsaut  &  Meyer,  general  store. 

Carpenter,  G.  H.,  harnessmaker. 

Durham  &  Mounts,  livery  stable. 

Durham,  Lee,  J.  P.  and  harnessma- 
ker. 

Dean,  William,  confectioner. 

Denny,  J.  B.,  druggist. 

Dick,  Warren,  wagonmaker. 

Elliott,  J.  G.,  general  merchant. 

Frazer,  McL.,  confectioner. 

Groves  &  Ferguson,  general  store. 

Graves,  C.  H.,  blacksmith. 


Hill,  Hugh,  barber  shop. 

Hoblitzell,    Smith   &  Jesse,    hard- 
ware. 

Hoblitzell,  Smith  &  Jesse,   lumber 
dealers. 

Herron   &  McKee,   carpenters,  etc.. 

Harriman  &  Whaley,  photographers 

Hamsher,  W.  M.,  general  merchant. 

Mahan,   Rev.  W.  S.,  photographer. 

Mumm,  Moss  &  Co.,  lumber  deal- 
ers. 

Muxlow,  Edward,  English  Kitchen 
Hotel. 

McKinney,  G.  M.,  wagonmaker. 

McCann,  Jacob,  carpenter  and  con- 
tractor. 

Moore,  C.  J.,  grain  elevator. 

Montgomery.    Hugh,  Cashier  Holt 
County  Bank. 

Newton,  Joseph,  blacksmith. 

Owen   &  Barber,  Misses,  millinery.. 

Preston,  William  E.,  wagonmaker. 

Pierce  &  Son,  carpenters.  • 

Pierce  &  Willis,  butchers. 

Rice,  John,  painter. 

Smith  &  Andes,  general  merchants,. 

Smith,  E.  G.,  painter. 


144  HISTORY    OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

Glenn  &  Co.,  R.  C,  furniture.  Thol,  Nuke,  bootmaker. 

Glenn  &  Co.,  R.  C,  drugs.  Taylor  &  Landon,  carpenters. 

George  &  Miller,  hardware.  Vanderslice  &  Co.,  butchers. 

Gibson,  John,  blacksmith.  Youse,  John,  house  painter. 

Hiatt,  W.  T.,  hotel  and  livery  stable.  Youse  &  Co.,  carpenters,  etc. 
Houston,  M.,  furniture    and    coffins. 

BUILDINGS. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  i88r,  not  less  than  sixty  buildings  of 
different  size  and  character  were  erected  within  the  limits  of  Mound 
City.  Not  a  few  of  these  were  residences  costing,  at  least,  two  thousand 
dollars.  The  demand  for  brick  far  exceeded  the  supply,  and  many  were 
imported  from  St.  Joseph  and  other  comparatively  distant  points.  In 
default  of  this  necessary  material,  several  extensive  business  houses  were 
built  in  the  town  of  pine  lumber,  among  these  was  a  two-story  building 
24x80  feet,  put  up  by  Miss  Rose  Biggers,  a  lady  long  engaged  in  the 
millinery  business  in  the  town.  Criswell  &  Gordon  also  erected  a  two- 
story  frame  business  house  20x60  feet.  Dr.  Gordon  completed  a  two- 
story  brick  business  house  on  State  Street,  in  the  winter  of  1881-82. 

OPERA    HOUSE. 

The  pride  of  Mound  City,  in  an  architectural  as  well  as  histrionic 
point  of  view,  is  the  new  and  elegant  structure  of  Corsaut  &  Meyer's 
opera  house,  which  stands  on  the  southeast  corner  of  State  and  Main 
Streets,  fronting  on  the  former.  This  notable  expression  of  the  spirit  of 
enterprise  for  which  Mound  City  is  especially  known,  is  a  brick  building 
42x80  feet  in  extent.  The  lower  floors  are  occupied  by  the  handsomely 
appointed  business  house  of  Corsaut  &  Meyer,  and  the  equally  elegant 
drug  store  of  J.  B.  Denny.  The  upper  floor  of  this  building  constitutes 
the  audience  room  of  the  opera  house.  This  includes  the  entire  area  of 
the  building,  42x80  feet,  with  a  twenty-two  foot  ceiling.  The  stage  with 
adjoining  ante  rooms  is  20x42  feet.  The  same  is  elegantly  and  elab- 
orately fitted  up  with  shifting  scenery  of  the  most  approved  style.  The 
drop  curtain,  which  is  no  less  notable  for  the  beauty  of  its  design  than  for 
the  consummate  skill  displayed  in  the  execution  of  the  painting  by  which 
it  is  embellished,  is  unsurpassed,  if  equalled,  by  any  similar  theatrical 
feature  in  the  State.  The  audience  room  seats  comfortably  six  hundred 
persons,  and  is  readily  accessible  by  means  of  a  broad  and  easy  stairway 
leading  to  the  double  swinging  doors  of  the  public  entrance.  The 
building  was  completed  in  the  winter  of  1881-82,  and  was  first  opened 
on  the  night  of  December  23rd,  1881,  with  the  play  of  Draper's  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin.  On  this  occasion  seven  hundred  spectators  crowded  the 
house,  and  were  witnesses  of  its  excellent  acoustic  merits. 

The  cost  of  the  entire  structure  was  about  twelve  thousand  dollars. 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP.  1 45 


^BIOGRAPHICAL.  "4 


HENRY  L.  ACTON, 

• 

farmer,  section  2i,  was  born  in  Morrow  County,  Ohio,  March  12,  1836. 
His  ancestors  were  natives  of  England,  and  his  father,  Osborn  Acton, 
was  born  in  Maryland.  He  was  married  in  Ohio  to  Miss  Rachel  Het- 
rick,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  whose  ancestors  were  from  Germany. 
Henry  L.  was  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  six  children.  In  185 1  he  came 
with  his  father,  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  has  since  resided,  ex- 
cepting about  two  years,  when  he  lived  in  Kansas.  In  1872  he  moved  to 
his  present  location,  and  now  owns  a  farm-of  160  acres.  During  1861  he 
was  in  the  Missouri  State  militia  for  six  months.  March  8,  1863,  Mr. 
Acton  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  A.  Kunkel,  who  was  born  in  Mor- 
row County,  Ohio,  January  3,  1844.  Her  father,  Barnabas  Kunkel,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Catharine 
Secrest,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  A.  was  the  second  child  in  a 
family  often,  and  in  1848  came  to  Missouri.  They  have  had  five  child- 
ren, two  of  whom  are  now  living,  Lillie  R.  and  John  F.  Mr.  A.  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  he  is  also  a  minister  of 
that  denomination,  holding  a  quarterly  conference  license. 

JOHN  J.  ADAMS, 

farmer,  section  21,  the  second  child  in  a  family  of  eight,  was  born  in 
Edgar  County,  Illinois,  November  17,  1836,  his  ancestors  having  been 
natives  of  Kentucky.  His  father,  Jacob  T.  Adams,  went  to  Illinois  when 
113  years  of  age,  and  there  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Cunningham, 
daughter  of  James  Cunningham,  a  native  of  Virginia.  John  J.  Adams 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  in  1855,  ne  ^e^  his 
parents'  home,  and  in  1858,  came  west.  He  made  a  number  of  trips 
across  the  plains  to  Denver,  Utah  Territory,  etc.,  and  continued  the 
freighting  business  till  the  spring  of  1866,  being  a  part  of  the  time  in 
Holt  County.  Since  1866,  he  has  made  this  county  his  home,  and  in 
1873,  he  located  on  his  farm,  where  he  has  since  resided.  His  farm 
:ontains  200  acres.  Mr.  A.  was  married  to  Marila  Leech,  October  21, 
[877.  She  was  born  in  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  October  27,  i860.  They 
lave  two  children  :  Sallie  and  Charlie. 

10 


I46  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

JONATHAN  ANDES, 

farmer,  section  9,  was  born  in  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  July  30, 
181 1.  His  grand  parents  were  natives  of  Maryland,  and  his  father  was 
born  in  Virginia.  He  was  there  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Good,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia,  and  they  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom 
Jonathan  was  the  oldest.  When  he  was  about  three  years  of  age  his 
parents  moved  to  Rockingham  County,  Virginia,  where  he  was  reared, 
receiving  a  fair  education  both  in  German  and  English.  March  7,  1839, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Roadcap,  who  was  born  in  Page  County, 
Virginia,  November  18,  1818,  the  third  of  a  family  of  fourchildren.  Her 
father,  Daniel  Roadcap,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  her  mother,  form- 
erly Frances  Hoffman,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  After  his  marriage 
Mr.  Andes  located  in  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  and  in  1853  he  immi- 
grated, with  his  family,  to  Delaware  County,  Indiana,  where  he  continued 
to  live  till  1871,  when  they  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He  has  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  from  boyhood,  and  now  has  a  landed  estate 
of  over  681  acres,  a  part  of  which  he  has  given  to  his  children.  His  home 
farm  contains  over  201  acres,  which  is  finely  improved,  his  house  and 
surroundings  presenting  an  attractive  appearance.  Their  family  con- 
sists of  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living  :  Elizabeth,  born  Au- 
gust 31,  1 841  ;  William  C,  born  June  4,  1845  ;  Frances,  born  September 
5,  1849;  Susan,  born  November  21,  185 1  ;  Mary  A.,  born  April  14,  1858; 
Martha,  born  May  16,  i860  ;  Amanda,  born  January  I,  1864. 

WILLIAM  C.  ANDES, 

one  of  Holt  County's  most  active  and  extensive  farmers,  was  born  in 
Rockingham  County,  Virginia,  June  4,  1845,  and  resided  in  the  same 
localities  as  his  parents,  Jonathan  and  Anna  (Roadcap)  Andes,  till  18:9, 
when  he  came  from  Deleware  County,  Indiana,  to  Holt  County,  Missouri. 
He  has  made  farming  his  occupation  during  life,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  years,  when  frfe  was  engaged  in  working  at  the  carpenter's  trade. 
His  estate  consists  of  400  acres  of  good  land.  He  is  a  member  of  Mound 
City  Lodge  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  Mr.  Andes  was  married  February 
15,  1 87 1,  to  Miss  Emma  Shafer,  a  daughter  of  John  Shafer,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania.  She  was  born  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  March, 
1847.  They  have  had  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  now  living:  Laura, 
Eliza,  Millard  and  Ida. 

S.  B.  AUSTIN 

is  of  S.  B.  &  J.  M.  Austin,  a  leading  firm  of  Mound  City.  The  mercantile 
trade  of  Holt  County,  is  ably  represented  by  these  parties,  who  do  a  large 
and  successful  business.     They  are  both  men  of  experience,  having  worked 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP.  1 47 

in  the  dry  goods  trade  from  boyhood.  >  Their  father,  Jeremiah  Austin, 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  emigrated  to  New  York,  and  while  in  that 
State  he  was  married  at  Fort  Covington  to  Miss  Betsie  Howard,  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire.  They  located  in  Morley,  St.  Lawrence  County, 
New  York,  where  S.  B.  and  J.  AT.  Austin  were  born, the  former  on  June 
15,  1844,  and  J.  M.  on  the  6th  of  November  1841.  They  were  reared 
and  educated  in  their  native  town,  and  during  their  boyhood  days 
assisted  their  father,  who  was  a  lumber  dealer,  in  that  business.  In  1862 
S.  B.  Austin  went  to  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  where  he  was  employed  as 
clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store  till  the  winter  of  1870,   when  he   came  to  St. 

* 

Joseph,  Missouri.  There  he  followed  different  mercantile  pursuits  till 
1874,  when  he  came  to  Mound  City,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been 
engaged  in  his  present  business,  though  under  different  firm  names.  Mr. 
A.  was  married  October  15,  1874  to  Miss  Josia  Pitcher,  a  daugther  of  S. 
D.  Pitcher,  a  native  of  Connecticut.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Margaret  Drew,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Austin  was  born  in  Clay 
County,  Missouri,  March  18,  1853,  and  was  married  at  Liberty,  where  she 
had  been  educated.  They  have  one  child,  George  F.  In  the  year  1857, 
J.  M.  Austin  went  to  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  where  he  was  for  six 
years  engaged  in  selling  goods,  after  which  he  accepted  a  position  as 
salesman  in  a  large  retail  dry  goods  house  of  Boston.  This  he  contin- 
ued for  two  years,  and  from  that  time  till  the  latter  part  of  1875,  he  was 
engaged  as  traveling  salesman  over  the  State  of  New  York  in  the  inter- 
est of  different  wholesale  dry  goods  houses  of  Boston  and  New  York. 
Among  his  employers  were  Swedser,  Swan  &  Blodget,  and  Ordway,  Brad- 
bury &  Co.,  both  of  Boston,  he  being  with  the  latter  firm  from  January, 
1866,  till  the  Boston  fire,  which  occurred  November  9,  1872.  Mr.  A. 
then  traveled  from  New  York  till.  1874,  the  first  year  being  with  Diggs, 
Cunningham  &  Co.,  then  with  S.  B.  Chittendon  &  Co.,  after  which  time 
he  returned  to  Boston.  F'or  a  period  he  traveled  for  Perry,  Cook  &  Tower. 
In  the  latter  part  of  1875,  he  came  west,  and  since  then  has  journeyed 
over  Kansas,  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  from  St.  Joseph,  Kansas  City 
and  St.  Louis.  July  1,  1881,  he  came  to  Mound  City,  Missouri,  where  he 
had  previously  had  an  interest  in  business  for  some  time. 

J.    P.   BAGBY, 

farmer,  section  g,  is  a  son  of  Richard  Bagby,  Esq.,  who  was  born  in  Rock- 
bridge County,  Virginia,  and  when  about  fifteen  years  old  moved  to 
Kentucky,  locating  in  Barren  County.  There  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  M.  Field,  a  native  of  Virginia.  They  emigrated  to  Missouri  in  the 
year  1837.  J.  P.  was  born  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  August  30, 
1841.  In  1851,  with  his  parents,  he  came  to  Holt  County  and  located  on 
the  place  where   he  now  resides.     His  farm  consists  of  280  acres.     Mr- 


148  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

B.  served  in  the  late  war,  from  1861  until  its  close,  being  in  the  Confeder- 
ate service.  He  was  was  mustered  out  of  Co.  A.  Sixteenth  Missouri.  He 
is  a  member  of  Mound  City  Lodge  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  Mr.  Bagby 
was  married  September  14,  1872,  to  Miss  Nancy  Rodgers,  and  by  this 
marriage  they  had  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Samuel, 
Robert  G.,  and  Martha  M.  Mrs.  B.  was  born  in  Monroe  County,  Iowa, 
January  14,  1849.  Her  father,  James  Rodgers,  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Martha  Mudd,  was  a 
Kentuckian  by  birth. 

GEORQE    BENNETT, 

of  the  firm  of  Bennett  &  Demming,  dealers  in  drugs,  stationery,  etc.,  is  a 
son  of  George  J.  and  Jane  (McDonald)  Bennett,  who  were  residents  of 
London  when  George  was  born,  November  24,  1840.  He  was  educated 
in  London,  and  during  the  last  year  of  his  abode  there  was  engaged  in 
selling  drugs.  In  1855,  he  came  to  America,  landing  at  San  Francisco, 
where  he  was  employed  at  various  branches  of  business,  clerking,  etc., 
till  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  C, 
Third  California  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  remained  in  service  for  three 
years  and  three  months,  being  mustered  out  as  orderly  sergeant.  After 
his  enlistment,  his  regiment  was  called  to  Utah  Territory,  where  they 
were  stationed  during  his  time  in  service.  Mr.  B.  remained  in  Salt  Lake 
City  one  year  after  being  mustered  out,  and  then  went  to  Montana,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  clerking.  He  subsequently  came  to  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  where  he  was  occupied  in  farming  till  1879,  when  he  came  to 
Mound  City,  and  embarked  in  his  present  business.  He  has  acted  as 
county  assessor  for  three  years,  and  as  deputy  for  four  years,  in  a  very 
acceptable  manner.  Mr.  Bennett  was  married  July  1.3,  1869,  to  Miss 
Julia  E.  Demming,  a  daughter  of  Butler  Demming,  of  Ohio.  They  have  had 
six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living:  George  O.,  Guy,  Clara  and  Ed. 
McCoy. 

URIAH  AND  JAMES  BLAIR, 

among  the  very  first  settlers  in  Benton  Township,  are  natives  of  Indiana. 
Uriah  was  born  March  22,  1825,  and  James  was  born  December  26,  1826. 
Their  parents,  John  M.  and  Mary  E.  (Billings)  Blair,  had  a  family  of  six 
children,  the  first  two  of  whom  were  twins,  one  daughter  and  one  son, 
Uriah.  James  was  the  next  child  born.  In  1827  they  moved  to  Pike 
County,  Illinois,  and  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  that  State.  In  1836 
they  visited  Iowa,  locating  on  Skunk  River,  where  Mrs.  Blair  died.  After 
this  event  they  returned  to  Pike  County,  Illinois,  where  they  lived  till 
1839,  and  then  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  located  in  section  20, 
township  61,  range  38.  This  farm  is  now  owned  by  Uriah  and  James  Blair, 
the  formar  having  170  acres  and  Jam^s  193  acres.     At  the  time  they  set- 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP.  149 

tied  in  Benton  Township  there  were  no  people  living  within  its  present 
boundaries  but  Indians.  They  attended  school  in  the  first  schoolhouse 
built  in  the  township,  which  was  a  log  cabin  without  even  a  fire-place, 
though  on  one  side  a  log  was  left  out  for  a  window.  The  building  was 
erected  in  1840,  in  section  17,  township  61,  range  38,  by  the  Blair  family, 
the  Baldwin  family  (the  second  settlers  in  the  township),  James  Kimsey, 
John  Hughes  and  one  other  person.  The  first  session  was  taught  by  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Lattimore,  from  the  East,  he  being  known  as  the  Yankee 
teacher.  In  the  spring  of  1849  Uriah  and  James  Blair,  in  company  with  a 
large  expedition,  started  from  Holt  County  for  California.  Their  father 
also  accompanied  them.  The  party  left  about  May  10,  and  the  senior  Blair 
died  while  on  the  road,  on  Carson  River,  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  and  was  there  buried.  While  in  California  the  brothers  were 
engaged  in  gold  mining,  on  the  tributaries  of  the  American  River. 
James  returned  to  Holt  County  in  February,  1850,  and  his  brother  in  the 
summer  of  the  same  year.  Uriah  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War.  He 
was  sworn  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  at  Leavenworth,  July  4, 
1847,  as  a  member  of  what  was  known  as  the  Oregon  Battalion,  attached 
to  Col.  Powell's  regiment.  The  expedition  ascended  the  Missouri  River 
and  returned  to  what  is  now  Nebraska  City,  where  they  remained  during 
the  winter  of  1847-8,  and  the  next  spring  set  out  across  the  plains  for 
Fort  Kearney.  News  reached  them  of  the  close  of  the  war  and  they 
were  ordered  back  to  Leavenworth  to  be  discharged.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat before  the  late  war,  but  has  since  been  a  Republican.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  December  16,  1858, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Eveline  Mackey,  by  which  marriage  there  were 
born  seven  children  :  Alice  M.,  C.  Calvin,  Mary  E.,  Eva  Z.,  Frank  N., 
Cora  I.  (now  deceased),  and  George  D.  Mrs.  Blair,  the  fourth  child  in  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  was  born  in  Pike  County,  Missouri,  January 
30,  1840.  She  was  reared,  educated  and  married  in  her  native  county. 
Her  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  her  father,  Cyrus  Mackey, 
of  North  Carolina,  who  came  to  Missouri  in  an  early  day  and  was  mar- 
ried, in  Pike  County,  to  Miss  Charlotta  Jones,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  She 
now  lives  in  Pike  County,  Missouri.  Mr.  James  Blair  was  married 
April  8,  1852,  to  Miss  Emeline  Jasper.  Twelve  children  were  the  fruit 
of  this  union,  ten  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Dr.  F.,  William  D.,  Truston, 
Lena  B.,  Anna  E.,  Minnie  M.,  Robert  and  Mattie  (twins),  James  and 
Walter.  Mrs.  Blair's  father,  Merrill  Jasper,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  he  was  there  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Shepherd,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. They  moved  to  Missouri  in  an  early  day,  and  lived  in  Pike 
County  till  about  1844,  when  they  came  to  Holt  County.  Mr.  Jasper  died 
in  August,  1845,  and  Mrs.  Jasper  in  March,  1873.-  They  had  a  family  of 
six  children,  Mrs.  Blair  being  the  second  child. 


150  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

JACOB  BOHART, 

farmer,  section  34,  is  the  son  of  Philip  Bohart,  who  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  who  came  to  America  when  about  eight  years  of  age. 
He  was  married  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  to  Miss  Martha  Russell, 
who  was  born  in  South  Carolina.  They  had  a  family  of  ten  children, 
Jacob  being  the  fourth.  He  was  born  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri, 
July  25,  1845.  When  he  was  eleven  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  followed 
farming  as  an  occupation  during  life,  and  now  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  He  was  married  February  15,  1868,  to  Martha  A. 
Gibson,  a  native  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  born  April  20,  1849.  Her 
parents  were  John  and  Sarah  Gibson,  the  former  a  native  of  England, 
and  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  Their  family  consists  of  one  child,  Anna 
E.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 

JOHN  R.   BRINK, 

■ 

of  the  firm  of  Brink  &  Spencer,  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  Mound 
City  News,  was  born  near  Chillicothe,  Ross  County,  Ohio,  September  27, 
1856.  His  father,  John  Q.  Brink,  was  also  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio, 
and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Cryder,  of  Ross  County.  They 
had  five  children,  John  R.  being  the  second  in  the  family.  In  1865,  the 
family  moved  to  Missouri,  and  located  in  Nodaway  Count)-.  John's  boy- 
hood days  were  passed  on  a  farm,  in  a  dry  goods  store  and  in  school,  he 
receiving  an  excellent  education,  which  ably  qualified  him  for  a  teacher, 
and  he  began  the  occupation  of  teaching  when  about  eighteen  years  of 
age,  and  followed  the  profession  principally  for  about  five  years.  Janu- 
ary 28,  1880,  he  came  to  Mound  City,  and  purchased  a  half  interest  in 
the  Mound  City  News.  Mr.  Brink  was  married  October  5,  1880,  to  Miss 
Helen  Kavanaugh,  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  seven  children.  She  was 
born  near  Maryville,  in  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  her  father,  Nicholas 
Kavanaugh,  being  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Serepta  Saunders,  and  she  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  Messrs.  Brink 
&  Spencer  are  publishers  of  a  live,  interesting  and  spicy  paper,  and  being 
the  only  firm  not  using  a  patent  sheet,  are  enjoying  a  large  circulation. 

NAPOLEON  AND  JAMES  BROWNING, 

farmers,  section  19,  are  both  natives  of  Clark  County,  Kentucky,  Napo- 
leon having  been  born  December  22,  1835,  and  Jameson  the  4th  of  June, 
1844.  Their  father,  Francis  C.  Browning,  was  born  in  Clark  County, 
Kentucky,  June  11,  1798,  and  was  married  in  the  same  county  to  Miss 
Nancy   Johnson,  who    was    born    in   Clark   County,   Kentucky,    May  29, 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP  I  5  I 

1806.  They  moved  to  Missouri  in  the  year  1846,  locating  in  Platte 
County,  and  in  the  spring  of  1848  they  came  to  Holt  County,  where 
Francis  C.  Browning  died,  in  March,  1853.  They  had  a  'family  of  nine 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Eda,  Susan  E.,  Almeda,  William, 
Alwilda,  Napoleon  and  James.  Mrs.  Browning  now  lives  with  James 
Browning,  her  youngest  son,  and  owns  a  farm  of  160  acres.  Napoleon 
Browning  is  a  member  of  Mound  City  Lodge  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A. 
M.  He  was  married  April  15,  1858,  to  Miss  Margaret  R.  Wilson,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Wilson.  She  was  born  in  Hardy  County,  Virginia, 
December  23,  1842.  Tney  have  six  children  :  Lucy  A.,  born  June  10, 
1863  ;  Annie  V.  L.,  born  March  22,  1865  ;  Elizabeth  J.,  born  October 
14,  1869  ;  Frazer,  born  July  21,  1870;  Mary  M.,  born  January  6,  1875  ; 
Effie  B.,  born  April  21,  1878.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church.  He  is  an  elder  and  trustee  in  that  church.  James 
Browning  was  married  November  6,  1864,  to  Miss  Millie  Clark,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Berry  Clark,  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Margaret  Meek,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  B. 
was  born  in  Henry  County,  Kentucky,  April  6,  1846.  They  have  five 
children  :  Montgomery  C,  born  September  29,  1865  ;  William  E.,  born 
March  16,  1870:  Cora  T.,  born  June  22,  1872  ;  James  L.,  born  February 
17,  1875,  and  Marian  B.,  born  August  22,  1878. 

GEORGE  H.  CARPENTER 

is  an  extensive  dealer  in  harness  and  saddles.  His  grandfather,  Sylves- 
ter G.  Carpenter,  was  from  New  York,  and  was  there  married.  Bishop 
Carpenter,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  also  a  native  of 
the  same  state,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Weddle,  of  New  York,  her 
parents  being  natives  of  England.  George  H.  Carpenter  was  born  in 
Warren  County,  New  York,  February  24,  1824.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Warren  County.  In 
1846,  he  immigrated  to  Carroll  County,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  till  the  fall  of  1876,  except  during  the  years  1860-61,  which 
time  was  spent  in  the  mining  country  of  California.  In  the  fall  of  1876, 
he  came  to  Mound  City,  Mo.,  where  he  was  occupied  in  the  furniture 
business  till  January,  1881,  when  he  began  at  his  present  calling,  in 
which  he  is  meeting  with  great  success.  He  is  the  representative  busi- 
ness man  in  his  line  of  trade  in  this  city.  Mr.  C.  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried :  First,  May  I,  1846,  to  Miss  Minerva  Balcom,  a  daughter  of  Uriah 
and  Patience  Balcom,  who  were  both  natives  of  Vermont.*  Mrs.  Car- 
penter was  born  in  Warren  County,  New  York,  in  the  year  1822,  and 
died  January  I,  1868.  They  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  now 
living,  Augusta  and  Jenevia.  He  took  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Alice 
A.  Morey,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Charlotte  Morey,  both  natives  of 


152  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

New  York.  Mrs.  Carpenter  was  born  in  Warren  County,  New  York, 
July  12,  1848.  They  have  had  two  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now 
living,  George  W.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

T.  EBEN  COOPER, 

manufacturer  of  fine  boots  and  shoes,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Cooper,  a 
native  of  New  York,  who  in  later  life  emigrated  to  Ohio,  where  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Matilda  Pickard,  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  had  a  family 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  T.  Eben  Cooper  was  the  fifth.  He  was  born 
in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  November  9,  1854,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  county.  When  twelve  years  of  age  he  began  to 
learn  his  present  trade  in  the  town  of  Fillmore,  which  he  continued  till 
1875,  when  he  disposed  of  his  shop  on  account  of  failing  health  and  went 
to  Iowa.  He  was  there  engaged  at  his  trade  in  different  parts  of  the 
State  till  February  1876,  when  he  came  to  Mound  City,  and  since  then 
has  been  interested  in  his  present  business  and  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful men  in  his  line  in  Northwest  Missouri.  He  is  well  known  to  this 
vicinity  as  a  first-class  mechanic,  and  gives  general  satisfaction  to  all 
his  customers.  Mr.  Cooper  was  married  November  9,  1876,  to  Miss 
Martha  L.  Gregory,  a  daughter  of  Rufus  R.  Gregory,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Crawford,  a  native  of 
Ohio.  Mrs.  C.  was  born  in  Lewis  County,  Kentucky,  March  6,  1852. 
They  have  had  two  children,  and  of  these  one  is  living,  Ernest.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  C.  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

CHARLES  K.  CORSAUT, 

of  the  firm  of  Corsaut  &  Meyer,  merchants,  is  a  native  of  London, 
Ontario  and  was  born  September  2,  185 1.  He  is  the  youngest  child  in 
a  family  of  eleven  children,  and  was  a  son  of  James  Corsaut,  who  was  a 
native  of  New  York.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Millie  Farrar,  a 
native  of  Massachusetts.  Charles  was  reared  in  his  native  city  till  he 
attained  his  fourteenth  year,  receiving  his  education  in  the  Helmoth 
College.  He  also  attended  the  London  Commercial  College,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  the  year  1869.  The  principal  part  of  his 
time,  from  the  age  of  sixteen  till  the  year  1874,  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching  school  and  keeping  books  for  lumber  firms  on  the  Lake  Shore 
and  Michigan  Southern  Railroad.  In  1874  he  came  to  Mound  City  and 
was  occupied  in  teaching  till  1876,  when  he  accepted  a  clerkship  of  W. 
M.  Hamsher  &  Co.  This  he  continued  two  years,  and  was  then  for  one 
year  associated  in  the  business  as  one  of  the  firm.  In  February,  1880, 
he  became  a  member  of  his  present  firm,  which  occupied  their  new 
building  December   1,   1881.     He   is  a  member  of  Mound  City  Lodge, 


BENTON     TOWNSHIP.  1 53 

No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.;  also  the  Keystone  Chapter,  of  Mound  City. 
Mr.  Corsaut  was  married  January  7,  1880,  to  Miss  Maggie,  a  daughter 
of  Andrew  Meyer,  Esq.  She  was  born  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  June 
18,  1856,  and  died  May  9,  1881.     They  had  one  child,  Maggie  N. 

AMER  CRANNELL, 

dealer  in  grain,  buggies,  spring  wagons,  etc.,  was  born  in  Hadley,  Sara- 
toga County,  New  York,  February  II,  1838.  He  was  the  fifth  of  a  family 
ofnine  children.  His  father,  Elijah  Crannell,  was  a  farmer,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Lord.  He  received  a  limited  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  the  country,  and  was  raised  to  habits  of 
industry,  working  the  greater  part  of  his  early  life  on  a  farm.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1856,  he  left  his  native  home  and  emigrated  west,  landing  in  Jack- 
son County,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  till  1861.  In  the  spring 
of  that  year  he  crossed  the  plains  with  an  ox  team,  and  reached  Oriville, 
California,  in  September  following.  In  the  last  week  of  that  month  he 
enlisted  in  the  Second  California  Cavalry,  U.  S.  service,  and  went  with 
his  troop  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  duly  sworn  in,  and  with  his 
command,  Company  D.,  repaired  to  New  San  Pedro,  California,  where 
they  established  a  camp.  They  remained  there  till  June,  1862,  when 
they  moved  to  Camp  Latham,  six  miles  up  the  coast,  about  eighteen 
miles  from  Los  Angeles.  In  the  three  years  which  he  remained  in  the 
service,  his  command  was  frequently  engaged  with  the  Indians.  The  lat- 
ter they  removed  finally  to  a  reservation  near  Fort  Tejon.  Company 
D.,  of  the  Second  California  Cavalry,  during  their  campaign  in  this 
country,  established  Fort  Independence,  in  Owen  River  Valley.  They 
continued  to  operate  against  the  Indians  and  rebels  of  that  country  till 
October,  1864,  when  they  were  ordered  to  San  Francisco,  where  they 
were  mustered  out.  This  closed  the  military  career  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  who  filled,  at  different  times  during  the  period  of  his  service, 
the  positions  of  farrier  and  commissary  sergeant.  In  March,  1865,  he 
left  California  and  returned  home  by  way  of  Panama,  arriving  at  his 
home  in  Icwa  on  the  day  of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  In 
1869  he  married,  in  Iowa,  Miss  Cornelia  E.  Bates,  daughter  of  David  B. 
Bates.  By  this  marriage  he  has  five  children  living,  four  sons  and  one 
daughter.  In  December,  1871,  Mr.  Crannell  moved  with  his  family  to 
Maryville,  Missouri,  and  thence,  in  1872,  to  Mound  City,  Missouri,  where 
he  has  since  continued  to  reside,  pursuing,  in  the  meantime,  various 
branches  of  business,  and  contributing  to  the  growth  and  advancement 
of  that  important  commercial  center,  of  which  he  is  recognized  as  a  rep- 
resentative and  eminently  pop.ular  citizen.  He  established,  in  partner- 
ship with  J.  F.  Davis,  the  first  exclusive  hardware  store  in  Mound  City, 
and  subsequently  the  first  extensive  harness  factory.  He  is  no  longer 
identified  with  either  of  these  interests. 


154  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

CHARLES  CRAWFORD, 

farmer,  section  20,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1834. 
When  fifteen  years  of  age  he  emigrated  to  America,  after  which  he  was 
engaged  in  various  employments,  in  many  different  States.  In  1856  he 
located  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
farming,  and  now  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  'acres. 
During  the  war  he  served  in  the  militia  for  about  nine  months.  Decem- 
ber 8,  1 861,  Mr.  C.  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  R.  Collins,  who  was 
born  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  October,  1844.  They  have  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  are  now  living  three  boys  and  four  girls  :  William, 
James,  Hattie  M.,  Minnie  I.,  Rebecca  L.,  Myrtie  E.  and  Oscar. 

CAPTAIN  DAVID  T.  CUMMINS, 

farmer,  section  30,  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  July  30,  1839. 
His  father,  George  Cummins,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
married  in  Ohio,  to  Miss  Carolina  Hoblitzell,  who  was  a  native  of  Ohio. 
They  had  a  family  of  fifteen  children,  David  T.  being  the  seventh  child. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  was  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  in 
April,  1861,  enlisted  in  Company  I,  of  the  three  months'  service  under 
McClellan.  He  acted  as  first  duty  sergeant,  after  which  he  enlisted  in 
Company  H,  Sixty-fourth  Ohio  Infantry,  organized  by  John  Sherman, 
and  known  as  Sherman's  brigade.  He  remained  in  service  till  October 
24,  1864,  when  he  was  mustered  out  as  captain.  He  was  wounded  June 
18,  1864,  at  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain,  for  which  he  draws  a  pen- 
sion. After  he  returned  from  service,  Mr.  C.  remained  in  Ohio  till  the 
spring  of  1865,  when  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Holt  County, 
where  he  has  since  resided  except  for  about  eighteenth  months,  when  he 
was  in  Brown  County,  Kansas.  During  the  years  1867-8  he  was  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  trade  in  Oregon.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  160  acres,  on 
which  he  located  in  December,  1878.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  also  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Captain  Cummins  was 
married  February  25,  1864,  to  Miss  Jennie  Dixon.  They  have  three 
children  :  Charley  Sherman,  Phil  Sheridan,  Zella  Dixon.  Mrs.  C.  was 
born  in  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  August  28,  1848.  Her  parents,  John 
and  Margaret  (Robinson)  Dixon,  were  both  natives  of  Ohio.  Mrs.  C. 
was  reared  and  educated  in  her  native  county,  and  graduated  from  the 
Springfield  Female  Seminary  in  June,  1863. 

JONAS   B.  DENNY, 

dealer  in  drugs  and  druggists'  sundries,  was  born  in  Washington  County, 
Indiana,  March  12,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  Christopher  H.  and  Phoebe 
(Wright)  Denny,  who  were  both  natives  of  the  same  county  as  himself. 


r.ENTON    TOWNSHIP.  1 55 

Jonas  was  educated  in  Washington  County,  and  there  resided  on  a  farm 
till  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Fifth  Indiana  Cavalry,  of  the 
Ninetieth  Regiment,  and  remained  in  service  till  June,  1865.  He  was 
then  mustered  out,  as  regimental  bugler,  having  been  in  many  important 
battles,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  native  county.  In  the  spring  of 
1866  he  came  to  Missouri,  and  located  in  Holt  County,  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  till  1872,  when  he  located  in  Corning  and  embarked  in  the 
mercantile  trade,  as  one  of  the  firm  of  Denny  Brothers  &  Co.  They  con- 
tinued to  sell  goods  in  that  town  for  two  years,  when  they  moved  their 
stock  to  Milton,  Atchisbn  County.  In  1878  Mr.  Denny  sold  his  interest 
and  came  to  Mound  City,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  sell- 
ing drugs,  having  occupied  his  present  place  of  business,  in  Meyer's  Opera 
House,  since  October  26,  1881.  He  is  also  agent  for  the  Buckeye  reaper 
and  mower.  He  is  a  member  of  Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  294,  A.  F.  and 
A.  M.  Mr.  Denny  was  married  December  16,  1869,  to  Miss  Mariah  L. 
Rayhill,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Rayhill,  who  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  Her 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Morris,  also  a  native  of  Indiana. 
Mrs.  Denny  was  born  in  Washington  County,  March  28,  1849,  an<^  came 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  the  year  1865.  They  have  a  family  ot  three 
child  en  :  Orrie  E.,  Arthur  J.  and  Nell  K.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church. 

LEVI  DODGE, 

proprietor  of  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  is  a  descendant  of  Caleb  Dodge,  who 
was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  who  was  there  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Woodberry.  Edward  Dodge,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  also  born  in  New  Hampshire,  and,  with  the  family,  emigrated 
to  Maine,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Loraine  Dand,  a  native  of 
Maine.  Levi  Dodge  was  born  in  Waldo  County,  Maine,  July  5,  1814, 
and  the  same  year  the  family  moved  to  Athens  County,  Ohio,  and,  in 
fall  of  1837,  to  Clinton  County,  Missouri.  He  was  married  in  Athens 
County,  Ohio,  January  12th,  1834,  to  Sarah  Hursey.  She  was  born  in 
Maine,  February  8,  1813,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Ariel  Hursey,  a  Free 
Will  Baptist  preacher,  who  had  moved  to  Athens  County,  Ohio,  in  18 14. 
Mr.  Dodge  was  engaged  in  farming,  in  Clinton  County,  till  1850,  when 
he  moved  to  Filmore,  Andrew  County,  and,  in  the  fall  of  1852,  settled 
on  Squaw  Creek,  in  Holt  County,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  John 
Schrautz.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  this  part  of  Missouri, 
and  made  the  first  path  between  there  and  Graham.  During  a  a  part  of 
1853  he  sold  goods  at  Graham,  and  kept  the  first  post  office  ever  estab- 
lished in  the  place  ;  not  having  any  mail  carrier,  he  made  up  a  subscrip- 
tion, amounts  from  one  cent  and  upwards  being  given.  Removing  to 
Nebraska,  in  1854,  Mr.  D.  kept  a  trading  post  at   the  falls  of  Nemaha, 


156  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

having  no  one  but  Indians  for  his  associates.  In  1856,  he  was  in  busi- 
ness on  the  old  California  trail,  in  Kansas.  In  1857  and  1858  he  wasl 
engaged  in  a  speculative  enterprise  at  Winnebago,  Nebraska,  which 
proved  unsuccessful,  and,  in  the  fall  of  1859,  ne  returned  to  Holt  County j 
where  he  has  since  resided.  During  eighteen  years  he  has  moved  seven- 
teen times.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  till  1876,  when  he  moved  tol 
Mound  City,  with  the  intention  of  living  a  retired  life,  but  has  sincej 
made  many  improvements  to  the  town.  In  1876,  he  discovered  medical 
properties  in  his  mineral  well,  and,  in  1877,  he  prepared  a  pool,  which 
he  named  the- Pool  of  Siloam,  and  commenced  the  erection  of  a  bath 
room.  During  the  summer  of  1878,  at  a  very  great  expense,  he  made 
the  present  Pool  of  Siloam,  the  water  being  supplied  by  springs. 
Adjoining  this  is  a  beautiful  park,  adorned  with  shade  trees  and  shrub- 
bery. He  has,  in  the  present  (1882)  year,  erected  a  hotel  on  the  upper 
bank  of  the  park,  which  is  occuped  by  Dr.  Pool  as  an  infirmary.  The 
analysis  of  the  water,  which  was  made  in  the  fall  of  1879,  may  be  seen 
in  other  parts  of  our  history.  Mr.  Dodge  is  one  of  the  leading  and 
most  prominent  citizens  in  Holt  County,  and  deserves  much  credit  from 
the  people  of  Mound  City,  for  the  interest  he  has  taken  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  town.  Mrs.  Dodge  died  January  14,  1879.  They  had  four 
children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living,  Gilbert  M. 

PROFESSOR  WILLIAM  F.  DRAKE 

is  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Mound  City.  In  order  that  a 
country,  city  or  town  may  advance  and  become  known  as  an  enlightened 
community,  nothing  is  more  essential  than  the  educational  advantages 
which  it  affords,  and  to  have  good  schools,  it  is  very  necessary  that  the 
educators  should  be  competent  to  fill  the  position  for  which  they  are 
employed  ;  but  to  do  this  energy  and  enterprise  must  exist.  The  citizens 
of  Mound  City  may  well  feel  proud  of  the  man  who  now  so  ably  fills  the 
position  of  principal  of  their  schools,  for  he  is  a  man  admirably  adapted 
to  that  calling.  The  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Stout 
Drake,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age 
emigrated  with  his  father  ( who  was  a  native  of  England )  to  Kentucky. 
He  was  married  in  the  latter  State  to  Miss  Huldah  Pangbern.  They 
emigrated  from  Kentucky  to  Ohio  in  1810,  and  located  in  Brown  County, 
where  Jonathan  S.  Drake,  the  father  of  William  was  born.  He  was  there 
married  to  Miss  Eleanor  Martin,  a  daughter  of  Joel  Martin,  who  was  a 
native  of  West  Virginia.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Jennie  Brown, 
a  native  of  Virginia.  Eleanor  Drake  was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio. 
She  and  her  husband  now  live  in  Ohio.  Prof.  William  F.  Drake  was  the 
second  child  in  a  family  of  eighteen  children.  He  was  born  in  Brown 
County,  Ohio,  November  16,  1840,  and   was   there  reared,  receiving  the 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP.  1 57 

advantages  of  the  common  schools.  He  afterwards  attended  Holbrook's 
National  Normal  of  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  while  not  in  school  passed  his 
time  on  alarm.  October  21,  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  K.,  Fifty-ninth 
Ohio  Infantry,  and  remained  in  service  till  the  close  of  the  war,  after 
which  time  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Sheridan  County.  There 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching  till  1870,  when  he  entered  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Kirksville  as  a  student,  and  from  that  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1872,  being  a  member  of  the  first  class  graduating  in  the 
institution.  In  1872  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  public  schools  of 
Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  continued  to  occupy  that  position 
for  two  years,  when  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Rock 
Port,  Atchison  County.  These  schools  he  conducted  with  great  satis- 
faction to  the  community  till  1880,  when  he  was  called  to  his  present 
position.  During  the  last  four  years  of  his  stay  in  Atchison  County,  he 
was  school  commissioner  of  the  county.  Since  coming  to  Mound  City, 
Prof.  Drake  has  not  only  been  interested  in  his  school,  but  in  various 
improvements  of  the  town,  having  erected  a  fine  resicence.  He  was 
married  February  5,  1874,  to  Amelia  C.  Kreek,  a  daughter  of  T.  I.  Kreek, 
now  of  Oregon,  Missouri,  and  who  was  a  native  of  Maryland.  Her 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Jackson,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
Mrs.  Drake  was  the  second  child  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  and  was 
born  in  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  August  5,  1855.  She  was  there 
reared,  educated  and  married.  Prof.  D.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  Mrs.  D.  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

P.  S.   DURHAM, 

of  the  firm  of  Durham  &  Mounts,  proprietors  of  livery  and  feed  stable,  is 
the  son  of  Joseph  Durham,  who  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to  Indiana, 
where  he  was  married  to  Margaret  Ricker,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  P.  S. 
Durham  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  six  children,  and  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana, October  16,  1837.  When  but  eleven  years  of  age,  he  left  his  father's 
home,  his  mother  having  died  a  short  time  previous,  and  went  to  Mercer 
County,  Illinois,  where  he  found  himself  to  be  among  strangers.  He 
worked  on  a  farm  in  Mercer  County,  and  attended  the  common  schools 
of  that  vicinity,  and  in  the  fall  of  1 870,  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  till  1877,  when  he  moved  to  Mound 
City.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  his  present  business.  He 
was  also  for  some  time  in  the  hotel  business.  Mr.  D.  is  Junior  Deacon 
of  Mound  City  Lodge  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  He  has  been  three 
times  married:  First,  June  25,  1857,  to  Miss  Catharine  Philips,  of  Indi- 
ana. She  was  born  in  the  year  1834,  and  died  in  1872.  They  had  eight 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living:  Albion,  Adda,  Flora,  Burt,  Carrie  and 
Alice.     He  took  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Fannie  Elliott,  of  Indiana,  her 


158  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

maiden  name  being  Fannie  Flemming.  She  died  in  the  year  1875.  They 
had  one  child,  Jennie.  Mr.  Durham's  third  marriage  occurred  February 
6,  1876,  to  Mrs.  Lucy  Chambers.  Her  maiden  name  was  Canada,  and 
she  was  born  in  Illinois,  December  23,  1832.  They  have  one  child, 
Florence. 

JOSEPH    R.  FERGUSON 

* 

is  of  the  firm  of  Groves  &  Ferguson,  dealers  in  general  merchandise.! 
Joseph  M.  Ferguson,  his  grandfather,  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Mary  Young,  a  native  of  Jessa- 
mine County,  of  the  same  state.  Richard  Y.  Ferguson,  the  father  of 
Joseph  R.,  was  born  in  Jessamine  County,  Kentucky,  and  in  183 1  or  1832 
he  came  to  Missouri  and  was  married  in  Franklin  County  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Chitwood,  who  was  born  in  the  same  county.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Seth  Chitwood,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Her  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Margaret  Caldwell,  who  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Missouri. 
Joseph  R.  Ferguson,  one  of  Mound  City's  most  enterprising  merchants, 
is  the  first  child  in  a  family  consisting  of  seven  children,  and  was  born 
in  Franklin- County,  Missouri,  August  8,  1851.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  county,  where  he  followed  farming  till  March,  1875,  when  he 
came  to  Holt  County,  and  located  in  Forest  City.  In  the  latter  place 
he  was  engaged  as  clerk  for  Joseph  Groves  till  January,  1880,  when  he 
became  connected  with  the  present  firm,  and  in  January,  1882,  opened 
out  their  present  store  in  Mound  City.  Mr.  Ferguson  wa"s  married  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1879,  to  Miss  Amelia  A.  Murphy,  who  was  born  in  Culpeper 
County,  Virginia,  May  23,  185  1,  a  daughter  of  James  T.  Murphy,  also  a 
native  of  Virginia.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Helen  Marshall, 
and  she  was  born  in  Virginia.  In  1856,  the  family  moved  to  Missouri, 
locating  in  Franklin  County.  Mrs.  F.  was  the  second  child  in  a  family 
of  eight  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ferguson  have  one  child,  Robert  M. 
They  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

ELWIN  PORTER  FORBES, 

farmer,  section  19,  was  born  in  Columbus,  New  York,  May  15,  1829.  His 
grandfather  was  a  native  of  England  and  early  emigrated  to  America, 
first  locating  in  Massachusetts,  and,  while  in  the  revolutionary  war,  he 
was  killed.  Alfred  Forbes,  the  father  of  E.  P.,  was  born  in  Massachu- 
setts, and,  while  his  father  was  in  the  war,  the  family  moved  to  Ver- 
mont, where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Zuliva  Bell,  a  native  of  Vermont. 
Subsequently  he  went  to  New  York.  They  had  a  family  of  nine  children, 
E.  P.  being  the  eighth  in  number.  When  he  was  two  years  old  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  Pennsylvania  and  located  in  Corydon,  and,  in  the  spring 
of  1843,  settled  in  Farmington,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  till  1848,  and  then 


BENTON     TOWNSHIP.  1 59 

came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  His  father  was  a  physician  by  profes- 
sion, but  E.  P.  learned  the  blacksmith  trade  while  in  Farmington.  This 
he  commenced  at  Jackson's  Poi  nt,  now  Mound  City,  there  at  that  time 
being  no  prospects  of  a  town.  Mr.  F.  helped  to  survey  the  town  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  eighteen  years.  During  the  war  he  was  in  Iowa. 
In  1867  he  moved  on  his  farm,  which  now  contains  eighty  acres,  and  near 
his  residence  he  has  a  fine  fish  pond,  which  is  well  stocked  with  fish. 
He  was  the  second  postmaster  in  Mound  City  and  held  that  position  for 
five  years.  He  was  married  in  the  spring  of  1852  to  Miss  Hannah  Por- 
ter, a  native  of  Ohio,  who  died  in  the  spring  of  1858.  They  had  three 
children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living,  Alfred  C.  and  Belvin.  Plummer 
is  deceased.  Mr.  Forbes  was  again  married  to  Mrs.  Dorathy  Nicholson, 
January  22,  1860.  Her  maiden  name  was  Hoover,  and  she  was  born  in 
Hardy  County,  Virginia,  February  12,  1826.  When  three  years  of  age 
her  parents,  John  and  Sarah  (Lykins)  Hoover  (both  natives  of  Virginia), 
moved  to  Madison  County,  Indiana,  and  she  was  there  married *to  Will- 
iam Nicholson,  January  22,  1846.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  May  14,  1818, 
and  died  May  5,  1852.  They  had  two  children,  Salona  and  Francis  M. 
(now  deceased).  In  1855  she  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  with  her 
parents. 

GEORGE  GILLIS, 

one  of  the  most  prominent  and  successful  pioneers  of  Holt  County, 
is  a  son  of  Jonathan  Gillis  and  Dollie,  nee  Oldfield,  both  natives 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  George  Gillis  was  born  in  Steuben 
County,  New  York,  July  23,  1808.  When  he  was  about  ten  years 
of  age  his  parents  started  for  the  State  of  Ohio,  their  mode  of  trans- 
portation to  the  Alleghany  River  being  by  team.  There  they  pur- 
chased a  boat  and  went  by  water  to  the  Sciota,  and  located  in  Sciota 
County,  where  George  grew  to  manhood.  He  received  but  a  limited 
education.  He  was  married,  February  14,  1834,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Dodge,  a  sister  of  Levi  Dodge,  also  now  a  prominent  citizen  of  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  and  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere.  She  .was  born 
in  Athens  County,  Ohio,  December  13,  1817.  Mr.  Gillis  lived  in  Athens 
County  two  years,  when  he  moved  by  ox  team,  to  LaPorte  County, 
Indiana.  Not  being  contented  to  settle  in  the  swamps  which  then 
existed  in  that  locality,  he  returned,  at  the  end  of  one  year,  to  Athens 
County,  Ohio,  and  from  there  emigrated  by  team,  in  1836,  to  Missouri, 
and  located  in  Clinton  County.  Since  the  fall  of  1843  he  has  been  a  cit- 
izen of  Holt  county,  except  for  three  years  during  the  war,  when  he  lived 
in  Mills  County,  Iowa.  During  that  conflict  he  was  neutral,  trying  to 
attend  to  his  own  affairs  and  not  meddle  with  outsiders.  Mr.  Gillis  has 
followed  farming  and  dealing  in  stock  as  an  occupation  during  life.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  the  stock  business  in  Holt  County,  and 


i6o 


HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  that  industry.  Being  one  of 
the  pioneers,  he  had  many  hardships  'to  endure,  as  is  customary  in  the 
settlement  of  a  new  country.  When  he  began  life  for  himself  he  was 
poor,  but  by  his  own  labor  and  business  management  he  has  accumu- 
lated considerable  wealth.  His  landed  estate,  at  the  present  time,  con- 
sists of  600  acres.  He  has  never  held  or  sought  after  office,  and  is  a 
member  of  no  secret  society.  He  has  raised  a  family  of  ten  children, 
all  but  one  of  whom  are  still  living.  The  children  are  as  follows: 
Edward,  Laurany  (now  deceased),  Levi,  Margaret,  Pollie,  Wayne, 
George,  Robert,  Cynthia,  and  Delia,  who  is  the  only  one  at  home. 

EDWARD  GILLIS, 

stock  dealer  and  breeder  of  fine  blooded  cattle,  section  24,  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  (Dodge)  Gillis,  and  was  born  in  Sciota  County, 
Ohio,  November  23,  1834.  He  resided  with  his  parents  in  their  various 
moves,  and  with  them  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  October,  1844. 
Here  he  has  since  resided  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  during  which 
time  he  was  in  Iowa.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  receiving  the  advant- 
ages of  a  common  school  education,  and  in  1855,  he  began  clerking  in  a 
store,  continuing  the  same  in  different  houses  till  1859,  when  he  bought 
a  stock  of  goods,  and  carried  on  business  for  himself  in  Mound  City  till 
1861.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  interested  in  farming  and  dealing 
in  stock,  and  has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  stock  men  in  the  county. 
He  was  among  the  very  first  to  invest  in  blooded  stock,  making  his  first 
purchase  of  thoroughbreds  in  February,  1872.  His  landed  estate  con- 
sists of  1,000  acres,  760  acres  joining  where  he  lives.  His  residence  is 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  county,  and  was  erected  in  1871,  being  located 
within  two  and  three-quarters  miles  of  Mound  City.  He  is  a  member  of 
Mound  City  Lodge  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  Keystone  Chapter  No. 
46,  and  also  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  fraternity.  Mr.  Gillis  was  married 
January  6,  1863,  to  Miss  Amanda  Moore,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  S.  Moore,  a 
native  of  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Clarissa  Skeen,  a  native  of  Rockingham  County,  Virginia.  Mrs.  G.  was 
born  in  Clinton  County,  Indiana,  August  1 1,  1837,  and  when  seven  years 
of  age,  her  parents  moved  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  and  two  years 
after  came  to  Holt  County.  They  have  eight  children,  seven  girls  and 
one  boy  :  Kittie,  George  B.,  Clara,  Debia,  Sadie,  Fannie,  Charlie  and 
Bettie.  Having  quite  a  family  of  girls,  Mr.  Gillis  has  chosen  the  plan  of 
educating  them  at  home  by  employing  a  teacher  and  using  one  room  of 
his  residence  for  the  school  room.  He  now  has  one  of  the  best  of 
instructors,  and  the  school  is  conducted  in  the  same  manner  as  the  com- 
mon schools  of  the  county. 


BENTON     TOWNSHIP.  l6l 

JOHN    H.   GLENN 

is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  R.  C.  Glenn  &  Co.,  extensive  dealers  in  fur- 
niture. They  also  have  in  an  adjoining  room  the  leading  drug  store  in 
the  city.  Their  business  is  carried  on  in  the  first  building  erected  in 
Holt  County,  having  an  iron  front.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  citizens  of  this  place,  and  was  born  in  Gallia 
County,  Ohio,  May  23,  18 18.  His  grandfather,  William  Glenn,  at  a  very 
early  period,  emigrated  from  Virginia  to  Ohio,  and  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  he  having  made  his  home 
there  when  thr  county  was  a  wilderness,  inhabited  by  only  a  few  scat- 
tering persons.  John's  father,  George  Glenn,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and 
was  a  small  boy  flirhen  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  father.  He  married 
Nancy  Carlisle,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  John  H.  Glenn  vvas  the  eldest 
child  by  this  marriage.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  Gallia  County,  Ohio, 
receiving  such  an  education  as  the  schools  ot  those  early  days  afforded. 
When  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  or  January  1,  1840,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Jane  Dupre,  who  belonged  to  a  family  of  French  descent,  and 
whose  ancesters  formerly  resided  on  the  Isle  of  Jersey.  After  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  G.  continued  to  live  in  Southern  Ohio,  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  and  milling  in  the  counties  of  Gallia  and  Highland  till  i860, 
when  he  drifted  westward  and  located  in  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He 
purchased  land  in  Whig  Valley,  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  beautiful 
farming  districts  in  the  county,  where  he  resided  till  1870.  During  the 
war  he  remained  on  his  farm  and  took.no  active  part  in  the  struggle, 
though  he  sympathized  with  the  Union  side.  In  1868  he  was  elected 
the  representative  from  Holt  County  in  the  General  Assembly  and  took 
his  seat  in  the  legislature  at  an  important  period  in  the  history  of  the 
state.  He  served  at  Jefferson  City  during  the  winters  of  1868-69  anc* 
1869-70,  and  represented  his  constituents  in  a  creditable  and  conscien- 
tious manner.  In  1870  he  gave  up  farming  and  removed  to  Mound 
City,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  had  five  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living :  Addison  N.,  Sheherzada  Angeline  (now 
deceased),  George  P.,  Nancy  J.  (wife  of  William  Mackay),  and  R.  C. 
Glenn.  Whether  or  not  the  name  of  "Whig  Valley"  offered  any 
inducements  for  Mr.  Glenn  to  settle  in  that  locality  when  he  first  came 
to  Holt  County,  the  fact  nevertheless  remains  that  in  politics  he  was 
originally  an  old  line  Whig  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  Whig  prin- 
ciples and  policy  as  long  as  the  party  of  Clay  and  Harrison  remained 
in  existence.  He  deposited  his  first  vote  for  president  for  General  Har- 
rison, the  Whig  candidate,  in  the  celebrated  "  log  cabin  and  hard  cider  " 
campaign  of  1840,  when  the  whole  country,  particularly  Ohio,  the  home 
of  Harrison,   was    ablaze    with    excitement     and     good    humored    log 

cabin  processions  and    jovial  barbecues    carried    the    hero    of    Tippe- 

11 


l62  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

noe  into  the  presidential  chair.  Mr.  Glenn  became  a  Republican  on 
the  formation  of  that  party  and  has  since  been  one  of  its  supporters, 
following  the  example  of  most  of  the  old  Ohio  Whigs  in  becoming  the 
bone  and  sinew  of  the  new  Republican  party,  and  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  political  affairs  and  contributed  to  the  success  of  that  party 
in  Holt  County. 

ADDISON  N.  GLENN, 

son  of  John  H.  Glenn,  was  born  in  Gallia  County,  Ohio,  September  16, 
1839,  and  is  the  oldest  child  of  his  father's  family.  He  resided  with  his 
parents,  in  different  locations,  and,  in  December,  1861,  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany H,  Twenty-fifth  Missouri  Infantry,  remaining  in  service  till  Novem- 
ber 18,  1864,  having  served  in  the  armies  of  the  Tennessee  and  the  Cumber- 
land. He  participated  in  a  number  of  important  battles,  and  was  mustered 
out  as  First  Lieutenant  of  Company  M,  First  Regiment  of  Missouri  En- 
gineering Corps.  Mr.  Glenn  then  returned  to  Holt  County,  Missouri  and 
located  on  a  farm,  where  he  resided  till  the  spring  of  1866,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  various  branches  of  business  in  Mound  City. 
For  a  period  he  held  the  position  of  postmaster.  He  was  married  May  24, 
1868,  to  Miss  Arville  A.  Evans,  a  daughter  of  John  T.  Evans,  a  native  of 
Virginia.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Frances  C.  Higley,  a  native  of 
Canada.  Mrs.  G.  was  born  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  January  22,  1841. 
Thev  have  one  child,  A.  Theresa. 

SAMUEL  GLICK, 

farmer,  section  22,  was  born  in  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  January 
2,  1835.  His  grandfather,  John  Glick,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  and 
Joseph  Glick,  his  father,  was  born  in  Virginia.  He  was  there  married  to 
Miss  Susan  Wampler,  who  was  a  Virginian  by  birth.  They  had  a  family 
of  nine  children,  Samuel  being  the  eighth  in  number.  He  was  reared 
in  his  native  county,  and  was  educated  in  the  town  of  New  Market.  In 
1857,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He  has  followed  farming  dur- 
ing life,  and  now  has  a  landed  estate  of  476  acres.  He  (Mr.  Glick)  was 
married  December  25,  1861,  to  Miss  Martina  Pearson.  Four  children 
were  the  fruit  of  this  union  :  Achsah  S.,  Anna  B.,  Emma  F.,  and  Geo. 
W.  Mrs.  Glick  was  born  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  April  20,  1841. 
Her  father,  James  Pearson,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Achsah  Jenkins,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  G.  are  members  of  the  German  Baptist  Church. 

JACOB  GROESBECK 

was  born  in  Renssellaer  County,  New  York,  November  28,  1821.  His 
ancesters  were  of  German  descent.     His  father  was  Herman  Groesbeck, 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  163 

and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Bovee.  Young  Groesbeck 
lived  in  his  native  county  till  1835,  when  with  his  mother  he  moved  to 
Chautauqua  County  of  the  same  State,  his  father  at  that  time  being- 
deceased.  In  the  Spring  of  1840  he  went  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  where 
he  worked  about  four  years,  and  afterwards  moved  to  Galena,  Illinois. 
There  he  began  work  in  the  lead  mines.  Till  the  year  185 1  he  made  his 
home  in  Galena  and  Springfield,  and  about  185 1  he  located  permanently 
in  Peoria  County,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  May,  185  1, 
Mr.  Groesbeck  was  married  to  Mary  J.,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Lizzie 
Darby.  The  former  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  died  in  Atchison  County, 
Missouri.  Mrs.  G.  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Kentucky,  December  21, 
1834.  In  the  year  1857  he  removed  from  Illinois  to  Nebraska,  and 
located  near  Peru,  where  he  was  occupied  in  farming,  owning  nearly  500 
acres  of  land.  In  1862  he  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  in 
1870  came  to  Holt  County,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  live.  He 
now  owns  a  large  tract  of  land  adjoining  Mound  City,  it  being  one  of  the 
oldest  farms  in  that  part  of  the  county,  having  been  settled  in  1840  or 
1841.  A  postoffice  was  formerly  kept  there  by  Andrew  Jackson  and 
was  called  Jackson's  Point.  It  was  afterwards  known  as  North  Point. 
Mr.  G.'s  family  consists  of:  Elizabeth,  born  March  12,  1857;  Jacob  A., 
born  November  17,  1858;  Francis  A.,  born  March  29,  1864;  Melissa,  born 
November  8,  1861;  Hattie,  born  August  14,  1866;  William  A.,  born 
March  31,  1871;  Charles  H.,  born  October  6,  1873;  Luella,  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1876. 

W.  M.  HAMSHER, 

dealer  in  general  merchandise,  is  the  youngest  child  in  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  whose  parents  were  John  and  Mary  (Wunderlich)  Ham- 
sher,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  German  descent.  W.  M. 
was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  December  17,  1849.  He 
was  reared  to  habits  of  industry,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm, 
and  receiving  his  education  in  his  native  county.  When  about  sixteen 
years  old,  he  began  clerking  in  a  store  in  Franklin  County,  which  he  con- 
tinued till  the  spring  of  1S71,  when  he  located  in  Monmouth,  Illinois. 
After  five  months,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  was  engaged 
in  clerking,  at  Forest  City,  till  1874.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Mound 
City,  and  embarked  in  his  present  business.  Mr.  Hamsher  is  a  member 
of  Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  He  was  married  Octo- 
ber 12,  1875,  to  Miss  Mary  Luckhardt,  a  daughter  of  George  Luckhardt. 
Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Harriet  VanLunen,  and  they  were  both 
natives  of  Germany.  Mrs.  Hamsher  was  born  in  Johnstown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, August  5,  1853.  They  have  one  child,  Clarence  F.  Mr.  H.  is  one 
of  the  most  energetic  men  of  the  city,  and  thoroughly  deserves  his 
success. 


164  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

MILTON    HERRON 

is  a  leading  carpenter  and  contractor  of  Mound  City.  His  grandfather, 
Francis  Herron,  was  married  in  Ireland  to  Miss  Mary  Graham.  They 
were  both  natives  of  that  land,  and  after  their  marriage  they  emigrated 
to  America  and  located  in  Pennsylvania,  where  their  son  John,  (the 
father  of  Milton  Herron)  was  born,  in  the  year  1799.  He  now  resides  in 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  draws  a  pension  for  having  served  during  the 
war  of  18 12,  for  three  years  and  seven  months.  He  was  married  in 
Pennsylvania  to  Miss  Mary  Gamble,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Milton 
Herron  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  September  15,  1829, 
and  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  six  children.  When  he  was  about  four 
years  old  his  parents  located  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  His  father  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  Milton 
was  reared  to  learn  that  industry.  When  he  attained  his  eighteenth 
year  he  went  to  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  till  1865,  then  going  to  Pent  Water,  Oceana  County,  Mich- 
igan. While  there  he  worked  at  carpentering  one  year,  and  from 
thence,  in  1866,  he  moved  to  Mankato,  Minnesota.  In  1868  he  came  to 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  until  1870  lived  in  Oregon,  soon  after  loca- 
ting in  Mound  City.  He  has  principally  followed  the  carpenter  trade 
since  he  left  Ohio,  and  for  six  months  during  the  war  he  was  employed 
by  the  government  as  a  carpenter,  being  stationed  at  Johnsonville, 
Tennessee.  Mr:  H.  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  fraternity.  He  was 
married  May  29,  1853,  to  Miss  Sarah  Israel,  a  native  of  Morgan  County, 
Ohio.  She  was  born  in  the  year  1833,  and  died  in  1863.  They  had  three 
children,  there  being  only  one  now  living,  Lomira,  who  is  a  teacher  in 
the  Mound  City  Public  Schools.  Mr.  Herron's  second  marriage  occur- 
red January  19,  1864,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Tavenner,  who  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia in  1839.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and 
he  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  that  denomination,  having  erected 
the  church  of  Mound  City  in  1878,  for  which  he  is  deserving  of  much 
credit. 

WILLIAM  T.  HIATT, 

liveryman  and  proprietor  of  the  Hiatt  House,  and  is  a  grandson  of 
William  Hiatt,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  there  mar- 
ried, and  there  he  had  born  a  son,  Stephen  Hiatt,  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Stephen  emigrated  to  Ohio  and  thence  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  was  married,  in  Brown  County,  to  Miss  Lucy  Morris,  a  native 
of  Kentucky.  William  T.  Hiatt,  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
was  born  in  Greenup  County,  Kentucky,  September  8,  1826.  The  days 
of  his  youth  he  improved  as  a  farmer  boy,  in  his  native  county,  and  in 
1841  he  went  to  Indiana.     In  the  following  spring  Louisa  County,  Iowa, 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  l6$ 

became  his  home,  where  he  resided  till  1845,  when  he  moved  to  Des 
Moines  County,  of  the  same  state.  In  that  locality  he  continued  to  re- 
side till  18s  1,  when  he  settled  in  Mercer  County,  Illinois.  While  in  Iowa 
he  was  engaged  in  the  wood  business  on  the  Mississippi  River,  except 
during  the  last  four  years,  which  time  was  spent  in  farming.  While  in 
Illinois  he  was  in  various  branches  of  business,  connected  with  machin- 
ery, corn-shelling,  etc.  In  1866  he  emigrated  from  Mercer  County,  Illi- 
nois, to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  located  on  a  farm,  and,  in  1873,  he 
moved  to  Mound  City.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness. Previous  to  the  building  of  the  railroad  through  Mound  City  he 
ran  a  transfer  to  Bigelow.  In  1874  he  embarked  in  the  hotel  business. 
Since  he  came  to  Mound  City  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  town  council 
for  four  years  and  a  member  of  the  school  board  three  years.  Mr.  Hiatt 
was  married  in  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  March  2,  1847,  to  Miss  Susana 
Heaton,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Heaton,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Jemima  Shaw,  a  native  of  New  York.  They 
now  reside  near  Mound  City,  Missouri.  Mrs.  Hiatt  is  the  third  of  a  fam- 
ily of  thirteen  children,  and  was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  February 
1,  1832.  She  resided  in  her  native  county  till  eight  years  of  age,  when 
the  family  moved  to  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  and,  in  the  spring  of 
1844,  they  moved  to  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa.  They  have  had  twelve 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  Louisa,  Alice  J.,  John  W.,  Wm.  S.,  Mary 
E.  and  James  T. 

WILLIAM   HOBLITZELL 

is  a  member  of  three  of  the  leading  business  firms  of  Mound  City,  lum- 
ber, hardware  and  dry  goods  houses.  He  was  born  in  Richland  County, 
October  29,  1833.  His  father,  Adrian  Hoblitzell,  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, and  his  mother,  formerly  Elizabeth  Dorland,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  1842  they  moved  to  Missouri,  and  located  in  Platte  County. 
William  was  there  engaged  in  farming  till  1844,  when  he  came  to  Holt 
County,  and  shortly  afterward  he  began  clerking  in  a  store.  He  has 
since  been  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at  different  locations.  In  1856 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  J.  Burnett.  They  have  two  children, 
Nannie  and  Jennie.  Mrs.  H.  was  born  near  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1838.  Her  father,  R.  Burnett,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
her  mother,  Nancy  Burnett,  nee  Neal,  of  Tennessee. 

M.  HOUSTON, 

dealer  in  and  repairer  of  furniture.  M.  W.  Houston,  the  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  biography,  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  subsequently  emi- 
grated to  Indiana,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Grayson,  a  native 
of    Tennessee.     Mortimer    Houston    was    born    in    Lawrence    County, 


1 66  HISTORY    OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Indiana,  April  24,  1838.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
county,  and  when  about  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began  the  trade  of 
cabinet  making.  In  1857  the  family  moved  to  Iowa  and  located  in  Des 
Moines,  where  he  completed  his  trade,  which  he  followed  in  Des  Moines 
till  the  beginning  of  the  war  in  1861.  For  six  months  during  the  year 
1863  he  was  sutler  in  the  Twenty-third  Iowa  regiment,  being  obliged  to 
return  home  on  account  of  sickness.  In  the  spring  of  1864  Mr.  H.  moved 
to  Missouri,  and  located  in  Savannah,  Andrew  County,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  till  1865,  when  he  came  to  Holt  County.  Here  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  various  branches  of  business,  among  which  are  fruit 
growing  and  bee  keeping,  making  a  specialty  at  the  present  time  of 
these  industries.  He  has  a  farm  near  the  city  limits.  His  bees  on  an 
average  furnish  from  three  to  five  thousand  pounds  of  honey  per  year. 
In  October  1881  he  opened  his  present  store  and  is  deserving  of  a  liberal 
patronage  from  the  people  of  his  vicinity.  Mr.  H.  was  married  January 
6,  1862  to  Miss  Maggie  Buzick,  who  was  born  in  Wapello  County,  Iowa, 
January  22,  1840.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  F.  Buzick,  a  native  of 
Ohio.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Ruckman,  a  native  of 
Illinois.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  consists  of  nine  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living,  Henry  M.,  Charles  I.,  Irene,  Leonard,  Carl,  Alice  and 
Clarence.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

WASH.  HUTTON, 

farmer  and  stock  dealer,  section  28,  township  61,  range  31,  postoffice 
Mound  City,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  in  Luzerne 
County,  July  20,  1827.  His  father,  William  Hutton,  was  also  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Bowman,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania.  They  had  a  family  of  six  children,  Wash,  being 
the  fifth  child.  When  he  was  eleven  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to 
Lee  County,  Illinois,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  was  there  educa- 
ted. He  followed  farming  in  Illinois  till  the  spring  of  1 850,  when  he 
went  to  California  and  was  there  engaged  in  mining  till  the  fall  of  1854,' 
when  he  returned  to  Lee  County,  Illinois,  and  in  the  fall  of  1865  he  came 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides. 
His  landed  estate  consists  of  over  800  acres,  most  of  which  is  well 
improved  and  well  watered.  He  was  married  in  October,  1855,  to  Miss 
Caroline  Morgan.  They  have  had  six  children,  four  now  living  :  Adella, 
Elizabeth,  Minnie  F.  and  Walter  L.  Mrs.  H.  was  born  in  Tazewell 
County,  Illinois,  December  10,  1830.  Her  father,  Joshua  Morgan,  was 
born  in  Kentucky.     Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Green,  a 

native  of  Ohio. 

ALBERT  H.  JAMISON, 

attorney  and  notary  public,  is  a  descendant  of  Ephraim  Jamison,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia,  in  the  year  1790,  and  came  to  Missouri  in  the  year 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  167 

1801.  He  was  married  to  Clarissa  Hinton,  a  native  of  Georgia,  who  was 
born  in  the  year  1794.  Her  husband  died  in  1846,  since  which  time  she 
has  resided  with  her  son,  Joseph  W.  Jamison,  the  father  of  Albert  H. 
Jamison,  who  was  a  native  of  Missouri.  He  now  resides  in  Callaway 
County,  Missouri,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  R.  Maupin,  a 
native  of  Missouri.  Her  father,  George  Maupin,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Missouri  in  the  year  1803.  There  he  was  married  to  Nancy 
Miller.  Albert  H.  Jamison,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was  the  sec- 
ond child  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  five  girls  and  five  boys.  He  was 
born  in  Hickory  County,  Missouri,  October  21,  185  I,  and,  when  ten  years 
of  age,  with  his  parents,  he  moved  to  Callaway  County,  Missouri,  where 
they  resided  till  March,  1865.  They  then  located  in  Audrain  County, 
Missouri,  and,  eighteen  months  later,  they  returned  to  Callaway  County, 
Missouri,  where  his  father  now  resides,  his  mother  being  deceased.  Al- 
bert secured  the  benefits  of  the  common  schools  in  the  different  locali- 
ties where  he  resided,  and  also  attended  the  McGee  College,  of  Macon 
County,  four  months  and  about  fourteen  months  in  the  North  Missouri 
State  Normal,  at  Kirksville.  His  youth  was  spent  on  a  farm  and,  in 
1870,  he  began  teaching,  in  which  he  was  principally  engaged  till  1877, 
when  he  commenced  to  study  for  his  present  profession.  He  was  grad- 
uated, in  1878,  from  the  law  department  of  the  State  University,  of 
Brownville,  Missouri,  and,  in  July  of  the  same  year,  he  entered  upon  his 
practice,  in  Brunot,  Wayne  County,  Missouri,  where  he  continued  till 
October,  1879.  Mr.  J.  then  came  to  Mound  City,  where  he  has  followed 
his  profession  with  a  considerable  degree  of  success.  He  was  married 
May  12,  1881,  to  Miss  Mollie  Renoe,  a  daughter  of  Baylis  C.  Renoe,  a 
native  of  Missouri.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Eliza  Nevins,  a  na- 
tive of  Missouri.  Mrs.  Jamison  was  born  in  Callaway  County,  Missouri, 
November  7,  1855. 

MERRILL  JASPER, 

farmer,  section  16,  is  a  son  of  Merrill  Jasper,  Esq.,  and  was  born  in  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  October  3,  1845.  His  father  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers in  the  county,  and  had  a  family  of  six  children,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  being  the  youngest  child.  The  lather  died  before  the  birth  of 
Merrill.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Holt  County,  and  in  1867  he  went 
to  Omaha,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  for  three  years.  He 
was  then  employed  for  three  years  as  wood  workman  in  the  car  shops 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  since  which  time  he  has  been  interested  in 
farming.  Mr.  Jasper  now  has  a  farm  of  1 18  acres,  which  is  well  improved. 
He  was  married  May  11,  1871,  to  Miss  Kittie  Young,  who  was  born  in 
Barren  County,  Kentucky,  September  23,  1845.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Alice  B.  and  Nellie  E. 


l68  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

C.  G.  JESSE, 

of  the  firm  of  Hoblitzell,  Smith  &  Jesse,  lumber  dealers  and  dealers  in 
general  hardware,  stoves  and  tinware,  is  the  son  of  James  Monroe  and 
Amanda  {nee  Tinsley)  Jesse,  who  were  both  natives  of  Kentucky.  C.  G. 
Jesse  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Kentucky,  April  20,  1854.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  county,  and  there  received  the  benefits  of  a  common 
school  education.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  became  engaged  as 
clerk  in  a  store,  which  position  he  continued  to  occupy  in  Kentucky  till 
1874,  whence  came  to  Missouri  and  accepted  a  situation  in  Bigelow, 
Holt  County.  There  he  remained  till  1877  when  he  came  to  Mound 
City  and  began  dealing  in  lumber  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hoblitzell 
&  Jesse.  They  did  business  under  that  firm  name  till  January  1882, 
when  Mr.  Smith  became  associated  with  the  company,  and  at  the  same 
time  they  embarked  in  the  hardware  business,  and  have  been  having  a 
successful  trade.  Mr.  Jesse  was  married  April  1 1,  1877  to  Miss  Nannie 
Hoblitzell,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  William  Hoblitzell.  They  have  had  two 
children,  one  of  whom  is  living,  Edna  M. 

HENRY  KUNKEL, 

(deceased),  was  born  in  York  County,  Pennsylvania,  December  11,  181 1. 
His  father,  Henry,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  there  married 
to  Miss  Anna  Miller,  of  the  same  state.  The  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  also  named  Henry,  and  he  was  a  native  of  Hesse, 
and  came  to  America  as  a  British  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Henry  Kunkel,  whose  name  heads  this  narrative,  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  and  followed  that  occupation  during  life.  When  about  twelve 
years  of  age  he  immigrated  to  Richland  County,  Ohio,  where,  on  the 
1st  of  June,  1835,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Barbara  Acton.  She  was  born 
in  Charles  County,  Maryland,  August  25,  1816.  Her  paternal  ancestors 
held  the  name  of  Henry  Acton  for  three  generations  back,  and  for  two 
generations  were  natives  of  Maryland.  The  third  was  of  English  extrac- 
tion. Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Padgett,  a  native  of  Charles 
County,  Maryland.  Mr.  Kunkel  and  his  family  lived  in  Ohio  till  1847, 
when  they  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Holt  County.  Here  he 
resided  till  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  October  4,  1879.  They 
had  a  family  of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Jacob, 
James  H.,  Nancy  A.,  John,  Julia  A.,  Mary  A.  and  Darius  W.  Mr.  Kun- 
kel was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  He  left  a  farm  of  240 
acres,  and  since  his  death  Mrs.  K,  with  the  assistance  of  James  H.  and 
her  youngest  son,  has  carried  on  the  farm.  James  H.  Kunkel  was  born 
in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  May  4,  1840.  He  now  has  in  his  possession 
a  farm  of  eighty  acres.     The   Mineral   Springs   were   discovered  on  the 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  1 69 

farm  of  Mr.  Henry  Kunkel  in  February,  1872,  while  he  was  prospecting 
for  coal,  the  analysis  being  given  elsewhere.  There  has  also  been 
plowed  up,  on  this  place,  many  wonderful  articles,  supposed  to  have 
been  burned  in  a  furnace  in  ages  past. 

DR.  WILLIAM  A.  LONG, 

farmer,  section  29,  is  the  son  of  David  Long,  who  was  a  native  of  Frank- 
lin County,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  there  married  to  Miss  Catharine 
Shoemaker,  of  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  and,  at  an  early  day, 
emigrated  to  Ohio.  William  A.  Long,  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of 
seven  children,  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  22, 
1838.  He  was  there  reared  and  educated  and,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  K,  158th  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  remaining  in  service 
till  the  spring  of  1863.  He  participated  in  many  important  battles.  In 
the  fall  of  1864  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry,  which  he  continued  for 
two  years,  and  was  afterwards  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
in  Franklin  and  Cumberland  Counties,  till  1870,  when  he  went  to 
Kosciusko  County,  Indiana.  There  he  resumed  his  practice  for  eighteen 
months,  after  which  he  located  in  Marshall  County,  Illinois,  and,  in  a 
short  time,  came  to  Holt  County,  settling  on  his  present  tarm,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  has  also  been  practicing  his  profession  in  connec- 
tion with  farming.  His  farm,  contains  160  acres,  on  which  is  located  a 
fine  residence.  He  has  just  completed  a  fish  pond,  which  covers  an  acre 
of  ground,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  row  of  shade  trees,  and  is  well  stocked 
with  Government  fish.  The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
;  nity,  and  also  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  married  March  21,  1871, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Swanger,  a  native  of  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania. 
She  died  in  the  year  1874.  They  had  two  children,  both  of  whom  are 
deceased.  Dr.  Long  was  again  married  January  2,  1877,  to  Mrs.  Anna 
Griffeth,  formerly  Miss  Anna  Meyer,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Meyer.  She 
was  born  in  Holt  County,  Missouri.  They  have  two  children,  Thomas 
A.  and  Hadessa. 

GEORGE   M.    McKINNEY 

is  a  prominent  blacksmith  and  wagonmaker  in  Mound  City.  His  father,. 
Mathew  McKinney,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  emigrated  to  Ohio, 
where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Wilson,  a  native  of  Maryland. 
By  this  union  there  were  five  children  born,  of  which  George  M.  was 
the  youngest.  He  was  born  in  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  August  2,  1839, 
and  there  received  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  education.  During 
the  days  of  his  youth  he  assisted  his  father,  who  was  by  occupation  a 
blacksmith,  at  his  trade,  and  later  in  life  he  became  a  thorough  master 
Df  the  business,  following  the  same  in  Ohio  till  1862.     He  then  wended 


I70  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

his  way  to  Washington  Territory,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 
returned  as  far  as  Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he  worked  at  the  anvil  for 
eighteen  months.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  or  in  the  spring  of  1864,  he 
went  to  Nebraska  City,  and  there  resumed  his  chosen  calling  till  Jan- 
uary, 1865,  when  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  in  September,  1866,  he  again 
started  for  the  west.  After  spending  a  short  time  in  Illinois  and  Iowa, 
he  located  at  Forest  City,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  December  of  that 
year,  and  in  the  following  spring  went  to  Richville,  Missouri,  where  he 
started  a  shop  on  his  own  account.  This  he  continued  to  carry  on  till 
September,  removed  it  to  Nebraska  City,  Nebraska,  and  there  he 
resided  till  the  spring  of  1868,  when  he  returned  to  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri, carrying  on  business  in  Forest  City  till  March,  1875.  Mr.  McKin- 
ney  subsequently  came  to  Mound  City,  and  has  since  been  the  leading 
mechanic  in  his  line  in  this  place,  and  has  met  with  great  success. 
During  the  war,  in  the  year  1861,  he  served  four  months  in  Company  H, 
Seventeenth  Ohio  Infantry.  Mr.  McKinney  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  He  was  married  July  2,  1837,  to  Mrs.  Annie  Thomas,  a 
daughter  of  John  Clark,  who  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  Mrs.  McKinney 
is  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  was  born  April  16,  1842.  They  are  both 
members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

A.  S.  McNULTY, 

farmer,  section  9,  is  the  son  of  John  McNulty,  who  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia and  who  afterwards  emigrated  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Drusilla  Tumbelson,  a  native  of  Ohio.  By  this  union  they  had 
eleven  children.  A.  S.  McNulty  was  born  in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  May 
8,  1833.  He  was  reared  in  Ohio,  and  the  year  1865  came  to  Holt  County, 
Missouri.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Company  H.,  Seventy-third  Ohio 
Infantry,  and  remained  in  service  till  the  close  of  the  war.  For  several 
years  while  in  Ohio  he  was  engaged  in  sawing  lumber,  and  since  coming 
to  Missouri  he  has  followed  his  present  occupation.  He  now  has  a  farm 
of  203  acres.  He  was  married  May  8,  1859,  to  Miss  Catharine  Watson. 
From  this  union  ten  children  were  born,  six  of  whom  are  living  :  Ora  E., 
Lucy  G.,  Alfred  R.,  Wiley  A.,  James  H.  and  Eddie  P.  Mrs.  McNulty 
was  born  in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  February  28,  1834.  Her  father, 
William  Watson,  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Glascock,  also  a  native  of  Ohio. 

B.  MEEK,  M.  D., 

the  fifth  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  five  boys  and  five  girls,  is  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  was  born  in  Henry  County,  April  22,  1826.  His  father, 
John  Meek,  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  His  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Temperance  Lowden,   and    she    was  a  Kentuckian   by   birth.     The 


BENTON     TOWNSHIP.  \"]\ 

family  came  to  Missouri  in  the  fall  of  185 1,  and  in  the  following  spring 
located  in  Holt  County.  Young  Meek  received  his  primary  education 
in  his  native  county  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Holt  County.  The 
days  of  his  youth  were  spent  on  a  farm,  and  in  October  1854  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  subsequently  graduating  from  the  St.  Louis  Med- 
ical College  at  the  winter  term  of  1856-7.  Dr.  Meek  soon  began  his 
practice  in  Mound  City,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  following  his 
profession  in  Holt  County  except  for  eighteen  months  during  the  war, 
when  he  was  in  Clay  County,  Illinois.  At  the  time  he  came  to  Mound 
City  there  was  but  one  business  house  in  the  town,  and  he  was  the  first 
physician.  In  1858  he  became  interested  in  the  drug  business  as  one 
of  the  firm  of  Meek  &  Rigdon,  but  the  latter  partner  was  only  associated 
with  the  firm  a  short  time.  This  was  the  first  drug  firm  in  the  place. 
Dr.  Meek  afterwards  continued  the  business  till  1863.  During  the  period 
from  1869  to  1873  he  was  a  resident  of  Craig.  He  is  a  member  of  Mound 
City  Lodge  No.  294,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  was  married  April  19,  i860  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Sharp,  a  daughter  of  William  A.  Sharp,  who  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  a  pioneer  of  Holt  County.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Caroline  Elliott,  of  Missouri.  Mrs.  Meek  was  born 
in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  October  23,  1841.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  have  had 
four  children  :  John  W.,  born  January  30,  1861  and  died  April  1870; 
Gertrude,  born  January  29,  1864;  Leonitas,  born  October  25,  1869; 
•Francis  C,  born  April  27,  1872. 

ELI  MEEK, 

farmer,  section  33,  the  sixth  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  is  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  was  born  in  Henry  County,  June  4,  1830.  His  father  was 
a  native  cf  South  Carolina,  and  his  mother  of  Kentucky.  Eli  was  edu- 
cated in  his  native  county,  and  has  lived  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  since 
1852,  except  for  two  years  during  the  war,  when  he  resided  in  Pike 
County,  Missouri.  His  farm  consists  of  220  acres,  mostly  improved,  his 
house  and  surroundings  presenting  an  inviting  appearance.  He  is  a 
member  of  Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  Mr.  Meek  was 
imarried  November  21,  1855,  to  Miss  Nancy  M.  Mackey,  who  was  born 
in  Pike  County,  Missouri,  April  11,  1836.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Cyrus 
Mackey,  a  native  of  Missouri.  Her  mother,  formerly  Charlotte  Janes, 
•  was  born  in  Tennessee.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meek  consists  of 
ten  children  :  Martha  P.,  Mary  L.,  John  C,  James  E.,  Emma  D.,  Clara 
B.,  Eli  C,  Anna  L.,  William  M.  and  Joseph  L. 

ANDREW  MEYER. 

As  one  of  the  most  extensive  agriculturists  and  land  owners  of  Holt 
C  ounty,  may  be  mentioned  the  subject  of  this  sketch.     He  is  a  son  of 


172  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 


V 


Andrew  and  Mary  (Adolph)  Meyer,  and  is  the  second  child  in  a  famil) 
of  nine  children.  He  was  born  near  Mullheim,  Baden,  April  28,  1821. 
In  1834  his  parents,  with  their  family,  emigrated  to  America  and  located 
in  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  ,In  1843  he  came  to  Missouri  and,  in  May  of 
the  same  year,  settled  in  Holt  County.  The  August  following  he  went 
across  the  Missouri  River,  to  the  Iowa  and  Sac  Agency,  and  first  fol 
lowed  farming  and  was  afterward  assistant  blacksmith.  In  1847  he  en- 
listed in  the  Oregon  Battalion,  for  service  in  the  Mexican  War.  Hebe 
longed  to  Col.  Powell's  regiment,  and  was  sworn  in  at  Leavenworth,  July 
4,  1847,  and  shortly  afterward  set  out  on  an  expedition  across  the  plains 
to  Fort  Kearney.  The  company  was  called  back  in  the  fall  of  1848  to  be 
discharged,  the  war  having  closed.  During  this  trip  he  met  with  the 
noted  Brigham  Young.  In  the  winter  of  1848  Mr.  Meyer  went  to  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  where  he  bought  land  and,  May  12,  1849,  in  company  with 
other  parties,  he  left  the  Iowa  and  Sac  Agency  for  California,  and  was 
the  first  to  start  overland  from  Holt  County  during  that  season.  He 
was  engaged  in  digging  gold,  on  the  American  River,  near  Sutter's  Mill, 
now  Coloma,  till  September  15,  1850.  Coming  back  to  Holt  County  he 
was  married  August  20,  185 1,  to  Miss  May  Secrest.  Later  he  began 
farming,  where  he  now  lives,  section  21,  township  61,  range  38,  and  now 
owns  2,358  acres  of  land.  Mrs.  Meyer  was  born  in  Richland  County 
Ohio,  July  13,  1834.  Her  father,  John  Secrest,  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  came  to  Holt  County  in  1849.  Her  mother,  formerly  Margaret 
Campbell,  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  They  had  a  family  of  nine 
children,  Mrs.  M.  being  the  fifth  child.  Mr.  Meyer's  family  consists  0! 
twelve  children,  Annie  E.,  James  H.,  Maggie  M.  (who  was  the  wife  oi 
Chas.  Corsaut,  but  now  deceased),  Alfred  A.,  Willard  P.,  Armilda  C. 
George  W.,  Robert  S.,  Emma  J.,  Charles  E.,  Marvin  E.  and  Don  C. 

HUGH  MONTGOMERY, 

cashier  of  the  Holt  County  Bank,  of  Mound  City,  is  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  was  born  in  Bangor,  County  Down,  on  January  22,  1845.  When  ter 
years  of  age  he  came  to  America  with  an  uncle,  his  parents  having 
died  previous  to  this,  and  resided  with  this  relative  at  Jackson,  Ohio 
where  he  was  reared  and  received  the  advantages  of  an  education.  Ir 
July,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Twenty-seventh  Ohio  Infantry 
and  remained  in  service  till  September,  1864,  having  participated  ir 
many  important  battles.  '  He  served  for  eighteen  months  in  the  Provosl 
Marshal's  Department  of  Memphis,  Tennesse.  When  mustered  out  he 
returned  to  Jackson,  Ohio,  after  which  he  attended  Bryant  &  Strattpn'i 
Commercial  College,  of  Cincinnati,  graduating  from  that  institution  ir 
the  spring  of  1865.  Mr.  Montgomery  was  then  employed  as  bookkeepei 
in  Cincinnati   for  nearly  one  year,  when  he  went  to  Jacksonville,  Illi- 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  173 

lois,  where  he  was  engaged  in  dealing  in  fruit  trees  and  shrubbery  for  a 
ew  months.  Subsequently  he  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  in  the 
7irst  National  Bank,  of  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  which  position  he 
lilled  till  1869,  when,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  returned  to  Ohio. 
Hie  was  interested  in  the  drug  business  in  that  state  for  three  years,  and 
afterwards  was  appointed  auditor  on  the  Chester,  Iron  Mountain  and 
.Eastern  Railroad,  continuing  to  occupy  this  position  till  the  failure  of 
the  company  in  1873.  Mr.  M.  remained  there  till  1874,  being  located  in 
Chester,  and  in  1875  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  in 
Pregon,  where  he  was  employed  as  salesman  in  a  dry  goods  store  for 
pne  year.  He  then  went  to  St.  Joseph  and  was  engaged  in  keeping 
Dooks  till  1880,  being  for  two  years  in  Schuster,  Hax  &  Co.'s  Bank.  In 
February,  1880,  he  accepted  his  present  situation.  Mr.  Montgomery  is 
ji  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  was  married  in  September, 
[869,  to  Miss  Laura  Sibley,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  E.  Sibley,  who  was  a 
native  of  New  York.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Phoebe 
Simmons,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  Mrs.  M.  was  born  in  Middle- 
port,  Ohio.  They  have  two  children  living  :  Nellie  and  Earl  S.  One  is 
deceased. 

STRAUTHER  MOORE, 

'deceased)  was  born  in  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  October  28,  181 1. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county  and  was  there  educated. 
,When  about  eighteen  years  of  age  his  parents  and  their  family  moved 
to  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  County,  where  he  was  married  October 
10,  1835,  to  Miss  Clara  Skeen.  They  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  five 
of  whom  are  living:  Amanda,  born  August  11,  1837;  Mark  B.,  born 
April  9,  1841  ;  Strauther,  born  December  22,  1843  ;  Thomas  B.,  born 
September  16,  1854;  Camdon  J.,  born  July  23,  1856.  Mr.  Moore  'and  his 
amily  lived  in  Ohio  till  1838,  when  they  moved  to  Clinton  County, 
Indiana,  and  in  1846  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Andrew  County.  In 
.the  spring  of  1849  they  came  to  Holt  County  and  settled  where  Mrs. 
Moore  now  lives.  Mr.  Moore  was  engaged  in  farming  and  dealing  in 
>tock  during  life,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  a  landed  estate  of 
500  acres.  His  religious  preferences  were  with  the  Christian  denomina- 
tion. He  died  September  31,  1874.  Mrs.  Moore  was  born  in  Mason 
,-ounty,  Virginia,  February  23,  18 14.  Her  father,  Reuben  Skeen,  was  a 
lative  of  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  as  was  also  her  mother,  formerly 
Dhcebe  Moore.  Mrs.  Moore  accompanied  her  parents  on  their  move 
0  Greene  County,  Ohio,  when  she  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age. 
\mong  the  children  of  the  Moore  family,  who  are  now  deceased,  two 
[rew  up  and  were  married.  The  oldest  daughter,  Mary  Moore,  was 
>orn  July  19,  1834,  and  was  married  February  8,  1855,  to  George  Kelley, 
vho  was  born  in  Pike  County,  Missouri,  December  21,  1826.     He  died 


1/4  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

December  24,  1864,  and  Mrs.  Kelley  died  February  9.  1866.  They  left 
a  family  of  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living:  O.  M.,  born 
February  16,  1856;  Strauther  S.,  born  June  21,  1858,  and  died  in  1865  ; 
Emma  A.,  born  May  29,  1861  ;  Ann  N.,  born  December  28,  1864.  These 
were  reared  by  their  grandmother,  Mrs.  Moore.  Caroline  Moore,  now 
deceased,  was  born  June  11,  1849,  and  was  married  to  Stephen  Jones. 
She  had  one  child,  which  still  survives. 

JACOB  MOSER,    . 

(deceased),  was  born  in  Pendleton  County,  West  Virginia,  November 
16,  1789.  His  grandparents  were  natives  of  Germany,  and  his  father, 
Adam  Moser,  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Susan  Harpool,  by  which  marriage  there  were  born  fourteen  children, 
Jacob  being  the  sixth  child  in  number.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
county,  and  received  but  a  limited  education.  About  the  year  1818,  he 
went  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  County,  and  was  there  married, 
August  18,  1830,  to  Mrs.  Indiana  Tatnan,  by  whom  he  had  one  child, 
George  H.,  born  June  1 1,  1831,  and  now  a  merchant  in  Toolsboro,  Louisa 
County,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Moser  died  in  April,  1834.  Mr.  M.  was  again  mar- 
ried, November  24,  1836,  to  Miss  Mary  Cook,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children  :  Indiana  L.,  born  September  11,  1837  ;  Harriet  A.,  born  April 
I3-  1839  J  Mary  S.,  born  October  6,  1842  ;  Jacob  A.,  born  April  27,  1844; 
Rebecca  C,  born  October  5,  1846  ;  Charles  A.,  born  March  8,  1848,  and 
Stephen  F.,  born  February  15,  1850,  and  died  October  16,  1853.  Mr. 
Moser  lived  in  Ohio  till  the  spring  of  1837,  when  he  moved  to  Pike 
County,  Illinois,  and  in  May,  1841,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
locating  in  section  20,  township  61,  range  38,  where  Mrs.  M.  now  lives. 
He  followed  farming  as  an  occupation,  and  at  the  time  of  death,  May  8, 
1872,  he  owned  a  farm  of  500  acres,'  which  has  since  been  occupied  by 
the  widow.  Mr.  M.  was  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  belonged  to  Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  294.  Mrs.  Moser  was  born  in 
Morris  County,  New  Jersey,  April  29,  1807.  Her  father,  Abraham 
Cook,  was  a  native  of  the  same  State,  though  his  ancestors  came  of  Eng- 
lish origin.  He  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaking,  in  Elizabethtown,  New 
Jersey,  and  when  twenty-one  years  old  married  Miss  Mary  Lyon,  a 
native  of  New  Jersey.  He  then  went  to  the  island  of  St.  Domingo,  one 
of  the  West  Indies,  where  he  lived  a  short  time,  and  then  returned  to 
New  Jersey  and  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Morris  County. 
In  1818  he  emigrated  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  County,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  till  the  time  of  his  death,  except  during  the  last 
year  of  his  life,  when  he  lived  in  New  Carlisle.  He  had  a  family  of  six 
children,  Mrs.  M.  being  the  third  child.  She  was  educated  in  New 
Jersey  and  received  an  excellent  education,  becoming  ably  proficient  to 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  175 

teach  school,  but  having  no  such  desire  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  entreaties. 
Her  life  has  been  a  happy  one.  and  she  is  now  in  active  health,  is  endowed 
with  a  great  amount  of  judgment,  and  is  respected  by  all. 

JACOB  MUMM, 

of  the  firm  of  Mumm,  Moss  &  Co.,  dealers  in  lumber,  lath,  sash,  blinds, 
doors,  lime,  hair,  cement,  paint  and  barb  wire,  is  one  of  Mound  City's 
most  prominent  and  energetic  business  men.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany 
and  was  born  in  Schelwig,  November  8,  1834.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  country,  and  was  reared  to  habits  of  industry,  being  engaged  in 
farming  till  1857  when  he  emigrated  to  America,  landing  at  New  York 
City,  November  16,  of  the  same  year.  He  soon  located  in  Porter  County, 
Indiana,  and  in  tne  fall  of  1859  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  St. 
Joseph,  where  he  was  there  occupied  in  various  works  till  1868.  Mr.  M. 
next  embarked  in  the  lumber  business  as  one  of  the  firm  of  Pinger, 
Mumm  &  Co.,  which  he  continued  till  1871,  and  from  this  time  on  he  was 
employed  as  foreman  of  different  lumber  companies  till  the  spring  of 
1880  when  he  came  to  Mound  City  and  opened  up  his  present  house. 
He  has  since  been  doing  a  successful  business.  During  the  late  war  he 
served  as  a  soldier  for  two  years,  acting  as  second  sergeant.  He  was 
married  August  6,  1863  to  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Jessen,  a  native  of  the  same 
country  as  himself,  born  December  14,  1843.  She  was  also  reared  in  her 
native  home.  They  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living  : 
Anna  M.,  Littie  M.,  Amanda,  Theodore  W.,  Emma  O.  and  Benjamin  F. 

ALFRED  MURRY, 

farmer,  section  34,  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  was  born  in 
Campbell  County,  East  Tennessee,  November  22,"  1812.  His  father, 
James  Murry,  was  a  native  of  Alabama,  and  his  mother,  Barbara  Sharp, 
of  North  Carolina.  He  was  reared  on  Clinch  River,  within  nine  miles 
of  Jacksboro,  and  received  his  education  in  the  old  fashioned  schools. 
In  the  fall  of  1841,  he  removed  from  Tennessee  to  Missouri,  and  located 
near  old  Jimtown,  Andrew  County,  and,  in  March,  185 1,  he  came  to  Holt 
County.  In  1853,  he  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and 
which  contains  160  acres.  This  he  has  improved,  and  now  has  the  first 
brick  house  built  in  Benton  Township,  outside  of  Mound  City.  Mr.  M. 
has  been  twice  married  :  First,  in  February,  1840,  to  Miss  Mary  Sharp, 
who  was  born  in  Campbell  County,  East  Tennessee,  February  8,  18 15. 
She  died  August  27,  1846.  They  had  four  children,  of  whom  only  one  is 
living,  Sterling  H.,  born  December  4,  1840.  The  three  deceased  are 
Louisa  J.,  born  December  9,-1842,  died  in  August,  1852  ;  Elizabeth  F., 
born    in   January,  1846,  died  the   following  spring,  and   one   other  died 


176  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

while  young.  He  was  again  married,  February  27,  1847,  to  Miss  Nancy 
Young,  by  whom  he  has  had  nine  children,  three  now  living  :  Gilbert  T., 
born  November  17,  1850;  Perry  D.,  born  May  23,  1853  ;  Andrew  F.,  born 
November  28,  1863.  Those  deceased  were  Lucinda  J.,  born  April  28, 
1849,  died  in  August,  1852  ;  Amanda  M.,  born  July,  1855,  died  in  1858; 
Howard  E.,  born  September  27,  1859,  died  September  15,  1881,  and  three 
infants.  Mrs.  M.  was  born  in  Floyd  County,  Kentucky,  January 
10,  1819.  His  parents,  Charles  Young  and  Margaret  {nee  McBroon) 
Murry,  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  M.,  the  fourth  child  in  a  fam- 
ily of  fourteen  children,  came  with  her  parents,  to  Missouri,  in  1841. 
The  family  of  her  father  all  lived  to  be  grown,  except  one,  who  died  in 
her  twelfth  year. 

EDWARD  MUXLOW, 

proprietor  of  the  English  Kitchen  and  Bakery,  Mound  City,  Missouri,  is 
a  native  of  England,  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Dembleby,  Lincoln- 
shire, on  July  20,  1829.  He  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Grantham, 
England,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm,  being  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  England  till  May,  1854,  when  he  came  to  America.  On  his 
arrival  in  this  country  he  landed  at  New  York,  but  soon  located  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  wherehe  remained  till  July,  1855,  next  settling  on  a  farm  near 
Champaign,  Illinois.  He  was  for  three  years  engaged  in  farming  in  that 
vicinity,  and  then  moved  into  the  town  of  Champaign,  where  he  was 
occupied  in  buying  grain  till  the  fall  of  1865,  at  which  date  he  moved  to 
St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  Mr.  Muxlow  resided  there  till  the  spring  of  1869, 
and  then  returned  to  Illinois  and  lived  in  Tuscola  till  June,  1873,  when 
he  again  came  to  St.  Joseph.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business.  He  came  to  Mound  City  in  February,  1875,  and,  in 
his  present  business,  he  has  succeeded  in  giving  general  satisfaction  to 
the  traveling  public,  and  is  well  known  by  the  commercial  men  in  this 
section  of  the  country  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising  of  hotel  men,  and 
as  one  knowing  the  wants  of  the  weary  tourists.  While  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  he  was  married  (November  30,  1854,)  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Goodfel- 
low,  who  was  born  in  Manchester,  England,  March  22,  1835.  She  died 
in  Champaign,  Illinois,  November,  1872.  She  came  to  America  when 
about  fifteen  years  of  age.  They  had  one  child,  who  is  now  deceased. 
Mr.  Muxlow  was  again  married  in  November,  1877,  to  Mrs.  Margaret  A. 
Owens.  Her  maiden  name  was  Cornell,  and  she  was  born  in  Hampshire 
County,  Virginia,  August  22,  1830.  When  she  was  seven  years  of  age 
her  parents  moved  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Highland  County,  where  they 
lived  till  1854,  next  moving  to  McLean  County,  Illinois.  There  she  was 
married,  October  28,  1856,  to  Joseph  C.  Owens,  who  was  born  in  Hoy, 
Herefordshire,  England,  in  February,  1829.  He  came  to  America  when 
about  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  afterwards  made  a  trip  to  his  native  home. 


BENTON     TOWNSHIP.  177 

His  occupation  during  life  was  that  of  a  baker.  He  moved  from  Cham- 
paign County,  Illinois,  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he  died,  March  28, 
1872.  Mr.  Muxlow  has  by  his  former  marriage  four  children,  now  living, 
William  C,  Laura  V.,  Ellen  M.  and  Jeneva. 

CHRISTIAN   NIEDERHOUSER, 

farmer,  section  23,  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and  was  born  April  I, 
1832.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country,  and,  while 
there,  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  also  was  interested  in  the  dairy 
business.  In  185 1  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Wooster,  Ohio, 
remaining  in  different  parts  of  that  state  over  two  years,  when  he  went 
to  Indiana.  There  he  was  occupied  in  driving  a  stage  from  Rochester 
to  Logansport  till  the  fall  of  1855,  when  he  went  to  Iowa  and  resumed 
stage  driving  on  the  line  from  Iowa  City  to  DesMoines  and  Council 
Bluffs  till  the  summer  of  1858.  Mr.  N.  then  came  to  Missouri  and 
drove  stage  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state  from  St.  Joseph  till 
i860,  when  he  moved  to  Denver  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  same 
business  till  1861.  At  that  time  he  returned  to  Mound  City,  where  he 
was  driving  stage  to  Rock  Port  and  other  points  till  1864,  when  he  went 
with  a  train  from  Atchison,  Kansas,  to  Utah  Territory.  He  remained 
in  that  country  till  the  fall  of  1866,  and,  while  there,  was  interested  in 
the  mercantile  trade  and  running  ferry-boat  at  different  points  on  the 
Bear  River.  In  the  fall  of  1866  he  returned  to  Mound  City,  and  on 
March  14,  1867,  Mr.  Niederhouser  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  L.  Mann. 
She  was  born  in  Highland  County,  Ohio,  March  26,  1832,  and  when 
about  thirteen  years  of  age  her  parents  moved  to  Knox  County,  Illi- 
nois, and  four  years  later  to  Fremont  County,  Iowa.  In  1864  she  came 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  They  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but 
have  an  adopted  child,  Louis  C.  Dappin.  He  was  born  June  15,  1867,  in 
Atchison  County,  Missouri.  Mr.  N.,  after  being  married,  located  on 
his  farm,  where  he  now  owns  146  acres,  all  of  which  is  the  savings  of 
his  own  labor. 

HENRY  C.  PEPPER 

is  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  Mound  City,  and  is  deserving  of  more 

than  a  passing    notice.     His    grand   parents   on   his   father's   side  were 

natives  of  Virginia,  where  Joseph  Pepper,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 

biography  was  born.     Joseph  Pepper  emigrated  to  Kentucky  when  quite 

young,  and  in  that  State  he  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda  Peace,  a  native 

of  Kentucky.     Henry   C.  Pepper  was  born  in   Hart  County,  Kentucky, 

August  13,  185 1.     He  was   reared   to    habits   of  industry    in    his  native 

county,  and  there  received  the  advantages  of  the  common  schools,  after 

which,  in  1874,  he  graduated  from  the  literary  department  of  the  classical 

12 


178  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

military  institute  of  Danville,  Kentucky.  His  time  for  six  years  there- 
after was  principally  spent  in  teaching,  he  being'  employed  in  some  very 
prominent  institutions,  among  which  was  the  high  school  of  Gallatin, 
Tennessee.  As  an  educator  he  was  more  than  ordinarily  successful. 
Mr.  Pepper  chose  the  profession  of  law  as  his  occupation  during  life,  and 
after  a  usual  course  of  preparatory  study  he  graduated  from  the  law 
department  of  the  Cumberland  University  of  Lebanon,  Tennessee,  in 
June,  1879.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he  began  the  practice  of  law 
in  Frankfort,  Kansas,  where  he  continued  seven  months,  and  after  spend- 
ing six  weeks  in  Texas  he  located  in  Mound  City,  Missouri.  He  is  here 
held  in  high  esteem  by  the  citizens  of  the  place,  consequently  is  meeting 
with  much  success  in  his  legal  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 

DR.  HANNIBAL  POOL, 

Magnetic  Healer,  is  also  manager  of  the  Invalids'  Hotel,  or  Infirmary  of 
the  Pool  of  Siloam  of  Mound  City,  an  institution  which  is  becoming  as 
noted  in  Northwest  Missouri  as  are  places  of  like  kind   in   other  states. 
Dr.  Pool  principally  conceived  the  idea  of  his  system  of  healing  from  the 
hotel  and  infirmary,  or  Custer  House,  of  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  and  has,  for 
something  over  two  years,  been  practicing  the  work.     His  success  since 
locating  in  Mound   City,  September   26,  1881,  has   been  far  beyond   his 
expectations,  and  also  that  of  his  friends.     He   is   a  native  of  Cornwall, 
Crownshire,  England,  and  was  born  September  23,  1837.     In   the   year 
1842  he  came  with  his  parents,  Francis  and  Elizabeth  (Baston)  Poo',  to 
America,  and  located  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  Illinois.     His   father  was 
there  interested  in  the  lead  mines  for  ten  years,  after  which  they  moved 
to  Lafayette   County,  Wisconsin,  where   he   resided   on  a  farm   till  the 
spring  of  i860.     Returning  to  Jo  Daviess  County,  Illinois,  on  May  24,  of 
the  same  year,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  Adams,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land and   of  English  ancestry.     She   was  born  in   June,  1844,  and  died 
March  28,  1880.     By  this  union  they  had  nine  children,  Henry  F.,Vilena, 
Emma  (deceased),  Robert  W.,  Albert  S.,  Etta,  Charles  L.,  Anna  M.  and 
Jesse  M.     After  being  married  Dr.  Pool  crossed  the  plains  to  Colorado 
and  was  engaged  in  mining  at  Central  City,  of  the  Gregory  District,  till 
August,  1863,  when  he  returned  to  Lafayette  County,  Wisconsin,  where 
his  family  was  at  that  time  living.     He  remained  there  till  the  spring  of 
1865,  when  he  returned  to   Jo   Daviess   County,  Illinois,  and   was   there 
made  foreman  of  the  New  York  &  Galena  Lead  Mining  Company.which 
calling  he  pursued  for  two  years.     After  a  few  moves  he  located  in  Lafay- 
ette County,  Wisconsin,  but  finally  moved  back  to  Jo  Daviess  County, 
Illinois,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  and  mining.     In  March,  1878,  he 
went  to  Wyoming  where,  for  a  period  of  time,  he  was  superintendent  in 
the  mining  department  of  a  mine.     After  a  serious  illness  he  visited  the 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP.  1 79 

Hot  Springs  for  three  months,  and,  in  March,  1879,  he  returned  to  Jo 
Daviess  County,  Illinois,  after  which  time  he  was  treated  at  the  Custer 
House,  of  Ottumwa.  His  brother  being  Sheriff  of  Jo  Daviess  County, 
Illinois,  he  acted  as  deputy  for  some  time,  after  his  return  from  Wyo- 
ming. Having  the  power  of  a  magnetic  healer  and  becoming  convinced 
of  its  virtue,  he  began  the  practice  as  a  profession,  and,  September  26, 
188 1 ,  came  to  Mound  City,  where  he  has  permanently  located  and  is 
gaining  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  that  vicinity.  Those  acquainted 
with  him  know  him  to  be  a  man  of  strong  principles  and  of  high  moral 
standing. 

'     DeVVITT  CLINTON  PORTER, 

farmer,  section  25,  is  a  son  of  Cummings  Porter,  who  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  S.  Keene,  a 
native  of  Virginia.  In  1850  they  emigrated  to  Missouri  and  located  in 
Holt  County,  where  DeWitt  was  born,  January  24,  1852,  he  being  the 
second  child  in  the  family,  which  consisted  of  three  boys  and  one  girl. 
Of  these  two  boys  and  the  girl  are  now  living.  During  life  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  has  resided  in  Holt  County,  and  now  has  a  farm  of  440 
acres.  D.  W.  Porter,  his  only  brother,  was  born  in  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri, January  28,  1854,  and  is  now  attending  school  at  Columbia,  Mis- 
souri. 

EDWARD    RICHARDS, 

is  an  enterprising  farmer  on  section  24.  His  grandparents,  originally 
from  Scotland,  emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  Godfrey  Richards,  the  father  of  Edward,  was  born.  He  was 
married  in  that  state  to  Miss  Bethsheba  Adams.  Edward  Richards,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1832,  and  is  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of  ten  children. 
When  he  was  two  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  In  1850  he  went  to  Williams  County, 
Ohio,  and  there  he  made  his  home  for  some  time,  but  for  five  years  he 
was  principally  in  DeKalb  County,  Indiana,  where  he  was  married, 
November  23,  1855,  to  Miss  Martha  Smith,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  B.  Smith, 
of  New  York.  She  was  born  in  DeKalb  County,  Indiana,  November  12, 
1837.  They  have  had  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living  : 
William  H.,  Mary  E.,  Jonas,  Hugh  and  Eva.  Mr.  Richards  farmed  in 
DeKalb  County  till  1865,  when  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in 
Andrew  County.  After  living  there  two  years  he  settled  in  Holt 
County,  where  he  now  has  a  farm  of  220  acres,  all  of  which  is  well 
improved.  In  1881  he  erected  a  fine  residence  which  presents  an 
attractive  appearance,  affording  a  view  of  Mound  City,  two  miles  dis- 
tant.    In  September,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  M,  Second   Indiana 


l8o  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


avalry,  and  remained  in  service  for  three  years  and  eleven  days.  He 
was  mustered  out  as  corporal,  having  participated  in  all  the  battles  in 
which  his  company  was  engaged. 

JOHN  SCHRAUTZ, 

farmer,  section  26,  was  once  the  representative  of  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
in  the  twenty-eighth  general  assembly.  He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  July  12,  1829.  John  Schrautz,  his 
grandfather,  and  for  whom  he  was  named,  was  a  native  of  Lancaster 
County,  Pennsylvania,  his  parents  having  emigrated  from  Germany  and 
located  in  that  county  in  the  year  1735.  John  Schrautz,  Sr.,  was  married 
in  his  native  county  to  a  Miss  Garber,  by  which  union  Samuel  Schrautz, 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Catharine  Hull,  and  in  the  year  1835  with  his  family  he  immigrated 
from  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Stark 
County,  where  he  was  numbered  among  the  most  prominent  citizens  in 
that  locality,  being  for  several  years  judge  of  the  common  pleas  court. 
John  Schrautz,  whose  name  heads  this  biography,  was  reared  to  man- 
hood in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  there  received  the  advantages  of  the 
common  schools  which  were  much  inferior  to  those  of  the  present  day; 
his  time  was  also  mostly  employed  on  a  farm,  and  he  had  but  limited 
opportunities  for  procuring  a  desired  education.  He  was  married  in 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  in  1850  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Scheets,  after  which  he 
began  farming  in  the  same  county  on  his  own  account.  In  the  spring  of 
he  i854moved  to  DeKalb  County,  Indiana.  In  the  fall  of  1855  a  universal 
sickness  swept  over  that  part  of  the  State,  which  proved  unusually  fatal 
and  malignant  in  its  character,  and  inside  of  eleven  days  he  lost  his  wife 
and  two  children,  all  the  members,  beside  himself,  of  the  family.  In 
September  1857  he  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  at  that  time  Miss 
Susan  Duck.  She  was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  January  16,  1836. 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  her  mother's  maiden  name 
being  Abigal  Spangler.  Mr.  Schrautz  has  by  his  last  marriage  two 
children,  Mary,  wife  of  E.  A.  Welty,  of  Mound  City,  born  in  DeKalb 
County,  Indiana,  June  30,  1858,  and  A.  B.  Schrautz,  now  attending  school 
at  Raleigh.  He  was  born  in  DeKalb  County,  Indiana,  September  16, 
i860.  In  1865  Mr.  S.  moved  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Holt  County, 
on  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  his  farm  containing  290  acres.  In 
1876  he  erected  his  present  residence  which  denotes  comfort  and  pros- 
perity and  which  is  located  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  within  two  miles  of 
Mound  City,  his  house  forming  a  conspicuous  object  of  attraction  in  view 
of  a  line  of  bluffs  above  the  city.  In  politics  Mr.  S.'s  sentiments  have 
been  with  the  Republican  party,  whose  principles  appealed  to  his  sup- 
port when  the  Republican  party  was  first  organized,   more   than  a  score 


BENTON     TOWNSHIP.  l8l 

of  years  ago.  He  cast  his  first  vote  for  President  for  Franklin  Pierce,  in 
1852,  before  the  Republicans  were  numerous  enough  to  form  a  national 
organization,  and  since  that  time  has  invariably  cast  his  suffrage  for  the 
Republican  nominees'.  In  1874  the  Republicans  of  Holt  County  made 
him  their  candidate  for  representative.  He  was  elected  and  filled  that 
position  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  people  and  with  great  credit  to  himself. 

THOMAS  SECREST, 

farmer,  section  22,  is  a  grandson  of  Thomas  Secrest,  who  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  immigrated  to  America  and  located  in  North  Carolina, 
where  Jacob  Secrest,  his  son,  was  born.  The  latter  was  married  to  Miss 
Rachael  Morquette,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  her  father  being  a  native 
of  Germany.  Thomas,  a  son  of  Jacob  Secrest,  was  the  seventh  child  in 
the  family  of  ten  children,  and  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Indiana, 
September  18,  1830.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county,  and 
there  received  a  fair  education  in  the  "  schoolhouses  built  on  the  woods- 
man plan."  While  in  Morgan  County,  Indiana,  he  was  married,  July 
10,  185 1,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Shults,  a  daughter  of  George  Shults,  who  was 
a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  of  German  descent.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Elmira  Bean,  also  of  North  Carolina.  Mrs.  Secrest 
was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Indiana,  May  11,  1833,  and  was  the  oldest 
child  in  the  family  of  six  children.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Secrest 
consists  of  twelve  children,  ten  of  whom  are  now  living:  William  P., 
Delphia  J.,  George  O.,  Winfield  S.,  Mary  A.,  Thomas  S.,  Van  King,  Ella, 
Effie  and  Dudley  W.  In  1852  Mr.  Secrest  and  his  family  moved  to  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  and  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He 
has  made  farming  his  occupation  during  life,  and  by  his  own  labor  and 
judicious  management  became  the  possessor  of  a  landed  estate  amount- 
ing to  940  acres,  all  of  which  is  improved.  The  only  office  he  has  ever 
held  was  that  of  justice  of  the  peace,  which  he  filled  very  acceptably  for 
eight  years.  March  20,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Fourth  Regi- 
ment, M.  S.  M.,  and  remained  in  service  till  in  May  of  the  same  year, 
when  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  He  has  always  voted 
the  Republican  ticket,  and  is  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
party.     He  is  a  member  of  Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M. 

JACOB  SILVUSE, 

farmer,  section  21,  was  born  in  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  March  27, 
1827.  His  grandparents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  his  father, 
Jacob  Silvuse,  was  born  in  Virginia.  He  was  there  married  to  Miss 
Susan  Gorber,  a  native  of  Virginia.  Jacob  was  reared  in  Rockingham 
County,  Virginia,  on  a  farm,  but  part  of  the  time  worked  at  the  wagon- 


182  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

makers  trade.  In  1872  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  His  farm 
now  consists  of  214  acres,  and  is  well  improved.  He  was  married  to  his 
present  wife,  formerly  Miss  Susan  Miller,  January  21,  1865.  They  have 
one  child,  Susan  C.  Mrs.  S.  was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Virginia. 
Her  father,  Daniel  Miller,  and  her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Bar- 
bara Glick,  were  natives  of  Virginia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  are  members  of 
the  German  Baptist  Church. 

THOMAS  SMITH, 

section  29,  is  one  of  the  industrious  farmers  of  this  township.  His  grand- 
father, Smith,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was  married  to  Mary  Ellis.  William 
Smith,  the  father  of  Thomas,  was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky, 
and  emigrated  to  Martin  County,  Indiana,  where  he  married  Miss  Ber- 
thenia  Cannon,  of  Georgia.  They  had  a  family  of  eight  children.  Thomas, 
the  sixth  child,  was  born  in  Miami  County,  Indiana,  February  21,  1833. 
He  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace,  spending  his  boyhood  days 
on  the  farm  and  receiving  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  education. 
In  1854  he  moved  to  Harrison  County,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  till 
the  fall  of  1880,  then  coming  to  Holt  County,  where  he  purchased  a  farm. 
He  owns  100  acres  of  improved  land,  and  has  a  handsome  residence  upon 
his  place.  During  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  mili- 
tia a  short  time.  While  in  Harrison  County  he  served  for  two  terms  as 
township  collector.  Mr.  Smith  was  married,  December  24,  1856,  to  Miss 
Mary  T.  Shackelford,  a  daughter  of  Clayton  and  Jane  Shackelford, 
natives  of  Tennessee.  She  is  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  seven  children, 
and  was  born  in  Piqua  County,  Ohio,  October  28,  1834.  When  she  was 
about  eight  years  of  age  her  parents  moved  to  Wabash  County,  and  thence 
to  Miami  County,  of  the  same  state,  in  the  fall  of  1854.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S. 
have  had  two  children,  one  of  whom,  James  M.,  is  now  living. 

PERRY  J.  SPENCER, 

the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Morrow  County,  Ohio, 
December,  22,  1857.  His  parents,  William  and  Lydia  Spencer,  were 
both  natives  of  the  same  state.  William  Spencer  was  born  September 
17,  1836,  and  Lydia  Spencer,  nee  Miller,  was  born  on  the  9th  of  January, 
1838.  They  were  married  in  April,  1856,  and  then  settled  in  Johnsville, 
Ohio,  removing  to  Noble  County,  Indiana,  in  1862.  They  again  located 
on  a  farm,  coming  thence  in  1868  to  Missouri  and  settling  in  Nodaway 
County,  on  a  farm  adjoining  Graham,  where  Perry  was  inured  to  the  life 
of  a  farmer  boy.  He  followed  the  plow  in  summer  and  attended  the 
district  school  during  the  winter  months,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  he  began  teaching  school  and  continued  the  profession  for  five 
years.     On  August  23,  1880,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  L.  Turnure, 


KENTON     TOWNSHIP.  183 

whose  parents,  E.  W.  and  Emily  L.  Turnure  (jteeCompton),  were  natives 
of  New  York.  They  were  married  in  1853,  and  afterwards  settled  in 
Boone  County,  Illinois,  remaining  there  till  1863,  when  they  moved  to 
Mitchell  County,  Iowa,  thence  to  Nodaway  County  in  1865,  locating  on 
Long  Branch,  east  of  Bridgewater,  and  in  1871  Maryville  became  their 
home.  There  E.  W.  Turnurewas  engaged  in  the  hotel  and  mercantile 
bussiness  for  some  time.  He  removed  to  Graham  in  1877,  and  departed 
this  life  on  the  12th  of  July,  1880.  His  wife,  Emily  L.  Turnure,  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mrs.  Perry  Spencer  was  born  on  the 
18th  of  April,  1859.  She  died  December  5,  1880.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  the  spring  of  1881,  Mr.  Spencer  bought 
a  half  interest  in  the  Mound  City  News,  a  weekly  newspaper  published 
in  Mound  City,  and  which  has  under  the  present  able  management  become 
a  journal  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  papers  of  the  county. 

JOHN  M.  TRACY, 

one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  Holt  County,  has  been  engaged  in 
practicing  medicine  at  Mound  City  since  June  1866.  He  was  born 
in  Marion  County,  Indiana,  December  6,  1837.  His  grandfather  was 
from  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  moved  at  an  early  period  to  Kentucky, 
where  James  Tracy,  his  son,  was  born.  He  removed  from  Kentucky  to 
Indiana,  and,  in  the  latter  state,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Custer,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  part  of  Kentucky  as  her  husband.  The  second,  in  a 
family  of  five  children,  by  this  marriage,  was  John  M.  Tracy,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  He  resided  in  Marion  County,  Indiana,  till  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  and  there  received  his  primary  education.  In  1854, 
he  moved  to  Illinois,  and  after  that  date  he  was  a  student  at  the  Hed- 
ding  Seminary,  at  Abingdon,  and  in  that  institution  had  excellent  facili- 
ties for  becoming  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  necessary  branches  of 
a  substantial  English  education.  He  came  to  Missouri  in  the  year  1858, 
locating  in.  Bates  County,  and,  for  a  while,  taught  school,  and  at  the 
same  time  prosecuted  the  study  of  medicine,  a  profession  which  he  had 
early  resolved  to  adopt,  his  instructor  being  Dr.  Rockwell,  of  West 
Point,  Bates  County.  After  residing  there  about  three  years,  that  part 
of  Missouri  becoming  depopulated  and  unsafe  for  residence,  by  reason 
of  the  progress  of  the  war,  Mr.  T.  went  to  Colorado,  and  was  there  engaged 
in  several  speculative  enterprises.  In  1864,  he  located  in  Brownville, 
Nebraska,  and  was  there  occupied  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  till 
June  1,  1866,  when  he  became  a  citizen  of  Mound  City,  Holt  County. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  chosen  calling,  and  is  known  as  an 
able  physician.  He  is  closely  devoted  to  his  professional  practice,  and 
has  been  active  in  the  pursuit  of  the  study  of  medicicin^  even  after 
having  thoroughly  established  himself  in  practice,  believing,  as  he  does, 


1 84  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

that  constant  study  is  necessary  to  the  attainment  of  the  highest  suc- 
cess. His  medical  education  he  obtained  at  the  Eclectic  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1873.  He 
also  graduated  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  in  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  in  1881,  and  at  present  is  a  member  of  the  Northwestern  Medical 
Society  of  Missouri.  His  wife  was  formerly  Miss  Mary  J.  Collins,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Collins,  who  settled  at  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and 
who  was  one  of  the  early  residents  of  the  county.  Their  marriage  occur- 
red October  5,  1875.  They  have  had  two  children,  one  of  whom  is  now 
living,  Blanche  E.  By  a  former  marriage  the  doctor  had  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Emma,  Annie  and  James  M.  His  atten- 
tion and  time  has  been  devoted  to  his  profession,  to  the  exclusion  of 
active  participation  in  the  field  of  politics,  and  in  his  political  senti- 
ments he  has  been  rather  conservative  and  independent.  He  has  acted, 
however,  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  is  a  believer  in  the  cardinal 
principles  of  democracy.  Dr.  Tracy  is  one  of  the  leading  Masons  about 
Mound  City,  and  is  a  member  of  Mound  City  Lodge  No.  294,  A.  F.  and 
A.  M.  with  which  he  has  been  connected  since  1871.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Keystone  Chapter,  now  of  Mound  City,  but  formerly  of  Oregon. 

E.  A.  AND  P.  P.  WELTY, 

are  of  the  firm  of  Welty  Bros.  &  Co.,  dealers  in  general  merchandise. 
This  is  one  of  the  leading  firms  of  Mound  City,  who,  by  their  liberal 
course  of  dealing  and  wide-awake  business  habits,  are  doing  much 
toward  giving  the  town  a  reputation  as  a  business  point.  They  are 
natives  of  Andrew  County,  Missouri.  E.  A.  Welty  was  born  September 
13,  1852,  and  P.  P.  Welty  on  April  14,  1854.  Their  grandfather  early 
emigrated  from  Switzerland  to  America  and  located  in  Ohio,  where 
John  P.  Welty,  the  father  of  E.  A.  and  P.  P.,  was  born.  In  1849  he 
emigrated  to  Missouri  and  was  married  in  Buchanan  County  to  Miss 
Amanda  Richardson,  a  native  of  Indiana.  When  E.  A.  was  about 
three  years  of  age  the  family  moved  to  Arago,  Richardson  County, 
Nebraska,  having  previously  located  in  St.  Joseph,  where  he  carried  on  a 
trading  post  for  a  period  of  time ;  also  acted  as  postmaster.  They 
resided  in  Richardson  County  till  1866,  when  they  moved  to  Nemaha 
County,  of  the  same  state.  John  P.  was  sheriffin  that  county  till  1874, 
when  they  moved  to  Mound  City,  Missouri,  where  E.  A.  and  P.  P.  have 
since  lived.  The  days  of  their  youth  were  improved  on  a  farm  and 
behind  the  counter.  They  were  educated  in  the  different  localities  where 
they  resided,  and  in  the  State  Normal  School  of  Nebraska,  located  at 
Peru.  E.  A.  was  for  three  years  engaged  in  teaching  while  in  Nebraska, 
and  taught  the  public  school  of  Mound  City  one  term,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  selling  goods.     P.    P.  Welty  was  also  engaged  in  teaching 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP  1 85 

in  Nebraska  for  two  years,  but  since  coming  to  Mound  City  he  has  been 
in  his  present  business.  They  both  began  in  their  present  business  in 
March,  1879,  William  Hoblitzell  being  the  company  of  the  firm.  They 
are  both  members  of  Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  294,  A.  F.  and  A.  M,  and 
Mound  City  Lodge,  No.  341,  I.  O.  O.  F.  E.  A.  Welty  was  married 
October  15,  1879,  to  Miss  Mary  Schrautz,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Susan 
Schrautz.  She  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  was  born  June  30,  1859.  They 
have  one  child,  Helen.  P.  P.  Welty  was  married  March  20,  1878,  to  Miss 
Roberta  Robertson,  a  daughter  of  John  H.  Robertson.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Durrett.  Mrs.  Roberta  Welty  is  a  native 
of  Missouri,  and  was  born  March  27,  i860.  They  have  one  child, 
Perry  A. 

COL.  WILLIAM  WILKINSON 

is  a  native  of  Bradford,  Yorkshire,  England,  and  was  born  August  18, 
1819.  His  father  was  a  land  steward  and  proprietor  of  a  large  woolen 
factory,  in  which  were  employed  nine  hundred  hands,  and  often  more. 
During  his  younger  days  he  assisted  his  father  in  his  work.  He  received 
a  primary  education  in  England,  and,  in  the  year  1837,  he  went  to  the 
province  of  Rhode  Island,  with  the  intention  of  attending  school.  He 
was  there  at  the  time  of  the  rebellion  and  his  sympathies  being  with 
Dore,  on  this  account  he  left  the  province  and  located  at  Niagara  Falls, 
where,  for  a  number  of  years,  he  was  publishing  a  paper,  called  the 
Evangelical  Pioneer.  He  then  located  in  Canada,  where  he  was  most  of 
the  time  in  public  office.  In  1858  he  was  a  candidate  for  a  position  in 
Parliament,  against  the  celebrated  McDonall,  in  which  he  was  defeated 
by  a  small  majority.  He  was  a  resident  of  Canada  for  fourteen  years. 
In  the  year  of  1849,  he  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  as 
Master  of  Arts  from  the  Madison  University,  of  Hamilton,  New 
York.  After  leaving  Canada  Mr.  W.  moved  to  Romeo,  McComb 
County,  Michigan,  and,  during  1859  and  i860,  he  was  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law.  At  the  time  Fort  Sumpter  was  fired  upon  there  was  a 
meeting  held  and  the  colonel  was  called  upon  to  address  the  audience, 
in  which  he  said  he  would  not  say  go,  but  he  would  say  come.  From 
that  the  chairman  called  all  to  come  round  the  liberty  pole.  The  next 
day  they  were  called  in,  and,  by  a  ballot  vote  of  the  company,  Mr.  W. 
iwas  elected  Captain  of  Company  A,  Ninth  Michigan  Infantry.  In  about 
four  days  thereafter  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  as  a  field  officer, 
his  muster  in  as  major  being  August  6,  1861.  They  were  the  first  regi- 
ment to  go  southwest,  then  went  to  Bowling  Green,  and  were  then  in 
Nelson's  expedition,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson. 
Their  next  important  battle  was  Pittsburg  Landing,  after  which  he  was 
captured,  and,  with  Generals  Prentice  and  Crittendon,  he  was  confined 
1  various  prisons,  being  with  them  put   on  exhibition   at  many  public 


1 86  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

places,  fair  grounds,  etc.     He   left   Libby  Prison,  October   12,  1862,  and 
again  joined  the  army,  and   was  attached  to  General  Thomas's    head- 
quarters, and    commanded  the   regiment  through   the  battle  of  Stone 
River.     Immediately  after  he  was  given  the  commission  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel   of  the   Ninth   Regiment  of  Michigan,  which  dates  February  6, 
1863.     He  remained  attached  to  General  Thomas's  staff  till  the  close  of 
the  war,  having  the  command  of  the  Reserve  Brigade  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland.     He  commanded  in  the  advance   at   the   battle  of  Chicka- 
maugua,  with  General  Thomas,  and  commanded  at  many  other  important 
battles,  among  which  was  Lookout  Mountain.     He  was   in   the  Atlanta 
campaign,  at  the  battle  of  Chickasaw  Mountain,  in  all  the  siege  of  Atlanta, 
battle  of  Jonesboro',  and,  instead  of  going  to   the  sea  with  Sherman,  he 
returned  with  Thomas  to  Nashville.     On  the  return  he  was  in  the  battle 
of  Frankfort,  and  was  also  in  command,  at  the  battle  of  Nashville.     Col 
Wilkinson  then  remained  at  Nashville,  his  muster  out  dating  September 
15,  1865,  but  he  was  not  released  till  the  latter  part  of  November.    March 
13,  1865,  upon  him  was  conferred  the    rank  of  Colonel    in    the    United 
States  Army,  by  the  advice  and  consent  ot  the  Senate,   for   gallant  and 
meritorious  services   during  the  war,  his   commission   being  signed   by 
Andrew  Johnson.     When  he  was  made  colonel  he  was  placed  in  the  reg- 
ular army  and  holds  that  rank  at  the  present  day,  he   not   having   been 
released.     In  1866  he  received  an  appointment  in  the  United  States  mai 
department,  and  was  renewed  by  Grant  in  1868,  and  retained  the  appoint 
rnent  till  1871.     In  December,  1872,  he  left  Romeo,  Michigan,  and  came 
to  Missouri.     While  in  Romeo  he  was  mayor  of  the  city  for  three  years 
Upon  coming  to  Missouri  he  located  in  Savannah,  Andrew  County, wher 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Andrew  County  bar,  and  began   the  practice  o 
law,  in  partnership  with  his  son,  John  M.  Wilkinson.     In  1872,  while  or 
a  railroad  surveying  expedition,  the  latter  was  fatally  shot,  supposed  tc 
be  accidentally.     In  1873  the  colonel  came  to  Holt  County,  and  locatec 
at  Oregon,  and  in  a  short  time  came  to  Mound  City.     Since  then  he  ha; 
been  mayor  of  the  town  four  terms,  and  has  been  justice  since  June,  1877 
He  has  also  paid  some  attention  to  the  practice  of  law,  but  to  no   grea1 
extent.     Since  the  war  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  success  of  tlu 
Republican  party,  and  has  done  grand  work  for  the   cause,  having  can 
vassed  Atchison  County  twice  since  he  came  to  Mound  City.     He  was; 
member  of  the  Republican  Committee  of  the  Ninth  Congressional  Dis 
trict,  and  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.     He  has  a  son  ii 
Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  engaged  in  the   practice  of  medicine,  and  wh( 
is  one  of  the  most  able  and  prominent  surgeons  of  the  state.     His  son 
who  was  killed  in  Texas,  was  also  in  the  army  and  was  mustered  out  a 
a  lieutenant. 


BENTON    TOWNSHIP.  1 87 

JOSEPH  WILSON, 

is  a  son  of  Charles  Wilson,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  is  of  English 
ancestry.  His  mother's  name  was  Easter  Davis.  Joseph,  the  youngest 
child  in  a  family  of  nine  children,  was  born  in  Hardy  County,  Virginia, 
June  4,  1800.  He  was  educated  in  the  old-fashioned  log  cabins,  slab 
benches,  greased  paper  for  lights,  etc.,  and  on  October  19,  1826,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Morrow.  He  was  reared  a  farmer's  boy 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  in  the  valleys  of  Virginia  till  185  1,  when 
he  emigrated  to  Miama  County,  Indiana,  living  there  till  1854.  Mr.  W. 
then  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Jackson  County,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1857,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  has  lived 
1  in  the  same  house.  The  county  at  that  time  was  thinly  settled,  and 
Mrs  VV.  says  she  thought  it  was  the  "  last  place  in  the  world."  Wolves 
were  numerous  then,  and  many  stories  might  be  related  of  those  pioneer 
days.  With  the  exception  of  the  last  twelve  years,  Mr.  Wilson  has 
been  engaged  in  farming,  and  now  has  a  landed  estate  of  200  acres. 
He  has  never  held  an  office  and  never  belonged  to  any  society.  They 
have  had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  eight  sons  and  four  daughters, 
seven  of  whom  are  now  living  :  James  E.,  David  M.,  Joseph  G.,  Adam 
C,  Sarah  J.,  Margaret  R.  and  Virginia.  Mrs.  Wilson  is  a  daughter  of 
James  Morrow,  a  native  of  Hardy  County,  Virginia.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Spohr,  also  of  Hardy  County,  Virginia. 

JOSEPH  G.  WILSON, 

farmer,  section  23,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Wilson,  and  was  born  in  Hardy 
:  County,  Virginia,  May  4,  1845.  He  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
various  moves  before  coming  to  Missouri,  always  staying  with  them,  and 
since  the  spring  of  1856  he  has  resided  in  Holt  County.  He  has  made 
farming  his  occupation  during  life.  In  October,  1863,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  D,  Twelfth  Missouri  cavalry  and  remained  in  service  till  the 
close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  mustered  out  as  chief  bugler.  He  had 
been  in  a  number  of  important  battles,  among  which  were  Florence, 
Franklin  and  Nashville,  also  numerous  engagements  on  the  plains  during 
the  Indian  troubles.  Mr.  Wilson  was  married  August  11,  1867  to  Miss 
Bettie  Meek,  daughter  of  B.  Meek,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Nancy  Jones,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Wilson  was 
born  in  Henry  County,  Kentucky,  June  17,  1847.  They  have  had  six 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Martha  G.  and  Ella  A.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

S.  R.  YOUNG 

was   born    in    Barren    County,    Kentucky,    May    8,    18 12.     His    father, 
Edward  Young,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  immigrated  to  Kentucky 


1 88  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

at  an  early  period.  His  mother  was  formerly  Keziah  Rennick,  the 
daughter  of  William  Rennick,  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Kentucky, 
who  came  from  Virginia,  and  who  lived  for  several  years  at  McKinney's 
Station.  Mr.  Young  is  the  youngest  child  of  ten  children,  and  was 
reared  to  manhood  in  Barren  County,  Kentucky.  His  only  opportuni- 
ties for  procuring  an  education  were  in  the  subscription  schools.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  but  about  fifteen  years  old,  and  he  then  went  to 
live  with  his  brother,  with  whom  he  learned  the  tanning  business.  This 
he  followed  near  Glasgow,  Kentucky,  in  which  state  he  lived  till  the 
year  1854,  when  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  located  where 
he  now  resides,  on  section  15,  township  61,  range  38.  He  has  since  fol- 
lowed farming  and  stock  raising.  Mr.  Y.  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
public  affairs,  and  soon  after  his  coming  to  this  county,  was  chosen  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  was  elected  the  representative 
from  Holt  County  in  the  Twentieth  General  Assembly.  He  served  in 
the  regular  session,  an  adjourned  session,  and  a  called  session.  He  was 
at  Jefferson  City  during  the  winter  of  1858-9  and  that  of  1859-60,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  last  General  Assembly  that  convened  before  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war.  He  had  run  as  a  candidate  for  the  legislature 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  in  the  memorable  presidential  campaign 
of  i860  gave  his  warm  support  to  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  When  the 
country  at  last  was  precipitated  into  the  rebellion  he  took  no  part  in 
that  struggle,  and  stood  on  the  same  ground  occupied  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  old  citizens  of  Missouri,  opposed  both  to  the  secession  of  the 
states  and  their  attempt  to  disrupt  the  Union,  and  to  the  manner  in 
which  coercion  was  undertaken  on  the  part  of  the  Federal  government. 
From  the  latter  part  of  1864  till  the  spring  of  1868  he  resided  in  Fre- 
mont County,  Iowa,  where  he  acted  as  justice  of  the  peace.  Since  the  war 
he  has  acted  in  sympathy  with  the  principles  and  policy  of  the  Demo 
cratic  party.  In  December,  1839,  Mr.  Young  was  married  to  Miss 
Matilda  J.  Paxton,  by  which  union  they  have  had  six  children  :  Joseph 
E.,  born  November  19,  1839;  Ella  M.,  born  January  29,  1842;  Keziah 
A.,  familiarly  known  as  "  Kittie,"  born  September  23,  [845  ;  Robert  T., 
born  November  6,  1848;  Sarah  E.,  born  April  21,  1850;  Benjamin  A., 
born  September  18,  1853.  Mrs.  Young  was  born  in  Rockingham 
County,  Virginia,  about  five  miles  from  the  Natural  Bridge,  on  August 
5,  1816.  Her  father,  Joseph  Paxton,  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Elvira 
Bagby,  a  native  of  Virginia. 

JOHN  W.  YOUSE, 

house,  sign,  carriage  and  ornamental  painter,  is  a  son   of  Levi   Youse, 
Esq.,  who    was  born  in   Pennsylvania  and  was  there   married  to    Miss 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  1 89 

Catharine  Catchshaw,  also  born  in  the  same  State.  John  Youse,  the 
father  of  Levi,  was  a  native  of  Germany.  John  W.  Youse  was  born  in 
Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  October  16,  1854.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  county,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm. 
In  1873  he  went  to  Tiffin,  Ohio,  and  began  his  trade  with  a  Mr.  Spindler, 
a  prominent  painter  of  that  locality,  with  whom  he  remained  till  the  fall 
of  1876.  He  then  returned  to  his  native  home,  and  in  1878  came  to 
Mound  City,  where  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  at  his  trade 
having  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  this  vicinity.  William  O.  Youse, 
of  the  same  family  as  John  W.,  and  at  present  one  of  the  leading  carpen- 
ters of  Mound  City,  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania, 
December  5,  1856.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  began  working  at 
his  present  trade  which  he  followed  in  his  native  county  till  1878  when 
he  came  to  Mound  City.  He  was  married  December  17,  1878  to  Miss 
Ellen  Andrews,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Kelley)  Andrews.  Both 
were  natives  of  New  Jersey.  Mrs.  Youse  was  born  in  the  same  State 
in  the  year  1857.     They  have  one  child,  John  W. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BIGELOW  TOWNSHIP. 

BIGELOW      TOWNSHIP      BOUNDARIES— PHYSICAL     FEATURES— EARLY     SETTLERS-FIRST 
MERCANTILE    ENTEK  PRISE-CHURCHES-ISAAC  HAYS— BIGELOW-BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Bigelow  Township  was  reduced  to  its  present  (1882)  limits,  March 
22,  187 1.  It  includes,  with  the  exception  of  sections  1  and  12  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  same,  the  whole  of  Township  61,  range  39,  and 
eighteen  sections  and  fractional  sections  of  township  61,  range  40.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Union  and  Benton  Townships,  on  the  east  by 
Benton  Township;  on  the  south  by  Lewis  Township,  and  on  the  west  by 
the  Missouri  River,  which  separates  it  from  the  State  of  Nebraska. 

PHYSICAL   FEATURES. 

The  entire  area  of  Bigelow  Township  lies  in  the  wide  bottom  which 
here  extends  on  a  dead  level,  ten  miles  westward  from  the  bluffs  to  the 
Missouri  River.  It  is  traversed  by  numerous  important  streams,  and 
interspersed  with  lakes  and  swamps.  The  Big  Tarkio  enters  Bigelow 
Township  from  Union,  in  section  4,  and  flows  in  a  southerly  by  westerly 
direction  through  six  sections,  into  Lewis  Township,  through  which  it 
runs  in  a  westerly  course  somewhat  over  a  mile,  then  bending  north 
ward  again,  flows  into  Tarkio  swamp  cr  marsh,  in  section  36,  township 
61,  range  40.  This  creek,  two  hundred  links  wide  in  Bigelow  Township, 
is  returned  in  the  government  surveys  as  a  navigable  stream,  to  the 
south  line  of  township  63,  range  40,  in  what  is  now  Union  Township, 
and  within  three  miles  of  the  northern  boundary  of  the  county. 

Little  Tarkio  enters  Bigelow  Township  near  the  northwest  corner 
of  section  3,  township  61,  range  39,  and  flows  in  a  generally  southerly 
course,  traversing  eight  sections  of  the  same,  and  entering  Lewis  Town- 
ship in  section  4,  township  60,  range  39.  Its  average  width  in  Bigelow 
Township  is  about  one  hundred  links. 

Squaw  Creek,  flowing  in  a  southwesterly  course  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Mound  City,  in  Benton  Township,  enters  Bigelow  Township  in 
section  2,  at  its  northeast  corner,  and  flowing  through  the  same,  and  a 
corner  of  section  1 1,  enters  Tarkio  Creek  just  within  the  east  boundary 
of  section  10,  township  61,  range  39. 


BIGELOW     TOWNSHIP.  191 

The  lake,  or  rather  swamp,  into  which  the  Big  Tarkio  flows,  is  prob- 
ably not  over  one  third  of  a  mile  wide  in  its  greatest  breadth.  It  extends, 
however,  over  a  considerable  surface,  occupying  in  its  irregular  area 
portions  of  sections  18,  19,  30  and  31  of  range  40,  in  township  61.  This 
body  of  water  was  once  known  as  Higgins'  Lake.  It  is  now  called  Big 
Lake,  and  abounds  in  fish,  wild  geese  and  ducks.  On  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  13,  township  61,  range  40,  bordering  on  its  banks,  Wil- 
liam and  Harmon  Higgins,  brothers,  from  Ray  and  Platte  Counties,  Mis- 
souri, settled  in  November  1 84 1.  Stephen  C.  Collins,  for  twenty  years 
surveyor  of  Holt  County,  assisted  them  in  putting  up  their  house.  The 
Iowa  and  Sac  Indians  were  then  numerous  in  the  neighborhood. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

Besides  those  above  mentioned,  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Bige- 
low  Township  were  Joshua  Kelso,  (still  living)  constable  in  1855,  when 
it  was  included  in  Benton  ;  Joseph  Scott  and  his  sons  William  and  John 
Scott;    Daniel    David,    who  came  from    Switzerland   County,    Indiana; 
Jeff.  Campbell,  Wade  Whitney  and  John  Stone,  from  Virginia  ;    Jack 
Chaney,  Joel  Chaney  and    Fields  Chaney  from  Ray  County,  Missouri  ; 
fohn  L.  Morris,  from  Kanawah,  Virginia,  whose  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
[ohn  Hinkle,  who  died  in  1853,  came  from  Randolph  County,  Virginia,  to 
Bigelow  Township   in    1848.     He  was  an   uncle  of  J.  C.  Hinkle,  now  a 
orominent   citizen  of  West  Lewis  Township.      Nelson   Rodney,  C.   G. 
Hopkins  and  A.  Galloway  were  early  settlers.     Among  the  earliest  to 
ocate  in   what  is   now  Bigelow  Township  was  a   man  by  the  name  of 
Wagle,  who  settled  just  west  of  the  present  site  of  Bigelow,  and  lived 
:here  till  the  year  1844,  when  he  was  forced  to  move,  in  consequence  of 
:he  flood  of  that  year.     Elijah  Duncan  and  William  Farmer  were  also 
imong  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  township.     Thomas  and  John  Dun- 
can, sons  of  E.  Duncan,  and  James,  Elijah  and  Andrew  Farmer,  sons  of 
■Vm.  Farmer;  Jacob,  James  and  Alex  Fitzwaters  from  Franklin  County, 
Missouri.     A  large   number   of  the  settlers  of  the  western   portion    of 
5igelow  Township  were  from  Franklin  Countv,  Missouri. 

FIRST   MERCANTILE   ENTERPRISE. 

The  first  merchants  who  sold  goods  in  Bigelow  Township  were 
'rury  T.  Easley  and  R.  J.  Poindexter.  They  came  from  Franklin 
ounty,  Missouri,  in  1849,  an<^  opened  a  stock  of  goods  near  the  mouth 
'  the  Tarkio,  in  what  is  now  West  Lewis  Township,  just  across  the  line 
om  Bigelow  Township.  They  shortly  after  went  to  California.  On 
ieir  return,  in  1852,  they  started  a  store  on  the  river  bank,  above  Lang- 
Mi's   place,   opposite    Rulo,    Nebraska.     This   was    the  first  store  ever 


192  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

established  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  Bigelow  Township.  It  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1857.  Easley  &  Poindexter,  the  pioneer  merchants, 
enjoy  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  to  introduce  cockle  burrs  into 
Holt  County.  These  they  brought  in  the  tails  of  their  horses  from 
Franklin  County,  Missouri,  on  their  first  arrival  in  the  country. 

TIMBER. 

Fully  four-fifths  of  the  area  included  within  the  present  limits  of 
Bigelow  Township  was  originally  heavily  timbered,  and  the  entire 
expanse  of  this  territory,  which  is  bottom  land,  level  as  a  floor,  was 
covered  with  a  growth  of  rushes  almost  as  thick  as  grass.  The  trees 
which  towered  above  this  growth,  attained,  many  of  them,  to  enormous 
size,  and  it  was  not  unusual  to  find  cottonwoods  six  feet  in  diameter,  as 
well  as  walnut,  hackberry,  mullbery  and  and  other  indigenous  growths  of 
•corresponding  dimensions.  The  rushes  which  grew  here  in  such  vast 
profusion,  sustained,  during  the  winter  season,  thousands  of  cattle  which, 
supplied  with  no  other  food,  came  out  fat  in  the  spring.  As  many  as 
ten  'thousand  head  have  been  wintered  on  these  rushes  in  the  bottoms 
in  one  season.  These  were  often  brought  from  as  iar  south  as  Clay  and 
Jackson  Counties.  Judge  J.  T.  V.  Thompson,  of  Liberty,  Missouri,  had, 
among  his  cattle  on  these  rushes,  twelve  buffaloes.  They  were  sent  there 
in  1842.  Long  after  he  had  removed  the  rest  of  the  herd,  there  remained 
one  cow  buffalo  which  boldly  attacked  people  whom  it  chanced  to  encoun- 
ter. It  was  finally  shot  and  killed.  This  bottom  land  has  all  long  been 
entered,  and  a  vast  acreage  cleared  and  in  cultivation.  The  rushes 
which  once  grew  here  in  such  boundless  profusion,  from  the  action  of 
fire  and  other  causes,  have  nearly  entirely  disappeared.  At  present 
(1882)  not  above  one-half  the  area  of  the  bottom  is  timbered.  This  is 
included  chiefly  in  the  southern  and  western  parts  of  the  township.  In 
point  of  fertility,  there  is  no  more  excellent  country  on  the  continent, 
the  products  of  this  latitude  growing,  with  slight  attention,  in  vast  pro- 
fusion. We  state,  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  John  C.  Hinkle,  a  representa- 
tive farmer  and  reliable  resident  of  this  section,  whose  farm,  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  7,  extends  to  the  southern  limits  of  this  town- 
ship, that  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Bigelow  line,  in  Lewis  Township,  on 
this  bottom  land,  he  raised  in  1879,  a  crop  of  wheat  which  averaged 
upwards  of  forty-five  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre. 

MILLS. 

In  1861  the  Hoover  Saw  Mill  was  moved  from  Mound  City  and  set 
up  on  Big  Tarkio,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  17,  township  61, 
range   39,   one  mile   and   a-half  south  by  west  of  the  present  town  of 


BIGELOW    TOWNSHIP.  1 93 

Bigelow.  In  1864  L.  Hoover  sold  this  mill  to  T.  W.  and  E.  D.  McCoy, 
who  operated  it  till  1869,  when  they  sold  to  R.  P.  Lewis,  who  ran  the 
mill  alone  till  the  year  1870,  when  he  associated  with  himself  in  the  busi- 
ness E.  A.  Brown,  Esq.  They  continued  at  this  point  till  the  fall  of  1876, 
when  they  moved  the  mill  to  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  7,  town- 
ship 61,  range  39,  three  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Bigelow,  where  it  is 
still  (1882)  operated.  The  yield  of  this  mill  averages  about  one  million 
feet  of  lumber  per  year.  This  is  chiefly  Cottonwood,  elm,  walnut  and 
basswood.  The  receipts  from  sales  of  walnut  lumber  alone,  sawed  at 
this  mill,  in  the  year  1881,  amounted  to  $5,889.  The  other  permanent 
or  stationary  sawmill  of  Bigelow  Township  is  now  (1882)  owned  by 
Jacob  Book.  It  formerly  stood  on  Little  Tarkio  Creek,  four  miles  south 
of  the  town  of  Bigelow.  In  1870  it  was  moved  by  Johnson  &  Chambers 
to  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  32,  township  61,  range  39,  on  the 
waters  of  the  Big  Tarkio.  Several  years  after  Jacob  Book  purchased  the 
mill  and  moved  it  to  its  present  location,  the  east  eighty  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  21,  township  61,  range  39,  about  two  and  a-half 
miles  southwest  of  the  town  of  Bigelow. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  ecclesiastical  edifice  erected  within  the  present  limits  of 
Bigelow  Township  was  the  white  church,  which  stood  on  the  east  bank 
of  Big  Tarkio,  on  a  farm  now  (1882)  owned  by  B.  M.  Beesley,  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  32,  township  61,  range  39.  This  church  was 
built  in  i860  by  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  at  a  cost  of  about  six  hun- 
dred dollars.  The  organizers  of  the  congregation  were  Isaac  H.  Jones, 
now  of  Rulo,  Nebraska,  and  his  wife  ;  Isaac  Jarvis  and  wife,  Mrs.  Susan 
D.  Easley,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Poindexter,  U.  T.  Cranmer  and  wife,  and  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Spoonamore. 

The  first  sermon  was  preached  in  this  church  on  the  4th  of  July, 
i860,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Dodd,  of  Calloway  County,  Missouri.  In  the  winter 
of-  1871,  the  structure  of  this,  the  pioneer  church  of  the  township,  was 
destroyed  by  fire. 

In  the  succeeding  summer  the  "Brick  Church"  was  built  by  the 
congregation  of  the  burned  church.  This  they  located  on  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  29,  one  mile  north  of  the  site  of  the  old  White 
Church.  It  is  a  neat  building,  thirty  by  fifty  feet  in  the  clear,  and  was 
completed  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  It  is  one  of  the  best  buildings  of  its 
character  in  the  county. 

Shiloh  M.  E.  Church,  South,  also  in  Bigelow  Township,  is  a  frame 
structure,  which  stands  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  in  section  23, 
township  61,  range  40.  It  is  a  building  thirty  by  forty  feet  in  extent, 
and  was  erected  in  1873,  at  a  cost  of  about  seven  hundred  dollars.     The 

13 


194  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

principal  members  who  built  this  church  were  George  H.  Walker,  A.  I. 
Griffin  and  Robert  Adkison. 

ISAAC  HAYS. 

In  our  report  of  Lewis  Township  mention  is  made  of  the  death,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  104  years,  of  Mrs.  Pope,  of  Forest  City.     Bigelow 
Township  also,  it  appears,  had  her  prodigy  of  longevity,  in  the  person  of 
the  venerable  Isaac  Hays,  who  died   in   October,  1880,  at  his  residence 
just  within  the  limits  of  Lewis  Township,  near  the  south  line  of  Bigelow 
Township,  on  the  fractional  section  6,  township  60,  range  39,  where  the 
Big  Tarkio  enters  the  latter  from  the  former  township.     From  a  notice 
of  his  life,  written  by  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Mahan,  of  Mound  City,  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  and   published  in   the   Kansas  Chief,  we   glean  the  following 
facts  :  "  Isaac  Hays  was  born  in  Greenbriar  County,  Virginia,  July  28, 
1778.     At  the  age  of  two  years  he  moved,  with  his  parents,  uncles  and 
grandparents  to  Kentucky.     They  joined  Daniel  Boone  and  his  pioneers 
in  the  fort  where  Boonsboro'  was  subsequently  built.     His  father,  John 
Hays,  was  killed  in  a  fight   with  the  Indians,  on   Brier  Creek,  leaving 
young  Isaac  and  a  baby  sister  to  provide  for.     They  remained  at  the  fort 
about  nine  years,  and  Father  Hays,  as  he  was  familiarly  known  in  this 
country,  retained  to  the  last  a  very  distinct  recollection  of  Boone.     On 
attaining  his  majority  he  moved,  with  his  mother  and  sister,  to  Garrard 
County,  Kentucky,  and,  in  1812,  was  married  to   Miss  Anna   Hohimer, 
whose  parents  came  from  North  Carolina.     In   February,  1813,  he   took 
the  place  of  one  Samuel  Davis,  who   had  been    drafted,  to  go  with  the 
command  of  the  unfortunate  Col.  Dudley,  to  join  Gen.  W.  H.  Harrison, 
at  Fort  Meigs,  receiving  for  so  doing  155  silver  dollars.     He   was  subse- 
quently in  the  disastrous  engagement  with  the   British  and    Indians,  at 
the  River  Raisin,  and  was  one  of  the  few  whose  fortune  it  was  to  escape 
that  terrible  massacre.     With  his  fellow  captives  he  was  taken  to  Mai- 
den, Canada,  and  there  paroled.     Furnished  with  two  days  rations  they 
tramped  through  the  wilderness  to  their  homes,  and  arrived  on  the  5th 
day  of  May.     August    14,   1814,  another  draft   was  made  and  our  hero 
drew  the  black   bean.      He  was  forthwith  enrolled   in   the  company  of 
Capt.  William  Woods,  Col.  Stoughton's  regiment  and  Gen.  Adair's  brig- 
ade, which  was  ordered  to  join  Gen.  Jackson,  at  New  Orleans.     Just  pre- 
vious to  starting  from  home  he  united  with  the  M.  E.  Church,  not  wish- 
ino",  as  he  expressed  it,  if  killed,  to  die  in  his  sins.     Embarking  in  flat- 
boats   the  expedition  started   from  the   locality  where    Portland,  Ken- 
tucky, now  stands,  bound   for  New   Orleans.     At   Natchez,   and  subse- 
quently at  Baton  Rouge,  they  were  met  by  couriers,  urging  them  to  make 
all  haste.     January  4,  1815,  they  passed   the   city  of  New  Orleans  and 
encamped  three  miles  below  its  site.     On  the  8th  was  fought  the  memo- 
rable  battle  which  immortalized  Jackson.     Isaac  Hays  was  one  of  the 


BIGELOW    TOWNSHIP.  195 

seven  in  the  American  ranks  who  were  wounded.  The  scar  of  this 
wound,  which  was  on  his  left  arm,  he  carried  to  the  day  of  his  death. 
Father  Hays,  in  speaking  of  that  memorable  occasion,  mentioned  that  a 
ball  passed  through  the  crown  of  his  hat,  just  grazing  his  hair,  and 
another  ball  cut  off  part  of  the  rim  of  his  hat  and  went  through  the  cape 
of  his  hunting  shirt.  He  also  stated  that  a  light  rain  fell  continually, 
but  ceased  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  sun  shone  out  beautifully.  He 
saw  Gen.  Packenham's  body,  lying  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the 
ditch.  He  had  been  shot  in  the  head,  the  bullet  entering  the  left  eye. 
March  18th  he  started  for  home,  with  $21  loaned  him  by  a  deserter 
whom  he  had  befriended.  Arriving  April  27  he  found  his  home  in  ashes 
and  its  contents  destroyed.  His  wife  and  child,  however,  had  escaped 
the  flames.  He  remained  in  Kentucky  till  1827,  and  was  major  of  his 
home  regiment  of  militia.'elected  over  three  competitors  by  250  majority. 
After  leaving  Kentucky  he  settled  in  Indiana,  but  soon  after  moved  to 
McLean  County,  where  he  remained  a  number  of  years.  His  wife  dying 
he  returned  to  Kentucky  and  married  a  widow,  Mary  Renfrow,  in  the 
same  house  where  he  had  married  his  first  wife.  In  1854  Major  Hays 
moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  near  the  mouth  of  the  Big 
Tarkio,  where  he  continued  to  reside  up  to  the  period  of  his  death.  In 
March,  1861,  his  second  wife  died,  and  he  was  left  entirely  alone,  as  his 
two  sons  had  entered  the  army  and  his  daughters  were  married  and  gone. 
The  old  major  was  an  uncompromizing  Union  man,  and  boldly  defied  a 
gang  of  robbers,  who,  calling  themselves  Confederate  soldiers,  plundered 
his  house  during  the  stormy  days  of  the  rebellion.  During  the  war  the 
old  man  made  a  third  matrimonial  venture,  espousing,  this  time,  a 
widow  lady  residing  in  Hiawatha,  Kansas.  He  had,  by  this  marriage, 
four  children,  the  eldest  now  (1882)  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  the 
youngest  twelve,  all  hearty,  good-looking  young  people.  On  Major 
Hays'  one  hundredth  birthday  five  hundred  people  dined  with  him,  and 
mainly  at  his  expense  ;  and,  as  he  was  poor  and  a  Government  pen- 
sioner, it  was  resolved  that  when  the  one  hundred  and  second  anniver- 
sary arrived  the  same  should  be  celebrated  at  the  expense  of  his  friends. 
Accordingly,  on  July  28,  1880,  several  hundred  persons  again  dined  with 
him,  in  J.  C.  Hinkle's  grove,  but,  on  this  occasion,  as  determined,  at  their 
)wn  expense,  many  of  them  making  him,  besides,  small  donations. 
Appropriate  addresses  were  delivered  by  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Mahan  and 
jen.  Wilkinson,  of  Mound  City.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Campbell  led  in  prayer, 
md  the  whole  affair  was  a  success  enjoyed  by  all  present." 

BIGELOW 

>  the  only  trading  point  within  the  limits  of  the  township.    It  is  located 
n  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  in  the  center  of 


T96  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

section  io,  township  61,  range  39,  thirty-eight  miles  from  St.  Joseph, 
and  one  hundred  and  six  miles  from  Kansas  City.  The  town  of  Bige- 
low  took  its  start  in  November,  1868,  at  which  period  Captain  H.  L.  Wil- 
liams opened  in  the  place  the  first  store  within  the  limits  of  the  town- 
ship. The  business  of  this  enterprise  was  conducted  by  W.  A.  Bostick 
till  March,  1869,  when  H.  C.  Haines  took  charge  of  the  same  and  con- 
tinued to  operate  it  till  1875,  when  he  bought  out  his  employer  and  con- 
tinued the  business  on  his  own  account  till  August,  1878,  at  which 
period  he  moved  to  Sabetha,  Kansas. 

In  March,  1869,  T.  D.  Frazer  &  Bro.,  opened  in  the  place  a  general 
stock  of  goods.  The  firm  continued  under  this  name  till  the  year  1873, 
when  B.  F.  Fleming  became  a  partner  in  the  concern,  and  the  business 
was  thenceforth  transacted  in  the  firm  name  of  Fleming  &  Frazer.  Jan- 
uary 1,  1882,  B.  F.  Fleming  purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner  and 
has  since  continued  to  conduct  the  business  in  his  own  name  alone,  and 
is  to-day  one  of  the  most  popular  and  successful  merchants  in  the  county. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Jackson  opened  in  1870  the  first  drug  store  in  Bigelow. 
He  commanded  a  large  practice  as  a  physician,  and  continued  the  busi- 
ness of  his  store  by  deputy  till  1875,  when  he  sold  out  and  was  sue 
ceeded  by  C.  S.  Armstrong.  In  1877,  Simpson  &  Chuning  bought  out 
the  establishment  and  conducted  its  business  till  1879,  when  they  sold 
to  Muir  &  Campbell.  June,  1881,  they  sold  to  the  present  (1882)  pro- 
prietors. 

In  1875,  Holt  Bros,  started  a  drug  store,  which  they  sold  in  1877  tc 
James  McLean.  He  afterwards  sold  to  Edmund  Anibal,  who  sold  out 
December  29,  1881,  to  John  C.  Hinkle. 

The  first  blacksmith  to  locate  in  the  town  of  Bigelow  was  C.  H 
Graves,  who  settled  there  and  opened  his  shop  in  the  spring  of  1869 
Disgusted  with  the  untoward  consequences  of  the  high  water  of  1881 
he  sold  out  to  John  L.  Spohn,  blacksmith  and  wagonmaker,  and  emi- 
grated. W.  E.  Preston  was  the  first  wagonmaker  to  locate  in  Bigelow 
He  moved  away  in  1 881. 

William  Perry  started  in  1868  the  first  saloon  in  the  place.  Hi: 
successors  were  James  M.  Smith  in  1869,  John  Smith  in  1875,  and  J.  N 
Westfall,  present  (1882)  proprietor  of  the  business. 

In   1879,  James  W.  White,  started  a   confectionery,  which  is  stil 


running. 


Robert  Notley  built  and  opened  in  1869  the  first  hotel  in  the  place 
He  remained  in  the  business  two  years.  His  hotel  was  the  Bigelov 
House,  now  owned  and  kept  by  I.  B.  Courier.  The  Star  Hotel  was  buil 
by  J.  L.  Moffit  in  1872.  Several  parties  at  different  times  kept  th' 
house.     It  has  been  closed  since  1877. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Jackson,  the  first  physician  to  settle  in  the  place,  move< 
there  in  1869.      He  afterwards  located  in  Mound  City  and  is  now  (1882 


BIGELOW     TOWNSHIP.  197 

a  practitioner  of  Kansas  City.     Doctors  Rhodes  and  W.  S.  Allen  were 
located  in  the  town  previous  to  1876. 

The  present  (1882)  physicians  are  Dr.  J.  H.  Twyman  and  Dr.  J.  L. 
Minton. 

The  only  lawyer  who  ever  settled  in  Bigelow  was  M.  A.  Duff,  who 
located  there  in  1872,  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  now  (1882) 
resides  on  his  farm  in  the  township. 

J.  H.  Isgriff  was  the  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  town.  He 
was  succeeded  November,  1870,  by  H.  C.  Long,  Esq.,  the  present  official 

The  first  postmaster  of  Bigelow  was  H.  C.  Haines,  appointed  in 
1869.  He  was  succeeded  in  1870  by  L.  Sloan.  Dr.  J.  P.  Jackson  was 
postmaster  in  1871.  He  was  succeeded  in  1874  by  H.  C.  Long,  J. 
P.,  who  held  the  office  till  1877,  when  H.  H.  Simpson  received  the 
appointment.  The  present  (1882)  postmaster,  Esquire  H.  C.  Long,  was 
appointed  for  the  second  time  January   I,  1882. 

In  1880,  John  L.  Chuning,  an  enterprising  citizen  of  the  county,  put 
up,  in  the  town  of  Bigelow,  the  second  brick  residence  in  the  township. 
This  is  a  spacious  and  handsome  two  story  building,  and  was  completed 
at  a  cost  of  three  thousand  dollars. 

Mr.  Chuning,  in  the  following  year,  put  up  the  first  brick  business 
house  in  the  township.  This  is  also  in  the  town  of  Bigelow,  and  was 
completed  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars.  The  dimensions  of  this 
structure,  which  is  also  a  two  story  building,  are  twenty-six  by  ninety 
feet.  In  November,  1881,  W.  H.  Bell  &  Co.  opened,  on  'the  lower  floor, 
1  a  large  stock  of  general  merchandise.  The  upper  floor,  which  is 
approached  by  an  inside  stairway,  is  occupied  by  a  public  hall  60x26 
feet.     The  balance  of  this  floor,  26x30  feet,  is  divided  into  offices. 

The  town  contains  a  good  frame  school  building  with  a  belfry.    The 
only  ecclesiastical  edifice   in   Bigelow  is  the   structure  of   the  Roman 
:  Catholic  Church,  a  small   but   neat   gothic  frame  building,  erected  at  a 
1  cost  of  $1,600. 

Up  to  the  period  (1880)  of  the  building  of  the  Nodaway  Valley 
Branch  Road,  of  which  Bigelow  is  the  southern  terminus,  the  town  was 
an  important  shipping  point.  Of  walnut  lumber  alone  Lewis  &  Brown 
shipped,  in  one  season,  eighteen  car  loads. 

Bigelow,  at  one  period,  was  one  of  the  best  shipping  points  on  the 
line  of  the  K.  C,  St.  Joseph  &  C.  B.  railroad,  between  St.  Joseph  and 
Council  Bluffs.  The  completion  of  the  railroad  across  the  often  wet  and 
scarcely  passable  bottoms  extending  eastward  to  the  blufts,  transferred 
the  bulk  of  this  business  to  Mound  City,  the  rising  commercial  center  of 
Holt  County.  It  is  still,  however,  an  important  trading  point,  com- 
manding the  patronage  of  the  wide  extent  of  bottom  land  extending 
vestward  to  the  Missouri  River. 


198  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


4-BIOGRAPHICAL.*  I 

THOMAS  ALMOND 

was  born  in  Hendricks  County,  Indiana,  February  16,  1839,  and  was  the 
son  of  Pleasant  and  Sarah  (Merritt)  Almond,  both  natives  of  Kentucky. 
In  1841  the  family  moved  to  Iowa,  and  Thomas  was  brought  up  in  Van 
Buren  and  Henry  Counties  of  that  state,  being  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  During  the  war  he  was  in  service  for  three  years,  in  Company 
A,  First  Colorado  Cavalry  Regiment,  and  went  through  Western  Kan- 
sas, Colorado  and  New  Mexico.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  Henry 
County,  Iowa,  and  then  engaged  in  freighting  from  Omaha  to  Fort 
Laramie,  continuing  this  business  for  three  years.  In  1875  he  removed 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  began  tilling  the  soil.  He  now  owns 
160  acres  of  land  in  section  22.  Mr.  Almond  was  married  February  29, 
1872,  in  this  county,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Duke,  who  was  born  in  Gasconade 
County,  Missouri.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Josiah  G.  Duke.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  A.  have  three  children  :  Riley  Spencer,  born  November  24,  1872  ; 
Sarah  Ann,  born  December  16,  1874,  and  Lucy  I.  E.  M.  J.,  born  June  10, 
[880.     He  is  Republican  in  politics. 

EDMUND   ANIBAL 

was  born  January  10,  1844,  in  Fulton  County,  New  York.  His  father, 
Robert  C.  Anibal,  was  a  native  of  the  same  state,  and  his  mother, 
formerly  Catherine  Eglin,  of  New  Jersey.  Edmund  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Fulton  County.  He  was  educated  at  the  Jonesville 
Academy,  and  afterwards  attended  Union  College,  at  Schenectady,  for 
about  two  years.  In  1865  he  came  west,  and  for  one  year  was  engaged 
in  teaching  school  at  Hiawatha,  Brown  County,  Kansas.  In  April,  1866. 
he  came  to  Holt  County  and  taught  for  twelve  years,  having  had  charge 
of  but  two  schools  during  that  time — in  Bigelow  five  years  and  at 
another  place  seven  years.  Recognizing  his  ability  as  an  able  instructor, 
the  Democratic  party  nominated  him  as  their  candidate  for  county 
school  commissioner  in  1866.  He  was  elected  and  filled  the  position 
very  creditably  for  two  years.  In  1878  he  established  a  drug  and  gro- 
cery business  in  Bigelow  Township,  and  has  established  a  successful 
trade.  Mr.  Anibal  was  married  November  12,  1869,  in  Holt  County, 
to  Miss  Phcebe  J.  Hinkle.  She  is  a  neice  of  Henry  Clay  Dean,  and  is  a 
native  of  Virginia.     They  have  two  children  :  Charles  W.,  born  August 


e 


BIGELOW   TOWNSHIP.  I99 

22,  1870,  and  Laura  May,  born  December  23,  1873.  Mr.  A.  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  this 
place. 

BALY  M.  BEESLEY, 

section  32,  was  born  in  Stokes  County,  North  Carolina,  January  I,  1854, 
and  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  A.  J.  Beesley.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
Stokes  County,  North  Carolina,  and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  In  1856 
Jacob  Beesley  died,  after  which  the  family  moved  to  Howard  County, 
Indiana,  where  they  resided'until  October  1863,  then  removing  to  Holt 
;  County,  Missouri.  Baly  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  Howard  County,  attend- 
ing the  district  school  during  the  winter,  and  since  coming  to  this  county 
he  has  attended  the  Oregon  graded  school  for  one  year.  With  these 
exceptions  his  education  has  been  obtained  by  self  application.  When 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  left  home  and  was  engaged  in  working  on  a  farm 
by  the  month  for  three  years.  With  the  money  thus  obtained  he  pur- 
chased books  and  now  has  a  very  fine  library;  he  is  an  excellent  teacher, 
and  has  served  as  such  for  five  years.  Much  study  has  been  given  by 
him  to  astronomy  and  astrology,  and  he  is  now  lecturing  on  these  sub- 
jects, his  lectures  being  highly  endorsed  by  the  leading  educators  of  the 
county.  He  is  Republican  in  politics,  and  in  March,  188 1,  was  appointed 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  Bigelow  Township.  His  farm  contains  100 
acres,  75  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  with  orchard,  etc.,  upon  it. 
June  8,  1876,  Mr.  Beesley  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Minton,  daughter 
of  Elisha  Minton.  She  was  born  and  reared  in  Holt  County.  They 
have  two  children  :  Mary  E.,  born  April  13,  1878,  and  Roberta  Ann, 
born  March  15,  1880. 

BENJAMIN  F.  FLEMING 

s  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  Bigelow,  and  has  been  in  business  con- 
inuously  longer  than  any  man  in  the  place.  He  was  born  in  Wayne 
bounty,  Kentucky,  September  23,  1838,  and  was  the  son  of  E.  D.  R.  and 
Dorcas  (Vickery)  Fleming.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and 
lis  father  was  born  near  Halifax  Court  House.  The  latter  was  a  farmer 
>y  occupation,  and  Benjamin  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
ounty.  He  received  but  a  very  limited  common  school  education,  and, 
n  August,  1867,  removed  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  became 
ngaged  in  the  saw  mill  and  lumber  business  in  this  township.  Two 
ears  afterwards  he  disposed  of  this  industry  and  embarked  in  the  mer- 
antile  trade  in  Bigelow.  He  is  now  doing  business  in  the  same  house 
1  which  he  started  thirteen  years  ago,  and  is  carrying  a  good  stock  of 
eneral  merchandise,  being  successful  in  his  transactions.  Mr.  Fleming 
'as  married  April  13,  1873,  at  New  Point,  Missouri,  to  Miss  Laura 
>'Neal,  daughter  of  Elisha  O'Neal.     She  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin.     They 


200  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

have  two  children  living  :  Mary  Edna,  born  January  6,  1875,  and  Jennie 
V.,  born  May  15,  1880.     Two  children  are  deceased. 

HENRY  JONES, 

section  26,  was  born  October  13,  1838,  in  Mahoning  County,  Ohio.  His 
father,  Clemons  Jones,  and  his  mother  were  both  natives  of  Maryland. 
Henry  was  brought  up  in  his  native  county  and  received  a  limited  edu- 
cation, during  the  winters,  in  the  common  schools.  In  1855  ne  went  to 
Iowa,  but  after  remaining  a  short  time  took  a  trip  to  California,  in  i860. 
While  there  he  was  engaged  in  teaming,  and  after  five  years  he  left  that 
state  and  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  the  fall  of  1866,  settling  on 
a  farm.  He  now  owns  180  acres  of  land,  125  being  cultivated,  and  upon 
it  is  a  young  orchard  of  150  apple  trees,  and  other  fruit.  Mr.  Jones  has 
been  twice  married.  First,  in  this  county,  to  Miss  Lucinda  Green.  To 
his  present  wife,  formerly  Miss  Julia  Chaney,  he  was  married  September 
4,. 1880.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Hosea  Chaney,  and  was  born  and  reared 
in  Holt  County.  Mr.  Jones  has  two  children  :  Mina,  born  November 
22,  1869,  and  Addie  Leora,  born  June  1,  1877.  Mr.  J.  is  independent  in 
politics.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  also  of  the  Grange. 

RICHARD  P.  LEWIS, 

of  the  firm  of  Lewis  &  Brown,  manufacturers  and  dealers  in  lumber, 
Bigelow,  was  born  in  Rush  County,  Indiana,  June  25,  1826.  His  father, 
N.  G.  Lewis,  was  a  native  of  Breckenndge  County,  Kentucky,  and  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Pearson,  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia. In  1838,  the  family  moved  to  Madison  County,  Indiana,  and 
Richard  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  attended  school  in  Rush  and 
Madison  Counties.  The  principal  part  of  his  education  was  obtained  by 
study  outside  of  the  school  room.  In  1854,  he  went  to  Dallas  County, 
Iowa,  and  after  farming  for  one  season,  began  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade  in  Adel.  This,  in  connection  with  other  mechanical  industries,  he 
continued  until  1862,  and  for  six  years  thereafter  was  interested  in  mer- 
chandising at  the  same  place.  He  then  moved  to  Bartlett,  Fremont 
County,  and  resumed  the  same  business  until  1870.  In  that  year  Mr. 
Lewis  came  to  Holt  County,  and  embarked  in  the  saw  mill  and  lumber 
trade,  and  since  that  time  has  continued  as  a  manufacturer  and  dealer 
in  lumber.  In  May,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  hundred  day  service,  in  the 
Forty-sixth  Iowa  Infantry.  He  is  Democratic  in  politics,  and  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  L.  has  been  twice  married  :  First,  May 
15,  1845,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Cook,  daughter  of  John  Cook.  By  this  union 
there  were  four  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living.  Mrs.  Lewis  died 
December   30,  1861.     He  was   again   married  April  3,  1866,  in  Madison 


BIGELOW  TOWNSHIP.  201 

County,  Indiana,  to  Miss  Hattie  Graham,  daughter  of  Harry  Graham, 
Esq.  She  was  born  in  Indiana,  July  27,  1845.  This  union  was  blessed 
with  two  children  :  Ralph  L.,  born  December  17,  1876,  and  Harry  C, 
born  April  21,  188 1. 

HENRY    C.  LONG 

was  born  in  Claiborne  County,  Tennessee,  January  20,  18 19,  and  was  a 
son  of  John  and  Anna  (Carr)  Long,  the  former  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  John  Long  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and  in  the  engagement  at  New  Orleans  was  wounded  and  car- 
ried a  British  ball  in  his  hip  until  the  time  of  his  death.  In  1832  the 
family  moved  to  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  resided  until  he  came  to  Holt  County,  landing  here  April  6, 
1855.  He  settled  four  miles  south  of  Mound  City,  and  up  to  the  year 
1880  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  At  that  time  he  moved 
to  Bigelow.  He  is  now  acting  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  this  township, 
having  been  elected  twelve  years  ago,  and  has  ever  since  been  continu- 
ously re-elected.  In  December,  1881,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
the  town,  and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  in  January,  1882. 
Mr.  Long  has  been  three  times  married  ;  first,  June  4,  1840,  in  Morgan 
County,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Susan  Matthews,  and  after  twenty-five  years 
of  married  life  she  died,  February,  1865.  His  second  marriage  occurred 
in  October,  1867,  in  Holt  County,  to  Mrs.  Ruth  Titus,  who  died  a 
few  years  later.  In  April,  1871  or  1872  he  was  married  to  his  pres- 
ent wife,  in  this  county.  Mr.  Long  has  eight  children  living:  Alice  J. 
(wife  of  Jacob  West),  born  April  28,  1846  ;  William  H.,  born  January  7, 
1848;  John  W.,  born  December  15,  1849;  Martha  L.  (wife  of  C.  E. 
Courier),  born  October  1,  1853  ;  Eliza  Ellen  (wife  of  William  Finicle), 
born  October  29,  1855;  Mary  L.,  born  August  12,  1859;  Charles  H., 
born  March  31,  i85i,  and  George  Isaac,  born  February  24,  1862.  Mr. 
Long  is  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  always  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  this  party. 

GEORGE  McKOWN, 

section  24,  was  born  in  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  on  the  30th  of  May, 
1837.  His  parents  were  Jeremiah  and  Ada  (Livingston)  McKown,  the 
former  being  a  native  of  Kentucky.  George  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Clinton  and  Buchanan  Counties,  where  the  family  subsequently 
moved.  His  educational  advantages  were  somewhat  restricted,  he  only 
being  able  to  attend  the  common  subscription  schools.  In  the  fall  of 
1865  he  moved  to  Holt  County,  settling  on  a  farm  in  the  western  part  of 
Lewis  Township,  and  after  a  period  of  ten  years  he  located  in  Bigelow 
Township.  He  now  has  120  acres  of  land,  some  of  which  is  timber,  and 
upon  the  place  is  an  orchard  of  apple  and  peach  trees.     Mr.  McKown  is 


202  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Democratic  in  politics  and  is  a  member  of  the  Grange.  He  was  married 
December  3,  1857,  to  Miss  Ruth  J.  Branson,  in  Andrew  County.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  M.  have  eight  children  :  William  F.,  born  November  18,  1859; 
Nancy  L.,  born  March  22,  1863;  Mattie  May,  born  December  30,  1865; 
Andrew  J.,  born  May  8,  1869;  Jeremiah,  born  August  14,  1871;  John  M., 
born  November  25,  1873;  Lucinda,  bom  November  2,  1875,  and  George, 
born  March  24,  1878. 

THOMAS  MACKEY, 

section  29,  was  born  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  September  21,  185 1.  His 
father,  Thomas  Mackey,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Pike  County,  Missouri,  and 
his  mother,  formerly  Mary  Jones,  was  born  in  Tennessee.  In  1856  the 
family  removed  to  Nebraska,  where  they  resided  for  about  eight  years, 
and  in  1864  returned  to  Holt  County.  Young  Mackey  was  brought  up 
on  his  father's  farm,  here  and  in  Nebraska,  and  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  also  attended  one  term  at  Forest  City.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  172  acres  of  land,  on  the  Missouri  bottoms,  120  acres  of 
which  are  under  cultivation.  A  good  orchard  adorns  the  farm,  consist- 
ing of  all  varieties  of  fruit  adapted  to  this  climate.  Mr.  Mackey  was 
married  in  this  county,  February  15,  1874,  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Moore, 
daughter  of  S.  Moore,  of  Mound  City.  Mrs.  M.  was  born  in  Iowa,  but 
was  raised  here.  They  have  four  children  :  William  F.,  born  December 
7,  1874;  Marion  M.,  born  September  21,  1876;  Genevia  W.,  born  Sep- 
tember 25,  1878,  and  Albert  S.  C,  born  September  17,  1880.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  M.  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  belongs  to  the  Grange, 
and  in  politics  is  democratic. 

PETER  RILEY, 

one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  this  township,  was  born  February  21,  1839, 
in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  and  was  the  son  of  John  R.  and  Catharine 
(Richards)  Riley.  The  former  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  the  latter 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  family  finally  moved  to  Pickaway  County,  Ohio, 
where  John  Riley  died,  in  1842.  Peter  went  to  Montgomery  County, 
Indiana,  in  185 1,  and,  after  living  there  for  six  years,  came  to  Holt 
County,  in  1855,  and  settled  on  the  Missouri  River.  He  passed  his  youth 
on  a  farm  and  had  but  meagre  chances  to  obtain  an  education,  his  school- 
ing being  principally  acquired  by  self  application.  He  is  now  the  owner 
of  373  acres  of  land,  145  acres  is  the  home  place,  and  of  this  no  acres 
are  under  cultivation.  His  orchards  consists  of  200  apple,  besides  peach, 
cherry  and  pear  trees.  He  resides  on  section  15.  Mr.  Riley  was  mar- 
ried in  Holt  County,  October  8,  1857,  to  Miss   Lydia  Miller,  a  daughter 


BIGELOW  TOWNSHIP. 


203 


of  John  R.  Miller.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  October  28,  1838.  They  have 
had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living-:  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  James  G. 
Cateron,  born  May  17,  1858  ;  Mary  Isabelle,  wife  of  D.  S.  Cateron,  born 
January  2,  1861  ;  Leona,  born  September  9,  1865  ;  Ida  May,  born  Jan- 
uary 12,  1868  ;  Dora  Alice,  born  November  19,  1869;  Harry  Lee,  born 
July  4,  1874;  Benjamin  F.,  born  March  3,  1880.  Mr.  Riley  is  a  Demo- 
crat, politically,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CLAY  TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES-PHYSICAL      FEA  I'URES-EARLY     SETTLERS— WHIG     VALLEY— MAITLAND- 
SCHOOLS— CHURCHES— BUSINESS  DIRECTORY— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Clay  Township  embraces  the  northeastern  municipal  division  of 
Holt  County.  It  was  first  organized  at  the  June  term  of  the  Holt  County 
Court,  in  the  year  1854,  and  in  the  record  of  that  date  is  thus  described: 

BOUNDARIES. 

"  Beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Nodaway 
River  two  miles  north  of  where  Oiler's  Base  Line  crosses  said  river,  thence 
due  west  parallel  with  said  Oiler's  line  to  the  top  of  the  dividing  ridge 
between  the  waters  of  the  Nodaway  and  those  of  the  Little  Tarkio; 
thence  following  said  divide  north  to  the  county  line  between  Atchison 
and  Holt  Counties,  thence  east  with  said  line  to  the  middle  of  the  main 
channel  of  the  Nodaway  River,  thence  down  the  same  to  the  point  of 
beginning,  to  be  designated  as  Clay  Township." 

On  the  organization,  June  20,  1874,  of  Hickory  Township,  Clay 
Township  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits,  which  are  bounded  as 
follows  :  On  the  north  by  Atchison  County  ;  on  the  east  by  Nodaway 
County,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Nodaway  River  ;  on  the  south 
by  Hickory  Township  ;  and  on  the  west  by  six  miles  of  Liberty  and  three 
miles  of  Benton  Township.  It  includes  within  its  limits  about  forty-six 
square  miles  of  territory. 

PHYSICAL   FEATURES. 

The  physical  aspect  of  the  country  is  that  of  a  gently  undulating 
plain  diversified  with  elevations  and  depressions  along  the  water  courses, 
generally  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Nodaway. 

Highley's  Creek,  named  in  honor  of  William  Highley,  heads  in  sec 
tions  35  and  25,  township  63,  range  38,  and  flowing  in  a  southeasterly 
and  easterly  direction,  is  met  in  the  southeast  corner  of  section  16,  town- 
ship 62,  range  37,  by  Schooler's  Branch.  The  united  streams  called  on 
the  county  map,  Buck's  Branch,  flow  through  Whig  Valley,  a  district  of 
Clay  Township  which  comprises  a  part  of  sections  8,  9,  17,  and  all  of  16, 
and  part  of  20  and  21  in  township  62,  range  37. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  205 

Roland's  Branch  heads  in  the  northeast  part  of  Clay  Township,  in 
section  24,  and  flows  in  a  northeasterly  and  southeasterly  course,  enter- 
ing Nodaway  River  in  the  east  part  of  section  21,  township  63,  range  37. 
The  stream  at  this  point  is  from  fifteen  to  twenty  links  wide. 

The  Indian  Ford  on  Nodaway  River  extended  from  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  3,  township  62,  range  37.  The  river,  at  this  point  is 
fordable  at  low  water. 

White's  Ferry  was  on  the  Nodaway  near  the  southeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion 4,  township  62,  range  37.  S.  C.  Collins  surveyed,  in  March  i860, 
the  state  road  from  Forest  City  to  Maryville,  in  Nodaway  County,  by 
this  ferry,  and  found  the  distance  from  Forest  City  to  the  ferry  to  be 
nineteen  miles,  thirty-three  and  one-half  chains  to  the  middle  of  the 
Nodaway  River,  and  the  total  distance  from  Forest  City  to  Maryville 
thirty-five  miles,  59.45  chai-ns.  This  road  runs  through  Whig  Valley. 
The  chain  carriers  in  the  survey  of  this  road  were  Robert  Gibson  and 
Robert  Hill. 

King's  Grove  is  partly  in  Clay  Township  in  section  19.  It  derived 
its  name  from  John  King's  father,  who  settled  in  that  locality  in  1849  or 
1850.  In  the  government  survey  of  September  25,  1839,  what  is  now 
known  as  King's  Grove  is  designated  as  Roland's  Grove. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

The  original  pioneers  in  the  northeast  part  of  Holt  County  were 
Whigs,  and  being  intensely  devoted  to  the  principles  of  that  grand  old 
party,  and  possessing  an  unbounded  admiration  for  its  gallant  leader, 
Henry  Clay,  they  named  the  locality  which  they  settled  Whig  Valley, 
and  the  township  Clay. 

The  first  settler  of  Whig  Valley  was  Theodore  Higley,  who,  in  the 
year  1846,  made  the  first  settlement  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section 
18,  township  62,  range  37.  In  1848,  about  two  years  later,  W.  G.  Higley, 
who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War,  returned,  and  settled  near 
his  father,  Theodore.  About  the  same  time  Thomas  J.  Evans  settled  on 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  9,  in  the  same  Congressional  township, 
but  soon  afterward  sold  to  Joseph  White.  This  place  was  for  many 
years  known  as  "  White's  Ford,"  from  a  crossing  on  the  Nodaway  River 
at  that  point.  About  the  year  1850,  Charles  Schooler  settled  on  what  is 
known  as  the  Schooler  farm,  which  occupies  a  part  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  16,  township  62,  range  37.  About  the  year  1852,  Wil- 
liam McDonald  and  Montgomery  McDonald  came  from  Kentucky. 
These  parties,  excepting  the  last  named,  came  from  Indiana.  From 
1852  to  i860,  several  farms  were  opened  and  improved.  Among  the 
the  other  early  settlers  were  Joseph  White,  John  S.  Peters  and  David 
Bender,  from  Indiana,  and  Lewis  Garnett,  from  Kentucky.  John  and 
William  King  were  also  among  the  first. 


206  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

As  stated,  the  early  settlers  were  all  Whigs,  and  what  was  calle 
Whig  Valley  embraced  a  small  portion  of  country  bordering  on  th< 
Nodaway  River,  not  more  than  two  miles  in  extent  from  north  to  south 
and  about  the  same  distance  from  east  to  west.  During  the  war  th» 
majority  of  old  settlers  left,  and  the  present  population  of  this  distric 
is  mostly  composed  of  parties  from  Ohio,  who  are  intelligent  and  enter 
prising.' 

WHIG   VALLEY 

was  the  name  of  the  post  office,  and  a  town  was  laid  out  in  the  fall  o 
1876,  and  a  store  built.  The  first  store  in  Whig  Valley  was  establishec 
in  1870  by  E.  A.  Burnett  &  Bro.,  and  stood  on  section  9,  of  township  62 
range  37.  This  was  purchased  by  E.  F.  Weller,  who,  in  1876,  built  th< 
present  store  on  the  town  site  of  Whig  Valley.  Whig  Valley  wa 
abandoned  when  Maitland  was  laid  out,  its  business  houses  and  thei 
proprietors  all  moving  to  the  new  town. 

MAITLAND. 

On  the  12th  day  of  May,  1880,  the  plat  of  the  embryo  town  of  Mait 
land,  in  Clay  Township,  was  filed  in  the  Recorder's  Office  of  Holt  County 
by  J.  F.  Barnard,  of  St:  Joseph,  Missouri,  who  was  the  owner  of  the  lane 
upon  which  the  town  was  located.  The  original  town  site  occupies  the 
south  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  4,  and  the  west  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  9,  township  62,  range  37.  So  rapidly  did  il 
grow,  and  so  numerous  were  the  buildings  which  had  been  erected  that 
on  the  4th  day  of  August,  following,  Mr.  Barnard  filed  the  plat  of  ar 
addition  to  the  town.  It  is  handsomely  located,  on  the  Nodoway  Val- 
ley Railroad,  a  branch  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluff; 
Road,  about  eighteen  miles  from  its  intersection  with  the  main  line,  anc 
contains,  at  this  time,  a  population  of  about  six  hundred  souls.  The 
placid  little  stream,  called  the  Nodaway  River,  forms  the  eastern 
boundary  line, of  its  corporation,  and  flows  in  a  southwesterly  direction 
towards  the  Missouri,  with  which  it  unites  twenty-eight  miles  distant 
Upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  Nodaway,  from  Maitland,  is  situated  the 
thriving  little  village  of  Graham,  in  Nodaway  County,  the  two  towns 
being  connected  by  an  elegant  iron  bridge,  which  cost  the  two  countie 
of  Holt  and  Nodaway  $6,000.  The  country  surrounding  Maitland  (Clay 
Township)  is  conceded  to  be  the  best  agricultural  district  in  the  county 
both  on  account  of  its  physical  features  and  the  fertility  of  its  soil. 

FIRST    IMPROVEMENTS. 

The  pioneer  building  of  the  town  was  put  up  in  June,  1880,  by  J.  M 
Wensch  &  Co.,  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  for  a  lumber  office.     The  second 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  207 

house  was  moved  from  Whig  Valley,  by  E.  F.  Weller,  and  located  on  the 
south  side  of  Main  and  First  street,  south  corner,  for  a  store.  Mr.  Wel- 
ler was  the  first  postmaster.  The  first  business  house  erected  in  the 
town  was  the  hardware  store  of  C.  D.  Messenger,  who  was  from  St.  Joseph. 
The  next  business  house  was  erected  by  Garnett  &  Swope,  and  used  as 
a  drug  store.  Then  came  David  Kennedy,  William  Ritchie  and  others, 
all  of  whom  began  and  finished  their  improvements  between  June  and 

August,  1880. 

SECRET   ORDERS. 

The  A.  O.  of  U.  W.  have  an  organization,  and  meet  over  th6  bank 
of  Weller  &  Donovan. 

•SCHOOLS. 

Besides  the  seven  schools  that  are  taught  in  the  township  the  town 
has  a  good  public  school  in  successful  operation,  which  numbers  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  pupils,  under  the  superintendency  of  Miss  Dora  E.Turner. 
No  school  building  has  been  erected,  but  it  is  contemplated  to  build  one 
soon,  which  is  to  have  all  the  conveniences  and  appliances  possessed  by 
the  modern  school-house.  The  railroad  company  has  donated  a  block 
for  a  public  school  building.  • 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  church,  a  frame  building,  was  put  up  in  September,  1880, 
by  the  Christian  denomination  and  organized  by  Elder  W.  F.  Wait.  The 
second  and  last  church  edifice  (frame)  was  erected  also  in  1880  by  the  M. 
E.  Church.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  James  Showalter,  who  still  offi- 
ciates. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The  town  supports  one  newspaper,  Maitland  Independent,  J.  J. 
Moulton,  proprietor.  The  paper  is  independent  in  politics,  and  was 
established  about  March,  1881. 

BUSINESS    DIRECTORY. 

Anders,  Albert,  confectioner.  Jenne,  Z.,  carpenter. 

3aublitt,  George,  confectioner.  Johnson,  C,  artist. 

^aublitt,  George,  billiard  hall.  Maxwell.  D.  R.,  physician. 

Surch,  W.  E.,  physician.  McCoy,  John,  barber. 

looker,  — ,  Hotel.  Messenger,  C.  D.,  hardware. 

-ain,  Daniel,  carpenter.  Moore,  James  &  Co.,  groceries  and 

hambers,  Howard,  restaurant  and  provisions. 

•     confectionery.  Moore  &  Siemon,  groceries. 

ummins    &    Thayer,  agricultural  Noble,  C,  drugs. 

implements.  Palmer,  W.  A.,  sewing  machines. 


208  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Dougherty,  M.  N.  &  Co.,  dry  goods.  Park  &  Roberts,  drugs. 

Downey,  T.  S.,  physician.  Pratt,  E.  R.,  livery  stable. 

Dulaney,      E.     E.,    contractor    and  Ritchie,  William,  carpenter. 

builder.  Russell,  Mrs.,  millinery. 

Ewing  &  Brady,  dry  goods.  Rea,  J.  I.,  law  office. 

Frank    Julius,   baker    and    confec-  Salters,  J.  W.,  blacksmith  and  wag- 

tioner.  onmaker. 

Everhart,  William,  furniture.  Sarber,  C,  barber. 

Finney,  Williams  &  Co.,  lumber.  Sherburne,  A.  M.,  physician. 

Graham  &  Frame,  dry  goods.  Sidell,  Julius,  butcher. 

Hart,  E.  A.,  justice  of  the  peace.  Smock     &    Owens,    groceries    and 
Hatfield,  James,  postmaster.  queensware. 

Hedgpath,  D.,  sewing  machines.  Stone,  J.  R.,  saddles  and  harness. 

Hinkle,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  millinery.  Swope,  John  S.,  grain  elevator. 

Howell  Bros.,  lumber  yard.  Thompson  &  Dicky,  butchers. 

Kennedy,  David,  blacksmith.  Vanderlinde,  John,  drugs. 

Kenyon,  Monroe,  hardware.  Wyman,  R.  C,  physician. 

Kernes,  William,  Valley  hotel.  Weller  &  Donovan,  bankers. 

Kidd,  W.  H.,  grocer.  White,  Robert,  wagonmaker. 

King,  S.  D.,  carpenter.  Young,  — ,  shoemaker. 
Leach,  C.  A.,  telegraph  and  express  office. 

TOWN    OFFICIALS. 

E.  F.  Weller,  councilman.  W.  A.  Graham,  councilman. 

David  Kennedy,  councilman.  James  Wensch,  councilman. 

E.  A.  Phillips,  councilman.  James  Palmer,  constable. 

James  Moore,  street  commissioner. 


®—l?=$i=z$- «L 


"*s/f^ 


5BIOGRAPHICAL.& 


JOSEPH  ANDES, 

farmer  and  breeder  of  fine  hogs,  section  14,  is  a  native  of  Shenandoah 
County,  Virginia,  was  born  August  7,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Susan  (Glick)  Andes.  His  father  was  born  in  Rockingham  County, 
Virginia,  in  1819,  and  his  mother  in  Shenandoah  County  Virginia.  After 
being  married  they  settled  in  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1856  moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  settling  near  Oregon. 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  209 

There  they  remained  one  year,  and  then  located  four  miles  southeast  of 
Mound  City.  John  Andes  died  in  October,  1870,  and  his  wife  now  makes 
her  home  with  her  son,  William  G.  Joseph  Andes  spent  his  youthful 
days  and  received  a  good  education  in  Holt  County,  Missouri;  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years  he  took  a  pleasure  trip  to  California,  and 
remained  on  the  Pacific  coast  till  December,  1874,  when  he  returned  to 
Holt  County.  He  was  married  December  30,  1865,  to  Miss  Nancy 
J.  Palmer,  a  native  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  born  May  30,  1859.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Martin  V.  and  Nancy  (Roberson)  Palmer,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  born  March  29th,  1834,  and  her 
mother,  of  Monroe  County,  Kentucky,  born  September  29,  1829.  She 
moved  with  her  parents  to  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  in  1830,  and  to 
Holt  County,  in  1850.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Palmer  were  married  January  2, 
1859,  and  afterwards  settled  in  Nebraska.  Her  father  was  in  the  late 
war,  and  later  went  west  and  was  killed  by  Indians.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andes 
lived  on  the  old  homestead  till  1876,  when  they  moved  to  their  present 
farm.  Mr.  A.  has  been  an  extensive  live  stock  dealer.  They  have  three 
children  John  M.,  born  October  29,  1877;  Mattie  M.,  born  November 
12,  1879,  and  George  C,  born  August  19,  1881.  They  are  both  members 
of  the  German  Baptist  Church. 

PETER  L.  BOHART, 

of  the  firm  of  P.  L.  Bohart  &  Co.,  merchants,  is  a  native  of  Clarke  County, 
Indiana,  and  was  born  January  24,  1859,  being  a  son  of  R.  C.  and  Eliza 
Bohart.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  born  Sep- 
tember 7,  1828,  and  with  his  parents  he  moved  to  Clarke  County,  Indiana, 
where  he  was  married.  He  began  the  mercantile  business  when  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  but  subsequently  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Graham,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  in  1864.  There  he  did  a  general 
merchandising  business  till  1879,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interest  to  his 
sons.  He  died  soon  after.  Mrs.  Eliza  Bohart  is  still  living.  P.  L.  spent 
his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  county,  and  with  his  parents  moved  to 
Graham,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri.  There  he  received  an  excellent 
education,  and  in  the  spring  of  1878  graduated  at  Bryant's  Business  Col- 
lege, at  St.  Joseph.  His  early  tastes  were  for  the  general  dry  goods  busi- 
ness, so  after  completing  his  studies  he  returned  to  Graham  and  entered 
his  father's  store  as  clerk.  He  soon  earned  for  himself  an  enviable  rep- 
utation as  a  salesman,  and  in  the  fall  of  1878  in  connection  with  his  two 
brothers  he  purchased  the  entire  stock  of  goods  from  the  father,  and 
continued  the  business  till  September  1881,  when  he  sold  out.  The  fol- 
lowing winter  was  spent  at  Chicago,  and  in  the  spring  of  1882  he  returned 
home  and  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  H.  and  W.  B.  Bohart,  purchasing 
the  entire  stock  of  dry  goods  of  Dougherty  &  Taylor.  They  are  now 
doing  an  excellent  business,  and  well  merit  their  success. 

14 


2IO  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

JUDGE  J.  R.  BRADFORD 

is  one  of  Clay  Township's  most  popular  citizens.  He  is  a  native  of  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  March  12,  1824.  His  father,  Thomas,  was  a 
native  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  born  February  25,  1778,  and  was  a 
ship  carpenter  by  trade.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Holmes,  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  born  November  29,  1780.  They  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts and  there  his  wife  died,  and  he  was  married  the  second  time  in 
1820  to  Miss  Sophia  Russell,  a  native  of  Weatherfreld,  Massachusetts, 
born  October  9,  1793.  They  settled  in  Chillicothe,  Ross  County,  Ohio, 
at  an  early  day,  and  the  father  worked  at  his  trade  till  about  1838.  Then 
he  purchased  a  farm  southeast  of  Chillicothe.  He  died  March  23,  1839, 
and  the  mother  lived  till  December  9,  1845.  J-  R-  passed  his  boyhood 
days  in  his  native  county  and  received  an  excellent  high  school  educa- 
tion at  Chillicothe.  He  devoted  his  time  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
was  married  January  16,  1845,  to  Miss  Ceviller  Oldaker,  a  native  of  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  born  November  3,  18 18.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  F.  Oldaker,  who  were  natives  of  Loudoun  County,  Virginia. 
They  settled  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  at  an  early  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bradford  sold  out  their  effects  in  Ross  County  and,  with  their  family, 
moved  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  in  1863,  settling  near  what  is  now 
Burlington  Junction.  He  improved  a  good  place,  which  he  afterwards 
sold  and  purchased  his  present  farm  in  the  spring  of  1865,  this  being  the 
first  farm  settled  in  Clay  Township.  In  the  fall  of  1881,  Mr.  B.  was 
elected  county  judge.  Their  family  consists  of  six  children  :  Sophia  F., 
(now  Mrs.  Dr.  J.  W.  Morgan),  Mary  O.,  (wife  of  Rev.  Wm.  Cowley), 
Sarah  E.,  Julia,  (wife  of  Mortimore  Evans),  John  E.  and  James  B.,  who 
married  Mary  M.  Johnson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  R.  Bradford  are  members  of 
the  M.  E.  Church,  in  which  he  is  one  of  the  trustees.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  fraternity. 

AUGUSTUS  BROCHER, 

farmer,  section  28,  is  a  native  of  Germany.  He  was  born  February  18, 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  Brocher.  His  mother  died  when  he  was 
quite  small,  and  he  came  with  his  uncle,  P.  J.  Brocher,  to  America,  in 
1853,  settling  in  Calumet  County,  Wisconsin,  on  a  farm.  In  that  county 
he  was  educated.  The  father  of  Augustus  came  to  America  in  1845,  and 
settled  in  Blue  Earth  County,  Minnesota.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
enlisted  in  Company  K,  Second  Regiment  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry, 
in  March,  1864,  and  did  service  till  April  15,  1865,  being  honorably  dis- 
charged. He  returned  to  Minnesota  and  was  married  November  4, 1868, 
to  Miss  L.  C.  Roy,  a  native  of  Clinton  County,  Missouri.  She  was  born 
May  1,  1847,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Lawrence  and  Nancy  Roy,  natives 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  211 

of  Pulaski  County,  Kentucky.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1870,  and,  in  1873,  moved  to  where  he 
now  resides.  His  farm  consists  of  forty  acres  of  finely  improved  land. 
They  have  a  family  of  four  children  :  Aubra  C,  Curtis,  Lawrence  and 
Orah  M.     They  are  members  of  the  U.  B.  Church. 

A.  W.  BROWNLEE, 

farmer  and  breeder  of  Poland  China  hogs,  section  19,  is  a  native  of 
Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  January  3,  1852,  being 
a  son  of  William  and  N.  M.  Brownlee.  The  former  was  born  in  that 
county  in  1826,  and  was  there  raised  as  a  farmer.  His  mother  was  also 
a  native  of  Washington  County,  born  in  1825,  and  was  a  cousin  of  Hon. 
John  A.  Logan,  of  Illinois.  They  were  married  in  1848,  and  then  set- 
tled on  the  farm  where  they  still  reside,  being  among  the  prominent 
citizens  of  that  locality.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  his  youthful 
days  and  received  his  education  in  his  native  county.  He  early  began 
business  for  himself  as  a  farmer  and  breeder  of  fine  hogs.  May  6,  1873, 
he  married  Miss  Tillie  Mountz,  a  native  of  Washington  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, born  July  30,  185 1.  She  is.  a  daughter  of  James  K.  and  Caroline 
Mountz,  who  were  natives  of  Washington  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.,  the 
day  after  marriage,  started  for  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  here  he  rented 
land  till  1879,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  of  forty  acres  near  Oregon.  In 
the  spring  of  1882  he  bought  his  present  farm,  consisting  of  160  acres, 
five  miles  southwest  of  Maitland.  This  is  well  improved  in  every  par- 
ticular. During  the  year  1881  Mr.  B.  raised  and  sold  $2,200  worth  of 
fine  hogs. 

J.  H.  CHAMBERS, 

§ 

proprietor  of  restaurant,  was  born  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  April  19, 
1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Maria  (Byer)  Chambers.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Knox  County,  Ohio,  and  went  to  Buchanan  County,  Missouri, 
in  1838.  He  was  married  in  1839  to  Miss  Maria  Byer,  a  native  of  Phil- 
adelphia, Pennsylvania,  who,  with  her  parents,  moved  to  Missouri  in 
1837.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  settled  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  in  1839, 
ind  in  1874  moved  to  California,  where  they  now  reside.  J.  H.  Cham- 
bers spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  county  on  a  farm.  During 
he  war  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Forty-third  Regiment,  Missouri 
/olunteer  Infantry,  and  was  taken  prisoner  at  Glasgow,  Missouri. 
Vfter  being  exchanged  he  did  scout  duty  through  Missouri  and  Kansas, 
'eing  mustered  out  at  St.  Louis  in  July,  1865.  He  then  returned  to 
Andrew  County,  Missouri,  and  devoted  his  time  to  farming  till  1866, 
;hen  he  went  to  Colorado.  Returning  from  there  he  went  to  Scott 
ounty,  Missouri,  and  clerked  for  S.  O.  Scofield,  a  merchant,  for  some 


212  HISTORY   OF    HOLT  COUNTY. 

eight  months,  after  which  he  came  back  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri. 
Mr.  C.  married  November  12,  1872,  Miss  B.  Meick,  a  native  of  Andrew 
County,  Missouri,  born  in  1850.  Her  parents,  John  and  Mary  Meick, 
were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  went  to  Platte  County,  Missouri,  and 
afterwards  moved  to  Andrew  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers  subse- 
quently settled  on  a  farm,  but  sold  out  and  came  to  Maitland  November 
•8,  1881.  Their  family  consists  of  three  children  :  Ardena,  Blanche  and 
Polly.     Mrs.  C.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

D..J.  CROCKETT, 

farmer,  section  36,  a  native  of  Grundy  County,  Missouri,  was  born 
October  5,  1844,  being  a  son  of  Eli  and  Sarah  (Duval)  Crockett,  who 
were  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  father  was  born  in  1803,  died  in  1863, 
and  the  mother  was  born  in  1805  and  died  in  1846.  D.  J.  spent  his 
youth  and  received  a  good  education  in  his  native  county,  and  in  1862 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Twenty-third  Regiment  Missouri  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  did  service  in  Tennessee  and  was  with  Sherman  on  his 
march  to  the  sea,  and  thence  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  was  mus- 
tered out,  June  20,  1865.  He  then  returned  to  Missouri,  and  in  August, 
1869,  went  to  Menard  County,  Illinois.  He  was  married  December  12, 
1861,  to  Miss  Cynthia  Thompson,  a  native  of  Menard  County,  Illinois,  born 
July  20,  1850,  and  a  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Sarah  (Carson)  Thompson. 
Her  father,  a  native  of  Cape  May  County,  New  Jersey,  was  born  January 
28,  1810,  and  was  a  son  of  Anson  and  Elizabeth  (Eldridge)  Thompson. 
Having  received  a  good  education  in  youth,  he  went  to  Menard  County, 
Illinois,  and  taught  school  and  also  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  and 
clerked  in  a  store  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1848  he  turned  his  attention 
to  agriculture,  purchasing  and  improving  a  large  tract  of  land.  He  was 
married  September  21,  1848,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Carson,  a  native  of  Sanga- 
mon County,  Illinois.  Her  parents  were  William  and  Cynthia  (Bou- 
mont)  Carson.  They  settled  in  Menard  County,  Illinois,  he  being  one 
of  the  first  men  of  the  county.  The  mother  died  October  18,  1854,  and 
the  father  married  for  his  second  wife,  the  widow  of  George  M.  O'Banion. 
The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crockett  consists  of  five  children  :  William 
D.  C,  born  October  14,  1872;  Dillard  Z.,  born  September  12,  1874; 
Aaron  E.,  born  September  2,  1876;  Lulu  J.,  born  October  25,  1878,  and 
Olie  M.,  born  September  14,  181 1.  An  infant  died  December  12,  1880. 
They  are  both  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

M.  N.  DOUGHERTY 

is  a  native  of  Trumbull  County,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  born  in  1831. 
His  father,  Col.  Robert  S.  Dougherty,  was  also  a  native  of  that  county, 
born  in  1790.     He  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  educa- 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  213 

tion  in  his  native  county,  and  was  elected  State  Representative  eleven 
times,  and  was  State  Senator  for  two  years.  During  the  war  of  1812  he 
was  a  Colonel.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Pearce,  who  was  a 
native  of  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  born  in  1800.  They  settled 
on  a  large  plantation  in  Trumbull  County,  Kentucky.  Col.  Dougherty 
died  from  the  effects  of  swallowing  a  cockle  burr,  in  1844.  M.  N.  passed 
his  youth  in  Kentucky,  and  received  a  good  education.  When  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years  he  went  to  northwestern  Texas,  remaining  a  short 
time,  and  then  returned  to  Kentucky.  Soon  afterwards  he  visited  his 
uncle,  Major  John  Dougherty,  at  one  time  Indian  Agent  in  the  Platte 
Purchase  in  1835,  and  through  him  a  description  of  the  Platte  Purchase 
was  given  Hon.  L.  F.  Linn,  United  States  Senator.  M.  N.  Dougherty 
spent  some  months  in  this  country,  and  went  back  to  Kentucky,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1857  he  visited  northeastern  Missouri,  but  finally  located 
at  Graham,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri.  Here  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  G.  C.  McFadden  and  opened  up  a  general  stock  of  goods, 
in  the  fall  of  1858,  building  the  first  storehouse  at  Graham.  He  con- 
tinued this  occupation  till  the  fall  of  1861,  when,  leaving  the  business  in 
charge  of  his  partner,  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army  under  Colonel 
Wilfries,  and  remained  in  service  till  the  fall  of  1863.  He  was  in  the 
battles  of  Blue  Mills,  Lexington,  Pea  Ridge,  and  while  in  Arkansas  he 
.  was  taken  sick.  When  able  for  duty  the  regiment  was  in  Tennessee. 
Mr.  D.  then  started  for  Graham,  but  was  captured  by  Jayhawkers,  near 
Barton,  Missouri,  his  horse  was  taken  from  him,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  walk  to  Graham.  Here  he  was  obliged  to  take  the  oath,  and  now 
being  under  bonds,  had  often  to  report  at  St.  Joseph.  Finally  he  pro- 
cured a  pass  and  went  to  Iowa,  afterwards  to  Nebraska,  and  during  the 
years  of  1863  and  1864  made  two  trips  to  Denver,  Colorado.  In  the  fall 
:  of  1864  he  was  superintendent  of  a  freight  train  en  route  to  Denver,  and 
the  following  winter  he  organized  a  train  and  went  by  South  Pass  to 
Virginia  City,  Montana.  There  he  remained  till  the  spring  of  1865, 
when  he  went  back  to  Kentucky.  In  1869  he  came  to  St.  Joseph  and 
again  engaged  in  freighting  west.  He  passed  the  winter  in  mining, 
returned  to  Kentucky,  and  devoted  his  time  to  merchandising  till  1873, 
when,  with  his  mother,  he  went  to  Graham.  He  resumed  general  mer- 
:handising,  and  in  1881  moved  to  Maitland.  Mr.  D.  was  married  Sep- 
:ember  28,  188 1,  to  Miss  Fannie  Conklin,  a  native  of  Holt  County, 
Missouri.     She  is  the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mittie  Conklin. 

DR.  T.  S.  DOWNEY, 

clectic  physician,  was  born  in  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  on  the  13th  of 
fay,  1822,  being  the  son  of  Walter  and  Mary  (Clark)  Downey.  His 
ither  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  June  27,  1801,  and  died  October  16, 


214  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

1868.  His  mother  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  August  29,  1801,  and  died 
in  April,  1856.  They  were  married  March  29,  1821,  and  then  settled  in 
Morgan  County,  Ohio,  moving  to  Guernsey  County,  and  thence  to 
Shelby  County,  in  1852.  Young  Downey  received  an  excellent  educa- 
tion while  a  resident  of  Ohio.  He  was  married  the  first  time  on  the 
17th  of  March,  1842,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Scott,  and  then  settled  in  Guern- 
sey Connty,  Ohio,  moving  to  St.  Joseph,  Michigan,  in  1856.  In  1869  he 
came  to  Clearmont,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  and  located  on  a  farm. 
He  was  also  engaged  to  some  extent  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  In 
1875  he  moved  to  New  Point,  Holt  County,  Missouri.  Mrs.  D.  died  on 
the  26th  of  March,  1876,  leaving  tour  children  :  Sarah  A.,  John  F., 
Mary  J.,  and  Benjamin  C.  The  eldest  son,  John  F.,  graduated  from 
Hillsdale  College,  of  Michigan,  and  was  professor  of  mathamatics  and 
astronomy  at  the  Pennsylvania  State  University  for  eight  years,  and  in 
the  spring' of  1880  he  received  the  same  appointment  at  the  Minnesota 
State  University.  Dr.  Downey  was  married  the  second  time  December 
23,  1876,  to  Mrs.  Phoebe  Talbott,  whose  maiden  name  was  Smart,  a  native 
of  Meigs  County,  Ohio,  born  April  12,  183 1.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Phoebe  (Pierce)  Smart.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  born  July  10,  1800,  and  died  April  13,  i860.  Her  mother 
was  born  in  Meigs  County,  Ohio,  November  12,  1808.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  1828,  and  then  settled  in  Meigs  County,  Ohio.  Dr.  Downey 
located  at  Whig  Valley  in  1878  and  moved  to  Maitland  in  May,  1880. 
He  has  filled  the  pulpit  of  the  M.  E.  Church  for  fifteen  years,  and  for 
the  past  ten  years  as  a  local  preacher  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

E.    C.  EVERHART 

is  a  native  of  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  February  22, 
1S22.  His  father,  Titus,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1772,  and  was 
a  captain  under  Gen.  Harrison  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  married  Nancy 
Bryan,  in  18 14.  She  was  born  in  1799,  and  was  a  daughter  of  David  and 
C.  Everhart,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  The  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  died  in  1844  and  his  mother  in  1879.  D.  C. 
spent  his  boyhood  days,  and  received  a  good  education,  in  his  native 
county.  When  quite  young  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  has 
made  three  trips  to  California,  being  very  successful  in  his  undertakings 
as  a  miner.  The  trips  were  made  in  1850,  1853,  and  the  third  one  in 
1857.  Mr.  E.  has  been  married  six  times  ;  first,  January  15,  1844,  to  Miss 
Harriet  H.  Ely,  a  native  of  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  born  December  21, 
1824.  She  died  September  28,  185 1,  leaving  one  son,  William  E.,  born 
January  24,  1849.  He  is  now  a  merchant  at  Maitland,  Missouri.  His 
second  marriage  occurred  January  1,  1852,  to  Miss  Mary  T.  Gest,  a  native 
of  the  same  county,  born  January  7,  1826.     She  died  April  27,  1853,  leav- 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  21 5 

ing  one  son,  Charles  R.,  now  a  farmer  in  this  township.  December  7, 
1853,  he  was  married  the  third  time,  to  Miss  Mary  T.  Hulick,  a  native 
of  the  same  county,  born  August  26,  1830.  Her  death  occurred  June  5, 
1861.  Two  daughters  survive  :  Carrie  B.,  wife  of  W.  E.  Schoole,  a  farmer 
in  the  township,  and  Dollie  B.,  wife  of  Warren  W.  Pegg,  who  is  editor  of 
the  Clermont  Courier,  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  Mr.  Everhart's  fourth 
marriage  was  to  Miss  Chloe  A.  Debolt,  a  native  of  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio,  born  January  14,  1835.  She  died  June  26,  1868.  The  fifth  mar- 
riage was  October  6,  1870,  when  Miss  Lina  A.  Dunseth,  a  native  of  Ham- 
ilton County,  Ohio,  became  his  wife.  She  was  born  May  16,  1838,  and 
died  April  30,  1873.  Mr.  E.  was  married  the  sixth  time,  in  1881,  to  Mrs: 
Matilda  Harell,  a  native  of  Shelby  County,  Indiana.  She  had  previously 
been  married  three  times  and  has  one  son,  L.  B.  Binson,  now  a  grain 
merchant  at  Humboldt,  Nebraska.  D.  C.  Everhart  has  been  a  contractor 
and  liveryman  at  Batava,  Ohio,  and  also  farmed  for  many  years,  and 
during  the  time  he  lived  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  was  interested  in  the 
hotel  business.  For  many  years  he  has  been  dealing  in  real  estate,  in 
Missouri  and  Ohio.  Three  of  his  children  are  settled  in  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  and  when  Maitland  was  founded  he  invested  largely  in  lots. 
Since  then  his  time  has  been  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  his  land. 
He  built  the  Valley  Hotel,  which  was  the  first  one  erected  in  the  town. 
Mr.  E.  has  been  a  Mason  in  good  standing  since  1849. 

CHARLES  R.  EVERHART, 

farmer  and  stock  grower,  section  4,  is  a  native  of  Clermont  County,  Ohio, 
was  born  in  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  D.  C.  and  Mary  (Gest)  Everhart. 
Charles  was  raised  and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  in  1873,  took 
a  trip  to  California,  remaining  at  San  Francisco  for  some  three  months. 
He  afterwards  went  to  Boise  City  and  devoted  his  time  to  the  dairy 
business  for  two  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri. 
Mr.  E.  was  married  in  1875,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Schoole,  a  native  of  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  born  December  19,  1855.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Charles  H.  and  M.  W.  (King)  Schoole.  They  have  three  children  : 
Gracie,  Blanche  and  Eva. 

D.  A.  GELVIN 

is  a  member  of  one  of  the  largest  live  stock  firms  in  Northwest  Missouri. 
His  farm  consists  of  573  acres  of  fine,  fertile  soil,  situated  along  the  Nod- 
away River,  his  residence  being  in  section  16.  Mr.  G.  is  a  native  of 
Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  August  4,  1850,  and 
was  a  son  of  James  and  Catharine  Gelvin.  His  father  was  born  and 
raised  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  began  dealing  in  stock 
ivhen  but  a  mere   boy.     He  soon  became  noted  for  his  superior  judg- 


2l6  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

ment  in  the  selection  of  a  horse,  and  for  many  years  purchased  large 
droves  of  these  animals,  in  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  taking  them  to 
Boston.  At  other  times  he  would  buy  cattle  and  hogs  in  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio  and  take  them  to  the  markets  of  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia. 
After  many  years  of  successful  business  life  he  retired  from  active  labor. 
He  was  first  married  in  1833,  to  Miss  Mary  Zimmerman,  who  died  in 
1844.  He  was  married  the  second  time  in  1846,  to  Miss  Catharine  Crider, 
a  native  of  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  born  in  181 5.  The  senior 
Gelvin  died  in  February,  1873,  but  his  widow  still  resides  at  the  old 
homestead.  D.  A.  spent  his  boyhood  in  his  native  county,  receiving  a 
good  education,  and  when  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  came  west  and 
located  in  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He  worked  by  the  month  till  the 
spring  of  1871,  and  during  that  year  and  the  one  following,  he  farmed. 
In  February,  1873,  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  on  account  of  his  father's 
sickness,  and  the  succeeding  summer  worked  by  the  month.  The  next 
fall  he  again  came  to  Holt  County,  and  devoted  his  time  to  farming. 
Mr.  G.  was  married  November  19,  1874,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Hershner,  a 
native  of  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  born  February  3,  1850,  and  a  daughter 
of  Andrew  and  Mary  (Pearce)  Hershner.  Her  father,  who  was  born  in 
1821,  in  Wayne  County,  Pennsylvania,  moved  with  his  parents  to  Craw- 
ford County,  Ohio.  Her  mother  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  with  her 
parents  moved  to  Crawford  County,  Ohio.  After  being  married  they 
settled  in  that  county,  and  in  1866,  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where 
they  now  reside.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gelvin  settled  on  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  Clay  Township,  in  section  24,  township  62,  range  38,  and  in  1876  he 
entered  into  the  live  stock  business,  which  has  proved  to  be  a  grand 
success.  He  first  bought  on  commission,  but  soon  established  an  excel- 
lent reputation  as  a  buyer,  and  entered  into  a  partnership  with  E.  F. 
Weller.  He  afterwards  became  interested  in  a  store,  finally  sold  out  and 
entered  into  partnership  with  William  Maurer.  They  are  now  known 
as  about  the  heaviest  shippers  in  Northwest  Missouri.  Mr.  G.  has  as 
good  a  stock  farm  as  there  is  in  Holt  County.  His  family  consists  of 
three  daughters  :  Elsie  D.,  born  January  11,  1876;  Emma  L.,  born 
August  21,  1878,  and  Cora  May,  born  October  9,  1880. 

J.  D.  GOODPASTURE, 

farmer,  section  36,  was  a  son  of  Rev.  A.  H.  and  Dulcina  B.  Goodpasture. 
His  father,  a  native  of  Overton  County,  Tennessee,  was  born  June  21, 
1812,  he  being  a  son  of  John  and  Margery  Goodpasture,  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. John  built  the  first  court  house  at  Richmond,  Virginia.  Rev.  A. 
H.  G.  was  the  sixth  child  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children.  He  spent  his 
boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  common  schooling  in  his  native 
county,  and  when  twenty-one  years   of  age   began  life  as  a  farmer.     In 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  217 

1833,  he  went  to  Central  Alabama,  and  while  en  route,  stopped  for  a 
time  and  attended  a  camp  meeting.  There  he  became  converted,  and 
soon  resolved  to  work  in  the  Christian  cause.  He  began  studying  for 
the  ministry,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  April,  1835,  by  the  Talladega 
Presbytery  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  He  soon  com- 
menced preaching  at  Mardisville,  Alabama,  and  after  laboring  for 
twenty-five  months,  returned  to  his  native  place.  In  1836,  he  went  to 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  and  in  that  state  was  circuit  preacher  some 
eighteen  months.  Going  again  to  Alabama,  he  remained  till  1842,  when 
he  went  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Menard  County,  where  he  has  since 
labored.  He  was  married  January  10,  1843,  to  Dulcina  B.  Williams,  a 
native  of  Bath  County,  Kentucky,  born  March  19,  1819.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Hannah  (Moffin)  Williams.  Rev.  A.  H.  Good- 
pasture and  wife  afterward  settled  at  Petersburgh,  Menard  County,  Illi- 
nois, where  they  remained  till  1850,  and  then  purchased  land  where 
they  now  reside.  J.  D.  was  born  in  Petersburgh,  Menard  County,  Illi- 
nois, May  9,  1846,  and  when  at  the  age  of  four  years,  with  his  parents, 
he  located  on  a  farm.  He  received  a  good  common  education,  and  dur- 
ing the  years  of  1863  and  1864  attended  the  North  Sangamon  Academy. 
In  1865  he  took  a  course  of  study  at  the  Normal  School,  at  Lincoln,  Illi- 
nois, afterward  returned  home  and  was  married  September  1,  1868,  to 
Miss  Frances  H.  O'Banion,  a  native  of  Morgan  County,  Illinois.  She 
was  born  November  21,  1848,  and  was  educated  at  Forest  Hill  and 
Jacksonville  Seminaries.  Her  father,  George  M.,  was  a  native  of  Mor- 
gan County,  Illinois,  born  September  15,  1827,  and  was  a  son  of  Evin 
and  Margaret  (Hall)  O'Banion.  Her  mother,  formerly  Amanda  M. 
Flinn,  was  from  the  same  county,  born  September  3,  1827.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Z.  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Hill)  Flinn.  George  M.  and  Amanda 
O'Banion  were  married  February  10,  1848,  and  then  settled  in  Morgan 
County,  Illinois,  on  a  farm,  moving  to  Cass  County.  Illinois,  in  1850, 
and  back  to  Morgan  County  in  1852.  Here  George  died  September  15, 
1853,  and  his  wife  was  married  the  second  time  to  Aaron  Thompson,  a 
native  of  Cape  May  County,  New  Jersey.  He  was  born  January  28, 
1810,  being  a  son  of  Anson  and  Elizabeth  (Eldridge)  Thompson.  Hav- 
ing received  a  good  education,  he  went  to  Menard  County,  Illinois,  in 
1837,  taught  school  and  worked  at  the  carpenters'  trade,  and  also  clerked 
in  a  store  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1848  he  turned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  purchasing  and  improving  a  large  farm.  He  was 
married  September  21,  1848,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Carson,  a  native  of  San- 
gamon County,  Illinois,  born  in  1827,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Cynthia  (Boumont)  Carson.  She  died  October  19,  1854.  After  their 
marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  D.  Goodpasture  settled  in  Morgan  County, 
Illinois,  on  a  farm  and  remained  till  September,  1869,  when  they  came 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri.     Here  he  purchased  his  present  farm  consist- 


218  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

ing  of  500  acres  of  improved  land,  with  excellent  buildings,  good 
orchards,  etc.  They  have  a  family  of  six  children  :  Edwin  R.,  born 
July  26,  1869;  Abraham  H.,  born  May  20,  1871  ;  Amanda  D.,  born 
January  17,  1873  !  Mary  H.,  born  July  31,  1875  ;  George  B.,  born  Octo- 
ber 5,  1877,  and  Vianna  J.,  born  August  31,  [881.  They  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

W.  A.    GRAHAM, 

of  the  firm  of  Graham  &  Frame,  dealers  in  dry  goods,  notions,  clothing, 
hats,  boots,  shoes,  queensware,  etc.,  was  born  in  Guernsey  County, 
Ohio,  on  the  22d  of  October,  1858,  being  the  son  of  Rev.  F.  H.  and 
Rebecca  A.  (Irvin)  Graham.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Baltimore 
County,  Maryland,  born  in  1823,  and  his  mother  was  born  in  the  same 
county  in  September,  1827.  They  were  married  in  1845  ar>d  settled  in 
Belmont  County,  Ohio,  and  subsequently  moved  to  Rockford  County, 
Indiana.  They  afterwards  returned  to  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  and  in 
1865  emigrated  to  Harrison  County,  Missouri,  settling  on  a  farm.  There 
they  remained  till  1869,  when  they  moved  to  Oregon,  Holt  County,  and 
in  1871  to  Rock  Port,  Atchison  County.  In  1872,  Fillmore,  Andrew 
County,  became  their  home,  and  in  1873  they  went  to  Macon  City. 
Here  the  father  died  on  the  25th  of  July  of  that  year.  William,  with 
his  mother,  then  returned  to  Oregon,  Holt  County,  in  the  fall  of  1875. 
During  youth  he  received  good  educational  advantages,  thereby  becom- 
ing familiarized  with  the  primary  business  rules,  so  important  in  the 
life  of  every  successful  business  man.  From  1876  till  1879  he  was 
deputy  postmaster  and  telegraph  operator  at  Oregon.  In  March,  1879, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Woolworth  &  Colt,  at  St.  Joseph,  as  salesman, 
with  whom  he  remained  till  July,  1880,  when  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Mr.  Albert  Frame,  opening  a  general  stock  at  Maitland.  Mr. 
Graham  owns  the  building  which  they  occupy.  He  found  a  wife  in  the 
person  of  Miss  Grace  B.  King,  to  whom  he  was  married  December  31, 
1880.  She  was  a  native  of  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  born  October  15, 
1858,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Dr.  R.  and  Rachel  (O'Neil)  King.  Mr. 
G.  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  belonging  to  lodge  No.  202.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

EDWARD  L.  HART 

was  born  on  the  24th  of  November,  1856,  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and 
was  the  son  of  Rev.  David  and  Martha  E.  (Higley)  Hart.  The  former 
was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  was  born  November  21,  182 1, 
his  parents  being  Francis  and  Susan  (Speck)  Hart.  David  Hart  was 
early  left  an  orphan,  and  when  quite  young  he  learned  the  machinist's 
trade.     When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  entered  the  ministry.     In  1852 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  219 

he  emigrated  to  America,  locating  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  carriage  business,  till  1854,  after  which  he  came  to  Whig 
Valley,  Holt  County.  There  he  remained  till  the  summer  of  1855,  when 
he  moved  to  Nebraska.  The  winter  following  he  returned  and,  on  the 
12th  of  December,  1855,  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  E.  Higley,  a  native 
of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  born  June  9,  18 19.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Higley,  a  native  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  He  was  born  in  1785 
and  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  Gaylord,  a  native  of  Windsor,  Connecticut, 
born  in  1788.  In  1830  they  moved  to  North  Carolina,  and  in  1838  to 
Indiana,  coming  to  Clay  Township,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1845,  and 
being  among  the  very  first  settlers  here.  Thomas  Higley  died  in  1853, 
and  Ann  G.  Higley  in  1861.  Rev.  David  Hart  and  his  wife  finally  located 
in  Nebraska,  and  in  1869  returned  to  Holt  County.  In  1872  they  again 
went  to  Nebraska,  and  in  1878  to  Salt  Lake  City,  in  order  to  gain,  if  pos- 
sible, a  change  for  the  better  in  Mr.  H.'s  health.  He  died  there  January 
14,  1879.  Mrs.  Hart  then  returned  to  Nebraska,  where  Edward  L.  had 
been  reared  and  educated.  He  attended  for  some  time  the  State  Uni- 
versity, and  after  leaving  this  institution  returned  with  his  mother  to 
Holt  County  and  settled  on  the  old  homestead,  where  they  now  reside. 
December  14,  1881,  Mr.  Hart  was  appointed  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
discharged  his  duties  faithfully  and  creditably. 

ALLEN  HAYZLETT, 

farmer,  section  14,  was  born  in  Hancock  County,  Indiana,  May  18,  1838, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Angeline  (Taylor)  Hayzlett.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  his  mother  of  Ohio.  With  their  parents  they 
had  moved  to  Hancock  County,  Indiana,  where  they  married  and  set- 
tled. James  Hayzlett  died  in  1859.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his 
boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  education  in  his  native  state,  com- 
mencing life  for  himself  as  a  farmer  when  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  In 
i860  he  went  to  Kansas  and  farmed  till  April,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  Twelfth  Kansas  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  was  at  the  battle 
of  Independence.  He  was  wounded  four  times,  and  oa  August  25,  1862, 
was  honorably  discharged.  Mr.  H.  returned  to  his  farm  in  Kansas,  and 
remained  till  1864,  when  he  went  to  his  native  county  in  Indiana.  In 
1866,  with  his  mother,  he  moved  to  Hughes  Township,  Nodaway  County, 
Missouri,  purchasing  a  farm,  which  he  sold  in  1876,  and  then  moved  to 
Holt  County,  Missouri.  There  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  120  acres 
of  land,  now  well  improved.  He  was  married  November  25,  1877,  to 
Miss  Amanda  Fountain,  a  daughter  of  L.  and  Martha  Fountain.  The 
former  was  born  October  9,  1830,  and  the  latter  October  17,  1829.  They 
had  gone  to  Shelby  County,  Indiana,  with  their  parents  when  they  were 
mere  children.     Their  marriage  occurred   October  16,  1855,  after  which 

■ 


22 O  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

they  settled  in  that  county,  and  moved  to  Minnesota  in  1864,  and  in  1871 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri.     They  now  reside  near  Oregon. 

JAMES  M.  KENYON, 

dealer  in  hardware,  farm  implements,  etc.,  is  a  native  of  Andrew  County, 
Missouri,  where  he  was  born  April  11,  1840,  being  a  son  of  Thompson 
and  India  Ann  (Griffith)  Kenyon.'  His  father  was  born  in  Ohio  in  18 10, 
and  his  mother  is  a  native  of  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  born  in  1811. 
After  being  married  they  settled  in  Ohio,  and  in  1838  moved  to  Andrew 
County,  Missouri,  purchasing  a  farm  of  240  acres  of  choice  land.  The 
senior  Kenyon  died  in  1844.  James  M.  passed  his  youthful  days  and 
received  his  education  in  his  native  county.  After  his  father's  death  he 
took  charge  of  the  farm,  though  but  seventeen  years  of  age.  In  1862  he 
went  to  Colorado,  and  devoted  his  time  to  mining  and  freighting,  and 
during  the  years  of  1868  and  1869  he  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  bus- 
ness  at  Warsatch,  Colorado.  Upon  selling  out  he  returned  to  the  old 
homestead  in  Andrew  County.  Mr.  K.  was  married  November  11,  1869, 
to  Miss  Emily  Jackson,  a  native  of  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  born  on  the 
17th  of  July,  1848.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Sinie  Jackson,, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  October  6,  1799,  and  her 
mother,  a  native  of  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  born  July  19,  1807.  They 
were  married  December  15,  1830,  and  then  settled  in  Belmont  County, 
Ohio,  and  in  1867  moved  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  and  in  1880  to 
Maryville.  After  the  return  of  Mr.  Kenyon  from  Colorado,  he  devoted 
his  time  to  the  breeding  of  Short  Horn  cattle,  till  1877,  when,  with  John 
W.  Jones,  of  Clinton  County,  he  closed  out  the  entire  herd  at  St  Joseph, 
Missouri.  In  1877  and  1878  he  was  at  Deadwood,  and  in  July  1880,  he 
settled  at  Maitland,  embarking  in  the  dry  goods  trade,  but  sold  out  dur- 
ing that  fall  and  purchased  his  present  stock  of  Paschal  &  Spencer.  He 
is  a  Mason  in  good  standing.  Mrs.  K.  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Their  family  consists  of  Clyde  M.,  born  April  2,  1871,  and  Mary 
E.,  born  September  13,  1876. 

A.  H.  KIDD, 

merchant,  at  Maitland,  was  born  in  Petersboro'  County,  Canada,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1850,  and  was  a  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Johns)  Kidd. 
His  father  is  a  native  of  Lanark  County,  Canada,  and  when  but  a  mere 
boy  moved  with  his  parents  to  Petersboro  County  and  settled  on  a  farm. 
His  mother  is  a  native  of  England,  and  went  to  Canada  with  her  parents- 
when  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  After  they  were  married  they  settled 
on  the  farm  where  they  still  reside,  and  are  now  enjoying  good  health. 
A.  H.  passed  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  education  in  his 
native  county.      He   afterwards    spent  some  two  years  at  a  grammar 


CLAY   TOWNSHIP.  221 

school,  and  devoted  the  next  two  years  in  teaching.  In  1869  he  grad- 
uated at  the  New  London  Commercial  College.  He  then  returned  to 
the  home  of  his  parents  and  assisted  on  the  farm.  In  the  spring  of  1871 
he  immigrated  to  the  Unites  States,  locating  in  Iowa.  He  taught  school 
in  the  counties  of  Union,  Adams  and  Taylor.  He  was  married  April  28, 
1877,  to  Miss  E.  M.  Kater,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  born 
May  23,  1838.  Her  father  was  James  Kater,  Esq.,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
who,  after  being  married,  came  to  America,  in  1828.  He  was  a  weaver 
by  trade,  and  located  at  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  assisted  his  son 
in  a  market.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  H.  Kidd  subsequently  settled  in  Adams 
County,  Iowa,  on  a  farm  some  nine  miles  from  Creston,  purchasing  and 
improving  160  acres  of  land.  After  some  four  years  he  sold  out  and 
came  to  Maitland  and  opened  a  store,  where  he  is  now  doing  a  success- 
ful business.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  Mr.  K.  is  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school. 

CHARLES  A.  LEACH, 

freight  agent  and  telegraph  operator,  was  born  May  12,  1852,  in  Cayuga 
County,  New  York,  being  a  son  of  C.  and  J.  H.  Leach,  who,  after  their 
marriage,  moved  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  in  1871,  and  settled  on 
a  farm  six  miles  north  of  Maryville.  Charles  A.  spent  his  boyhood  days 
in  his  native  county.  His  education  was  a  very  liberal  one,  and  was 
received  at  OakwoOd  Seminary,  now  known  as  Friends'  University,  in 
Cayuga  County,  New  York.  He  was  a  graduate  from  this  institution  in 
1870,  and  then  came  west  with  his  parents,  assisting  them  on  the  farm 
till  the  summer  of  1873.  At  that  time  he  entered  the  office  of  the  Kan- 
sas City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  at  Maryville,  Missouri. 
His  qualities  as  a  student  and  business  man  were  soon  observed  by  the 
company,  and  August  12,  1874,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Bigelow 
office,  and  on  the  main  line  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council 
Bluffs.  Here  he  became  known  as  a  skilled  and  careful  operator,  and 
August  I,  1880,  he  assumed  charge  of  the  duties  of  the  office  at  Mait- 
land. Mr.  Leach  is  possessed  of  superior  social  powers  and  is  known 
to  be  quite  a  humorist.  Miss  Rena  R.  Courier  became  his  wife  on 
February  10,  1877,  and  by  this  union  they  have  two  children,  a  bright 
boy,  Guy  C,  born  August  27,  1878,  and  a  charming  daughter,  Mary, 
born  October  12,  1880.  Mrs.  L.  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Mr. 
Leach  belongs  to  lodge  No.  202  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

G.  R.  McINTYRE, 

farmer,  section  23,  is  a  native  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  was  born 
May  12,  1849.  His  father,  Judge  George  Mclntyre,  a  native  of  Butler 
County,  Ohio,  moved  with  his  parents  to  Parke  County,  Indiana,  and 


222  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

there  he  was  married  to  Miss  Polly  Milleman,  a  native  of  New  York, 
She  had  gone  with  her  parents  to  Michigan,  and  afterwards  to  Parke 
County,  Indiana.  The  Judge  and  his  wife  settled  in  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri, and  there  his  wife  died  October  22,  1872.  G.  R.  Mclntyre  spent 
his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  county,  and  received  an  excellent  educa- 
tion. He  taught  school  for  a  number  of  winters,  and  was  married  January 
31,  1872,  to  Miss  Louisa  A.  Russell,  a  native  of  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
born  August  2,  1853.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Judge  R.  H.  and  Mary  E. 
Russell.  The  former  was  born  in  Clarke  County,  Ohio,  April  7,  1818, 
and  in  1836  left  Ohio  and  resided  in  Lafayette,  Indiana,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1836  he  came  to  the  Platte  Purchase.  In  1841  he  married  Mary  E. 
Crowley,  who  died  in  i860.  In  1861  he  was  married  to  Susan  Bishop. 
Mrs.  Mclntyre  was  raised  by  her  step-mother,  and  was  educated  in  Holt 
County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mel.  finally  settled  on  their  present  farm.  They 
have  been  blessed  with  three  children:  Lee,  born  October  14,  1873; 
Edwin,  born  November  6,  1875,  and  D.  G.,  December  21,  1877. 

C.  D.  MESSINGER, 

hardware  dealer,  may  be  numbered  among  the  most  successful  business 
men  of  Maitland.  He  is  a  native  of  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  and  was 
born  in  1856.  His  parents  were  Chester  and  Elizabeth  (Riley)  Messin- 
ger,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
She  was  a  sister  of  Hon.  J.  T.  Riley,  of  Buchanan  County,  Missouri. 
The  father  and  mother  of  C.  D.  died  when  he  was  but  a  mere  boy,  and 
his  early  days  were  spent  in  agricultural  pursuits,  the  money  thus  earned 
through  the  summer  months  being  spent  in  procuring  an  education. 
When  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  determined,  with  that  spirit  of 
enterprise  which  has  characterized  his  course  through  life,  to  enter  the 
mercantile  business.  He  began  in  the  hardware  establishment  of  J.  H. 
Robison,  of  St.  Joseph,  and  discharged  his  duties  creditably  and  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  employer.  Mr.  MessingeY  subsequently  became 
employed  by  Shultz  &  Hosea,  hardware  and  cutlery  manufacturers,  and 
his  ability  and  strict  attention  to  business,  soon  achieved  for  him  an 
enviable  reputation  as  a  salesman.  In  June,  1880,  he  attended  the  sale 
of  lots  at  the  newly  located  town  of  Maitland,  purchasing  choice  corner 
lots.  Soon  after  he  erected  a  business  house,  and  is  now  known  through- 
out the  Nodaway  Valley  as  a  leading  hardware  merchant.  He  is  a 
Mason  in  good  standing,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

J.  T.  MOORE, 

merchant,  was  born  in  Menard  County,  Illinois,  on  October  29,  1850,  and 
is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Selena  (Williams)  Moore.     His  father  was  a  native 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  223 

of  Fleming  County  and  his  mother  of  Green  County,  Kentucky.  They 
both  moved  to  Illinois  in  1823,  with  their  parents,  and  there  they  were 
married,  afterwards  settling  on  a  farm.  J.  T.  passed  his  youthful  days 
and  received  his  education  in  his  native  county.  He  was  married  Octo- 
ber 29,  1873,  to  Miss  Catharine  McNeal,  a  native  of  Menard  County,  Illi- 
nois, and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  (Short)  McNeal.  After  marriage 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  settled  at  the  old  homestead,  and  in  1880  he  disposed 
of  his  entire  effects  and  moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He  located 
some  four  miles  northwest  of  Maitland,  improved  a  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
but  sold  out  and  moved  to  Maitland,  in  March,  188 1.  February  8,  1882, 
in  connection  with  Mr.  J.  K.  Seaman,  he  entered  the  grocery  business. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  have  a  family  of  two  children,  Samuel  and  Jessie  B. 
Mr.  M.  is   a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  belonging  to  Lodge  No.  202. 

J.  J.  MOULTON, 

is  the  publisher  and  proprietor  of  the  Maitland  Independent,  a  newsy 
and  interesting  sheet,  published  weekly,  and  which,  under  its  present 
able  management,  has  built  up  a  good  circulation.  Mr.  Moulton  is  a 
native  of  Tazwell  County,  Illinois,  and  was  born  on  a  farm  four  miles 
east  of  Fort  Clark  (now  Peoria)  on  August  15,  1833.  The  days  of  his 
youth  were  spent  in  assisting  his  father  on  the  farm,  his  evenings  being 
devoted  to  study.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  purchased  an  outfit, 
and  from  that  time  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  old,  he  followed  prairie 
breaking  with  an  ox  team.  In  1855,  he  entered  a  college  in  his  native 
county,  prosecuting  his  studies  for  some  four  years.  In  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  K,  Eleventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  placed  on 
guard  duty  at  Bird's  Point,  being  honorably  discharged  in  the  August 
following.  On  the  2d  of  the  same  month,  Mr.  Moulton  re-enlisted  in  the 
Sixteenth  United  States  Infantry,  receiving  his  discharge  on  October  2,. 
1864.  Returning  to  Illinois,  he  was  occupied  in  teaching  school  till  the 
fall  of  1867,  when  he  went  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  locating  on  a 
farm.  In  1878,  he  purchased  the  Riverton  Enterprise.  A  few  months 
later  he  moved  to  Clarinda,  Iowa,  where  he  established  the  Nodaway 
Chief.  In  February,  1881,  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Maitland,  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  edit  one  of  the  best  papers  of 
the  county.  Mr.  Moulton  was  married  April  20,  1865,  to  MissRoxie  A. 
Mette,  a  native  of  Wood  County,  Illinois.  She  was  born  in  1844.  They 
have  one  child,  Ernest,  born  October  12,  1866. 

D.  C.  PARKS, 

druggist,  a  native  of  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  was  born  January  16,. 
1855,  being  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Frances  (Thomas)  Parks.  His  father 
was  born  and  raised  in  Kentucky,  and  in  1852  came  to  Missouri,  locating 
near   Fillmore,   Andrew    County.      His  mother  was    a  native    of  Clay 


224  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

County,  Missouri.  They  settled  on  a  farm  after  their  marriage,  where 
they  still  reside.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days  in 
his  native  county  till  he  abandoned  tilling  the  soil,  in  order  to  fit  him- 
self for  a  teacher.  Many  long  evenings  were  spent  in  study,  and  two 
years  of  his  younger  life  were  passed  as  professor  of  penmanship. 
With  a  mind  filled  with  learning  and  a  future  bright  and  promising,  he 
taught  school  some  four  years,  and  in  1881  formed  a  partnership  with  a 
Mr.  Roberts.  They  opened  a  drug  store  at  Maitland,  and  are  now 
doing  a  good  business.  Mr.  Parks  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Kee, 
December  29,  1881.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Kee, 
was  born  in  1858,  and  was  raised  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  Mr.  P.  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
fraternity. 

WILLIAM  H.  PATTERSON, 

farmer  and  breeder  of  Clydesdale  horses,  mules  and  Jersey  and  Poland 
China  hogs,  resides  in  section  25.  Mr.  P.  is  a  native  of  Andrew  County, 
Missouri,  was  born  January  14,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  C.  S. 
Patterson.  His  father  was  born  in  Ireland,  January  14,  18 14,  and  came 
to  America  in  1834,  landing  at  New  York  City.  He  went  to  Mobile, 
Alabama,  remained  one  winter,  thence  to  St.  Louis,  and  finally  located 
at  Savannah,  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1835,  being  one 
of  the  twelve  who  first  located  in  that  county.  He  was  married  in  1840, 
to  Miss  C.  S.  Cobb,  a  native  of  Montgomery  County,  Kentucky.  She, 
with  her  parents,  moved  to  Missouri  at  an  early  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Patterson  settled  on  a  farm  near  Savannah,  and  in  1846  moved 
into  the  town,  where  Mr.  P.  now  resides,  his  wife  having  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1862.  W.  H.  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  county,  and 
received  a  good  education.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  started  out 
for  himself  as  a  farmer,  and  during  the  war  freighted  in  Colorado  till 
1866.  He  then  returned  to  Andrew  County,  and  in  March,  1866,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Cobb,  a  native  of  Andrew  County,  Missouri. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  G.  W.  and  Mary  Cobb,  the  former  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  With  her  parents  she  moved  to 
Andrew  County,  Missouri,  where  she  was  married.  William  H.  Patter- 
son and  wife  settled  on  Hackberry  Ridge,  in  Andrew  County,  and  lived 
there  till  1867,  when  he  moved  to  Holt  County,  locating  some  four  miles 
east  of  Oregon.  In  1870  he  moved  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides. 
Their  family  consists  of  six  children,  five  boys  and  one  girl  :  Louis  C, 
Edward  H.,  Hallie  A.,  William  L.,  George  H.  and  Morie  O. 

A.  S.  PEARCE, 

farmer,  section  11,  was  born  in  Baltimore  County,  Maryland,  May   10, 
1838,  and  was  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Pearce,  who  were  also 


CLAY   TOWNSHIP.  225 

natives  of  the  same  county.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  his 
younger  days  in  his  native  county,  and  when  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
with  his  parents  he  moved  to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  where  they  settled 
on  a  farm.  In  1854  he  moved  to  Illinois,  and  here  he  enlisted  in  the 
Second  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  in  1862,  and  did  service  through  many 
hard  fought  battles,  among  which  was  the  engagement  at  Fort  Donel- 
son.  He  was  promoted  to  orderly  sergeant  for  bravery,  and  was  finally 
mustered  out.  Soon  after  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  in 
1865  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Kunkel,  a  native  of  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri, born  November  28,  1848.  By  this  union  they  have  a  family  of 
eight  children  :  Willie,  Schuyler,  Myrtle,  Alfretta,  Dellie,  Abraham, 
Perte  and  Homer.  They  have  lost  one,  Rowena.  Mr.  Pearce's  farm  con- 
sists of  160  acres  of  fine  land,  well  improved,  including  good  buildings 
and  orchard. 

J.  E.   PHILLIPS, 

lumberman,  is  a  native  of  Watertown,  Jefferson  County,  New  York, 
and  was  born  May  13,  1 85 1 ,  being  a  son  of  William  N.  and  Lucy  J. 
Phillips.  The  former  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and,  in  1846,  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Lucy  J.  Tayor,  a  native  of  Saratoga  County,  New  York. 
They  afterwards  settled  at  Watertown,  and,  in  1854,  moved  to  Wayne, 
DuPage  County,  Illinois,  locating  on  a  farm.  Some  two  years  after,  Mr. 
P.  entered  the  mercantile  business  at  Wayne,  and  here  Mrs.  Lucy  Phil- 
lips died,  in  1858,  leaving  seven  children.  The  father  was  married  a 
second  time,  to  Miss  Mary  Black,  a  native  of  Rockport,  New  York. 
She  had  moved  to  Illinois  with  her  parents  at  an  early  day.  Her  death 
occurred  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  J.  E.  Phillips  then  went  to 
live  with  a'n  uncle,  Elliott  Tayor,  at  Pontiac,  Oakland  County,  Michigan. 
In  1874,  he  graduated  from  the  High  School,  and  in  1876  was  graduated 
from  the  law  department  of  the  State  University  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich- 
igan. He  practiced  at  the  bar  of  Chicago  and  Wheaton,  Illinois,  till 
January,  1880,  when,  his  health  having  failed,  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Howell  &  Bros.,  at  Maryville,  Missouri.  Soon  after  he  took  charge  of 
their  lumber  yard  at  Graham,  and  in  June  of  the  same  year  came  to 
Maitland.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  town,  and  made  some  of 
the  first  improvements.  Mr.  P.  was  married  June  7,  1876,  to  Miss  Emily 
Sayer,  a  native  of  Wayne,  DuPage  County,  Illinois,  born  August  8,  1853. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  V.  and  Phebe  E.  (Moffatt)  Sayer,  who 
were  natives  of  New  York.  They  settled  in  DuPage  County,  Illinois  at 
an  early  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  have  one  child,  Mary  Lucy.  They  are 
both  members  of  the  Congregational  Church.  Mr.  Phillips  is  chairman 
of  the  town  board,  a  school  trustee,  and  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
School. 

15 


226  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

B.    W.    ROSS, 

physician  and  surgeon,  though  young  in  years,  deserves  to  be  classed 
with  the  old  practitioners  of  Holt  and  Nodaway  Counties.  He  is  a  native 
of  Bainbridge,  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  September  22,  1852.  He 
enjoyed  the  best  advantages  for  an  education  that  Ohio  could  afford, 
and  always  having  had  a  taste  for  the  medical  profession,  in  1871,  he 
commenced  reading  with  Dr.  Hughey,  of  Bainbridge,  and  continued 
under  his  tutorship  for  one  year,  when,  on  account  of  poor  health,  he  was 
obliged  to  abandon  his  studies.  Believing  that  the  western  climate 
would  be  beneficial,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1874,  his 
parents  having  moved  to  that  county  some  two  years  previous.  While 
residing  with  his  parents,  and  assisting  on  the  farm,  he  regained  his 
health,  and  resumed  the  study  of  medicine.  He  attended  lectures  in 
1879-80,  and  graduated  from  the  Keokuk  Medical  College,  of  Keokuk, 
Iowa.  In  [880  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Mound  City, 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  remained  there  until  the  spring  of  1881, 
when  he  came  to  Graham,  and  immediately  engaged  in  following  his 
chosen  profession.  Later,  Dr.  Ross  removed  to  Maitland  and  became 
occupied  in  the  drug  business,  in  which  he  has  obtained  a  large  and 
lucrative  patronage.  His  studious  habits  and  close  attention  to  his  call- 
ing, combined  with  excellent  work,  have  placed  him  in  the  front  rank 
among  members  of  his  profession.  The  doctor  is  a  member  of  Lodge 
No.  189,  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Graham.  He  was  united  in  marriage  on 
the  6th  of  January,  188 1,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Harmon,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Harmon,  a  native  of  Brown  County,  Kansas,  born  on  the  4th  day  of 
March,   1858. 

MAJOR  EB.  ROZELL, 

farmer,  section  31,  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  April  29,  1837,  and 
is  a  son  of  Eben  and  Esther  Rozell,  who  were  natives  of  New  York. 
The  father  was  born  in  1772,  and  went  to  Ross  County,  Ohio,  in  1805. 
He  died  in  March,  1846,  after  having  served  in  the  war  of  1812  under 
Colonel  McDonald.  The  mother  of  Eb.  Rozell  was  born  in  1793.  They 
married  in  1813,  and  then  settled  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  where  they  had 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  improved  it.  Mrs.  Rozell  still 
resides  at  the  old  homestead.  The  subject  of  this  memoir  spent  his 
boyhood  days  and  received  an  excellent  education  in  his  native  county. 
During  the  time  from  1857  to  1858  he  taught  school,  but  afterwards 
returned  to  the  farm  and  devoted  his  time  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
was  married  September  13,  i860,  to  Miss  Mary  Ross,  a  native  of  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  born  April  22,  1843,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Abbie  (Meighen)  Ross,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  In  May,  1861,  Mr. 
Rozell   enlisted   in  the  Sixty-third  Ohio  Volunteer   Infantry,  and  was 


CLAY    TCfWNSHII'.  227 

wounded  at  the  battle  of  Corinth,  October  4,  1863,  after  which  he  was 
discharged.  He  returned  to  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1864  assisted  in  organizing  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Regiment 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  entered  the  field  as  major  of  his  regi- 
ment. He  served  in  Virginia  with  the  army  of  the  Potomac  till  Octo- 
ber, 1864,  when  he  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder  and  left  lung.  He  was 
captured  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  for  several  weeks  was  held  as 
prisoner  in  Libby  Prison,  at  Richmond.  He  was  paroled  and  mustered 
out  at  Washington,  D.  C,  September  20,  1864.  Mr.  R.  returned  to  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  following  spring  made  a  visit  to  Burlington 
Junction,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri.  In  1870  he  disposed  of  his 
effects  in  Ross  County,  and  moved  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  and  in 
187 1  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  settling  where  he  now  resides.  In 
1874  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rozell  consists  of  four  children :  Olie,  Frank,  Albert  and  Walter. 
They  are  both  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

H.  H.  SEELEY, 

of  the  firm  of  Finney,  Williams  &  Co.,  lumber  dealers,  is  a  native  of 
Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  April  23,  1846.  His 
father,  R.  Seeley,  was  born  in  the  state  of  Connecticut,  in  1824,  and  with 
his  parents  moved  to  Rochester,  New  York,  and  in  1844  he  went  to 
Pennsylvania.  His  parents  later  moved  to  Wisconsin.  Roswell  taught 
school  for  some  time,  and  was  afterwards  married  to  Isabella  Crawford, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1825.  They  settled  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  1848  moved  to  St.  Louis,  and  to  Illinois  in  185 1.  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  became  their  home  in  i860,  and  in  1867  the  father  died,  and  in 
1882  the  mother  followed.  H.  H.  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  dif- 
ferent moves,  and  received  a  good  education  at  Leavenworth.  He 
learned  the  carpenter  trade  and  worked  in  Leavenworth  till  1874,  when 
he  went  to  Barnard,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  and  opened  a  lumber 
yard.  This  he  sold  to  a  Mr.  Williams,  and  formed  a  company  styled 
Finney,  Williams  &  Co.,  and  located  at  Maitland  in  October,  188 1.  Mr. 
S.  was  married  July  4,  1870,  to  Miss  Etta  D.  Sayre,  a  native  of  Oneida 
County,  New  York,  born  January  15,  1849.  She  is  the  daughter  of  F.  R. 
and  L.  (Chapman)  Sayre,  her  father  a  native  of  New  York,  was  born  in 
1802,  and  her  mother,  a  native  of  New  York,  was  born  in  1806.  After 
they  were  married  they  settled  in  New  York,  and  in  i860  moved  to 
Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seeley  are  both  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
He  belongs  to  Lodge  204,  A.  O.  U.  W.  Their  family  consists  of  six 
children  living  :  F.  R.,  Charles  S.,  George  A.,  W.  G.,  L.  I.  and  I.  G.  One 
daughter,  Alice  R.,  is  deceased. 


228  HISTORY   OF«  HOLT   COUNTY. 

N.  S.  SHULL, 

farmer,  section  29,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  April  15,  1840.  His 
parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  Shull,  were  both  natives  of  the  same  state. 
N.  S.  Spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  education  in  North 
Carolina.  During  the  late  rebellion  he  served  the  entire  time  in  the 
Confederate  army.  In  1869  he  went  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  and 
was  married  April  15,  1875,  to  Miss  Mary  Gilmore,  a  native  of  Buchanan 
County,  Missouri.  After  this  they  settled  in  Holt  County,  Missouri. 
They  have  a  family  consisting  of  four  children  :  Maggie  L.,  William  H., 
Ernest  E.  and  Minnie  B.     Mrs.  S.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

LOUIS  C.  SMOCK, 

grocer.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  native  of  Nodaway  County,  Mis- 
souri, was  born  on  the  4th  of  May,  1853,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and 
Martha  (Linville)  Smock.  His  father  was  born  in  Bartholomew  County, 
Indiana,  in  1819,  and  died  December  22,  1864.  His  mother  was  a  native 
of  Jackson  County,  Missouri.  Louis  passed  his  boyhood  days  and 
received  his  education  in  Holt  County,  Missouri.  In  1874,  he  spent  the 
most  ot  the  time  in  Indiana,  but  after  returning  devoted  his  time  to 
farming  till  October,  1881.  He  then  entered  the  grocery  business  at 
Maitland,  and  as  a  merchant  is  very  successful.  Mr.  Smock  was  mar- 
ried on  the  5th  of  August,  1875,  to  Miss  L.  Murphy,  a  native  of  Daviess 
County,  Missouri,  born  on  the  9th  of  March,  1859.  Her  father  was  John 
Murphy,  Esq.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  have  by  this  union  three  children  : 
Bathana  B.,  born  April  7,  1877;  Thomas  L.,  born  December  9,  1879; 
Marion  J.,  born  January  4,  188 1.  Mr.  Smock  is  a  Mason  in  good  stand- 
ing.    His  farm  consists  of  60  acres  of  fine  land  well  improved. 

JOSEPH  R.  STONE, 

dealer  in  harness,  saddles,  trunks,  valises,  etc.,  is  a  native  of  Atchison 
County,  Missouri.  He  was  born  January  30,  1859,  ancl  is  a  son  of  J.  R. 
and  M.  S.  (White)  Stone,  who  settled  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in 
1857.  Joseph,  with  his  parents,  moved  to  Worth  County,  in  i860,  and 
remained  till  1864,  then  going  to  St.  Joseph,  where  he  lived  until  1865, 
thence  to  Plattsville,  Iowa,  and  in  1866  he  located  at  Graham.  Here  his 
father  carried  on  the  harness  and  saddle  business  till  1879,  when  h< 
moved  to  Burlington  Junction.  Joseph  received  a  good  education  at 
Graham,  and  when  but  a  boy  began  working  at  the  harness  business, 
and  after  his  father's  removal  he  opened  a  shop  in  Graham  and  did 
good  business  there.  November  10,  1880,  he  came  to  Maitland  and  no> 
commands  a  good  trade,  which  he  deserves.  Mr.  Stone  married  Miss 
Lydia  Eberlin,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  August  7,  1861.     She  is  the 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  229 

daughtei  of  Thiebant  and  Mary  E.  (Hamm)  Eberlin.  Her  lather  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  October  14,  1826.  Her  mother  was  born  in 
France,  October  15,  1825.  They  were  married  April  25,  1853.  After 
their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  settled  at  Maitland.  He  is  a  member 
of  Hesperian  Lodge,  No.  189,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Lodge  No.  202,  A.  O.  U.  W. 

WICKLIFF  TAYLOR 

is  one  of  the  successful  merchants  of  Maitland.  He  was  born  in  New 
Paris,  Preble  County,  Ohio,  being  the  son  of  Dr.  J.  C.  and  Nancy  Taylor. 
His  father  is  a  native  of  Fleming  County,  Kentucky,  born  in  1819,  and 
his  mother  of  Virginia,  born  in  1818.  Dr.  J.  C.  and  Nancy  Taylor  were 
married  in  1838,  after  which  they  settled  in  Preble  County,  Ohio,  and  in 
1858  moved  to  Indiana.  Here  Mrs.  Taylor  died,  and  the  doctor  was 
married  the  second  time,  and,  in  1859,  came  to  Nodaway  County,  Mis- 
souri, and  in  i860  to  Forest  City,  Holt  County.  He  was  afterwards  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  Graham  for  seven  years,  and  also  at  Fillmore 
ana  Savannah.  He  sold  out  at  Maryville  in  1874,  then  moved  to  Topeka, 
Kansas,  where  he  now  resides.  Wickliff  established  a  store  at  Graham, 
and  conducted  the  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Taylor  &  Bros.,  soon 
after  the  father's  removal  to  Kansas,  and  still  retains  his  interest.  He 
is  also  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  M.  N.  Dougherty  &  Co.,  who 
are  doing  a  general  merchandise  business  in  this  city.  Mr.  T.  was  mar- 
ried July  27,  1881,  to  Miss  Belle  Turnure,  a  native  of  Boone  County, 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  E.  W.  and  Emily  Turnure.  Her  father,  a 
native  of  New  York,  was  born  in  1827,  and  died  in  July,  1880.  Her 
mother  was  born  in  1832,  in  New  York,  and  is  still  living.  They  were 
married  in  1853,  after  which  they  settled  in  Boone  County,  and  in  1863, 
went  to  Mitchell  County,  Iowa,  and  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  in 
1865.  They  located  near  Bridgewater,  and  in  1871  went  to  Maryville, 
and  to  Graham  in  1877. 

L.  M.  THOMPSON, 

farmer,  section  36,  is  a  native  of  Menard  County,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
born,  May  27,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Aaron  and  Sarah  (Carson)  Thompson. 
His  father  was  born  in  Cape  May  County,  New  Jersey,  January  28,  18 10, 
and  was  a  son  of  Anson  and  Elizabeth  (Eldridge)  Thompson.  He 
received  a  good  education  and  went  to  Menard  County,  Illinois,  in  1837, 
where  he  taught  school  and  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  also 
clerked  in  a  store  for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  1848  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits,  purchasing  and  improving  a  large  farm. 
He  was  married  September  21,  1848,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Carson,  a  native 
of  Sangamon  County,  Illinois.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Cyn- 
thia (Boumont)   Carson.     He   was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of   Menard 


230  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

County,  Illinois.  The  mother  died  October  19,  1854,  and  the  father  was 
married  the  second  time  to  Mrs.  Amanda  M.,  widow  of  George  M. 
O'Banion,  who  still  resides  in  Illinois.  L.  M.  Thompson  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  in  his  native  county,  and  received  a  good  education,  when  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  came  to  Holt  County  Missouri,  and  broke 
prairie  for  two  years,  and  in  1872  turned  his  attention  to  tilling  the  soil. 
He  married  March' 22,  1874,  Miss  Emma  Shields,  a  native  of  Washing- 
ton County,  Indiana,  born  March  7,  1851.  Her  parents  were  William 
and  Sarah  (Cartwright)  Shields.  Her  father,  a  native  of  Randolph 
County,  North  Carolina,  was  born  January  31,  1823,  the  son  of  Reuben 
and  Gracie  Shields.  Her  mother  was  born  in  Washington  County, 
Indiana,  May  12,  1823.  They  were  married  October  9,  1844,  and  then  set- 
tled in  Washington  County,  Indiana,  and  in  1870  moved  to  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  and  in  1879  to  Kansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  finally  located 
where  they  now  reside.  Their  family  consists  of  two  children  :  IdaM., 
born  February  22,  1875,  and  Claudie  M.,  born  December  30,  1876. 

S.  L.  VINSONHALER, 

grain  dealer,  was  born  in  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  June  29,  1854,  and 
is  a  son  of  D.  M.  and  Mary  Vinsonhaler,  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Ross  County,  Ohio,  born  October  6,  1820,  and  with  his  parents  he  moved 
to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  near  Graham.  He  was  mar- 
ried October  6,  1853,  to  Miss  Mary  Byers,  a  native  of  Andrew  County, 
Missouri.  She  died  in  1858,  and  D.  M.  Vinsonhaler' married  the  second 
time  Miss  Mary  I.  Rea.  They  now  reside  where  he  first  settled,  some 
three  miles  south  of  Graham.  S.  L.  passed  his  younger  days  and 
received  his  education  in  Nodaway  County,  Missouri.  In  1868  he  began 
clerking  for  Smith  &  Vaugh,  merchants  at  Graham,  and  in  1869  entered 
the  employ  of  McQuary  &  Gardner,  hardware  merchants.  In  [871  he 
learned  the  painters'  trade,  at  which  he  worked  till  1880,  when  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Bariteau  &  Welch,  grain  merchants  at  Maitland; 
Mr.  V.  married  October  25,  1875,  Miss  Sarah  Trapp,  a  native  of  Andrew 
County,  Missouri,  born  March  16,  1858.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
W.  R.  and  M.  A.  Trapp.  Mrs.  V.  died  November  27,  1875.  Mr.  V. 
was  married  the  second  time  September  13,  1879,  t0  Miss  Maggie 
Lewis,  a  native  of  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  born  February  21, 
1861.  Her  parents  were  Dr.  D.  S.  and  Margaret  J.  Anderson.  Mr.  V. 
is  a  member  of  Hesperian  Lodge,  No.  189  I.  O.  O.  F. 

GEORGE  WAGNER, 

farmer,  section  4,  a  native  of  Jefferson  County,. Ohio,  was  born  in  1833. 
His  lather,  George  Wagner,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  at  an  early 


CLAY   TOWNSHIP.  23  I 

day,  he  went,  with  his  parents,  to  Ohio,  in  which  state  he  settled.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  C.  Hicler  a  native  of  Ohio.  Her  father  and  mother 
came  from  Germany.  George  passed  his  youthful  days  in  his  native 
state,  and  in  May,  1855,  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hooper,  a  native 
of  Athens,  Ohio,  born  in  1836.  Some  time  after  they  settled  in  that 
county,  and  remained  till  1844,  when  they  moved  to  Morgan  County, 
Ohio.  In  the  spring  of  1866,  Mr.  Wagner  came  to  Holt  County,  and 
located  in  Clay  Township,  where  he  now  has  a  farm,  consisting  of  200 
acres  of  improved  land- 

JAMES  WAGNER, 

1 

;  farmer,  section  33,  was  born  in  Athens  County,  Ohio,  March  25,  1837,  and 
was  a  son  of  George  and  C.  (Hicler)  Wagner.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and,  with  his  parents,  moved  to  Ohio  and  settled  in 
Athens  County  at  an  early  day.  The  mother  of  James  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  but  of  German  descent,  her  parents  having  come  from  Germany 
and  settled  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio.     Young  Wagner  was  raised  on  a 

jfarm,  receiving  a  good  common-school  education,  and  in  1859  he  started 
for  Pike's  Peak.  Upon  reaching  the  Platte  River  he  decided  to  go  no 
further,  but  located  at  Phelps,  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  he 
remained  two  years.  He  then  went  to  Vernon  County,  Wisconsin,  and 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  Twentieth  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  till  March  4,  1863,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, on  account  of  a  wound  received  in   a   skirmish.     December  7, 

1 1863,  Mr.  Wagner  returned  to  Wisconsin  and  was  married  March  4,  1864, 
to  Miss  E.  Smith,  a  native  of  Vinton  County,  Wisconsin.  She  died  in 
March,  1867,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  leaving  two  children,  Law- 
rence E.  and  William  M.  Mr.  Wagner  was  married  the  second  time 
August  1,  1869,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Harris,  a  native  of  Morgan  County, 
Ohio,  born  in  1850.  In  1876  they  moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and 
settled  near  Maitland,  and  later  located  where  he  now  resides.  He  owns 
a  farm  of  160  acres  of  fine  land,  well  improved.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  have 
three  children,  Charles  W.,  George  S.  and  Bertie  R.  They  are  both 
members  of  the  U.  B.  Church. 

W.  F.  WAIT,  V.  D.  M., 

Maitland  Christian  Church,  is  a  native  of  Monroe  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  born  on  the  16th  of  August,  1847,  being  the  son  of  Dr.  L.  A.  and 
Sarah  (Smallwood)  Wait.  His  father  was  born  in  Greenbrier  County, 
West  Virginia,  in  1812,  and  died  October  28,  1864,  and  his  mother,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  was  born  in  1820,  and  died  in  1855.  They  were  married 
in  1844,  and  then  settled  in  Monroe  County,  Ohio.  W.  F.,  with  his 
parents,  moved  to  Platte  County,   Missouri,   in  1857,   ar>d,  in    1859,  to 


232  HISTORY    OF   HOLT  COUNTY. 

Atchison  County.  He  received  his  education  at  Atchison,  Kansas,  and, 
in  1864,  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Kansas  Light  Artillery,  and  did  service 
in  the  Black  Hills,  fighting  Indians.  He  suffered  many  hardships,  and 
at  one  time  lived  for  nineteen  days  on  mule  meat  and  rose  buds.  After 
being  mustered  out  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  in  December,  1865, 
Mr.  Wait  returned  to  Atchison,  devoting  his  time  to  study  preparatory 
to  his  entering  the  ministry.  He  was  ordained  in  September,  1868,  his 
first  charge  being  at  Wyandotte,  Kansas.  There  he  remained  till  1873, 
when  he  came  to  Missouri,  and  since  that  time  he  has  preached  in 
DeKalb,  Clinton,  Caldwell,  Daviess  and  Holt  Counties.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  the  7th  of  July,  1876,  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Boulton,  who  is  a  native 
of  Buchanan  County,  born  in  January,  1873.  She  is  the  daughter  of  P. 
L.  and"  Annie  (Baker)  Boulton,  who  were  both  natives  of  Mason  County, 
Kentucky,  and  who,  after  being  married,  settled  in  Buchanan  County,' 
Missouri.  In  1853  they  moved  to  Caldwell  County,  locating  about 
seven  miles  from  Cameron.  By  this  union  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wait  had  one 
child,  Rutherford  B.,  born  March  29,  1877,  but  who  died  soon  after.  Mr. 
Wait  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  202,  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

JACOB  WELLER, 

farmer,  section  13,  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  on  August  22, 
1818,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Barbara)  Weller.  He  received  an 
excellent  education  in  the  state  schools,  and  was  assistant  teacher  from 
1832  till  1835  and  acted  as  principal  until  1853.  In  September,  1844,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Marget,  a  native  of  Germany,  born  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1823.  In  1853  Mr.  W.  joined  the  Baptist  Church,  and  for  that 
reason  was  discharged  from  further  duties  as  government  teacher.  The 
following  October,  with  his  wife  and  children,  he  came  to  America, 
landing  at  Philadelphia,  and  soon  received  a  call  to  preach  from  the 
Louisville  Baptist  Church.  He  acted  as  missionary  till  1869,  when  he 
moved  to  Clarke  County,  Indiana,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  which  he 
improved.  In  1870  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
and  purchased  a  tract  of  land.  He  now  owns  some  320  acres  of  well 
improved  land  near  Maitland.  His  family  consists  of  seven  children 
living  :  Ernest,  Frederick  K.,  William  G.,  Sarah  E..  Charles  F.,  Phillip 
J.,  and  Lydia  M. 

D.  A.  WILLIAMS, 

farmer,  section  1,  was  born  in  Geauga  County,  Ohio,  in  185 1,  being  a  son 
of  Delvo  and  Elvira  (Knox)  Williams,  who  were  natives  of  the  same 
county.  After  being  married  they  settled  where  the  father  now  resides, 
the  mother  having  died  in  1858.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his 
boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  education  in   his  native  county,  and 


CLAY   TOWNSHIP.  233 

when  twenty-one  years  old  he  started  out  for  himself,  by  first  engaging 
in  the  butter  and  cheese  business  for  some  six  years.  He  married 
August  27,  1871,  Miss  Georgie  Johnston,  a  native  of  the  same  county  as 
her  husband,  born  in  December,  1857.  She  was  the  daughter  of  A.  and 
L.  (Heath)  Johnston,  who  were  born  in  Geauga  County,  Ohio.  The 
mother  died  when  Mrs.  W.  was  quite  small,  and  she  was  raised  by  an 
aunt.  In  1878  Mr.  W.  went  to  Black  Hawk  County,  Iowa,  and  was  there 
occupied  in  making  butter  and  cheese,  till  1879.  After  this  he  removed  to 
Clarke  County,  Indiana,  and  in  1881  traveled  through  Kansas,  but  not 
being  satisfied  with  the  country,  finally  purchased  his  present  farm  of  80 
acres,  which  is  all  improved,  and  well  watered.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams 
have  two  boys,  James  A.  and   Delos  G.     Mrs.  W.  is  a  church   member. 

GEORGE  W.  ZOOK, 

farmer,  section  n,  was  born  in  Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  in  1833.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  moved  to  Mahoning  County 
at  an  early  day.  When  George  was  five  years  of  age  they  died  and  he 
was  raised  by  an  aunt,  Caroline  Clay  by  name,  and  a  resident  of  Maho- 
ning County.  When  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  supported  himself 
by  working  on  a  farm,  and  in  1850  he  went  to  N-?)ble  County,  Indiana. 
He  was  married  September  19,  1852,  to  Miss  Lucinda  Action,  who  was 
a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1836,  being  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
Action.  Her  father  was  born  in  Maryland  and  her  mother  in  Ohio. 
After  being  married  they  settled  in  Ohio,  and,  in  1850,  moved  to  Noble 
County,  Indiana,  where  they  still  reside.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zook  finally 
located  in  LaGrange  County,  Indiana,  purchased  a  farm  and  made  many 
improvements.  In  1869  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
and  remained  till  1871,  when  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  200  acres. 
This  he  has  greatly  improved.  The  family  of  Mr  and  Mrs.  Z.  consists 
of  four  children,  Mary  J.,  Sarah  A.,  William  C.  and  Rosa  B.  They  are 
members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

P.  M.  PASCHAL 

was  born  on  February  3,  1827,  in  Somerset,  Pulaski  County,  Kentucky, 
being  the  eldest  son  of  Alvah  and  Sarah  (McQuary)  Paschal.  The  for- 
mer was  a  native  of  Russell  County,  Virginia,  born  in  1801,  and  with  his 
parents  moved  to  Kentucky  in  1804.  P.  M.'s  mother  was  a  native  of 
Wilkes  County,  North  Carolina,  born  in  1802.  She  moved  to  Kentucky 
in  1812.  They  were  married  in  March,  1826.  The  father  died  in  April, 
1854,  his  wife  in  1877.  "  Pleas,"  as  he  is  familiarly  called,  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  and  received  his  education  in  his  native  state.  Early  in  life 
he  was  engaged  in  the  ship  timber  business,  but  in  the  course  of  a  few 


234  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

years,  by  his  energetic  business  qualities  and  industry  and  good  man- 
agement, he  secured  a  competency  to  embark  in  the  horse  and  mule 
trade,  purchasing  animals  in  Kentucky  and  taking  them  to  Mis- 
sissippi and  Louisiana.  These  he  disposed  of  to  planters.  Being  an 
active  worker  and  square  dealer,  he  soon  ranked  among  the  foremost  in 
the  business.  In  1864  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  consisting  of  200  acres,  and  in  1865  closed  out  his  entire 
interest  in  Kentucky  and  settled  on  his  farm  in  Missouri,  devoting  his 
time  to  improving  land  and  stock  raising.  November  1,  1875,  he  dis- 
posed of  all  personal  property  and  spent  the  year  1876  in  settling  up 
outstanding  business.  January  I,  1877,  he  associated  himself  with  John 
W.  McQuary,  of  Graham,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  as  a  hardware 
merchant.  The  following  year,  in  October,  1878,  his  partner  died.  Mr. 
Paschal  settled  up  the  estate  and  purchased  the  interest  of  his  late  part- 
ner, and  continued  the  business  as  sole  proprietor  till  April,  1880,  when 
he  took  in  John  S.  Spencer  as  junior  partner.  His  landed  estate  consists 
of  some  918  acres  of  finely  improved  property,  situated  in  Holt,  Nodaway, 
Andrew  and  DeKalb  Counties.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  Mr.  P. 
was  in  the  capital  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  at  Raleigh  the  night  of  its 
capture,  but  soon  finding  things  rather  warm,  he  returned  to  his  native 
state.  He  is  cautious,  firm  in  purpose,  and  strictly  honest  in  all  business 
transactions.  To  his  excellent  business  qualifications  is  the  establish- 
ment largely  due  for  its  remarkable  financial  success.  In  business  cir- 
cles he  stands  high  for  his  unswerving  integrity  and  stability. 


CHAPTER   X. 

FORBES  TOWNSHIP. 


BOUNDARIES- PHYSICAL  FEATURES-STREAMS— EARLY  SETTLERS— FIRST  PREACHER- 
FIRST  CHURCH  ORGANIZED— FIRST  SCHOOL-OTHER  EARLY  SE  1TLERS-FIRST 
PHYSICIAN-BUILDINGS  AND  PEOPLE-DALLAS— WEST  UNION- FORBES— EDUCA- 
TIONAL-PRESENT BUSINESS— SHIPPING  STATION     BIOGRAPHICAL. 


At  a  regular  term  of  the  county  court  of  Holt  County,  held  at  the 
court  house,  in  Oregon,  on  the  22d  day  of  March  1871,  it  was  ordered 
that  a  new  municipal  township  be  erected  out  of  the  southern  portion  of 
Nodaway  Township,  and  bounded  as  follows  : 

"Commencing  at  the  southwest  corner  of  section  6,  township  59, 
range  37,  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  18,  township 
59,  range  37  ;  thence  west  to  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  23,  town- 
ship 59,  range  38  ;  thence  south  to  the  Missouri  River  ;  thence  down  the 
left  bank  thereof  to  the  mouth  of  the  Nodaway  River,  thence  up  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Nodaway  River  to  the  south  line  of  section  1,  town- 
ship 59,  range  37  ;  thence  west  to  the  place  of  beginning.  All  that 
part  lying  within  these  boundaries  shall  hereafter  be  known  as  Forbes 
Township,   and  the   place  of  voting   shall   be  at  the  town  of  Forbes." 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1872,  the  dividing  line  between  congressional 
townships  fifty-nine  and  sixty  was  made  the  northern  boundary  of 
Forbes  Township.  The  tier  of  sections  from  one  to  six,  inclusive,  on  the 
north  boundary  of  this  township,  was  thus  taken  from  Nodaway  Town- 
ship and  annexed  to  Forbes,  thereby  adding  nearly  six  entire  sections 
to  the  latter  township,  and  increasing  its  area  to  its  present  (1882)  limits. 

The  outline  of  this  township,  from  the  circumstance  of  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  same  being  bounded  by  the  Missouri  and  Nodaway 
Rivers,  is  necessarily  irregular,  and  where  the  boundaries  are  straight 
lines,  Lewis  Township  cuts  a  notch  out  of  the  northwest  corner  of  Forbes, 
two  miles  east  and  west  by  three  miles  north  and  south.  It  is  thus 
bounded  on  the  north  two  miles  by  Lewis  Township,  and  six  miles  by 
Nodaway  Township  ;  on  the  east  it  is  bounded  by  the  Nodaway  River, 
which  separates  it  from  Andrew  County,  and  also  by  the  Missouri  River  ; 
on  the  south  by  the  Missouri  River,  which  separates  it  from  the  state  of 
Kansas  ;  and,  on  the  west  by  Lewis  Township. 


236  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

PHYSICAL   FEATURES. 

Forbes  Township  includes  a  considerable  diversity  of  surface.  The 
bluff  formation,  which,  within  its  limits,  begins  on  the  north  line  of  sec- 
tion twenty-three,  township  59,  range  38,  extends  in  an  eastward  by 
southerly  direction  to  section  29  of  range  38,  in  the  same  township 
where  stands  the  town  of  Forbes,  thence  in  a  nearly  due  easterly  direc- 
tion to  the  confluence  of  the  Nodaway  with  the  Missouri  River,  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  county,  the  whole  extent  of  this  chain  of  eleva- 
tion including  a  distance  of  about  eight  miles.  To  the  southward  of  this 
bluff  extends  the  wide  expanse  of  Little  Tarkio  and  Missouri  River  bot- 
tom lands,  which  generally  are,  or  were  originally  heavily  timbered. 
The  bluff  lands,  or  those  immediately  to  the  northward  of  the  same,  are 
very  broken,  and  the  general  aspect  of  that  portion  of  the  township 
extending  beyond  these,  even  to  its  extreme  northern  limits,  present  the 
aspect  of  a  rolling  country. 

Though  including  within  its'limits  a  considerable  amount  of  prairie 
land,  Forbes  Township  is  essentially  a  timbered  district  of  the  county. 
Besides  all  the  other  different  varieties  of  wood  proper  to  this  section  of 
country,  a  considerable  amount  of  superior  walnut  has  been  cut  and 
shipped  from  its  limits,  and  though  materially  decreased  from  the  yield 
of  former  years,  this  still  continues  to  be  a  valuable  item  of  export. 
Limestone  of  superior  quality  exists  in  exhaustless  deposits  along  the 
water  courses,  and  in  the  bluffs  of  this  township.  This  is  well  adapted 
for  building  purposes,  and  is  extensively  quarried. 

STREAMS. 

This  township  is  abundantly  provided  with  water,  for  stock  and 
domestic  uses.  Unfailing  springs  of  living  water  abound  almost  every- 
where within  its  limits,  and  is  otherwise  readily  obtained  at  reasonable 
depths,  by  digging.  Besides  the  rivers  on  its  boundaries,  there  are  several 
minor  streams  within  its  limits.  The  old  channel  of  the  Little  Tarkio 
enters  Forbes  Township  at  the  northwest  corner  of  section  28,  township  59, 
range  38,  and  flows  in  a  generally  southeasterly  direction  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  32,  where  it  makes  a  bend  of  nearly  a  mile,  flowing 
northward  and  then  eastward,  entering  the  Missouri  River  in.  section  26. 
Prior  to  its  cutting  into  the  Missouri  above  Forest  City,  where  its  prin- 
cipal volume  now  flows  through  the  old  forsaken  channel  of  the  Missouri 
River,  the  Little  Tarkio  was  a  stream  of  no  inconsiderable  importance 
in  Forbes  Township.  It  was  over  one  hundred  feet  wide,  very  deep,  and 
abounded  in  buffalo,  pike,  salmon  and  cat-fish.  As  many  as  thirty  cats, 
weighing  from  fifteen  to  thirty  pounds  each,  have  been  taken  at  a  single 
haul  from  the  creek. 


FORBES    TOWNSHIP.  237 

Easter  Branch  rises  near  the  center  of  the  township  and,  flowing  in 
a  southeasterly  and  southerly  direction,  enters  the  old  channel  of  the 
Little  Tarkio,  about  one  mile  east  of  the  town  of  Forbes. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  township  Harden's  Branch  rises,  near  the 
northern  boundary  of  section  4,  township  59,  range  37,  and,  flowing  in  a 
southeasterly  direction,  enters  the  Nodaway  River  in  section  12  of  the 
same  township. 

Such  is  Forbes  Township  as  Nature  made  it. 

The  Nodaway  River,  which  forms  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town- 
ship, was  declared  a  navigable  stream,  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  in  1839. 
A  chute  is  formed  by  the  Nodaway  River  and  an  arm  of  the  Missouri,  on 
the  east  side  of  Nodaway  Island  ;  and,  in  the  days  of  steamboating,  was 
a  noted  thoroughfare  for  that  class  of  vessels.  The  steamer  Watosa  of 
St.  Joseph,  running  between  that  city  and  Omaha,  was  sunk  in  the  Nod- 
away Chute,  about  1865.  The  bell  of  this  boat  now  hangs  in  the  steeple 
of  the  Christian  Church  at  Oregon.  A  steamboat  was  built  about  1868, 
on  the  Nodaway,  near  the  State  ferry,  by  Richard  Danelsbeck.  It  was 
designed  to  run  between  points  below  Hollister's  Mill  and  St.  Joseph,  as 
a  wood  boat.  The  enterprise  proved  a  financial  failure  to  the  owner  and 
was  abandoned.  Hollister's  Mill,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Nodaway 
Township,  is,  by  the  sinuosities  of  the  stream,  about  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  mouth  of  the  Nodaway.  While  referring  to  this  river, 
before  entering  on  the  history  proper  of  Forbes  Township,  it  may  be  as 
well  to  state  that,  as  early  as  1839,  there  existed  on  the  same,  with  a 
western  landing  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  township  59,  range  37,  in 
what  is  now  Forbes  Township,  a  ferry  owned  and  operated  by  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Rose,  and  known  as  Rose's  Ferry.  This  has  long  passed  out  of 
existence. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

The  first  white  settlers  of  Forbes  Township  were  also  the  first  to 
locate  within  the  limits  of  Holt  County.  These  were  Peter  and  Blank 
Stephenson,  brothers,  from  Indiana.  Blank  brought  with  him  a  wife. 
Peter  was  unmarried.  They  arrived  in  the  spring  of  1838,  and  settled 
on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  7,  township  59,  range  37.  This  sec- 
tion is  contiguous  to  the  present  eastern  boundary  of  Lewis  Township, 
and  is  about  five  miles  southeast  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Oregon.  The  farm  is  now  (1882)  the  property  of  George  Meyer. 
Immediately  on  their  arrival,  the  Stephensons  put  in  a  crop  of  corn.  In 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  came,  also  from  Indiana,  John  Russel  with  his 
wife  and  seven  children,  R.  H.  Russel,  the  present  (1882)  judge  of  the 
Probate  Court  of  Holt  County,  a  younger  brother,  and,  at  the  period  of 
his  arrival,  an  unmarried  man,  John  Sterritt,  wife  and  two  children,  one 
of  whom,  W.  H.  Sterritt,  is  now  a  prominent  merchant  of  the  town  of 


238  ,        HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Oregon,  and  James  Kee,  also  from  Indiana.  At  the  period  of  the  arri- 
val of  these  new-comers,  Blank  Stephenson  and  wife  and  his  brother  Peter 
were  the  only  white  people  living  west  of  the  Nodaway  River,  and  the 
arrival  of  the  new-comers  was  hailed  with  a  welcome  which  only  pio- 
neers know  how  to  extend  and  to  appreciate. 

John  Russel  first  settled  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  8, 
township  59,  range  37,  directly  east  of  Blank  Stephenson's.  This  farm 
is  also  the  property  of  George  Meyer. 

John   Sterritt  settled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  8,  town- 
ship 59,  range  37,  directly  north  of  John  Russel's.     Peter,  Blank  Steph- 
enson's brother,  settled  in  the  same  section.     He  moved  away  during 
the  progress   of   the  civil   war,   about    1864,    and,   going  south,  settled 
where  he  now   (1882)    resides,  in  Dade  County,  Missouri,  near  Golden 
City  post   office,  in   Barton  County.     There  was  no  other  arrival  that 
fall  until  the  9th  day  of  October,  1838,  when   William   R.  Russel,  the 
first  born  of  the  white  population  of  Holt  County,  first  saw  the  light  on 
the  above  described  farm  of  his  father,  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now 
Forbes  Township.     In  the  following  spring  and  summer  settlers  began 
to  flock  in.     Among  others,  came  from  Indiana,  Mrs.  Rachel  Jackson,  a 
widow  lady  with  a  large  family  of  children,  among  them  Alexander 
Rogers,  a  grown  son  by  a  former  marriage.     Mrs.  Jackson,  who  died  in 
January,  1882,  at  the  advanced  age  of  upwards  of  ninety  years,  was,  at 
the  period  of  her   demise,  a   resident  of  Council   Bluffs,  Iowa,   where, 
until    very    recently,    she   was    engaged    in    keeping    a    hotel.     She    is 
described  by  those  who  have  known  her  for  more  than  a  generation,  as 
a  woman  of  rare  executive  ability  and  great  force  of  character.     The 
place  which  she  settled   is  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  5,  township 
59,  range  37,  now  in  the  northern  tier  of  Forbes  Township  sections,  was 
in   that  day  included  within    the  limits  of  Nodaway  Township.     This 
farm    is    now    (1882)    the    property  of   Judge    George    Mclntyre,   and 
here  still  stands  the  building  erected  by  Mrs.  Jackson.     It  is  a  substan 
tial    double  log  house,  each    room    eighteen    feet    square,  with    a  hall 
between  them  nine  feet  wide.     The  white  oak  logs  of  which  the  build- 
ing is  composed  were  afterwards  weather-boarded.     This,  at  the  period 
when  it  was  first  built,  was  the  best  house  in  the  county.     It  is  still, 
though  unoccupied,  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation.    Mrs.  Jackson 
in  an  early  day,  here  kept  the  first  house  of  public  entertainment  in  the 
county.  Here,  also,  convened  the  March  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Holt, 
County,  just  one  year  after  the  organization  of  that  body  in  the  house 
of  William  Thorp,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  12,  township  59, 
range  38,  of  Lewis  Township,  where  it  first  assembled,  March  24,  1841. 
This  latter  farm  is  now  (1882)  owned  by  the  heirs  of  James  Stephenson. 
On  the  4th  day  of  March,  1841,  just  twenty  days  before  the  assembling 
of  the  county  court,  the  house  of  William  Thorp  was  also  the  scene  o' 


FORBES   TOWNSHIP.  239 

the  inauguration  of  the  first  Circuit  Court  of  Holt  County,  the  proceed- 
ings of  which  are  elsewhere  detailed. 

Mrs.  Jackson's  house  was,  on  several  subsequent  occasions,  used  to 
accommodate  these  courts,  and  was  long  a  noted  locality  in  the  early 
days  of  Holt  County.  Of  Mrs.  Jackson's  children  by  her  second  mar- 
riage, several  afterwards  became  representative  men  in  the  country. 
Andrew,  the  eldest  son,  is  the  founder  of  Jackson's  Point,  now  Mound 
City,  in  Holt  County.  In  1853,  he  moved  to  California  and  settled  in 
the  Susune  Valley,  midway  between  Sacramento  and  San  Francisco, 
where  he  has  been,  for  years,  a  leading  grain  merchant ;  Franklin  Jack- 
son, his  brother,  is  a  prominent  insurance  man  of  San  Francisco  ;  Wilson 
Jackson,  a  fourth  son,  died  young;  Ellen,  her  eldest  daughter,  married 
Alexander  Record,  now  of  Glenwood  Iowa;  Mary,  another  daughter, 
was  the  wife  of  Abijah  Duncan,  since  dead  ;  Margaret,  the  youngest 
died  young. 

INDIAN   SCARE. 

It  is  related  that  the  first  born  of  the  land  of  Holt  experienced,  in 
early  infancy,  a  narrow  escape  from  the  consequences  of  what  proved  to 
be  a  groundless  terror  on  the  part  of  a  number  of  the  community  of  set- 
tlers :  It  appears  that  one  Vesser,  an  itinerant  trader,  had  killed  an 
Indian  in  a  remote  part  of  the  county,  and  an  undue  apprehension,  on 
the  part  of  the  small  band  of  settlers  had  been  awakened,  that  the 
Indians  would  wreak  their  vengeance  upon  them.  Alexander  Rogers, 
above  referred  to,  was  especially  persuaded  that  such  would  be  the  case. 
John  Sterritt  and  John  Russel  had  both  gone  to  the  bottom-lands,  some 
miles  distant,  to  look  after  their  cattle  which  were  there  being  wintered 
on  the  rushes  that  grew  rankly  in  that  locality.  The  only  men  about 
the  settlement  then  were  R.  H.  Russel,  Isaac  Massey  and  Alexander 
Rogers.  The  alarm  was  given  late  in  the  evening,  and  these  three,  with 
the  women  and  children,  promptly  fled  through  the  snow  to  the  neigh- 
boring woods.  In  the  course  of  their  flight  the  infant,  William  Russel, 
began  to  cry.  This  so  terrified  Rogers  that  he  promptly  expressed  him- 
self in  favor  of  smothering  the  child,  whose  screams,  he  believed,  would 
reveal  their  presence  to  the  murderous  Indians.  The  indignation  of  the 
mother  and  jeers  of  the  men,  however,  triumphed  over  his  insane  alarm, 
and  the  sacrifice  failed  to  take  place.  After  a  halt  of  some  hours  in  the 
cover  of  a  dense  wood,  about  midnight,  the  snort  of  a  horse  which  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  party  was  instantly  construed  into  a  signal  of  the 
approach  of  the  blood-thirsty  red-men.  In  an  instant  all  was  excite- 
ment, and  the  valiant  Alex,  again  bethought  him  of  that  baby  and  of 
the  possibility  of  its  again  giving  a  scream.  Fortunately  the  destroy- 
ing savage  proved  to  be  an  antlered  buck  whose  glaring  eyeballs  gleam- 
ing in  the  pale  starlight,  had  startled  the  horse.     By  no  means,  however, 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY.  240 

satisfied  of  their  safety,  the  fugitives  proceeded  through  the  snow  to  the 
Nodaway  River,  a  distance  of  four  miles.  Crossing  this  stream  on  a 
raft,  the  men  left  the  women  and  children  on  the  Andrew  County  side, 
and  returned.  On  their  arrival  they  found  John  Sterritt  and  John 
Russel,  who  had  just  got  back  from  the  bottom.  They  immediately 
went  to  work  and  barricaded  and  otherwise  fortified  the  house,  which 
was  a  log  building,  on  the  Russell  farm.  In  a  few  days,  however,  it 
became  apparent  that  the  scare  was  absolutely  groundless.  No  Indians 
were  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  and  those  in  other  parts  of  the 
Purchase  had  not,  if  they  were  conscious  of  their  existence,  the  slightest 
idea  of  in  any  way  injuring  or  molesting  the  settlers.  Thus,  the  first 
estampede  from  the  settlement  proved  happily  the  result  of  a  causeless 
alarm  at  which  the  pioneers  could  afford  to  laugh,  as  the  almost  daily 
increasing  neighborhood  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  its  way.'  William  R. 
Russel,  whose  escape  from  the  effects  of  terrors  of  Rogers,  which  pro- 
duced the  incident  above  detailed,  not  only  survived  his  infant  flight, 
but  grew  to  manhood,  and  is  now  (1882)  a  resident  of  San  Bernardino 
County,  California,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  nursery 
business. 

In  the    summer   of   1840  George    and    Augustus  Borchers  started, 
within  the  present  limits   of  Forbes  Township,  the   "  Pioneer  Store"  of 
Holt  County.     The  senior  member  of  this  primitive  and  original   mer-j 
cantile  enterprise  of  this  county  has  been  dead  for  some  years.     Augus- 
tus Borchers  is  now  (1882)  a  resident  of  Hamburg,  Iowa.     They  were  the 
first  Germans    to    settle  within  the  limits  of  Holt  County,  and  the  first 
foreigners  naturalized  there.     They  bore  the  character  of  men  of  stricl 
integrity,  as  well  as  of  sterling  business  capacity.     Their  initial  start  ir 
business  was,  of  course,  in  keeping  with  the  demands  of  the  settlement 
and  necessarily  on  a  very  small  scale.     Their  store  stood  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  7,  township  59,  range  37 
on  a  farm  now  the  property  of  George  Meyer,  within  the  present  limit.' 
of  Forbes  Township,  but  included,  in  that  day,  in  the  area  of  Nodaway 
the  eastern  of  the  two  original  townships  into  which  the  county,  on  it: 
organization,  was  divided.     They  continued  to   do  a  fair  business  her; 
for  about  two  years,  when  the  newly  established  town  of  Oregon  absorbec 
their  trade. 

It  is  related  by  the  few  who  here  survive  of  the  original  settlers  c 
this  neighborhood,  that  the  winter  of  1840-41  was,  unlike  its  several  pre 
decessors,  one  of  unusual  mildness.  During  the  entire  season  there  wa 
no  frost  on  the  ground,  and  plowing  was  feasible  during  all  the  winte 
months. 

It  appears  that  Blank  Stephenson  was  the  first  to  hold  the  office  c 
constable  within  the  limits  of  Holt  County,  at  that  period  include 
within  the    limits  of  Buchanan   County.     This  was  in   1839.     His  fin 


FORBES   TOWNSHIP.  241 

official  experience  is  rather  amusing,  and  was  as  follows:  He 
started  on  the  track  of  a  horse  thief,  and  pursuing  him  as  far 
as  English  Grove,  a  locality  now  included  within  the  present  limits  of 
Atchison  County,  he  halted  for  the  night.  Awaking  the  next  morn- 
ing, the  astute  constable  was  amazed  to  find  that  the  thief  had 
overtaken  him,  and  made  a  second  haul  by  stealing  his  horse.  The 
baffled  official  was  thus  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  walking  back  home, 
where  his  crest-fallen  appearance,  in  due  time,  failed  not  to  excite 
the  derision  of  the  community,  in  which  his  first  exploit  long  after 
remained  a  standing  joke.  The  unfortunate  Blank  Stephenson  met  a 
tragic  and  untimely  end.  In  the  month  of  July,  1840,  as  he  was  in  the 
act  of  crossing  his  yard  fence  with  a  load  of  kitchen  wood  in  his  arms, 
he  was  struck  by  lightning  and  instantly  killed.  The  first  violent  death 
of  a  white  person  in  the  county  was  thus  the  visitation  of  Providence  on 
the  head  of  the  first  settler.  It  appears  that  this  untimely  victim  of  the 
thunderbolt,  though  a  person  of  honorable  impulse,  was  a  man  of  turbu- 
lent disposition  and  powerfully  athletic  frame.  On  that  very  morning 
he  had  prepared  himself  for  a  fisticuff  encounter  with  another  who  claimed 
the  championship  of  the  neighborhood,  and  was  almost  in  the  act  of 
starting  to  the  scene  of  the  anticipated  fight,  when  he  was  suddenly  and 
terribly  conquered  by  an  invincible  adversary.  The  spot  on  which 
transpired  this  lamentable  occurrence  was  near  the  site  of  Borcher's 
store,  on  the  farm  above  described  as  the  present  (1882)  property  of 
George  Meyer.  Blank  Stephenson  was  the  first  who  obtained  a  license 
to  sell  whisky  in  the  county.  This  was  granted  March  21,  1841,  by  the 
first  county  court.  The  instrument  granted  to  George  Drane  and  Blank 
Stephenson  license  to  keep  "  grocery"  for  the  term  of  twelve  months  by 
paying  ten  dollars.  In  1839,  William,  the  father  of  John  and  Peter  Ste- 
phenson, came  out  from  Indiana,  and  remained  in  Holt  County,  residing 
in  Forbes  township  up  to  the  period  of  his  death,  which  occurred  at  the 
age  of  fifty-two  years,  in  December,  1841.  With  their  father,  in  1839, 
came  William  Stephenson,  Jr.,  who  died  of  the  measles  while  serving  in 
the  Mexican  War,  John  now  (1882)  living  four  miles  from  Oregon.  Mike 
and  also  Alexander  Stephenson  died  in  1843. 

FIRST     PREACHER. 

The  first  to  preach  the  gospel  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  Holt 
County,  was  the  Rev.  William  Thorp,  a  Hardshell  Baptist  minister  from 
Clay  County.  It  is  believed  that,  inasmuch  as  the  bulk  of  the  popula- 
tion were  at  that  time  residing  within  what  is  now  included  within  the 
limits  of  Forbes  Township,  that  it  was,  in  that  locality,  that  the  reverend 
pioneer  preached  his  first  sermon.  It  is  a  circumstance  worthy  of  notice 
that,  notwithstanding  the  subsequent   general  development,  and  com- 

16 


242  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

parative  wealth  existing  in  Forbes  Township,  there  is  not,  nor  has  there 
ever  been  erected  within  its  present  limits,  a  building  exclusively 
devoted  to  the  purposes  of  public  worship. 

FIRST    CHURCH    ORGANIZED. 

The  first  church  or  class  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Holt 
County  was  organized  by  Rev.  Edwin  Peary,  at  the  residence  of  Elias 
Davidson,  two  miles  north  of  the  present  town  of  Forbes  and  five  or  six 
miles  southeast  of  Oregon.  This  was  in  the  winter  or  spring  of  1841. 
Besides  the  minister  and  his  wife,  the  members  of  this  organization  were 
Benjamin  Davidson  and  wife,  John  Robison,  George  Scott  and  wife, 
William  Robison  and  wife,  Josiah  Pierce  and  wife,  Chloe  Pierce  and 
Frances  A.  Pierce,  a  daughter  of  the  two  last  mentioned,  and  perhaps  a 
few  others. 

The  first  Sunday  School  in  the  county  was  organized  in  1841  by 
Rev.  William  Hamilton,  of  the  Iowa  and  Sac  Mission,  in  an  old  log  cabin 
school  house  on  the  land  now  owned  by  John  Stephenson.  This  was 
the  first  school  house  built  in   the   county,  and  its  origin  was  as  follows: 

FIRST    SCHOOL. 

The  first  building  erected  for  the  special  purpose  of  a  school  for  the 
instruction  of  youth,  was  a  rude  log  house,  which  stood  within  the  limits 
of  what  is  now  Forbes  Township,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  7, 
township  59,  range  37,  on  a  farm  adjoining   the    east  boundary  line  of 
Lewis  Township,  and  now  (1882)  owned  by  John  Stephenson,  and  about 
three  miles  southeast  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Oregon.      This 
building  was  put  up  in  the  spring  of  1840,  by  the  residents  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  was  completed  in  the  course  of  one  day,  each  man  appear- 
ing on  the  appointed  morning  with  his  logs  and  whatever  other  material 
he  was  assigned  to  bring.     The  original  structure,  which  was  afterwards 
slightly  improved,  was  necessarily  of  the  rudest  description.      Benches 
were     extemporized    from     puncheons    split    from    linden     logs  ;     the 
floor  was  of  similar  material  and  construction.     Greased  paper,  in  the 
long,  narrow  aperture  created  by  the  removal  of  a  log  from  the  wall  of 
the  building  for  the  purpose  of  affording  a  window,  supplied  the  absence 
of  glass.     The    house   was    eighteen  feet  square.       The   first  teacher  to, 
exercise  his  vocation  in  this  primitive  temple  of  the  muses  was  Gilbert 
Ray  ;  then  a  man  by  the  name  of  Scoville.     He  was  shortly  after  suc- 
ceeded by  another  by  the  name  of  John  Worley,  from  Indiana.     Among 
the  pupils  who  first  attended  this  school  were  Elias  and  Cassandra  David- 
son,   Henry,    Sarah    and    Milton  Russel,  children  of  the  pioneer,  John 
Russel,  who  died  in  1861  ;  Henry  and   Eliza  Sterritt,  children  who  died 


FORBES    TOWNSHIP.  143 

in  1846,  and  James  and  Mike  Stephenson,  children  of  William  Stephen- 
son, Sr.,  who  died  in  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of  1841.  The  site  of 
this  pioneer  structure,  which  was  torn  down  in  1846,  still  betrays  an 
unmistakable  relic  of  its  existence  in  the  debris  of  a  long-fallen  chimney 
of  ponderous  stone,  as  well  as  the  occasional  presence  of  a  rock  of  com- 
paratively larger  dimensions  which  probably  served  to  underpin  the 
corner  of  thjs  ancient  and  long  extinguished  structure,  amid  whose  for- 
mer area  grew,  in  wild  luxuriance,  the  hazel  bush,  the  tall  weeds  and 
wild  flowers  which,  in  their  rocky  neighborhood,  blossom  and  wither  in 
safe  exemption  from  the  farmer's  plow-share. 

OTHER    EARLY   SETTERS. 

Prominent  among  the  other  early  settlers  of  what   is  now  Forbes 
Township,  were  Smith  Mclntyre,  who  arrived  in  1839,  an<^  died,  in  1881, 
on  his  farm,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  6,  township  59,  range  37, 
of  Forbes  Township.     Judge  George  Mclntyre,   his   brother,  who  now 
(1882)  lives  at  home,  on  the  quarter  adjoining  on  the  east,  in  section  5- 
John  Baldwin,  from  Parke  County,  Indiana,  se'ttled  in  Forbes  Township, 
in   1839.     John  Stephenson,  from  Indiana,  came  in  1840.     In  the  same 
year  came   Thomas  Ramsay,  who   settled  the  farm   now  owned   by  N. 
Murray  &  Bros.     About  the   same  period,  Joseph   Brownlee,  from  Vir- 
ginia, settled   in  the  Missouri   River  bottom.     He  was  the  first  man  to 
start  a  steam  saw   mill  within  the  limits  of   the   township.     This  was 
about  a  mile  and   a  half  below  the   present  Town  of  Forbes.     In  1840, 
also  came  James  Foster,  one  of  the  first  attorneys  admitted   to  the  bar 
of  Holt  County.     He  was  born  in   County  Monahan,  Ireland,  February 
18,  1818.     In  1837,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  settled  in  Jefferson 
City,   Missouri.     In    1839  ne  was   admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  at  Boonville.     In  the  following  year,  he  moved  to  Holt  County, 
and  settled  in  Forbes  Township,  making  his  office  and  residence  at  the 
Widow  Jackson's,  where  he  continued  to  make  his  home,  till  the  found- 
ing of  the  Town  of  Oregon,  the  county  seat,  when  he  took  up  his  abode 
and  continued  to  reside  there  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  for  many 
years  after.     His  professional  standing  in   the   state  was  high,  and  his 
personal  popularity  great.     He  represented  Holt  County  in  the  legisla- 
ture of  1848-49.     A  strong  sympathizer   with   the   cause   of  the  South, 
during  the  period  of  the  rebellion,  he  moved  his  residence  from  Oregon. 
At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  returned,  but   a  few  years  after  again  left, 
moving  his   residence   permanently.     In    1841,  Felty  Worley  settled  on 
the  farm  now  (1882)  owned  by  Huitt.     J.  Frank  Worley,  who  came  at 
the  same  time,  now  lives  in  the  bottom.  In  the  same  year  came  Abraham 
Brown  and  his  sons,  E.  R.  Brown,  A.  Mc.  Brown  and   Dr.  M.  D.  Brown. 
The  three  former   are  dead.     Dr.  Brown  is  now   a   resident   of  Forest 
City,  Missouri. 


244  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Abraham  Brown  settled  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  10,  town- 
ship 59,  range  37,  in  what  is  now  Forbes  Township.  In  the  year  of  his 
arrival  he  planted  on  this  farm,  which  is  now  (1882)  the  property  of  F- 
C.  Honnen,  the  first  apple  orchard  ever  set  out  in  Holt  County.  The 
trees  were  grafted  on  crab  apple  stocks.  Josiah  Pierce,  with  his  sons 
Charles,  Lorenzo  and  Silas,  came  from  Maryland  in  1841,  and  settled  in 
the  present  Forbes  Township.  Elias  and  Benjamin  Davidson  were  also 
early  settlers.  Robert  Patterson,  a  large  land-owner,  who  now  resides 
on  the  southwest  corner  section  4,  in  the  same  township  and  range,  set- 
tled there  in  1841.  William  G.  Patterson  is  also  an  old  settler.  W.  D. 
Taylor  and  Squire  P.  Shambaugh  both  continue  to  reside  where  they 
first  settled  in  Forbes  Township,  in  1843.  Charles  Shambaugh,  a  brother 
of  the  latter,  also  came  about  the  same  time.  John  and  Daniel  Huitt 
settled  in  the  neighborhood  in  1846.  George  Meyer,  the  fruit  man, 
came  from  Lewis  Township  in  1857,  and  settled  in  Forbes  Township  on 
the  splendid  farm  he  now  owns  in  sections  seven  and  eight.  Henry 
Clark  settled  in  an  early  day  in  a  locality  in  the  neighborhood  of  Nod- 
away River,  known  as  Cracker's  Neck. 


FIRST    PHYSICIAN. 


The  first  to  practice  medicine  in  what  is  now  Forbes  Township,  was 
Doctor  John  C.  Norman,  the  pioneer  physician  of  the  county.  Previous 
to  the  laying  out  of  the  town  of  Oregon,  to  which  he  afterwards  moved, 
he  made  his  headquarters  and  office  at  the  Widow  Jackson's  tavern. 

John  M.  Briggs,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  afterwards  moved  to 
Iowa,  where  he  died  in  1877,  started  in  1840,  the  first  blacksmith  shop 
within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  Forbes  Township.  His  stand  was  about 
six  miles  southeast  of  the  site  of  Oregon. 

BUILDINGS   AND   PEOPLE. 

The  first  frame  building  erected  for  a  residence  in  the  county  was 
put  up  by  John  Russel,  on  what  is  now  the  George  Meyer  farm.  It  is  a 
one-story  house,  with  three  or  four  rooms,  and  is  still  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation.  The  class  of  citizens  wlio  settled  in  what  is  now  Forbes 
Township,  with  a  fair  share  of  the  roughs  and  restless  characters  who 
float  everywhere  in  the  van  of  civilization,  were  generally  men  of  enter- 
prise and  often  persons  of  substance,  for  that  early  day.  Some  of  them 
yet  remain  reputable  and  honored  members  of  the  community,  while  the 
descendants  of  many  are  living  representatives  of  the  best  class  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  county. 

About  the  year  1846  organized  gangs  of  outlaws  rendered  property 
in  horses  yery  unsafe  ;  and,  though  an  eminently  law-abiding  people,  the 


FORBES    TOWNSHIP.  245 

better  class  of  citizens  were  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  associating  them- 
selves into  companies  for  the  purpose  of  putting  down  the  source  of  these 
outrages.  The  people  inhabiting  that  section  of  the  county  now  known 
as  Forbes  Township  were  especially  sufferers  by  these  robberies.  About 
one  hundred  of  these  organized  themselves  into  a  vigilance  committee, 
of  which  William  Thorp  was  chosen  captain  and  James  Craig  (now  Gen. 
Craig,  of  St.  Joseph,)  lieutenant.  For  a  while  it  seemed  difficult  to  fix 
suspicion  on  any  individual.  It,  however,  began  to  be  remarked  that  a 
quiet  and  seemingly  inoffensive  citizen,  by  the  name  of  George  Carter, 
who  had  formerly  resided  in  the  neighborhood,  occasionally  returned  to 
visit  his  friends  ;  further,  that  these  visits  were  periodic,  and,  also,  it 
began  to  be  the  subject  of  remark  that,  whenever  George  favored  his 
Holt  County  friends  with  a  visit,  his  sympathetic  nature  was  sure  to  be 
wounded  by  hearing,  shortly  after  his  arrival,  of  some  of  their  horses 
having  been  stolen.  The  strangeness  of  the  coincidence  soon  became 
the  subject  of  general  remark.  Suspicion  was  directed  against  Carter, 
and  immediately  acted  on.  He  was  arrested,  tied  up  and  severely 
whipped.  He  finally  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  circumstances,  and  dis- 
closed the  whole  business,  giving  the  name  of  an  unsuspected  accomplice, 
by  the  name  of  Bass,  who  was  forthwith  arrested  and  subjected  to  the 
same  discipline.  The  thieves  were  then  given  three  days  in  which  to 
leave  the  county,  an  injunction  with  which  they  promptly  complied.  This 
effectually  broke  up  horse-stealing  in  these  parts. 

DALLAS. 

The  first  attempt  to  start  a  town  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now 
Forbes  Township,  occurred  April  17,  1843,  when  Abraham  Brown  laid 
out  the  town  of  Dallas,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  28,  township 
59,  range  37,  one  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the  Nodaway  River.  This, 
though  it  never  in  its  best  days  amounted  to  much  of  a  town,  was  still 
for  many  years  a  noted  shipping  point,  and  during  certain  conditions 
of  the  river,  when  Iowa  Point  was  not  readily  accessible,  served  as  an 
entrepot  for  Oregon.  A  hemp  press  and  several  large  warehouses  for 
several  years  stood  on  the  site  of  this  prospective  town.  Long  before  the 
decadence  of  the  hemp  interest  in  Missouri,  it  had  lost  even  its  nominal 
existence,  and  was  only  remembered  among  the  things  of  the  past.  The 
only  attempt  to  sell  goods  in  the  place  was  made  by  James  Whitehead, 
who  kept  a  small  store  at  the  landing  for  about  a  year.  Insignificant  as 
it  was,  however,  Dallas  was  not  too  small  to  provoke  rivalry,  and  a  com- 
petitor in  the  prospective  town  of 

WEST   UNION 

struggled  into  an  ephemeral  existence  only,  however,  to  blink  out  inglo- 
riously  and  without   a   requiem.     On   the    12th   of  April,   1844,  H.  Utt, 


246  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Henry  H.  Utt  and  E.  M.  Samuel  laid  out  this  town.  Its  location  was 
between  Dallas  and  the  mouth  of  the  Nodaway  River.  Corner  lots 
could  not  be  given  away,  and  while  the  friends  of  the  would-be  founders 
gloried  in  the  enterprise  of  these  enthusiastic  rivals  of  the  Dallas  inter- 
ests, they  almost  universally  condemned  their  judgment.  West  Union 
fell  still  born,  and  few  now  living  in  or  out  of  the  county  have  any  rec- 
ollection of  the  prospective  existence  of  such  a  place. 

The  third  attempt  to  start  a  town  in  the  territory  of  Forbes  Town- 
ship was  an  enterprise  of  much  later  date,  and  has  to  a  certain  extent 
proved  a  success.     This,  the  town  of 

FORBES 

was  laid  out  in  1869,  by  Levi  Devorss,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  29,  township  59,  range  37.  Since  that 
period,  additions  to  the  original  site  have  been  made.  As  early  as  1839, 
Jonathan  Keney  pre-empted  the  quarter  on  which  the  town  stands. 
This  was,  afterwards,  entered  by  Thomas  Mulholland,  who,  in  the  early 
part  of  185 1,  sold  it,  together  with  adjacent  lands,  amounting,  with  a 
tract  at  the  same  time  conveyed  by  Edward*  Mulholland,  to  290  acres,  to 
Levi  Devorss,  who  had  previously  resided  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri. 
The  idea  of  locating  a  town  at  this  point  was  prompted  by  the  presence 
of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  railroad,  which  was  com 
pleted  to  this  point  in  the  summer  of  1868,  the  first  train  of  cars  running 
through  the  site  of  the  town  August  9,  1868.  The  depot  at  this  point  is 
nineteen  miles  north  by  west  of  St.  Joseph;  and  the  elevation  of  its  site 
is  eight  hundred  and  sixty-seven  and  nearly  'one-half  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea. 

The  original  house  of  the  town  is  the  farm  residence  of  Levi 
Devorss,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff  at  the  north  extremity  of  the  village. 
The  first  building  erected  after  the  laying  out  of  the  town  was  a  small 
store  erected  by  William  Herron,  on  what  was  afterwards  Devorss' 
addition  to  the  original  town.  Herron  &  Taylor  sold  goods  here  during 
the  summer  in  which  the  road  was  building.  They  soon  after  erected  a 
larger  building  in  which,  for  the  period  of  three  years,  they  continued  to 
sell  goods.  The  style  of  the  firm  was  Herron,  Taylor  &  Meyer.  W.  D. 
Taylor-  and  George  Meyer,  both  representative  citizens  and  large  farmers 
of  the  township,  were  included  in  this  firm.  In  1871,  W.  D.  Taylor,  in 
partnership  with  S.  M.  Shirley,  put  up  a  two-story  brick  house  twenty- 
six  by  sixty  feet  area,  in  which  they  opened  a  stock  of  goods,  and  where 
they  continued  to  transact  mercantile  business  till  188 1,  when  they 
closed  out,  and  rented  the  building  to  John  Ross  &  Co.,  who  now  (1882) 
do  the  leading  commercial  business  of  the  place. 

In  1876  Shirley  &  Taylor  put  up,  in  the  town  of  Forbes,  the  first 
steam  flouring  mill  ever  built   in  the  township.      It  was  a  frame  struc- 


FORBES    TOWNSHIP.  247 

ture,  of  considerable  extent,  and  was  fitted  up  with  three  run  of  burrs. 
This  mill  was  hardly  under  way  before  it  was  accidentally  destroyed  by 
fire.  About  thirty  steps  beyond  was  a  warehouse,  in  which  was  stored 
a  considerable  amount  of  merchandise,  also  the  property  of  the  firm. 
To  this  building  the  fire  communicated,  and  the  whole  was  soon  wrapped 
in  flames,  involving  a  total  loss  of  about  $7,000. 

Ross  &  Meyer  opened,  in  1875,  a  stock  of  goods  in  the  town,  and 
did  a  prosperous  business  till  August,  1880,  when  they  closed  out. 

E.  B.  Bumps,  in  1870,  opened  the  first  drug  store  in  Forbes.  He 
continued  to  sell  here  till  1877,  when  he  moved  from  the  town. 

The  first  to  open  a  blacksmith  shop  in  the  place  was  John  Brownlee. 

The  first  physician  to  locate  in  the  town  was  Dr.  Jason  Bumps,  since 
dead. 

The  first  postmaster  of  Forbes,  or  as  the  office  is  styled,  Elm  Grove, 
was  Levi  Devorss,  the  father  of  the  town.  He  was  appointed  August 
28,  1868.  His  successors,  in  regular  order,  have  been  :  S.  M.  Shirley, 
N.  Swiget,  Jacob  Meyer  and  Charles  Scott,  appointed  in  1881.  On  the 
resignation  of  Meyer,  John  Ross,  his  late  partner  in  business,  discharged 
the  duties  of  the  office  till  the  appointment  of  his  successor,  the  present 
(1882)   incumbent. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

The  people  of  Forbes  have  always  appreciated  the  importance  of 
education  and  encouraged  every  scheme  calculated  to  promote  that 
interest  in  their  midst.  One  of  their  first  enterprises  was  the  erection 
of  a  school  building  in  1^69.  This  was  a  small  frame  building  twenty- 
two  by  twenty-four  feet  area,  and  is  now  (1882)  occupied  as  a  dwelling. 
It  was  erected  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bloomer,  a  Protestant  Methodist 
preacher,  and  cost  $560.  The  first  who  taught  in  this  school  was  Lud 
Wyet.  The  second  teacher  was  Charles  Coursen.  He  taught  two 
two  years,  from  September,  1870,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  William 
Kezier,  who,  in  turn,  was  succeeded  by  William  Morrison.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Bratcher,  of  the  church  of  the  United  Brethren,  taught  two  terms. 
Al.  Ewing  taught  from  the  fall  of  1877  to  close  of  the  term.  He  was 
succeeded  in  the  fall  of  1878,  by  T.  J.  Owen,  the  last  who  taught  in  the 
old  school  building.  In  1878  and  1879  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  three 
thousand  dollars  the  present  elegant  structure  of  the  Forbes  public 
school.  It  is  a  spacious  two-story  brick  edifice  on  a  commanding  eleva- 
tion overlooking  the  village,  and  the  wide  extent  of  bottom  land  stretch- 
ing far  westward  to  the  Missouri  River.  A  stately  grove  of  native 
timber  almost  surrounds  the  building,  adding  no  less  to  the  comfort 
than  the  appearance  of  its  surroundings.  The  first  session  of  the  pub- 
lic school  opened  in  this  building  with  Professor  A.  G.  Young,  M.  D., 
as   principal,   assisted   by  Mrs.    Young.     In   the    fall   of    1880,    Samuel 


248  HISTORY   OF  HOLT  COUNTY. 

O'Fallon  commenced  the  school.  He  was  assisted  by  Miss  Belle 
Young.  After  the  Christmas  holidays  he  resigned,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Galen  B.  Anderson,  who  taught  the  school  to  the  close  of  the  term. 
September,  1881,  Professor  J.  E.  Campbell,  assisted  by  Miss  Clara 
Wilkinson,  the  present  (1882)  teacher  of  the  school,  took  charge  of  the 
institution.     The 

PRESENT   BUSINESS 

of  Forbes  is  as  follows  :  J.  A.  Ross  &  Co.,  general  merchandise,  in  the 
brick  store  formerly  occupied  by  Shirley  &  Taylor. 

A.  G.  Young,  M.  D.,  drug  store. 

J.  R.  Wilson,  general  stock,  in  the  new  frame  building  in  which  the 
post  office  is  kept. 

William  Kelley,  saloon. 

Jo"hn  A.  Smith  &  M.  Cordery,  blacksmiths  and  wagonmakers. 

Drs..  A.  G.  Young  and  M.  V.  Dunn  are  the  physicians  of  the  town. 

Levi  Devorss,  founder  of  the  town,  capitalist  and  hotel  keeper. 

E.  Hilliker  is  the  present  railroad  agent. 

The  present  (1882)  population  of  Forbes  is  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
It  is,  though  a  small  place,  one  of  no  inconsiderable  importance  as  a 
shipping  station.  During  the  past  year  (1881),  there  have  been  shipped 
from  this  point,  945  car  loads  of  cordwood,  thirty-three  car  loads  of 
walnut  logs,  and  one  car  load  of  hoop-poles.  The  grain  and  hog  pro- 
duct of  this  season  was  reported  as  unusually  low,  the  shipments  of  the 
same  amounting  to  but  thirty-two  car  loads  of  the  former  and  twenty- 
four  of  the  latter.  The  heaviest  shipper  was  J.  A.  Ross,  the  merchant. 
He  sent  from  Forbes  Station  500  car  loads  of  cordwood,  and  six  car 
loads  of  corn. 

G.  W.  Pullen,  who  runs   a   saw-mill    in  the    bottom    below   town, 
shipped  fifteen  car  loads  of  native  lumber. 

The  heaviest  shipper  of  hogs  was   M.  Gelvin,  who  sent  oft  fourteen 
car  loads. 


.&— i^S^S— si 


'sT^S* 


^BIOGRAPHICAL* 


DANIEL  A.  BAKER, 

farmer,  is  the  owner  of  261  acres  of  land,  and  lives  on  section  36.  He 
was  born  in  Lawrence  County,  Indiana,  August  8,  1837,  being  brought 
up  as  a  farmer.  In  1857  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  bought 
a  part  of  his  present  farm,  but,  after  remaining  for  two  years,  he  returned 
to  Indiana,  residing  there  until  1867,  when  he  again  came  to  this  county 


FORBES   TOWNSHIP.  249 

and  settled  permanently.  In  October,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Fiftieth 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry  and  served  for  three  years.  He  was  with 
Gens.  Buell  and  Rosecrans,  and  at  Pilot  Knob  the  company  of  which 
he  was  a  member  was  captured  by  Morgan,  but  in  a  few  days  were 
paroled,  and  after  a  time  exchanged.  Two  of  the  paroled  men  were  from 
Kentucky  and  took  up  arms  again  before  they  were  exchanged.  Mor- 
gan's men  recognized  them,  captured  and  shot  them.  After  joining  the 
regiment  they  were  assigned  to  the  Seventh  Army  Corps.  Mr.  B.  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  and  was  through  the 
Red  River  expedition.  For  meritorious  conduct  he  was  promoted  to 
first  lientenant,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  he  received  his  dis- 
charge. He  then  returned  home  and,  after  remaining  two  years,  he  came 
to  his  farm  in  Missouri.  He  married  Miss  Eliza  Noon,  in  Lawrence 
County,  Indiana,  in  February,  1857.  They  have  two  children,  Carrie 
Ellis  and  Ava.  Mrs.  Baker  is  the  daughter  of  John  Noon,  of  Indiana. 
Mr.  B.  started  here,  in  1857,  with  limited  means,  but  by  hard  work  and 
good  management  overcame  every  obstacle,  and  he  now  has  an  excel- 
lent farm. 

WILLIAM    M.  BAKER, 

section  35,  was  born  in  Lawrence  County,  Indiana,  April  29,  1841,  and 
in  1868,  came  to  this  county  and  purchased  a  piece  of  land,  improving 
it,  and  adding  to  it  from  time  to  time  until  now  he  has  a  superior  farm 
of  280  acres.  He  married  Miss  Martha  Baker,  of  Kentucky,  in  1859. 
They  have  six  children  :  Minnie  B.,  Carrie,  Jackson,  Ida,  Harry  and 
Lena.  Mr.  Baker  is  one  of  the'substantial  men  in  the  township  and  has 
labored  hard  to  gain  a  compentency.  He  is  a  good  farmer,  and  his 
land  on  the"  bottoms  is  very  productive. 

MARTIN  V.  DUNN, 

physician  and  surgeon,  was  born  in  Iroquois  County,  Illinois,  on  the 
14th  of  August,  1837,  and  was  the  son  of  Samuel  M.  and  Nancy  (Walker) 
Dunn,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  the  latter  of  East  Ten- 
nessee. Martin  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  also  attended 
the  Urbana  Academy,  of  Illinois.  Resolving  upon  the  practice  of  med- 
icine as  his  profession,  he  commenced  its  study  with  Dr.  Samuel  A. 
Barry,  of  Concord,  Illinois,  and  attended  lectures  at  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege, of  Chicago.  Dr.  Dunn  began  business  life,  as  it  were,  with  a  phy- 
sician's lease.  His  grandfather  Walker  was  a  surgeon  in  the  Florida 
War,  and  was  with  General  Jackson.  His  father  was  an  early  graduate 
of  the  Medical  College  in  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  for  many  years  a 
prominent  practitioner  in  Iroquois  County,  Illinois.  Four  of  his  brothers 
are  well  known  brethren  of  the  medical  profession  in  Northwest  Mis- 


250  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

souri.  He  also  has  a  sister,  a  successful  physician  in  Macon  County, 
Missouri.  Two  of  his  sisters  are  married  to  doctors — Dr.  J.  W.  Dunn, 
of  Atchison  County,  and  Dr.  James  Bickett,  of  Conception,  Nodaway 
County.  Two  nephews  were  members  of  the  graduating  class  during 
the  past  winter.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  practiced  in  Iowa  with 
his  brother,  Prof.  S.  M.  Dunn,  and  also  in  Nebraska.  In  i860  he  came 
to  Holt  County,  and  for  sixteen  years  has  been  a  regular  practitioner 
in  this  and  adjoining  counties.  He  is  a  man  respected  by  all,  and  a 
physician  of  skill  and  experience.  In  i860  the  doctor  was  married  to 
Rebecca  M.  Oliver,  of  Salem,  Nebraska,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Ellen 
Oliver.  She  died  May  1,  1881,  leaving  six  children  :  William  O.,  Robert 
Lee,  Charles  Sumner,  Edward  M.,  Minerva G.  and  Martin  V.  Mrs.  Dunn 
was  a  woman  loved  by  all,  and  her  death  was  mourned  by  many.  Dr. 
D.  is  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian  in  his  religious  preferences,  and  was 
formerly  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  is  now  a  Greenbacker. 

EDWIN  HILLIKER, 

railroad  agent  and  telegraph  operator  at  Forbes,  was  born  in.  Riley, 
Clinton  County,  Michigan,  March  18,  1852.  His  father,  John  Hilliker,  was 
born  in  New  York,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Unez  Mix,  was  a  native  of 
Erie  County,  Pennsylvania.  The  former  was  a  musician  and  has  devoted 
his  life  to  the  profession  of  music,  and  in  that  capacity  is  well  known 
throughout  the  State  of  Michigan.  Young  Edwin  received  good  educa- 
tional advantages,  and  being  ambitious  for  some  active  business,  after 
leaving  school  he  came  to  Craig,  Missouri,  in  1871,  where  he  learned 
telegraphing,  acting  at  that  station  for  three  years  as  assistant  agent. 
Since  that  time  he  has  had  charge  of  stations  at  Sugar  Lake,  Missouri, 
Bartlett  and  Henton's,  Iowa,  and  in  1881,  he  came  to  Forbes.  He  is 
prompt  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  and  accommodating  to  the  travel- 
ing public.  Mr.  Hilliker  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Clark  in  Craig, 
January  4,  1879.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  Clark,  Esq.,  of  Nebraska. 
They  have  one  child,  Delia  Gertrude,  born  December  8,  1879.  Mr.  H.  is 
Republican  in  politics. 

ELUM   EDGAR  HUNTER, 

section  11,  was  born  in  Haynesville,  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  June  21, 
1841,  and  was  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Bowles)  Hunter.  His  father, 
an  agriculturist  by  occupation,  was  a  native  of  Franklin  County,  Vir- 
ginia, and  his  mother  of  Cumberland  County,  Kentucky.  Elum  passed 
his  youth  in  farming  and  in  attending  the  common  schools  of  Andrew 
County.  During  the  war,  he  enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Missouri  Regiment  of 
the  Confederate  army,  for  two  years,  and  was  in  the  two  battles  at  Cor- 
inth, Shiloh,  before  Richmond,  in  the  seven  days  battle,  at  Farmington, 


FORBES     TOWNSHIP.  25 1 

Grand  Gulf,  Champion's  Hill  in  1863,  also  at  Fort  Beauregard  and  Vicks- 
burg.  Mr.  H.  was  one  of  seven  out  of  his  company  of  112  left  at  that 
battle.  He  had  sixty  relatives  in  the  company,  all  of  whom  were  killed 
or  wounded,  he  himself  being  twice  wounded.  In  1863,  after  leaving 
the  army,  he  went  to  Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  Utah,  returning  to  the 
mines  in  Montana,  from  whence,  after  a  few  months,  he  visited  Salt 
Lake  and  Southern  California.  He  was  there  engaged  in  mining,  and, 
in  December,  1865,  returned  to  Missouri,  having  been,  on  the  whole, 
quite  successful  in  his  enterprise,  although  meeting  with  one  quite  serious 
loss.  In  1865,  he  came  to  this  (Holt)  county,  and  now  has  160  acres  of 
land,  well  improved,  with  an  orchard  of  choice  varieties  of  fruit.  There 
is  upon  the  place  some  fine  Berkshire  hogs.  Mr.  Hunter  was  married 
November  7,  1869,  to  Matilda  F.  Vaughn.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John 
Vaughn,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1787,  and  came  to  Missouri  in 
1855.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  have  one  child,  Robert  E.  Lee,  born  August  I, 
1871,  and  have  adopted  one,  Emma  Frances,  born  in  1868.  He  is  dem- 
cratic  in  politics,  and  his  religious  sympathies  are  with  the  Christian 
denomination.  His  father,  Joseph  Hunter  was  born  in  Franklin  County, 
Virginia',  in  1797.  In  1823,  he  married  Miss  Jane  Bowles,  in  Kentucky, 
and,  in  1835,  came  to  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  settling  near  Haynes- 
ville.  After  five  years,  he  sold  his  claim,  moved  to  Plattsburg  and  kept 
the  first  hotel  ever  opened  in  that  city.  He  remained  there  for  five 
years,  when  he  disposed  of  his  property,  and  moved  to  Hackberry 
Ridge,  Andrew  County.  Then  he  improved  one  of  the  best  farms  in 
the  county,  and  lived  there  until  1865,  when  he  came  to  Holt  County, 
and  purchased  a  desirable  farm,  which  he  afterwards  sold  to  James 
Ramsay,  and  bought  160  acres  on  section  11,  where  his  son  now  (1882) 
lives.  Mr.  Hunter  died  July  17,  1874,  and  Mrs.  Hunter  died  October 
18,  1845.  They  left  seven  children:  Emily  McCrorey,  Josephine  Sally, 
Gallant  V.,  Joseph  S.,  Tolutha  A.  D.,  Elum  E.,  and  Henrietta  Hines. 
Mr.  Hunter  was  Judge  of  Andrew  County  for  many  years,  and  it  is  said 
by  old  citizens  that  his  decisions  were  never  reversed  by  higher  courts. 
He  was  a  representative  type  of  a  Virginia  gentleman — always  affable 
and  honorable,  and  despised  meanness  in  any  form. 

GEORGE  MEYER, 

one  of  the  largest  farmers  of  Holt  County  was  born  within  three  miles 
of  Mullheim  Baden,  Germany,  March  5,  1827.  His  father,  Andrew 
Meyer,  was  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade,  but  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer.  His  mother's  name  before  marriage  was  Mary  Adolph.  There 
were  nine  children  in  the  family,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  fifth.  In  1834,  when  he  was  seven  years  old,  the  family  emigrated 
to  America,  landing  in  New  York  City  and  proceeding  to  Wayne  County, 


252  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Ohio.     Mr.  Meyer  attended  a  common  school  very  little  during  the  ten 
years  the  family  lived  there,  but  since  then  he  has,  by  his  own   efforts, 
become  well  qualified  for  business,   and  is  a  great  lover  of  books  and 
reading.     In  1844  his  father  removed  with  the  family  from  Ohio  to  Mis- 
souri, settling  in   Lewis  Township,  Holt  County.     He   lived  with    his 
father,  and  was  engaged   in  farming  till   1849,  when,  with   hundreds  of 
others,  he  was  seized  with  the   gold   fever,  which  pervaded  the  whole 
country  on  receiving  news  of  the  wonderful  discoveries  of  gold   in   Cali- 
fornia.    He  was  one  of  the  first  to  leave  Holt  County  for  the  Pacific  coast. 
He  set  out  with  his  brother  Andrew  and  Judge  Mclntyre,  and    their 
wagon  was  the  first  from   Holt  County  to  cross  the  Missouri,  at  Iowa 
Point,  the   usual  crossing  point.     They  left  the  Iowa  and  Sac  agency 
May  1,  1849,  and  reached  Hangtown,-  California,  the  13th  of  the   follow- 
ing August,  beating  other  Holt  County  parties  who  started  three  days 
later,  by  more  than  a  month.     In  California  he  worked  mostly  on  Amer- 
ican River,  part  of  the  time  within  two  miles  of  where  Sutter  &  Marshall 
first  found  gold.     In  September  1850,  he  returned  home  by  the  Isthmus 
and  New  York  route.     Returning  to  Holt  County,  he  was  married  April 
3,  i85i,toMiss  Mary  Ann    Kunkel,  daughter  of  Jacob    Kunkel.     Mrs. 
Meyer  is  a  native  of  Morrow   County,  Ohio,   and  came  to   Missouri  in 
1845.     Mr.  M.  soon  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  on   sec- 
tion 7.     This  was  one  of  the  first   settled  farms  in  the  county,  and  the 
site  of  the  first  store  ever  opened  in   Holt  County.     He.  first  purchased 
160  acres  in  his  home  farm,  and  80  in  the  timber.     Subsequent  to   the 
war  he  bought  270  acres  more,  and  now  has   1125    acres  of  land,  680  of 
which  are  located  in  the  upper  part  of  the  county.    He  has  been  engaged 
in  general  farming,  and  feeds  considerable  stock.     He  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous citizens  of  the  county,  and  enterprising  and  progressive  in  his 
disposition.     He    has    also    made    the    raising  of  fruit  a  specialty,  and 
perhaps  has  one  of  the  choicest   orchards   in   the   county.     His  display 
has  not  only  taken  the  premium  at  the  Holt  County  fairs,  but  the    $200 
premium  at  the  first  grand  exposition  at  St.  Joseph,  offered  for  the  best 
display  of  fruit,  and  open  to  the  whole  state.     The  extent  of  his  farming 
may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  in    1876  he   raised   270  acres  of  corn, 
averaging  from  forty  to  fifty  bushels  to  the    acre  ;    950  bushels  of  fall 
wheat,  and  1,000  bushels  of  oats.    He  feeds  generally  from  twenty-five  to 
fifty  head  of  stock  and  100  head  of  hogs  a  season.     In  his  political  affil- 
iations he  was  formerly  a  Democrat,  and  in    1848   cast  his  first  vote  for 
Lewis  Cass.     In  i860  he  voted  for  S.  A.  Douglas,  with  the  hopes  that 
it  would  result  in  the  election  of  Lincoln.     He  was  a  strong  union  man 
through  the  war,  served  several  times  in  the  militia,  and  since  the  war 
has  been  a  decided  Republican.     He   celebrated  his  silver  wedding  in 
April  1876,  and  on   that   occasion   had  a  family    photograph   taken,   in 
which  appear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer  and  their  nine  children,  all   of  whom 


FORRES    TOWNSHIP.  253 

were  living  at  home.  The  names  of  the  children  are  :  Jacob  S.,  Julia 
A.,  May  Alice,  Daniel,  Peter,  Fanny  Ellen,  Solomon,  Ida  and  Ada,  the 
last  two  being  twins.  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  representative  man,  and  his 
influence  as  such  and  as  a  christian  gentleman,  is  felt  wherever  he  is 
known.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  German  Methodist  Church,  at 
Oregon,  for  the  last  twenty  years,  as  has  also  his  wife.  His  father  and 
mother  are  both  buried  in  the  Oregon  cemetery.  His  daughter,  Julia  A., 
married  John  Blum,  April  4,  1878,  and  died  August  4,  1879.  Jacob  S. 
married  Caroline  Blum,  December  22,  1880,  and  moved  to  Sweet  Water 
County,  Wyoming,  where  he  has  a  sheep  ranche. 

LINNVILLE  MURRAY, 

section  9,  was  born  in  Indiana  on  the  9th  of  May,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of 
Hanson  and  Eliza  (Brunson)  Murray.  The  former,  a  nurseryman  by 
occupation,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  Linn- 
ville  passed  his  youth  in  learning  the  nursery  business  with  his  father. 
In  1869  he  removed  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Holt  County,  and  now  owns 
twenty-three  acres  of  land,  devoted  to  the  raising  of  fruit  and  a  nursery. 
Having  been  brought  up  in  this  industry  he  is  well  qualified  forthe  posi- 
tion, and  now  has  1,100  trees  of  various  kinds,  with  different  assortments 
of  fruit,  his  transactions  in  this  line  being  always  honorable  and  just  as 
represented.  Mr.  M.  was  married,  in  1S53,  to  Mary  Carroll;  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, daughter  of  James  Carroll,  Esq.  They  have  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Lee  Annie,  Maud,  James  E.  and  Campbell.  He  is  a  Presbyterian, 
and  politically  a  Greenbacker. 

NICHOLAS  FREMONT  MURRAY, 

nurseryman  and  fruit  grower,  is  the  owner  of  120  acres  of  land,  and 
resides  on  section  9.  Eighty  acres  of  his  farm  are  devoted  to  fruit  pur- 
poses. He  was  born  in  Ohio  County,  Virginia,  March  17,  1839,  and  was 
from  boyhood  a  close  student  of  books  and  matters  pertaining  to  nursery 
and  fruit  culture.  His  father,  Hanson  Murray,  was  born  August  11,  181 1, 
in  Virginia,  was  a  nurseryman  by  calling,  and  brought  up  his  sons  to 
learn  the  business.  His  mother  was  Eliza  Brunson,  born  in  Wayne 
County,  Indiana,  in  1815.  They  were  married  in  1832.  Hanson  Murray 
moved  to  Morgan  County/Missouri,  in  1863,  and  settled  there,  but  find- 
ing the  location  not  suitable  for  the  cultivation  of  fruit,  he  sold  out  in 
1869,  and  came  to  this  township,  buying  some  land.  He  at  once  started 
a  nursery,  and  continued  the  business  very  successfully  until  1877,  when 
he  died,  leaving  his  farm  and  nursery  to  his  wife  and  children.  Nicholas 
F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  married  Miss  Emily  F.  Whitham,  in  Ohio 
County,  Virginia,   November  6,   i860.     She   died   September  30,    1865, 


254  HISTORY    OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

leaving  one  child,  Jessie  J.,  who  is  married  to  Charles  Childers,  in  this 
county.  Mr.  Murray's  second  wife  was  Elizabeth  J.  Riggle,  whom  he 
married  May  9,  1867,  in  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania.  They  have 
five  children  living  :  Joseph  H.,  George  R.,  Minnie  May,  Alberta  and 
Norman  F.  In  1869,  Mr.  M.  came  to  Holt  County,  bought  a  portion  of 
his  father's  farm,  on  section  9,  and  commenced  work  setting  out  a  large 
orchard  of  both  apples  and  peaches,  and  since  that  time  has  been  wholly 
engaged  in  fruit  culture  and  his  nursery.  In  1 87 1,  he  lost  his  house  and 
contents  by  fire.  In  1876,  his  loss  by  grasshoppers  was  $4,000,  which 
almost  discouraged  him,  but  his  enthusiasm  for  the  business  knew  no 
failure,  so  he  again  went  to  work.  He  has  succeeded  in  establishing  a 
reputation  and  knowledge  of  fruit  culture  second  to  none  in  the  state. 
In  November,  1879,  the  Murray  Bros,  took  out  a  novel,  and  yet  very  useful, 
patent  for  protecting  fruit  trees.  Perhaps  no  location  can  be  found  better 
adapted  to  all  kinds  of  fruit,  and  a  better  climate  and  soil  for  raising 
trees.  Mr.  M.  has  not  only  established  a  fame  at  home  for  horticultural 
information,  but  his  essays  before  the  different  horticultural  societies 
are  considered  excellent  authority.  Politically  he  is  a  Greenbacker,  and 
in  religious  views  a  Presbyterian. 

ROBERT  PATTERSON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  has  960  acres  of  land,  and  lives  in  section  4.  He 
was  born  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  October  4,  1830,  and  came  to  this 
country  with  his  father,  settling  where  he  now  lives  in  1842.  In  1846, 
when  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  enlisted  in  Col.  Powell's  Battalion 
for  the  Mexican  War,  in  Capt.  Rogers  company,  of  Savannah.  They 
were  engaged  for  eighteen  months  building  forts.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  and  returned  home.  In  1852  he 
went  to  California  and  engaged  in  farming  in  the  Suisun  Valley,  where 
he  remained  for  four  years,  meeting  with  good  success.  He  then  came 
back  to  the  old  homestead,  and  on  November  17,  1857,  he  married  Miss 
Telitha  Jane  Kender,  of  Savannah,  Mo.  Her  father  was  James  Render, 
Esq.,  an  honored  pioneer  and  citizen  of  Andrew  Co.  By  this  happy  union 
they  have  had  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  still  living  :  Alice,  James 
W.,  Bailey  H.,  Robert  L.,  John  H.,  Annie  E.,  George,  William  and  Charles. 
Kittie  died  in  1865.  Alice  was  married  to  Louis  F.  Pointer,  who  died  in 
October,  8,  1880,  leaving  one  child,  Lulu  May.  In  1852,  previous  to  his 
brother  John's  journey  to  California,  Mr.  Robert  Patterson  bought  the 
old  homestead,  and  after  his  marriage  he  commenced  improving  it.  In 
1858  he  sold  one  of  his  quarter  sections  and  bought  one  on  the  section 
where  he  lived,  and  has  been  making  additions  and  improvements  until 
now  he  has  one  among  the  largest  and  most  valuable  farms  in  Holt 
County.     His   residence,    and   the    buildings  connected,  with    his  large 


FORBES    TOWNSHIP.  255 

barn,  are  among  the  most  desirable  and  convenient  to  be  found  any- 
where. His  orchard  of  fine  fruits  of  all  kinds  is  worthy  of  more  than  a 
passing  notice.  He  has  1,100  apple  trees,  300  peach,  etc.,  etc.  Mr.  P. 
has  grown  up  in  this  neighborhood,  and  has  done  much  by  his  labor  and 
means  to  improve  the  county.  His  father,  William  Patterson,  was  born 
in  the  north  of  Ireland,  in  1799,  and  was  brought  up  a  farmer,  following 
that  occupation  on  a  large  scale.  Becoming  satisfied  that  the  great 
west  was  the  place  for  his  large  family  of  children,  he  came  to  this 
country,  in  1842,  and  settled  in  Forbes  Township,  pre-empting  160  acres 
on  section  5.  He  only  lived  one  year  and  a-half  after  this,  when  he  died 
in  the  fall  of  1844.  Mrs.  P.  had  died  in  the  winter  of  1842,  very  soon 
after  arriving  in  America.  Her  maiden  name  was  Catharine  Lucas. 
She  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  at  the  time  of  her  death  was 
fifty-five  years  old.  They  had  nine  children,  Margaret,  Phillip,  Henry, 
Eliza,  Blair,  Isabella,  Jackson,  William  G.  and  Robert. 

JOSEPH  B.  PROCTOR, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Missouri,  December  22,  1822. 
His  father  was  John  Proctor,  born  in  Kentucky,  in  1800,  and  his  mother 
was  formerly  Lydia  Westbrook.  Mr.  P.  came  to  Missouri  in  1820  and 
settled  in  Cooper  County,  and  at  a  very  early  day  moved  to  this  county, 
being  one  of  the  first  to  settle  on  the  bottoms  and  make  a  farm.  In 
1847  Joseph  B.  went  to  Oregon  and  remained  a  short  time,  and  in  1849, 
when  the  gold  fever  broke  out  in  California,  he  went  there  and  remained 
two  years.  He  came  home,  and  the  next  year  returned  to  the  land  of 
gold,  staying  one  year.  By  this  time  he  had  secured  enough  money  to 
buy  1 1 1  acres  of  his  large  farm,  and  commenced  work,  making  many 
additions  to  his  original  purchase.  He  continued  its  improvement, 
erected  a  very  large  residence,  and  very  few  farmers  were  financially 
stronger  than  he.  He  had  set  out  all  kinds  of  fruit,  and  was  preparing 
to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  comfort,  when,  in  February,  1881,  he 
died.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Minton,  of  Franklin  County,  Missouri, 
in  1855.  They  had  five  children,  all  of  who  are  living  :  Elizabeth  Jane, 
Sarah  Ann,  John  H.,  William  L.,  and  Ruth  A.,  who  married  Robert 
Victor  Hudgins,  of  this  county,  June  6,  1 881.  He  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  afterwards  came  to  this  county,  obtaining  a  good  education. 
He  has  been  employed  for  some  time  in  teaching,  and  is  now  reading 
law,  preparing  for  the  practice  of  that  profession.  Mr.  P.  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fourteenth  Kansas  Volunteer  Infantry  for  two  years  durkig 
the  war,  and  received  an  honorable  discharge.  He  was  a  Republican 
and  belonged  to  the  Christian  Church.  The  widow  and  sons  are  now 
conducting  the  farm;  this  is  situated  in  section  36,  and  contains  440 
acres. 


256  HISTORY    OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

JAMES  W.  RAMSAY, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  4,  was  born  in  Hancock  County,  Indiana, 
June  17,  1838,  and  in  1841  came  to  this  county  and  township  with  his 
father,  locating  on  the  farm  which  the  Murray  brothers  now  own.  He 
was  brought  up  to  hard  work  and  enjoyed  but  little  school  advantages. 
May  6,  1862,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  O.  Jackson,  of  Oregon,  the  daughter 
of  John  F.  Jackson,  of  this  county,  formerly  of  Fayette  County,  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  J.  was  the  third  school  commissioner  of  this  county,  and 
was  a  capable  man  and  most  efficient  officer.  Mrs.  R.'s  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Nancy  Cannon,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  now 
lives  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Kreak.  Mr.  Jackson  died  May  13,  1862. 
Their  family  consisted  of  four  children.  John  F.,  Mary  B.,  Nancy  E.  and 
James  O.  Mr.  Ramsey  was  in  the  state  service  for  several  months  dur- 
ing the  war.  He  afterwards  rented  a  farm  for  three  years,  and  obtained 
money  enough  to  make  the  first  payment  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives,  and  by  great  energy  and  good  judgment  on  the  part  of  himself  and 
wife  they  have  paid  for  the  farm,  built  a  good  residence  and  made  many 
improvements,  now  owning340  acres  of  land.  Twenty  years  ago  he  com- 
menced a  poor  boy  and  has  so  managed  his  business  that  he  now  is  one  of 
the  leading,  successful  and  reliable  men  of  this  county.  His  orchard  con- 
sists of  500  trees,  with  a  variety  of  fruit.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and 
the  family  are  Methodists.  Thomas  Ramsay,  his  father,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, in  i8oi,and  came  to  Indiana,  where  he  settled  and  remained 
until  he  came  to  this  state  and  township,  in  1841.  Here  he  improved  a  fine 
farm  and  did  much  for  the  opening  of  this  new  settlement.  He  married 
Miss  Mary  Beck,  in  Indiana,  December  16,  1824.  They  had  fourteen  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  living  :  Mary  Jane,  Sarah  E.,  Matilda,  Panenah, 
James  W.,  Roley  T.  and  William  H.  Mr.  Ramsay  died  June  13, 1878,  and 
Mrs.  R.  September  15,  1872.  No  man  among  the  pioneers  of  this  county 
had  more  friends  than  Mr.  R.,  he  having  been  a  friend  to  all. 

JOHN   A.  ROSS, 

merchant,  was  born  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  January  25,  1853,  and  in 
1858  accompanied  his  father  to  Lawrence  County,  Indiana,  there  receiv- 
ing a  good  education.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he  came  to  Holt  County 
and  worked  on  a  farm  one  year,  after  which  he  was  employed  by  Sheeley 
&  Taylor  as  clerk.  He  remained  as  such  for  five  years,  when  he  formed 
a  copartnership  with  George  Meyer  in  the  spring  of  1875.  This  connec- 
tion existed  until  August,  1880,  when  George  C.  Smith,  of  St.  Joseph, 
bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Meyer,  and  since  that  time  the  business  has 
been  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  A.  Ross  &  Co.  Mr.  Ross 
commenced  here  without  a  dollar,  but  his  kindness  of  disposition  and 


FORBES    TOWNSHIP.  257 

strict  integrity  soon  gave  him  hosts  of  friends.  He  has  acquired  a 
prominent  position  among  the  best  business  men  of  the  county.  His 
general  stock  of  merchandise  is  large  and  complete.  Mr.  Ross  married 
Lucretia  Devorss,  of  this  village,  December  6,  1874.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Levi  Devorss,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  county. 
They  are  rearing  one  boy,  Bertie. 

HARRISON   RUSSEL, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Clarke  County,  Ohio,  July  22,  1822,  and  was  the 
son  of  Robert  and  Winifred  (Hinson)  Russel,  both  natives  of  Kentucky. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  Harrison  spent  his  youth  in 
working  on  the  farm  and  in  attending  school.  In  1852,  he  removed  to 
Missouri,  locating  in  Holt  County,  and  here  improved  a  fine  farm  of  255 
acres,  in  section  5,  where  his  family  now  reside.  During  the  war,  Mr.  R 
was  a  member  of  the  state  militia.  He  was  Republican  in  his  political 
views,  and  religiously  a  Methodist.  August  2,  1852,  he  married  Eleanor 
Vandivere,  daughter  of  Arthur  Vandivere,  of  Warren  County,  Ohio. 
They  had  three  children  :  Arthur,  born  April  6,  1852  ;  Alia  J.,  born 
October  29,  1856,  and  Sidney  M.,  born  October  29,  1868.  Mr.  Russel 
died  on  the  8th  of  July,  1876.  He  was  a  man  governed  only  by  motives 
of  right,  a  good  neighbor  and  friend  of  all.  He  was  very  successful  in 
his  business,  always  managing  it  satisfactorily.  At  his  death  he  left  a 
good  farm,  which  is  being  conducted  by  his  son,  Arthur,  in  an  able 
manner.  The  latter  is  an  industrious  young  man,  and  faithful  in  the 
the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

JOSIAH  SPRINGER, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  November  1,  1805.  His 
father,  Nathan  Springer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  moved  his  family  to 
Franklin  County,  Indiana,  where  he  lived  until  1845,  when  he  came  to 
this  county  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  son.  This  was 
then  an  unfavorable  looking  site  for  a  home,  but  by  hard  work  and  cul- 
tivation Mr.  S.  made  a  productive  farm,  and  his  improvements  com- 
pared favorably  with  the  majority  of  the  best  farms  of  the  county.  He 
married  Miss  Julia  Ann  Lympus  in  Fayette  County,  Indiana,  February 
7,  1828.  She  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  March  30,  181 1.  Of 
this  union  there  are  nine  children  living  :  Martha,  Nathan  L.,  Jonathan, 
Phoebe  Price,  J.  Squear,  Julia  Linley,  Mary  L.  Gardner,  Wilson  Riley, 
and  William  A.  Mr.  Springer  died  April  4,  1861.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  belonged  to  the  Christian  Church.  Mrs.  Springer's 
father  was  of  English  origin  and  her  mother  of  German  descent.  Mr. 
Springer  was  one  of  a  few  who  during  life  did  good  to  all  and   made 

17 


258  HISTORY    OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

society  and  the  world  with  which  he  came  in  contact  better  for  his  hav- 
ing lived.  His  son,  William  A.  Springer,  was  born  April  23,  18S4.  He 
was  married  December  25,  1879,  to  Miss  Laura  Dooley,  of  Oregon. 
They  have  one  child,  Elsie,  born  April  n,  1881.  They  both  belong  to 
the  Christian  Church.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  pur- 
chased the  homestead  of  200  acres  in  section  6,  is  taking  care  of  his 
mother  and  is  one  of  the  progressive,  intelligent  young  farmers  of  the 
county. 

WILLIAM  STEPHENSON 

was  born  in  Culpeper  County,  Virginia,  in  March,  1789.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Ireland,  and  his  mother  of  France.  In  June,  1840,  he  moved 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  with  his  family  of  fifteen  children,  and  settled 
in  section  7,  on  the  farm  where  his  son  John  now  lives.  He  was  a  very 
stout,  athletic  man,  and  one  honored  by  the  pioneers  of  this  county. 
He  was  democratic  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
His  marriage  occurred  in  Virginia,  in  1813,  to  Margaret  Troutman, 
daughter  of  Peter  Troutman,  of  German  origin.  They  had  fifteen  chil- 
dren :  Luvisa  Baldwin,  Blank  S.,  Peter,  Susanah,  wife  of  George  Baxter, 
who  was  the  first  tailor  in  Oregon,  William,  John  F.,  Alexander,  Marga- 
ret A.  Hindman,  Nancy  J.  Hindman,  James,  Michel  A.,  Eliza,  Rebecca 
Collins,  Sarah  Hutton  and  Rachel  Price.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  were  the 
parents  of  the  first  settlers  of  Holt  County,  and  died  on  the  place  which 
was  first  settled  by  Peter,  their  son,  in  1838.  Mr.  S.  died  in  1842,  and 
his  wife  in  1864. 

JOHN  STEPHENSON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  owner  of  1,030  acres  of  land,  his  residence 
being  on  section  7.  He  was  born  in  Bond  County,  Illinois,  August  16, 
1825,  and  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  this  county  and  township,  and 
on  his  present  farm,  in  June,  1840,  his  brother,  Peter,  having  settled  on 
the  claim  in  March,  1838.  The  latter  had  come  here  with  another 
brother  by  the  name  of  Blank,  who  settled  on  an  adjoining  claim,  which 
George  Meyer  now  owns.  These  two  brothers  were  the  two  first  settlers 
of  Holt  County.  In  1846,  John  enlisted  in  Company  C,  of  General 
Price's  regiment,  and  went  into  the  Mexican  war,  remaining  in  service 
until  the  war  closed,  a  period  of  some  eighteen  months,  and  was  with 
General  Fremont  for  a  portion  of  the  time.  On  his  return  home  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  and  improved  it.  In  March,  185 1,  he  married  Miss  Mar- 
garet Russel,  daughter  of  John  Russel,  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of 
the  county.  They  have  six  children  :  George  S.,  Robert  S.,  Tresa, 
Dora  E.,  Bertha  L.  and  Anna  Lee.  In  1863,  he  bought  the  old  home- 
stead of  his  brother,  Peter,  who  then  moved  to  Dade  County,  Missouri. 
Mr.  John  Stephenson  now  has  one  of  the  best  farms  of  its  class  in  the 


FORBES   TOWNSHIP.  259 

county.  Everything  is  conducted  in  good  shape,  and  he  farms  on  a 
large  scale.  Few  men  there  are,  indeed,  who  commenced  life  with 
nothing,  and  who  have  accumulated  such  a  competency.  He  is  reliable 
in  his  transactions,  and  is  worthy  of  the  position  he  occupies.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  Universalist. 

WILLIAM  D.  TAYLOR, 

section  17,  was  born  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  on  the  19th  of  January, 
1816,  and  was  the  son  of  William  Taylor,  a  tanner  by  occupation,  and  a 
native  of  Hampshire  County,  Virginia.  His  mother,  whose  name  before 
her  marriage  was  Casander  Davidson,  was  born  in  Clarksburg,  Virginia. 
When  William  was  an  infant  his  father  died,  and  his  mother  marrying 
again,  he  was  brought  up  by  his  step-father,  working  hard  and  receiving 
but  a  limited  education.  On  October  25,  1843,  ne  came  to  Missouri,  and 
the  same  day  located  in  Holt  County.  He  was  an  early  settler  here,  and 
passed  through  many  hardships  in  opening  a  farm.  He  formerly  owned 
the  land  where  Forbes  is  located,  and  now  possesses  considerable  bot- 
tom land  adjoining  the  village,  his  landed  interests  altogether  consisting 
of  640  acres.  He  is  a  leader  among  the  agriculturists  of  this  neighbor- 
hood. His  farms  are  well  improved,  and  he  has  a  good  residence.  The 
orchards  upon  his  own  and  his  son's  farms,  contain  1,400  trees.  Mr.  T. 
started  in  life  poor,  but  by  hard  labor  has  gained  a  fortune.  His  mother 
came  from  Ohio  and  lived  with  him  for  several  years,  when,  in  1870,  she^ 
died.  He  has  been  three  times  married  :  First,  in  Hampshire  County, 
Virginia,  in  1837,  to  Hannah  Taylor,  who  died  in  1844,  leaving  two 
children,  Casander  and  Daniel  B.  In  1845  he  was  married  in  Hardin 
County,  Virginia,  to  Nancy  Jane  Jones.  She  departed  this  life  in  1859. 
Of  this  union  there  are  six  children  :  John  E.,  Mary,  Sarah  M.,  Sattara, 
Rovvena  and  Barbara.  Mr.  T.'s  third  marriage  occurred  in  i860,  in  this 
county,  to  Margaret  Vaughn.  Barbara  was  married  to  James  Cordy, 
who  lives  at  the  homestead  and  works  the  farm.  Politically  is  demo- 
cratic, and  belongs  to  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church.  Mr.  Taylor 
tells  a  snake  story,  which  is  vouched  for  by  the  old  settlers  and  those 
acquainted  with  the  facts.  One  day  in  early  spring  he  discovered  a  den 
of  rattlesnakes,  together  with  other  varieties,  some  being  very  large. 
Procuring  a  club  he  killed  three  hundred,  and  the  next  morning  visited 
the  place  and  disposed  of  fifty.  Some  time  afterwards  he  found  a  coil 
as  large  as  a  half-bushel  measure,  and  killed  these  also. 

ADELBERT  G.  YOUNG, 

physician  and  druggist,  was  born  in  Kankakee  County,  Illinois,  April  10, 
1852.  His  father,  John  D.  Young,  was  born  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana, 
and  was  a  farmer  by  calling.     His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cor- 


26o  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

intha  Enos,  was  born  in  Ohio.  A.  G.'s  youth  was  spent  in  Iowa,  where 
he  received  his  education,  at  Wittensburg  academy,  of  Jasper  County. 
In  December  1869  he  came  to  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  and  was 
engaged  for  several  years  as  a  successful  teacher.  He  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  C.  F.  Knight,  of  St.  Joseph,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Hos- 
pital Medical  College,  of  St.  Joseph,  in  February,  1880.  In  1877  he  settled 
in  Forbes,  taught  the  school  there  for  several  terms,  and  subsequently 
started  the  drug  business,  also  soon  having  a  large  and  successful  prac- 
tice. He  is  a  member  of  the  Northwestern  Medical  Society,  of  Missouri, 
and  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Lodge  of  Oregon.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics.  Dr.  Young  married  Miss  Laura  E.  Larkin,  of  St.  Joseph, 
October  24,  1878.  She  was  a  daughter  of  B.  F.  Larkin,  for  many  years 
a  contractor  and  builder  in  St.  Joseph.  Mrs.  Young  died  April  2,  1881, 
leaving  one  child,  which  soon  after  died.  Mrs.  Young  left  a  large  circle 
of  friends  to  mourn  her  loss.  The  Dr.  is  quite  studious  and  determined 
to  keep  pace  with  the  advancement  of  medical  science. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

HICKORY    TOWNSHIP. 

HICKORY  TOWNSHIP-BOUNDARIES— EARLY  SETTLERS— NICKOLS  GRAVE-FIRST  SCHOOL 
HOUSE— FIRST  PREACHER-FIRsT  PHYSICIAN,  ETC.— FIRST  MILL— DUNKARD 
CHURCH— NEW  POINT  —  CHURCH  —WATER  —  SHORT  HORNS —ORCHARDS— BIO- 
GRAPHICAL. 

BOUNDARIES. 

On  the  17th  day  of  June,  1874,  the  present  municipal  division  of 
Holt  County,  known  as  Hickory  Township,  was  created.  Its  limits, which 
had  been  previously  included  in  the  southern  part  of  Clay  and  in  the 
northern  part  of  Nodaway  Township,  are  thus  described  in  the  record  of 
its  organization  : 

"  Commencing  at  a  point  where  Oiler's  Base  Line  intersects  the  Nod- 
away River,  thence  west  on  said  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section 
35,  township  61,  range  38,  thence  north  on  section  line  dividing  sections 
34  and  35,  up  to  and  passing  along  line  dividing  sections  2  and  3  to  the 
township  line  dividing  townships  61  and  62,  thence  due  east  on  the  town- 
ship line  until  it  intersects  the  Nodaway  River  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning— said  township  to  be  known  as  Hickory  Township,  and  place  of 
voting  to  be  Fairview  School  House." 

It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Clay  Township,  on  the  east  by  Andrew 
County,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Nodaway  River,  on  the  south 
by  Nodaway  and  Lewis  Townships,  and  on  the  west  by  Benton  Town- 
ship. 

EARLY   SETTLERS. 

We  have  already  stated  that  the  first  settlers  of  Holt  County,  Peter 
and  Blank  Stephenson,  arrived  in  the  spring  of  1838,  and  established 
themselves  in  what  is  now  Forbes  Township,  near  the  present  lines  of 
Lewis  and  Nodaway  Townships;  and,  further,  on  excellent  authority,  that 
jon  the  arrival,  with  several  others,  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  of  R.  H. 
(Russel,  present  judge  of  the  Probate  Court  of  Holt  County,  these  two 
brothers  were  the  only  white  settlers  living  west  of  the  Nodaway  River. 
It  appears,  however,  that  there  is  a  difference  of  opinion  touching  the 
correctness  of  the  latter  statement,  it  being  contended  by  some  that 
about  the  period  of  the  arrival  of  the  Stephensons,  or  immediately  sub- 


262  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

sequent  thereto,  three  brothers  by  the  name  of  Nickols  had  crossed  the 
Nodaway  and  effected  a  settlement  in  a  locality  to  which  they  gave  the 
present  accepted  name  of  Nickols  Grove,  in  the  southern  part  of  what  is 
now  Hickory  and  extending  southwards  into  the  northern  part  of  the 
present  Nodaway  Township.  It  is  probable  that  the  period  elapsing 
between  the  arrivals  of  the  two  bands  of  settlers  was  very  brief,  and  that 
they  were  for  some  time  afterwards  ignorant  of  each  other's  presence  in 
the  country. 

At  some  time  during  the  year  1838,  it  is  generally  conceded,  Robert 
Nickols,  the  pioneer,  arrived  from  Virginia  and  settled  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  33,  township  61,  range  37,  near  the  northeast  corner  of 
which  now  stands  the  flourishing  hamlet  of  North  Point,  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  and  active  business  centers  of  its  size  in  this  country.  This 
quarter  section  is  now  owned  by  J.  Ruhl  and  others. 

NICKOLS'   GROVE. 

Nickols'  Grove,  in  the   immediate  vicinity  of  the  village,  lies  along 
the  waters  of  Nickols'  Creek.     The  main  body  of  the   timber   is  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  township  and  extends,  as  before  stated,  into  Nod- 
away Township,  to  the  southward.     That  portion  of  the  grove  lying  in 
Hickory  includes  an  area  equivalent  to  about  two  and  a  half  square  miles, 
and  abounds  in  some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  valuable  timber  pecu- 
liar to  this  section  of  country.     With  the  exception  of  occasional  groves 
of  smaller  extent  most  of  the  territory  included  within  the  limits  of  Hick- 
ory  Township    is    prairie.     Robert  Nickols,  shortly  after,  induced  his 
brothers,  Frank  and  John,  his  mother  and  his  brother-in-law,  J.  Kelley, 
to  move  to  and  settle  in  this  section  of  country.     John  Nickols  died  of 
cholera,  on  his   way  to  California  in  the  early  days  of  the   gold  fever. 
Emigration  from  the  older  states  and  settled  portions  of  Missouri  flowed 
to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Stephenson  settlement,  six  or  seven   miles 
farther  south,  but  it  was   some  time  before   these  early  settlers  of  the 
Grove,  of  whom  A.  C.  Bevan  was  also  one,  had  any  neighbors.     In  1840, 
Isaac  Long,  from  Ohio,  settled  in   the   neighborhood.     Hiram   Schotzer 
and  Zach  Winkler,  both  from  Pennsylvania,  arrived  in  the  neighborhood 
and  there  settled  between    1840    and    1845.     These   both   subsequently  I 
moved  to  California.     John  B.  Ish  came  in  an  early  day  to  the  neighbor- 
hood, from  Saline  County,  Missouri,  whither  he  afterwards  returned  and  j 
where,  if  still  living,  he  continues  to  reside.     He  settled  the  magnificentl 
farm  adjoining  New  Point,  and  now  owned  by  John  G.  Cowan.     Among 
others    also  came   Cain  Owens,  from  Kentucky,  and  Jacob  Ham,  a  Ten- 
nesseean,  who  had  come  to  the  settlement   from  Saline   County.     Both 
are  dead.     In  1845,  Thomas  S.  Bragg,  Esq.,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  had 
moved  to  Harrison   County,  Kentucky,  came   to  Missouri,  in    1845,  and 


HICKORY  TOWNSHIP.  263 

settled  the  splendid  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
New  Point.  This  farm  was  settled  by  Hiram  Shartzer,  in  1843.  In  the 
same  year,  also,  came  Andrew  Pope  and  Lapsley  Embree,  from  Lincoln 
County,  Kentucky.  The  former  now  (1882)  resides  in  Clay  County,  Mis- 
souri. The  latter  died  in  Arkansas,  in  1880.  Daniel  Hudson,  from 
Pulaski  County,  Kentucky,  who  died  some  years  ago,  was  also  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  Holt  County.  He  came  to  the  neighborhood  in  1845. 
With  the  exception  of  Thomas  S.  Bragg,  Esq.,  all  the  above  men- 
tioned are  either  dead  or  have  moved  away.  Among  other  old  settlers 
may  be  mentioned  Michael  and  James  DeBolt,  John,  Joseph  and  Noble 
Hodgins,  Robert  Morris  and  Captain  Peter  Price 

FIRST   SCHOOL   HOUSE. 

The  first  school  house  built  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now 
Hickory  Township  was  a  rude  frame  building,  erected  in  the  year  1846. 
It  stood  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  29,  township  61,  range  37, 
on  a  farm  now  owned  by  John  G.  Cowan.  The  first  who  taught  in  this 
building  was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Elmer,  a  New  Yorker  by  birth. 
This  primitive  temple  of  the  muses  has  long  been  numbered  with  the 
things  of  the  past,  and  its  memory  scarcely  survives  in  the  minds  of  the 
remaining  few  who  had  any  personal  knowledge  of  its  existence. 

FIRST    PREACHER. 

The  first  to  preach  the  gospel  in  this  locality  was  the  Rev.  Jacob 
Bird,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  began  his  labors  there  in 
1845.  His  field  was  in  that  early  day  an  extensive  one  ;  and,  though 
church  edifices  by  the  members  of  his  denomination  were  early  created 
in  other  parts  of  the  county,  no  building  was  ever  put  up  by  them  within 
the  bounds  of  Hickory  Township.  In  that  day  of  sparse  population 
almost  any  ordinary  cabin  was  sufficiently  commodious  for  the  demands 
of  the  small  congregations  who  assembled  to  hear  the  occasional 
expounders  of  the  Word  ;  and,  as  population  increased,  the  shady 
groves  afforded,  in  the  summer  season,  shelter  for  the  camp  meetings 
which  constituted,  in  that  day,  a  prominent  feature  in  the  religious  life 
of  the  early  settlers. 

The  first  of  these  assemblies  to  occur  in  this  locality  was  held  in 
the  summer  of  1857,  on  a  farm  occupying  section  32,  township  61,  range 
37.  at  that  time  the  property  of  Esquire  Bragg,  but  now  (1882)  owned 
by  his  son-in-law.  The  presiding  elder  at  this  meeting  was  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Ashby,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  W.  Naylor,  and  other  itinerant  minis- 
ters. These  assemblies  continued  for  many  years  after  to  maintain 
their  popularity.  In  1877,  1878  and  1879  largely  attended  camp  meet- 
ings were  held  on  section  33,  township  61,  range  37,  in   Nickols  Grove. 


264  HISTORY   OF   HOLT  COUNTY. 

FIRST     PHYSICIAN,    ETC. 

The  first  physician  to  locate  in  the  Grove  was  Dr.  Dozier,  who 
settled  there  in  1845.  He  was  formerly  from  Andrew  County.  Pre- 
vious to  that  period,  however,  Dr.  Norman,  the  pioneer  physician  of  the 
county,  and  Dr.  W.  W.  Wittington,  from  Andrew  County,  had  extended 
their  practice  to  the  settlements  in  and  about  Nickol's  Grove. 

The  first  blacksmith  to  pursue  his  calling  in  what  afterwards  became 
Hickory  Township,  was  Henry  Honaker,  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  com- 
menced business  in  1854,  in  a  shop  which  he  had  put  up  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  9,  township  61,  range  37.  Mr.  Honaker  was  a 
Southern  sympathizer,  and,  in  consequence  of  his  opinions,  was  assas- 
sinated in  the  spring  of  1863. 

THE   FIRST   MILL. 

The  first  mill  in  the  township  was  a  small  concern  with  one  pair  of 
burrs,  built  by  John  N.  Blair,  for  Robert  Nickols,  about  the  year  1839  or 
1840.  It  was  a  water  power,  and  stood  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 34,  township  61,  range  37,  about  one-half  mile  east  of  the  site  of  the 
present  village  of  New  Point.  The  only  grain  ground  at  this  mill  was 
corn.  It  continued  to  be  operated  till  1857.  There  is  now  (1882)  no 
mill  within  the  limits  of  Hickory  Township. 

The  first  ferry  on  the  Nodaway  River  which  had  a  landing  on  the 
shore  of  what  is  now  Hickory  Township,  was  established  and  maintained 
for  several  years  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Lackey,  from  Andrew  County. 
The  landing  of  this  ferry  was  on  a  farm  now  (1882)  owned  by  Samuel 
Praisewater,  near  the  line  between  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  27, 
and  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  26,  township  61,  range  37,  about 
one-half  mile  north  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  New  Point.  Henry 
DeBolt  afterwards  kept  a  ferry  on  southwest  quarter  of  section  27,  town- 
ship 61,  range  37,  about  one-half  mile  above  the  old  ferry,  before  i860. 
This  latter  was  about  1861.     Both  have  long  passed  out  of  existence. 

The  first  to  plant  fruit  trees  in  Hickory  Township  was  Esquire 
Thomas  S.  Bragg,  who  planted  an  apple  orchard  on  his  farm,  which  lies 
in  section  32,  township  61,  range  37,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
New  Point.  This  pioneer  orchard,  which  included  about  fifty  trees,  was 
planted  about  the  year  1847.  Some  of  the  finest  orchards  in  the  county 
are  now  growing  in  Hickory  Township. 

The  erection  of  church  edifices  is  a  recent  enterprise  in  Hickory 
Township,  though  religious  organizations  have  existed  there  from  the 
earliest  settlement  of  the  county.  The  first  ecclesiastical  structure  put 
up  in  the  township  was  the  Dunkard  Church,  near  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  northwest  quarter  of  township  61,  range  31,  near  the  west  line  of 
the  township. 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  265 

DUNKARD   CHURCH. 

On  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  14,  township  61,  range  38, 
within  the  limits  of  Hickory  Township,  and  near  the  dividing  line 
between  it  and  Benton  Township,  is  a  neat  frame  church  building,  thirty- 
five  by  fifty  feet  area,  with  an  extension  sixteen  feet  square.  This  is 
popularly  known  as  the  Dunkard  Church.  It  was  built  in  1874  by  Levi 
Kauffman  and  Isaac  Zigler,  contractors,  assisted  by  other  workmen.  Its 
cost  was  about  $1,800.  The  congregation  was  organized  as  a  church  in 
February,  1872,  with  the  following  members,  thirty-six  in  number  :  A. 
J.  Correll  and  wife,  Joseph  Glick  and  wife,  Samuel  Glick  and  wife,  Joel 
Glick  and  wife,  Jonathan  Andes  and  wife,  Isaac  Zigler  and  wife,  Joseph 
Kauffman  and  wife,  Levi  Kauffman  and  wife,  William  Griffith  and  wife, 
James  Judy  and  wife,  David  Keller  and  wife,  John  Shamberger  and  wife, 
John  H.  Miller,  Joseph  Hilderbrand,  Susan  Andes,  William  G.  Andes, 
Jane  Parmer,  Mary  Hilderbrand,  Mary  Kauffman,  Mrs.  Susan  Glick, 
Isaac  Wampler  and  wife,  Anna  Andes  and  Solomon  G.  Snell.  This 
organization  is  styled  Bethel,  and  the  name  of  the  meeting  house  Beth- 
lehem. Of  the  above  named  organizers,  in  the  language  of  one  of  their 
ministers  :  "  Some  have  gone  to  their  reward  while  others  have  moved 
to  other  countries,  until  of  the  original  members  scarcely  one  half  now 
(1882)  remain  identified  with  the  congregation."  The  church  is  pros- 
pering abundantly,  and  increasing  in  numbers.  In  May,  1878,  the  con- 
gregation divided,  and  a  large  number  being  in  Nodaway  County,  a 
church  was  there  organized.  The  church  in  Holt  County  has  no  organ- 
ization other  than  Bethel,  of  which  there  are,  at  present,  five  ministers, 
viz  :  John  H.  Miller,  Joseph  Glick,  Joel  Glick,  Peter  E.  Whitmer  and 
Reuben  Keller.  The  organization  includes  some  of  the  best  citizens  of 
Holt  County. 

The  first  election  of  officers  held  in  Hickory  Township  occurred 
November  3,  1874,  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Thomas  Wright  and  W. 
S.  Allen  as  justices  of  the  peace,  and  Robert  Hester,  constable.  The 
only  town  and  post  office  in  Hickory  Township  is 

NEW  POINT. 

The  town  is  located  near  the  west  side  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  33,  township  61,  range  37.  A  portion  of  the  village  also  lies  in 
the  east  part  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  same,  the  half  section  line 
passing  along  the  center  of  the  principal  street.  The  south  limits  of 
the  village  extend  to  the  waters  of  Nickol's  Creek,  the  principal  stream 
ol  the  township.  The  town  was  first  started  by  L.  D.  Barnes,  the 
founder  of  the  town,  and  the  pioneer  merchant  of  the  place,  who  com- 
menced selling  goods  there,  in  a  building  which  he  had  erected  for  that 


266  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

purpose,  in  1869.  In  1875,  in  consequence  of  another  of  the  same  name 
having  been  previously  established,  the  name  of  the  town  and  post 
office,  which  had  originally  been  called  Grant,  was  changed,  and  the 
present  style,  New  Point,  was  substituted  therefor.  About  the  same 
period,  Jerry  Stultz  started  his  blacksmith  shop,  the  first  established  in 
the  place.     He  still  operates  it. 

In  1871,  B.  F.  Wilson,  the  present  (1882)  druggist,  originally  from 
the  State  of  Indiana,  established  the  first  and  only  drug  store  in  the  town. 
In  the  same  year,  James  Barnes  started  a  wagon  shop.  He  continued  to 
manufacture  till  1876,  when  he  sold  out  to  his  brother,  C.  F.  Barnes, who 
continued  the  business  till  1880,  when  he  sold  to  E.  S.  McDonald,  the 
present  wagon  maker.  Mr.  Barnes  then,  in  partnership  with  Joseph  R. 
Collison,  purchased,  under  the  firm  name  of  Barnes  &  Collison,  the  good 
will  and  stock  in  trade  of  the  pioneer  merchant,  L.  D.  Barnes,  and  have 
since  continued  to  conduct  the  business  at  the  old  stand. 

In  1872,  B.  F.  Chandler  started  a  blacksmith  shop  in  New  Point. 
This,  in  1876,  he  sold  to  J.  B.  Coffin,  the  present  smith.  In  1874,  John 
P.  Ruhl,  started  a  millinery  establishment  in  the  place.  During  the  fol- 
lowing year,  he  added,  in  an  adjoining  room,  a  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise.    Both  these  enterprises  he  continues  to  pursue. 

The  first  boot  and  shoe  shop  in  the  village  was  started  by  Davis 
Brodbeck,  in  1878.  He  was  succeeded  in  this  business  by  H.  Armack, 
after  whom  came  the  present  boot  and  shoemaker,  William  Kunkel. 

In  1876,  Aaron  Cole  opened  a  general  stock  of  merchandise.  In 
the  following  year,  he  sold  out  to  his  brother,  G.  W.  Cole,  who  contin- 
ued the  business  till  1880,  when  he  sold  to  the  present  proprietor,  A. 
Swartz,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  went  to  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade. 

Frederick  Meister  and  Ulrich  Burger,  under  the  firm  style  of  Meister 
&  Burger,  started  in  1875,  a  general  store,  which  they  conducted  till  the 
spring  of  1881.  They  now  run  a  tin  shop  in  New  Point.  G.  W.  Cole 
and  John  Lautz  are  the  carpenters  of  the  place,  the  latter  having  been 
ten  years  in  the  business  there. 

The  first  physician  to  locate  at  New  Point  was  Dr.  William  Parrish, 
who  settled  in  the  town  in  187 1.  He  moved  away  in  1874,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  Bryson,  who,  in  turn,  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Reeves.  On 
retiring,  Dr.  E.  W.  Burtch  established  himself  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine. He  was  succeeded  by  the  present  physicians  of  the  town,  Dr. 
James  Ashworth  and  Dr.  J.  R.  Kearney.  The  latter  is  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  a  graduate  of  the  Medical  College  of  St.  Louis  and  of  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital Medical  College,  New  York. 

There  is  no  school  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of  New  Point. 
Nickols'  Grove  District  School,  however,  is  only  about  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  distant,  in  a  northwesterly  direction. 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  267 

CHURCH. 

New  Point  contains  one  of  the  neatest  and  most  elegantly  appointed 
country  churches  in  the  state.  It  is  the  property  of  the  Old  School 
Presbyterians.  The  building  is  a  gothic  frame,  thirty  feet  front  by  forty- 
five  feet  deep,  and  is  crowned  with  a  belfry.  The  windows  are  of  stained 
glass  of  elegant  design,  and  the  whole  presents  a  very  attractive  appear- 
ance. The  interior  appointments  of  the  church  are  even  more  elaborate 
than  the  external  finish,  and  are  strikingly  neat  and  harmonious  in  their 
proportions.  A  handsome  organ  and  elegant  chandeliers  are  included 
in  the  same.  The  edifice  was  completed  in  October,  1877,  at  a  cost  °f 
about  two  thousand  dollars,  largely  through  the  liberal  aid  of  John  G. 
Cowan,  who  donated  the  ground  on  which  it  stands. 

New  Point  Presbyterian  Church  was  first  organized  in  Cowan's 
School  House,  near  New  Point,  on  the  2d  day  of  September,  1872,  and 
styled  Hope  Church.  The  Rev.  Robert  Cruikshanks,  D.  D.,  conducted 
the  organization,  and  preached  the  first  sermon.  The  Rev.  N.  H.  Smith, 
first  pastor  of  the  congregation  was  also  present.  The  following  mem- 
bers composed  the  original  organization  :  John  G.  Cowan  and  Mary 
E.  Cowan,  his  wife,  B.  O.  Cowan,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gresham,  John  Meyer 
and  wife,  V.  L.  and  Hannah  Graham,  William  and  Sarah  Coburn, 
and  Samuel  G.  Park.  The  first  officers  elected  were  Elders  John 
G.  Cowan  and  John  Meyer.  The  congregation  continued  to  worship  in 
Cowan's  School  House,  from  the  period  of  their  organization  in  1872,  up 
to  the  period  of  the  completion  of  the  church  edifice,  in  October  1877. 
In  November,  1877,  the  dedication  services  of  the  church  were  conducted 
by  the  Rev.  Duncan  Brown,  of  Mound  City.  The  pastors  in  charge  of 
the  church  from  its  origin  to  the  present  time  have  been  as  follows  : 
Rev.  N.  H.  Smith,  September,  1872  ;  Rev.  J.  O.  Pierce,  June,  1876  ;  Rev. 
George  Miller,  October,  1876  ;  Rev.  W.  E.  Williamson,  D.  D.,  January, 
1882. 

WATER. 

Hickory  Township  is  a  well  watered,  sufficiently  timbered,  and 
an  excellently  improved  district  of  the  county.  The  principal  streams 
of  the  township  are  Nickols  Creek  and  Hickory  Creek.  The  former  is  a 
stream  of  occasionally  sufficient  volume  to  afford  mill  power.  This 
stream  debouches  into  Nodaway  River,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  27,  township  61,  range  37.  Nearly  parallel 
with  this,  and  about  two  miles  north,  is  Hickory  Creek,  flowing  also  in 
a  southeasterly  course,  and  emptying  into  Nodaway  River  on  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  22,  township  61,  range  61,  on  land  owned  by 
Hershner  Brothers.  The  mouth  of  this  stream  is  about  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  due  north  of  the  mouth  of  Nickols  Creek,  and  about  one  mile  by 


268  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

the  winding  of  the  river.  Hog  Creek,  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of 
Hickory  Township,  flows  in  an  easterly  direction  towards  the  Nodaway, 
forming  a  swamp  or  lake  near  the  banks  of  that  stream,  and  known  as 
Lovelady  Lake.  Kimsey  Creek  rises  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Hickory 
Township,  in  section  n,  township  61,  range  38,  and  flows  about  two 
miles  south  and  west  into  Benton  Township.  Innumerable  springs  and 
spring  branches  abound,  affording  ample  stock  water  in  all  parts  of  the 
township. 

SHORT    HORNS. 

John  G.  Cowan,  the  pioneer  short  horn  breeder  of  the  Platte  Pur- 
chase, and  the  owner  of  several  valuable  farms  in  Holt  County,  resides 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  New  Point.  His  home  place,  which 
includes  617  acres,  is  one  of  the  best  improved  in  the  country.  In  the 
fall  of  1842,  he  moved  from  Kentucky,  his  native  state,  to  Lafayette 
County,  Missouri  ;  thence,  in  1843,  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri.  In 
1858  he  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Graham,  in  Nodaway  County. 
In  March,  1866,  he  moved  to  Holt  and  settled  on  his  present  home,  in 
what  is  now  Hickory  Township,  on  the  farm  formerly  owned  by  John  B. 
Ish.  His  residence  stands  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  28,  town- 
ship 61,  range  37  west.  There  are  several  fine  apple  orchards  on  this 
farm.  The  one  adjoining  the  lawn  of  his  residence  contains  a  number 
of  trees  unequaled  in  size  in  the  state,  several  of  them  measuring  from 
six  to  six  and  a  half  feet  in  girth,  and  containing  in  their  trunks  and 
branches  not  less  than  two  cords  of  wood.  These  giant  trees  are  uni- 
form and  strikingly  symmetrical  in  appearance,  and  produce  immense 
yields  of  some  of  the  finest  varieties  of  fruit.  The  feature,  however, 
for  which  this  farm  is  especially  noted  is  the  magnificent  herd  of  Short 
Horn  Durham  cattle  always  found  here.  In  1868,  Mr.  Cowan  made  his 
first  importation  of  this  valuable  breed  of  live  stock  from  Kentucky. 
The  year  previous  to  this  he  had  imported  a  short  horn  bull  from  Illi- 
nois. The  bull  which  he  brought  from  Kentucky  in  the  winter  of  1868 
and  1869  was  Knight  of  Saint  George,  registered  in  A.  H.  B.,  No.  8,473, 
and  bred  by  William  Duncan,  of  Illinois.  In  1870  he  brought  fifteen 
head  of  these  cattle  from  Ohio.  In  1872  he  purchased  for  the  sum  of 
three  thousand  dollars  of  William  Warfield,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
the  celebrated  bull,  Loudon  Duke  the  Sixth,  10,399  A.  H.  B.  For 
this  splendid  specimen,  which  weighed  2,300  pounds,  he  afterwards 
refused  four  thousand  dollars,  and  subsequently  four  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  Wherever  exhibited  he  took  premiums.  These  places 
of  exhibition  included  all  the  principal  fairs  in  Missouri,  as  well  as  the 
state  lairs  of  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Kansas,  and  Nebraska. 
The  premiums  which  he  took  in  his  lifetime,  amounted  in  number  to 
upwards  of  fifty.     His  numerous  progeny  were  scarcely  less  noted  as 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  269 

premium  takers.  Prominent  among  these  was  Loudon's  Minnie,  a  red 
heifer,  which  was  exhibited  at  the  Centennial  in  Philadelphia,  and  was 
awarded  the  gold  medal. 

Loudon  Duke- the  Sixth,  died  April  14,  1881,  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years,  and  was  buried  in  his  lot.  From  the  pioneer  herd  started  by  John 
G.  Cowan,  many  of  the  best  herds  in  the  west  have  derived  their  origin. 
His  present  (1882)  herd  includes  between  sixty  and  seventy  head  of 
thoroughbreds,  at  the  head  of  which  is  Bel  Duke  of  Thorndale,  A.  S.  H. 
R.,  8148,  assisted  by  Loudon,  Jr.,  A.  S.  H.,  8888.  B.  O.  Cowan,  second 
son  of  the  pioneer  breeder,  has  been  associated  in  the  Short  Horn  busi- 
ness with  his  father  since  188 1. 

There  is  in  Hickory  Township  another  herd  of  Short  Horns.  This 
includes  about  twenty-five  head,  the  property  of  Esquire  Bragg,  above 
referred  to.  They  were  purchased  from  the  Hamiltons,  of  Kentucky,  at 
their  sales  in  Kansas  City  in  1879  and  1880. 

ORCHARDS. 

Nearly  every  farm  in  Hickory  Township  has  its  apple  orchard. 
Grapes  and  other  fruits  also  abound.  Not  a  few  farmers  here,  as  in 
neighboring  townships,  manufacture  several  barrels  of  Concord  wine 
yearly,  for  their  own  use.  The  largest  apple  orchard  in  Hickory  is  on  a 
farm  owned  and  occupied  by  John  W.  Davis,  including  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  9,  township  61,  range  37. 

The  Lackey  road,  which   ran  through   Hickory  township,  was  that 
part  of  a  main  traveled   highway,  which  led    from  Jackson's  Point  (now 
Mound  City)  to  Lackey's  Ferry,  on  the  Nodaway,  and  was  on  the  line 
of  the    great  thoroughfare    leading  from    St.  Joseph  to  Council  Bluffs. 
Lackey's  Ferry  was  established  by  Andrew  Lackey,  and  has  since  been 
\  called   the  Thrailkill   Ferry,  and  subsequently    the    Praisewater  Ferry. 
Lackey  afterwards  located  a  short  distance  below  the  ferry  and  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  and  saloon,  which  was  frequented  by  nearly  all  the 
1  trappers  who  ranged  through  the  upper  country. 


270  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 


^-BIOGRAPHICAL.^ 


JAMES  ASHWORTH,  M.  D., 

was  born  on  the  12th  of  July,  1849,  m  England,  and  was  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Hannah  (Fletcher)  Ashworth,  who  were  also  natives  of  that 
country.  James  received  a  liberal  education  in  England,  and  for  about 
six  years  previous  to  coming  to  the  United  States,  he  was  engaged  in 
book  keeping.  In  1869,  he  landed  on  American  soil,  and  subsequently 
studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Cavanaugh,  of  Lamar  Station,  an  early 
practitioner  of  Nodaway  County,  after  which  he  attended  the  Medical 
College  of  Cincinnati.  From  this  institution  he  was  graduated  in  medi- 
cine and  surgery  in  1878.  Dr.  A.  first  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Nodaway  County,  but  soon  came  to  Holt  County  and  set- 
tled at  New  Point,  where  he  now  has  a  large  and  increasing  patronage. 
He  was  married  May  1,  1872,  in  Nodaway  County,  to  Louisa  Campbell, 
daughter  of  H.  D.  Campbell,  Esq.  T.he  doctor  is  independent  in  politics, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

ALLEN  T.    BLOOMER, 

section  29,  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  November  8,  1828.  His 
father,  Joseph,  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  moved  to  and  was  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  Fayette  Co.,  Ohio,  he  having  served  as  sheriff  for  four 
terms.  He  lived  to  be  seventy-two  years  of  age,  dying  at  his  residence, 
in  that  county,  in  1859.  Allen's  mother,  formerly  Mary  McDonald,  was 
a  native  of  Ohio.  Young  Bloomer  spent  his  youth  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  attended  the  common  schools.  In  1855,  he  removed  from  Ohio  to 
Illinois,  where  he  resided  until  November,  1865,  when  he  came  to  Holt 
County.  He  located  near  where  he  now  resides,  and  at  this  time  (1882) 
is  the  owner  of  365  acres  of  land,  upon  which  is  an  orchard  of  150 
apple  and  150  peach  trees,  besides  cherries,  pears  and  plums.  Mr.  B. 
devotes  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Short  Horn  cattle  and 
Poland  China  hogs.  He  was  married  August  12,  1852,  in  Fayette 
County,  Ohio,  to  Mary  Baker,  daughter  of  Watson  Baker.  She  is  a 
native  of  Ohio.  They  have  three  children  :  Joseph  W.,  born  May  16, 
1853  :  Lida  (wife  of  Dr.  J.  R.  Kearney,  of  New  Point,)  born  October  3, 
1858,  and  Ada,  born  June  25,  1870.     Mr.  B.  is  Republican  in  politics. 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  2J\ 

WILLIAM  COBURN, 

section  30,  a  leading  farmer  of  this  township,  was  born  October  6,  1831, 
in  Warren  County,  Ohio,  his  parents,  John  and  Zilphia  (Sayres)  Coburn, 
both  being  natives  of  that  county.  In  185 1  the  family  moved  to  Shelby 
County,  Indiana,  but  after  remaining  for  two  years,  located  in  Minnesota. 
There  they  made  their  home  for  thirteen  years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1868 
came  to  Holt  County.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  his  earlier 
days  on  the  farm,  and  in  attending  the  common  schools.  He  now  owns 
240  acres  of  land,  upon  the  same  there  being  a  good  bearing  orchard  of 
140  apple  and  500  peach  trees,  besides  other  fruit.  Mr.  Coburn  has 
some  graded  cattle,  and  devotes  much  attention  to  feeding  stock.  Dur- 
ing the  war,  for  two  years,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Minnesota 
Cavalry.  In  his  political  views  he  is  Republican,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  C.  was  married  October  5,  1853,  in  Miami 
County,  Indiana,  to  Sarah  E.  Vandoren,  daughter  of  Jacob  Vandoren. 
She  is  a  native  of  Preble  County,  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  have  eight 
children  :  Martha  E.,  (now  Mrs.  Peter  Comer)  born  October  16,  1854  ; 
Nellie  F.,  (wife  of  Robert  Emmerson)  born  April  19,  1857;  Alvin,  born 
April  6,  1859;  William  V.,  born  March  31,  1865  ;  Susan  V.,  born  January 
26,  1868  ;  Ralph  L.,  born  March  10,  1871  ;  M.  Roberta,  born  November 
20,  1874,  and  Cora  M.,  born  February  15,  1877. 

JOHN  G.  COWAN, 

farmer,  stock  feeder  and  breeder  of  Short  Horn  cattle,  section  6,  was  born 
in  Pulaski  County,  Kentucky,  June  21,  1820,  and  was  the  son  of  William 
G.  and  Sarah  (Gilmore)  Cowan,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia.  The 
former  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  John  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
his  native  county,  although  he  received  a  very  limited  common  school 
education.  In  1842,  he  removed  to  Lafayette  County,  Missouri,  and  to 
Andrew  County  in  1843.  In  1858,  he  went  to  Nodaway  County,  and  in 
1865,  came  to  this  (Holt)  County,  and  since  that  time  has  lived  on  the 
place  where  he  now  resides.  This  consists  of  620  acres,  and  on  the  farm 
is  an  orchard  surpassed  by  none  in  this  neighborhood.  For  three  or  four 
months  during  the  war  he  served  in  the  State  Militia.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  and  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr. 
Cowan  was  married  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  November  20,  1844,  to 
Mary  E.  Gresham.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  William  Gresham,  and 
was  reared  in  Lincoln  County,  Kentucky.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
C.  consists  of:  Charles,  born  May  22,  1849;  Bryant  O.,  born  January  2, 
1852;  John  F.,  born  October  26,  1856;  Flora  C.  (wife  of  E.  H.  Messen- 
ger, of  this  township)  born  February  17,  1859;  Caroline,  born  April  [3, 
1861  ;  Robert  G.,  born  May  8,  1863,  and  Daisy  Irene,  born  July  13,  1870. 
Mr.  C.  is  Democratic  in  politics. 


2  72  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 


4 


JOHN  M.  CRIDER, 

section  25,  a  leading  agriculturist  of  this  vicinity,  was  born  July  3,  1835 
and  is  a  native  of  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania.  His  father,  Jacob, 
was  born  in  Lebanon  County,  Pennsylvania.  In  1841  the  family  moved 
to  Cumberland  County,  and  there  John  was  brought  up  on  a  farm, 
although  unable  to  pass  but  a  few  months  of  each  year  in  attending 
school.  In  April,  1869,  he  left  there  and  removed  to  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri, where  for  two  years  he  rented  a  farm  near  Oregon.  In  1871  he  pur- 
chased and  moved  upon  his  present  place,  which  embraces  140  acres  of 
valuable  and  well  improved  land.  His  orchard  contains  125  apple,  100 
peach,  besides  cherry,  pear  and  plum  trees.  In  1864  he  entered  into  the 
military  service,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  wounded 
while  in  action  before  Petersburg  and  participated  in  numerous  smaller 
engagements.  He  is  Republican  in  politics.  Mr.  C.  was  married  Jan- 
uary 16,  1862,  in  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  to  Hannah  K.  Gel- 
vin,  of  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  have  six  chil- 
dren :  Vinson  G.,  born  February  13,  1867  ;  Elmer  J.,- born  December  21, 
1870 ;  Bertie  M.,  born  April  17,  1873  ;  Sarah  A.,  born  June  6,  1875  ;  John 
W.,  born  October  16,  1877  ;  David  M.,  born  May  19,  1880.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

HIRAM  E.    DENNY 

was  born  in  Washington  County,  Indiana,  June  5.  1849.  His  father, 
Thomas  G.  Denny,  was  a  native  of  Mercer  County,  Kentucky,  and  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Hobbs,  of  Washington  County, 
Kentucky.  Hiram's  early  days  were  passed  on  the  farm  and  in  clerking 
in  a  dry  goods  store.  He  received  a  common  school  education  and  in 
1861,  with  the  family,  moved  to  Moultrie  County,  Illinois.  August  27, 
1861,  he  entered  the  army,  becoming  a  member  of  the  Fifth  Illinois 
Cavalry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  October,  1862,  he  was 
taken  prisoner  by  Hindman's  forces  near  Old  Town,  Arkansas,  and  con- 
fined a  short  time.  He  was  discharged  November  2,  1865.  After  this 
he  came  to  Boone  County,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  for  two  years, 
and  in  1867,  he  located  in  Holt  County.  Since  then  Mr.  Denny  has 
been  engaged  in  the  saw  mill  and  lumber  business,  operating  a  thresh- 
ing machine  during  the  fall  of  the  year.  He  owned  and  ran  the  first 
steam  thresher  in  the  county  in  1870.  During  the  winter  season  he 
devotes  his  time  to  teaching  vocal  music,  and  as  an  instructor  is  a 
decided  success.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  polit- 
ically is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  A.  GOODHART, 

section  4,  was  born  in  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  September  29, 
1843,  and  was  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Chisnell)  Goodhart,  both 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  273 

natives  of  Pennsylvania.  John  was  reared  on  a  farm,  for  some  time 
attended  the  district  schools  and  afterwards  entered  the  graded  or  high 
school  of  Richland  County,  Ohio,  where  he  received  a  liberal  education. 
In  1856  the  family  moved  to  Richland  County,  Ohio,  and  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  came  from  there  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of 
1874,  and  for  eight  years  has  resided  in  this  neighborhood.  Since  his 
arrival  here  Mr.  G.  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  stock  raising  and  feed- 
ing, and  has  also  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade.  He  owns  120  acres  of 
good  land,  and  an  orchard  of  150  apple  and  400  peach  trees,  besides 
cherries,  and  200  grape  vines.  At  the  general  election  of  1878  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  for  Hickory  Township.  He  is  independent 
in  politics,  and  a  leading  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  October  I, 
1868,  Mr.  Goodhart  was  married  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  to  Minerva 
Buckingham,  daughter  of  David  Buckingham,  Esq.  She  was  born  in 
that  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  have  two  children  :  Clara  May,  born  May 
16,  1872,  and  Oliver  C,  born  July  10,   1876. 

ANDREW  J.  GWINN, 

farmer  and  feeder  and  shipper  of  live  stock,  section  6,  was  born  in  Saline 
County,  Missouri,  September  19,  1839.  His  father,  M.  C.  Gwinn,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  A. 
Thrailkill,  was  a  Tennessean  by  birth.  The  youth  of  A.  J.  was  spent  on 
a  farm  in  Saline  County,  he  obtaining  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  August  ?i,  1878  he  removed  from  Saline  to  Holt  County,  and 
now  owns  160  acres  of  land  with  a  choice  orchard  of  no  apple,  60  peach 
and  other  fruit  trees.  During  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  Company  F. 
Second  Missouri  Cavalry,  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  remained  in 
service  for  three  years.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge  and  Prairie 
Grove,  besides  numerous  skirmishes.  Mr.  Gwinn  was  married  May  22, 
1870,  to  Lucy  A.  Ham,  daughter  of  Adam  Ham,  Esq.  She  was  reared 
in  Saline  County.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  consists  of:  Mary, 
born  March  30,  1871  ;  Minnie,  born  September  9,  1872  ;  Jessie,  born 
May  13,  1874;  Otis,  born  February  28,  1876  ;  Florence,  born  August  24, 
1878,  and  Robert,  born  November  22,  1880.  Politically,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  his  religious  preferences  are  with  the  Christian  Church. 

ANDREW  J.  HAM, 

farmer,  section  20,  was  born  in  Saline  County,  Missouri,  April  2,  1823, 
his  parents  being  Jacob  and  Margaret  (House)  Ham.  The  former,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  Andrew  passed  his 
time  on  a  farm  at  his  birthplace  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age, 
acquiring  a  common  English  education.     May  1,  1845,  he  landed  in  Holt 

18 


274  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

County,  Missouri,  and  has  lived  continuously  in  one  neighborhood  for 
thirty-seven  years,  and  on  his  present  place  for  twenty-four  years.  This 
farm  consists  of  225  acres,  and  upon  it  is  an  orchard  of  200  peach  and  90 
apple  trees.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  Ham  was 
married  August  12,  1855,  to  Catherine  Thrailkill,  who  was  born  in  Saline 
County,  but  principally  brought  up  in  Grundy  County,  Mo.  Her  father 
was  Mr.  William  Thrailkill.  Their  family  consists  of  five  children  :  Bel- 
din,  born  January  13,  1858  ;  John,  born  December  25,  1859  ;  Thomas  W., 
born  August  4,  1866;  Robert  C,  born  February  29,  1868,  and  Lizzie, 
born  March  8,  1870.     Mr.  H.  is  democratic  in  his  political  views. 

JOSEPH  HODGINS, 

section  17,  a  leading  agriculturist  and  citizen  of  Hickory  Township,  is  a 
native  of  Washington  County,  Indiana,  and  was  born  October  5,  1835. 
His  father,  Joseph  Hodgins,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  his  mother, 
formerly  Mary  Gordon,  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  Joseph  was  reared 
as  a  farmer  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  October, 
1854,  when  but  nineteen  years  old  he  left  his  native  county  and  came  to 
Holt  County,  having  only  enough  money  to  pay  the  necessary  bills  on 
his  journey.  After  his  arrival  he  worked  by  the  month  for  some  time, 
but  for  twenty-three  years  past  he  has  lived  on  his  present  farm.  This 
contains  365  acres  of  fine  land,  with  a  good  bearing  orchard  of  no  apple, 
200  peach  and  forty  cherry  trees.  Mr.  H.  has  improved  this  place  him- 
self, and  has  gained  what  property  he  now  owns  by  labor,  economy  and 
his  industrious  habits.  For  three  years  during  the  war  he  served  in  the 
State  Militia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  politically 
is  a  prominent  Republican.  Mr.  H.  has  been  twice  married  ;  first,  Octo- 
ber 23,  1859,  to  Harriet  E.  Lawrence.  His  second  marriage  occurred 
May  31,  1874,  to  Susan  E.  Denny,  daughter  of  Thomas  E.  Denny.  Mr. 
Hodgins  has  a  family  of  four  children  :  Melissa  J.  (wife  of  Jacob  Kline), 
born  March  31,  1861  ;  Theodore  E.,  born  October  17,  1864;  Nellie  C, 
born  February  6,  1877,  and  Joseph  E.,  born  August  28,  1879. 

JOHN   HORNECKER, 

section  35,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  December  4,  1826,  and  is  the 
son  of  Jacob  and  Anna  M.  (Adolph)  Hornecker,  who  were  natives  of 
Germany.  John's  earlier  days  were  passed  in  his  native  country,  work- 
ing on  a  farm  and  in  a  vineyard  ;  his  education  was  obtained  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  In  1853  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  spent  his  first 
winter  in  this  country  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  During  the  following  spring 
he  came  to  Holt  County,  and  for  three  years  resided  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  county,  after  which  he  purchased  his  present  and  now  valuable 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  275 

farm  of  164  acres,  in  Hickory  Township.  Upon  this  he  has  since  lived, 
devoting  his  time  to  stock  raising  and  farming.  His  orchard  con- 
tains 200  apple,  50  peach  and  some  cherry  trees,  besides  a  vineyard 
of  200  grapes.  Mr.  Hornecker  was  married  in  Germany,  July  22,  1849, 
to  Mary  E.  Schorb.  They  have  four  children  :  George  L.,  born  April 
23,  1850:  Jacob,  born  November  23,  1856  ;  Mary  L.,  born  December  24, 
1859,  and  John,  born  January  14,  1871.  Mr.  H.  is  a  member  of  the  Ger- 
man Methodist  Church,  and  in  politics  is  Republican. 

JOHN  R.  KEARNEY,  M.  D., 

was  born  January  27,  1856,  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Knox  County,  Ohio,  and  his  mother  of  Boone  County,  Mis- 
souri. When  quite  young  John  entered  a  printing  office  at  Falls  City, 
Nebraska,  to  learn  the  trade  of  printer.  He  also  began  to  study  medi- 
cine under  the  tutorship  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Shaw,  of  that  city,  though  really 
at  that  time  not  much  more  than  a  boy,  and  continued  under  his  instruc- 
tion for  six  years.  From  Falls  City  he  went  to  Ohio,  where  he  worked 
on  a  farm  in  order  to  obtain  sufficient  money  to  enable  him  to  take  his 
first  course  of  lectures.  He  attended  the  Louisville  Medical  College, 
and  after  leaving  that  institution  he  subsequently  entered  the  St.  Louis 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  March,  1877.  He  also 
graduated  from  the  Bellevue  Hospital  College  in  1881.  Dr.  Kearney 
has  worked  his  own  way  through  life,  and  is  entitled  to  great  credit  for 
the  manner  in  which  he  has  built  up  his  successful  practice.  In  July, 
1877,  he  commenced  practicing  his  profession  at  New  Point.  Politically 
he  stands  independent.  The  doctor  was  married  in  Mound  City,  Mis- 
souri, July  4,  1879,  to  Miss  Lida  Bloomer,  daughter  of  Allen  Bloomer,  of 
this  township.  They  have  one  child,  Elmer  Frank,  born  April  22,  1880. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOHN  KEASTER, 

farmer  and  plasterer,  section  25,  a  native  of  Union  County,  Pennsylvania, 
was  born  November  11,  1835.  His  father,  Benjamin,  was  also  born  in 
that  state,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  mother,  Elizabeth 
Keaster,  was  from  the  same  state.  The  youth  of  John  Keaster  was  passed 
on  the  farm  in  Union  County,  his  education  there  being  obtained  in  the 
common  schools.  In  April,  1849,  n's  parents  immigrated  to  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  residing  there  for  eighteen  months,  when  they  moved  to 
Illinois.  John  left  home  in  1855,  and  learned  the  plasterers  trade,  which 
he  followed  for  sixteen  years.  In  June,  1857,  he  came  to  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  this  vicinity.  His  estate  con- 
sists of  196  acres,  with  an  orchard  of   196  apple  trees  and  a  variety  of 


276  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

peaches,  cherries,  plums  and  pears.  During  the  war  Mr.  K.  served  nine 
months  in  the  State  Militia,  being  a  member  of  Company  F,  Fourth  Mis- 
souri. He  is  Republican  in  politics.  October  28,  1856,  he  was  married, 
in  Mitchell  County,  Iowa,  to  Sarah  J.  Brown,  a  native  of  Indiana.  Her 
father  was  George  Brown,  Esq.  They  have  six  children  :  Elizabeth  A. 
(wife  of  Thomas  Cooper,  of  this  township),  born  April  27,  1859  ;  George 
T.,  born  February  23/1862  ;  Ulysses  G.,  born  August  30,  1866  ;  Amanda 
C,  born  September  11,  1864  ;  Edwin,  born  February  8,  1872  ;  Flora  L., 
born  January  1,  1874. 

MARTIN  KEIFFER, 

farmer,  section  25,  was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Virginia,  January 
19,  1819,  and  was  the  son  of  George  and  Catherine  (Armantrout)  Keiffer, 
the  former  of  Maryland  and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Martin  Kieffer 
moved  to  Saline  County,  Missouri,  in  1837,  and  to  Mercer  County  in  the 
spring  of  1841.  He  resided  there  until  1857,  when  he  came  to  Holt 
County,  in  the  spring  of  1858.  He  now  owns  120  acres  of  land,  and  his 
orchard  contains  83  apple,  100  peach,  and  other  fruit  trees.  Mr.  Keiffer, 
as  was  his  father,  is  democratic  in  politics.  He  was  married  February 
21,  1839,  to  Jane  Mullins,  daughter  of  David  and  Rebecca  (Robison) 
Mullins.  Mrs.  K.  was  born  and  raised  in  Cooper  County,  Missouri. 
They  have  six  children  :  George  R.,  born  October  23,  1845  ;  Pleasant 
M.  and  Paris  J.,  born  August  23,  1847  ;  Samuel  B.,  born  May  2,  185 1  : 
Rebecca  (wife  of  F.  Meadows),  born  November  9,  1853,  and  Franklin, 
born  June  19,  i860.  His  religious  preferences  are  with  the  Missionary 
Baptist  Church. 

EDWARD    KNEALE, 

farmer,  section  2,  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  was  born  in  Andrew 
County,  July  31,  1855.  His  father,  James,  was  born  on  the  Isle  of  Man, 
and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ruth  A.  Wickham,  was  from 
Ohio.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  mostly  in 
Holt  County,  and  attended  the  common  schools  during  the  winter.  In 
i860  the  family  went  to  Kansas,  where  they  resided  some  five  years, 
returning  to  Holt  County  in  1865,  and  settling  in  Nickols'  Grove,  Noda- 
way Township.  Mr.  Edward  Kneale  moved  upon  his  present  farm  some 
two  years  ago.  This  contains  80  acres  of  fine  land,  and  he  makes  a 
specialty  of  breeding  fine  Poland  China  hogs.  There  is  a  good  orchard 
on  the  place.  Mr.  K.'s  religious  preferences  are  with  the  Methodists. 
He  was  married  in  Holt  County,  December  3,  1877,  to  Lizzie  Bunty,  a 
daughter  of  Michael  Bunty.  Mrs.  K.  is  a  native  of  New  York  State. 
They  have  two  children  :  Maggie  C,  born  August  16,  1879,  and  Martha 
E.,  born  September  6,  188 1.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
views. 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  27/ 

ezra  s.  Mcdonald 

is  a  native  of  Richland  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  on  the  4th  of 
December,  1840.  His  parents  were  Daniel  and  Lydia  S.  (Woodward) 
McDonald,  the  former  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  Ezra 
remaine  d  on  a  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  learned 
the  carpenters'  trade.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  state,  and  in  1862  left  there  and  went  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  one  year,  after  which  he  returned  to  Ohio. 
In  March,  1868,  Mr.  McDonald  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  has 
resided  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Point  since  that  time,  working  at  his 
trade.  In  September,  1880,  he  embarked  in  the  wagonmaking  and 
repairing  business  at  New  Point,  succeeding  Mr.  Barnes,  and  has  built 
up  a  good  trade.  He  is  Democratic  in  politics,  and  at  the  last  general 
election  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  for  Hickory  Township. 
February  6,  1868,  he  was  married  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  to  Martha 
Ruhl,  who  was  born  January  12,  1850,  in  Ohio.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
William  Ruhl,  Esq.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDonald  have  four  children  : 
Luther  E.,  born  August  21,  1869;  Jennie  L.,  born  December  30,  1871; 
Herbert  J.,  born  December  31,  1873,  and  Mattie  Orie,  born  March  16, 
1880.     Mr.  McD.  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  fraternity. 

EDWIN  H.  MESSENGER, 

section  4,  is  a  native  of  Clarion  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born 
November  6,  1853.  His  father,  Alonzo  Messenger,  was  born  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  in  1856  the  family  moved  from  Pennsylvania  to  Stark 
County,  Ohio.  After  residing  there  two  years  they  moved  to  northern 
Indiana,  and  two  years  later  located  in  Michigan.  Remaining  in  that 
vicinity  some  six  years,  they  again  moved,  this  time  to  Whiteside  County, 
Illinois,  where  the  father,  Alonzo,  died.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  with 
his  mother,  went  to  Richardson  County,  Nebraska,  and  after  a  six  years 
sojourn  there,  removed  to  Stephens'  Point,  Wisconsin,  and  two  years 
afterward  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1878.  Edwin  passed  some 
of  his  time  on  a  farm,  but  was  principally  in  a  lumber  yard.  He 
received  a  liberal  education,  attending  the  Nebraska  Normal  School  and 
Highland  College  for  about  two  years.  Since  coming  to  the  county  Mr. 
M.  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  and  raising  and  feeding  cattle.  He 
has  240  acres  of  land,  an  orchard  of  200  apple,  100  peach,  and  some 
cherry  trees.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  November 
21,  1878,  Mr.  Messenger  was  married  in  Holt  County  to  Flora  B.  Cowan, 
daughter  of  J.  G.  Cowan,  of  this  township.  They  have  one  child,  Elta 
C,  born  August  13,  1879.     He  is  Republican  in  his  political  views. 


278  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

JAMES  H.  MEYER, 

farmer,  section  13,  was  born  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  December  31, 
1853.  His  father,  Andrew  Meyer,  was  born  in  Germany,  and  his  mother, 
formery  Mary  B.  Sechrist,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  James  received 
a  liberal  education  in  the  common  schools  of  this  county,  also  at  the 
graded  school  of  Oregon,  and  at  Kirksville,  Missouri.  He  has  been  one 
of  the  successful  teachers  of  Holt  County,  and  now  has  a  fine  farm  of 
140  acres,  with  a  good  orchard  of  160  apple  trees,  and  other  varieties  of 
fruit.  Upon  his  place  are  some  Short  Horn  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs. 
The  senior  Meyer  was  a  Democrat,  and  the  son  has  since  continued  to 
advocate  the  principles  of  that  party  ;  his  religious  preferences  are  with 
the  Protestants.  October  21,  1875,  Mr.  Meyer  was  married  to  Fannie 
L.  Poynter,  daughter  of  Judge  William  H.  Poynter.  She  was  raised  in 
this  county.  They  have  three  children  :  William  Andrew,  born  July 
1,  1876  ;  Ralph  M.,  born  February  1,  1878,  and  Logan  A.,  born  May  12, 
1880.  Mr.  M.  is  a  member  of  the  Good  Templar  fraternity,  and  also  of 
the  Grange. 

ROBERT    MORRIS, 

section  21,  one  of  the  well  to  do  citizens  of  this  township,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 10,  1820,  in  Sussex  County,  New  Jersey,  and  was  the  son  of 
William  and  Mary  (Merion)  Morris,  both  natives  of  that  state.  The 
former  was  born  September  15,  1787,  and  is  still  living,  a  man  well  pre- 
served in  years.  Robert  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  and  received  his 
primary  instruction  in  the  common  schools.  For  two  years  he  attended 
the  graded  schools  of  Knox  County,  Ohio,  thereby  receiving  a  liberal 
education.  In  the  fall  of  1843,  he  returned  to  New  Jersey,  and  after 
seven  years  removed  west  and  spent  two  years  in  Ohio,  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin.  In  the  spring  of  1852,  he  went  to  California,  by  way  of 
Central  America,  and  remained  in  that  state  for  seven  years,  devoting 
three  years  to  mining,  and  four  years  to  farming  in  the  valleys.  In 
1859,  he  went  back  to  New  Jersey,  and  stayed  with  his  father  for  one 
year.  In  March,  i860,  Mr.  Morris  came  to  Holt  County,  and  has  since 
been  a  resident  of  this  neighborhood.  He  has  a  fine  farm  of  430  acres, 
and  a  good  orchard  of  140  apple  trees.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  feeding 
cattle  for  market.  June  2,  1863,  he  was  married  in  Holt  County,  to 
Penina  Ramsay,  daughter  of  Thomas  Ramsay,  Esq.  She  was  born  in 
Indiana,  November  14,  1837,  but  was  principally  reared  in  this  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  have  five  children:  Governor,  born  July  16,  1864; 
Robert  E.,  born  December  14,  1867;  John  R.,  born  January  5,  1870; 
Anna  R.,  born  March  2,  1873,  and  R-  Oakley,  born  December  6,  1879. 
He  is  Republican  in  politics. 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  279 

JACOB  A.  OREN, 

a  leading  tiller  of  the  soil  in  this  locality,  was  born  in  Randolph  County, 
Indiana,  October  26,  1844.  His  parents,  Ephraim  and  Elizabeth  (Fra- 
zier)  Oren,  were  both  natives  of  Ohio.  Jacob  passed  his  youthful  days 
on  the  farm,  and  in  attending  the  common  schools  in  Indiana.  In  March, 
1865,  he  came  from  Randolph  County  to  Holt  County,  and,  in  February, 
1869,  moved  upon  his  present  farm,  containing  320  acres  of  well-improved 
land,  there  being  upon  the  place  a  good  orchard  of  500  apple,  200  peach, 
and  choice  cherry,  plum  and  pear  trees.  He  is  greatly  interested  in  feed- 
ing stock  and  has  some  thorough-bred  Short  Horn  cattle  and  Poland- 
China  hogs.  Mr.  O.  was  reared  as  a  Quaker,  and  his  religious  prefer- 
ences are  with  that  denomination.  He  was  married  in  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  August  22,  1868,  to  Angeline  Pollock,  a  native  of  Indiana  and 
a  daughter  of  David  Pollock,  Esq.  They  have  two  children  :  Rosa  Lee, 
born  April  6,  1872,  and  Ida  Belle,  born  December  7,  1874.  Politically 
Mr.  Oren  is  a  Republican. 

SAMUEL  G.  PARK, 

section  5,  was  born  in  Fleming"  County,  Kentucky,  December  29,  1838, 
his  parents  being  John  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Shanklin)  Park,  the  former  a 
native  of  Berkley  County,  Virginia,  and  the  latter  of  Jessamine  County, 
Kentucky.  In  1849  the  family  moved  to  Brown  County,  Ohio,  where 
they  resided  until  April,  1877.  Samuel  G.  passed  the  greater  part  ol  his 
younger  days  on  the  farm,  and  attending  the  common  schools.  In  the 
spring  of  1877,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  since  that  time 
has  been  engaged  in  farming.  His  landed  estate  embraces  160  acres  in 
cultivation,  and  he  has  an  orchard  of  100  apple  and  other  fruit  trees. 
Upon  his  place  is  some  good  graded  stock.  During  the  war  he  served 
in  the  One  Houndred  and  Seventy-second  Ohio  Infantry.  Mr.  Park  was 
married  in  Independence,  Missouri,  March  3,  1870,  to  Rachel  Yocum,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Franklin  Yocum.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Park  have  two  children  :  Fred.  W.,  born  January  31,  1872,  and  Lee  H., 
born  August  21,  1874.  Mr.  P.  is  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOSEPH    T.  PATTERSON, 

section  5,  was  born  November  24,  1844,  a  native  of  Perry  County,  Ohio. 
His  father,  James,  was  born  in  Hampshire  County,  Virginia,  and  his 
mother,  formerly  Tacy  A.  McFarland,  in  Loudoun  County,  Virginia. 
The  family  left  Perry  County  and  moved  to  Franklin  County,  Ohio, 
where  they  resided  some  three  years,  and  while  living  here  Joseph  wit- 
nessed the   laying  ol  the   first  stone   for  the  foundation  of  the  present 


28o  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

State  House  at  Columbus.  They  next  removed  to  Vinton  County,  set- 
tling near  McArthur,  the  county  seat.  After  a  residence  there  of  twelve 
years,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  became  their  home.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  passed  his  youth  at  hard  labor  on  the  farm  and  also  attended  the 
common  schools  for  a  time,  after  which  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  at  Columbus  with  his  brother,  Wm.  Patterson,  a  leading  prac- 
titioner of  that  place.  After  pursuing  his  studies  for  twelve  months  he 
enlisted  in  the  fall  of  1863  in  the  Sixty-third  Ohio  Infantry.  He  was  in 
the  service  for  two  and  a  half  years,  and  was  discharged  May  27,  1865, 
having  participated  in  several  engagements,  among  which  were  the 
battles  of  Marietta,  siege  of  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Resaca,  and  numerous 
skirmishes.  He  was  in  one  engagement  at  Decatur,  Alabama,  before 
having  obtained  his  uniform.  Mr.  Patterson  was  in  the  hospital  at 
Rome,  Georgia,  for  three  months,  detained  bv  sickness,  and  during  two 
months  was  unconscious.  He  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  hospital 
at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  was  ward  master  for  a  short  time.  After  being 
mustered  out  he  attended  school  at  the  Athens  University  for  two  terms, 
and  later  took  a  commercial  course  at  Columbus.  He  then  went  to 
Virginia  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Capital  City  Oil  Company  as 
engineer  and  superintendent.  After  one  year  he  returned  to  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio,  was  engaged  in  teaching  and  from  there  he  came  to  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  in  October,  1867.  Since  that  time  he  has  taught  in 
the  schools  of  Andrew,  Nodaway  and  Holt  Counties  for  ten  years,  and 
for  six  years  resided  in  Nodaway  County  conducting  a  farm  and  teaching. 
As  an  instructor  he  is  very  successful.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  90  acres 
with  an  orchard  upon  the  place.  Mr.  P.  was  married  in  Nodaway 
County  February  13,  1873,  to  Mary  Ann  Southwell,  daughter  of  Wm. 
Southwell,  of  Maryville.  They  have  three  children  :  Jesse  L.,  born 
November  14,  1875  ;  William  James,  born  February  27,  1878,  and  Don 
Lester,  born  August  20,  1881.     Mr.  P.  is  a  Republican. 

SAMUEL  PRAISWATER, 

a  native  of  Tennessee,  was  born  on  the  23d  of  November,  1829,  is  the 
son  of  George  and  Tempa  (Wood)  Prais water,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  North  Carolina.  Samuel  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  passing  a  few 
months  of  the  year  in  attending  school.  In  1852  the  family  removed  to 
Indiana,  and  from  there  he  came  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  in  1856. 
After  residing  there  for  ten  years  he  moved  across  the  Nodaway  River 
into  Holt  County.  Mr.  Praiswater  has  all  his  life  been  engaged  in  till- 
ing the  soil,  and  is  now  one  of  the  prominent  and  successful  farmers  of 
this  township.  His  landed  estate  embraces  520  acres,  with  a  young 
orchard  of  200  apple  trees  and  other  smaller  fruits.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  feeding  cattle,  and   has  some  good  graded  stock.     During 


HICKORY   TOWNSHIP.  2&I 

the  war  Mr.  P.  served  in  the  State  Militia,  and  has  always  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  interests  of  the  Republican  party.  In  June, 
1852,  he  was  married  in  Tennessee  to  Susan  Nease.  They  have  a  family 
of  seven  children  :  George  W.,  born  March  28,  1853  ;  Timothy,  born 
December  15,  1854;  Benjamin  F.,  born  December  30,  1856;.  Mary,  born 
September  11,  i860;  William,  born  March  2,  1862;  Frances,  born 
March  19,  1867,  and  John,  born  March  10,  1872.  Besides  these,  who  are 
living,  three  children  are  deceased. 

JOHN  P.  RUHL, 

a  leading  merchant  of  New  Point,  was  born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio, 
March  17,  1839.  His  father,  Levi  Ruhl,  who  was  a  farmer,  was  born  in 
Baltimore  County,  Maryland,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mariam  Painter,  was  from  Virginia.  John  P.  grew  up  on  the  farm  at 
home  and  attended  the  common  schools  of  Richland  County.  July  7, 
1856,  he  came  from  there  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  In  i860  he  com- 
menced farming  and,  after  tilling  the  soil  for  fifteen  years,  he  engaged  in 
merchandising,  at  New  Point,  in  1875.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  car- 
rying on  the  business  and  has  established  a  good  trade.  He  also  owns 
and  conducts  a  farm.  During  the  war  he  served  in  the  State  Militia. 
Mr.  Ruhl  was  married  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  March  7,  1867,  to  Belle 
Cable,  daughter  of  John  Cable,  Esq.,  and  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  have 
four  children  :  Minnie  O.,  born  December  19,  1867  ;  Jordan  E.,  born 
March  7,  1869  ;  Edwin  E.,  born  March  3,  1876,  and  an  infant  daughter, 
born  January  15,  1882.  Mr.  Ruhl  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

A.  SCHWARTZ 

was  born  in  Morrow  County,  Ohio,  in  1856,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  and 
Rebecca  (Lentz)  Schwartz,  who  were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
1863,  the  family  moved  to  Williams  County,  and  there  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  resided  for  four  years,  after  which,  in  the  spring  of  1877,  he 
came  to  Holt  County.  Mr.  Schwartz  spent  his  youth  on  the  farm,  and 
attended  the  common  schools  of  Morrow  and  Williams  Counties.  After 
becoming  of  age,  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  worked  one  year 
at  this  business  after  coming  to  Holt  County.  In  May,  1878,  he  com- 
menced the  merchandise  business  at  New  Point,  and  has  established  a 
successful  trade.  He  was  married  January  22,  1880,  at  New  Point,  to 
Miss  Ella  Marion.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  have  one  child,  Edith  Belle,  born 
August  20,  1881.     Mr.  S.  is  politically  a  Democrat. 

WILLIAM  SHIELDS, 

farmer,  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  Indiana,  July  7,  1837.  His  par- 
ents were  John  Shields,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  native  of  North 


282  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Carolina,  and  Deborah  (Coffin)  Shields,  a  Virginian  by  birth.  William 
Was  principally  raised  in  Washington  County,  on  a  farm,  and  received  a 
common  school  education.  In  1865  he  removed  to  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri. During  the  year  1864  he  served  in  the  war,  and  in  the  last  year 
was  in  Company  A.,  Thirtieth  Indiana  Infantry.  He  was  in  the  battles 
of  Franklin  and  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  also  participated  in  numerous 
skirmishes.  He  now  owns  81  acres  of  land  in  section  29,  but  resides  in 
section  4,  and  has  an  orchard  of  275  apple  trees.  Mr.  Shields,  as  was 
his  father,  is  Republican  in  politics.  He  was  married  April  1 1,  1861,  to 
Elizabeth  Goodson,  who  was  born  and  raised  in  Washington  County, 
Indiana,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Goodson,  Esq.  Their  family  con- 
sists of  eight  children  living  :  Ransom,  born  February  12,  1863  ;  Sher- 
man, born  April  1,  1866  ;  Dora,  born  December  29,  1868  ;  Cora,  born 
January  17,  1870  ;  John  S.,  born  January  15,  1872  ;  Jonas,  born  October 
2,  1875  ;  Daisy,  born  January  12,  1877,  and  an  infant  son,  born  October 
2,  1881.     Mr.  S   is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOHN  Q.  TRIMMER, 

farmer,  section  18,  was  born  February  3,  1835.  and  is  a  native  of  Warren 
County,  New  Jersey.  His  father,  William  Trimmer,  and  his  mother, 
formerly  Nancy  Gulick,  were  both  born  in  New  Jersey.  John  passed  his 
youthful  days  on  a  farm,  and  also  on  the  Lehigh  and  Morris  Canal,  learning 
the  blacksmiths'  trade.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  state,  and  in  1854  went  to  the  gold  mines  of  California  by  way  of 
Central  America.  He  was  there  for  four  years,  including  five  months 
spent  on  Vancouver's  Island,  and  while  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  he  lost 
his  hat  and  traveled  one  hundred  miles  on  foot,  bareheaded,  carrying 
seventy  pounds  weight.  In  i860  Mr.  Trimmer  came  to  Missouri,  and 
for  four  years  resided  in  Harrison  County.  In  March,  1869,  he  came  to 
Holt  County,  and  now  has  120  acres  of  land,  with  an  orchard  of  250 
apple,  100  peach,  and  cherry  and  plum  trees.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  during  the  war  he  was  in  the  State  Militia.  Mr.  T.  was 
married  in  the  winter  of  1859  to  Mary  E.  Merrin,  a  daughter  of  John 
Merrin.  She  was  born  and  reared  in  Knox  County,  Ohio.  They  have 
four  children  :  Mary  L.,  born  May  14,  1863  ;  Ora  B.,  born  November  29, 
1864;  John  W.,  born  February  11,  1872,  and  Robert  Q.,  born  April  8, 
1875- 

JOHN  M.  TRIMBLE, 

farmer,  section  13,  was  born  in  Staunton,  Augusta  County,  Virginia, 
August  8,  1835.  His  parents,  Charles  D.  and  Sarah  (Hoover)  Trimble, 
were  both  natives  of  Virginia,  the  former  being  a  farmer  of  Augusta 
County.     In  October,  1857,  they  removed  from  Virginia  to  Holt  County, 


HICKORY  TOWNSHIP.  283 

Missouri.  John  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  now  owns  130  acres  of 
land,  with  a  bearing  orchard  of  240  apple,  300  peach  and  other  fruit  trees. 
Politically  the  senior  Trimble  was  a  Whig  and  the  son  is  now  a  Demo- 
crat. He  has  been  twice  married  and  the  last  time  his  marriage  occurred 
March  11,  1875,  to  Loma  A.Boyd,  who  was  born  and  raised  in  Ohio. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  B.  F.  Boyd,  Esq.  They  have  a  family  of  four 
children  :  John  B.,  born  December  23,  1875  ;  Lizzie  R.,  born  August  3, 
1877  ;  Edna  M.,  born  December  7,  1879,  and  an  infant  son,  born  October 
31,  1  S3 1 .     Mr.  T.  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

ALEXANDER    VAN  BUSKIRK, 

section  25,  was  born  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  November  17,  1849. 
His  father,  E.  VanBuskirk,  who  is  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  the 
county,  was  a  native  of  Richland  County,  Ohio,  and  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Eliza  Hart,  was  born  in  the  same  state.  In  185 1  the 
family  removed  from  Ohio  to  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  spent  his  youth  mostly  at  school  and  attended  the 
high  school  at  Oregon.  He  also  took  a  course  of  study  at  the  St. 
Joseph  Commercial  College.  Mr.  VanBuskirk  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  teachers  of  the  county,  having  taught  the  high  school  at  Oregon 
and  others.  He  now  owns  a  good  farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  has  a  young 
orchard  of  apple,  peach  and  plum  trees.  In  politics  he  is  Democratic, 
and  religiously  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  October  12, 
1871,  Mr.  VanBuskirk  was  married  in  Holt  County  to  Charlotte  V. 
Cummins,  daughter  of  George  Cummins.  She  was  born  in  Crawford 
County,  Ohio,  but  came  to  Holt  County  in  1865.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Carrie,  born  November  19,  1872,  and  Rebecca  J.,  born  March  29, 
1875. 

WILLIAM  WRIGHTMAN, 

section  14,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  February  5,  1846,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Blow)  Wrightman,  who  were  both  natives  of 
England.  William  attended  school  at  Cincinnati  until  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age,  when,  in  August,  1859,  the  family  removed  from  Ohio  to 
Forest  City,  Missouri.  During  the  war  he  served  for  two  years  and  fif- 
teen days  in  Company  D,  Fourteenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  was  in  the 
skirmishing  service.  He  now  owns  100  acres  of  land,  an  orchard  of 
100  apple  and  a  few  peach,  cherry  and  plum  trees,  but  makes  a  specialty 
of  feeding  and  fattening  cattle  for  market.  He  has  ever  voted  the 
Republican  ticket,  and  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  of  that 
party.  Mr.  W.  was  married  March  3,  1867,  to  Henrietta  Noland,  a 
native  of  Holt  County,  and  a  daughter  of  A.  J.  Noland,  Esq.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  WTrightman  have  two  children:  James  M.,  born  December 30,  1867, 


284  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

and  William,  born  September  7,  1871.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church. 

BENJAMIN  F.  WINSLOW, 

druggist,  New  Point.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  April  28,  1842, 
in  Washington  County,  Indiana,  and  was  the  son  of  B.  and  Sarah  (Draper) 
Winslow,  both  natives  of  Indiana,  the  former  having  been  born  in  Wash- 
ington County.  His  grandparents  were  from  North  Carolina.  B.  F. 
Winslow  received  a  common  school  education,  attending  school  during 
the  winter  and  working  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  months.  He  was  in 
service  for  three  years  during  the  war,  being  a  member  of  Company  F, 
Sixty-sixth  Indiana  Infantry,  in  Sherman's  command.  He  was  in  numer- 
ous engagements,  among  which  were  the  battles  of  Buzzard's  Roost, 
Snake  Creek  Gap,  Lookout  Mountain,  Atlanta,  Savannah  and  in  minor 
skirmishes,  having  some  narrow  escapes.  In  August,  1866,  Mr.  Winslow 
came  from  Indiana  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  for  three  years  was 
engaged  in  farming!  He  subsequently  embarked  in  the  drug  business, 
and  was  the  first  to  start  a  store  of  this  kind  at  New  Point,  but  since  that 
time  has  received  a  liberal  patronage.  He  is  Republican  in  politics. 
Mr.  Winslow  was  married  in  Washington  County,  Indiana,  January  27, 
1867,  to  Ruth  A.  Trueblood,  daughter  of  Milton  Trueblood,  and  a  native 
of  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  have  two  children  :  Nora  Belle,  born 
August  19,  1869,  and  Frederick  Newton,  born  December  10,  1872. 


CHAPTER   XII 

LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP. 


BOUNDARIES  —  PHYSICAL  FEATURES— EARLY  SETTLERS— HEMME'S  LANDING-CORNING 
— TARKIO  VALLEY  BRANCH— MILLS  AND  ELEVATORS— NEWSPAPERS— BUSINESS 
DIRECTORY-BIOGRAPHICAL 

Lincoln  Township,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Holt  County,  consti- 
tutes the  smallest  municipal  division  of  the  same  ;  its  entire  area  includ- 
ing not  more  than  twenty  square  miles.  Its  territory  was  erected  into 
the  township  of  Lincoln,  March  22,  187.1.  Its  outline  is  somewhat 
peculiar,  suggesting  the  idea  of  a  carpenter's  square.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  north,  in  a  distance  of  six  miles  and  a  half,  by  the  line  of  Atchison 
County  ;  on  the  east  and  south  by  Union  Township  ;  and  on  the  west  by 
the  state  of  Nebraska,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Missouri  River, 
by  the  encroachments  of  which  the  territory  of  the  township  bordering 
on  this  stream  has  been,  since  the  organization  of  the  county,  reduced 
fully  a  mile  in  its  northwest  corner. 

The  territory  of  Lincoln  Township  was  formerly  included  in  what 
was,  for  a  short  period  in  the  early  history  of  the  Purchase,  known  as 
Allen  County,  though  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Holt  County 
court  ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  organization  of  Atchison  County,  that  it 
enjoyed  the  rights  and  privileges  of  a  municipal  division  of  Holt. 

PHYSICAL   FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  Lincoln  Township  is  generally  level  bottom  land, 
not  more  than  six  square  miles  being  included  in  the  uplands.  The  Big 
Tarkio  enters  this  township  from  Atchison  County,  about  the  center  of 
the  north  line  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  21,  township  63,  range 
40,  on  a  farm  owned  by  J.  VanGundy,  and  flows  in  an  exceedingly  ser- 
pentine course,  bending  into  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20,  but 
flowing  generally  in  a  southeasterly  direction  through  section  28,  in  the 
southern  portion  of  which  it  enters  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  33, 
in  Union  Township.  • 

Shulte  Lake,  supposed  to  have  been  formerly  the  bed  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  is  a  narrow  strip  of  water  in  the  form  of  a  horse  shoe, 
lying  chiefly  in  section  8.     It  is  about  three  and  a  fourth  miles  west  of 


286  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

i 
Craig.     Northeast  of  Corning  one  mile  is  a  small  lake  at  the  foot  of  the 
bluff.     This  is  known  as  Bertram  Lake.     Sharpe's  Grove  extends  from 
the   neighborhood  of   Craig  a   considerable   distance  into  the   eastern 
portion  of  this  township. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

The  first  white  man  to  locate  in  what  is  now  Lincoln  Township, 
was  John  Henry  Roselius,  the  father  of  Henry  Roselius,  now  (1882)  a 
representative  citizen  of  the  county.  He  was  a  native  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Hanover,  and  settled  in  the  year  1841  on  section  36,  township  63, 
range  41.  This  pioneer  met  his  death  by  a  stroke  of  lightning.  In  the 
following  year  came  Henry  Dankers,  the  father  of  Henry  A.  Dankers. 
Henry  Peters  and  Andrew  Buck  also  came  about  the  same  period,  and 
effected  settlements  in  the  same  locality.  Between  the  early  part  of 
1843  and  the  middle  of  1844,  came  Henry  Hemme,  John  Ahrens,  and 
Henry  Evers.  In  1845  Conrad  H.  Walter  arrived  in  the  country  and 
settled  on  section  25,  township  63,  range  41.  This  farm  has  long  since 
disappeared  in  the  bed  of  the  Missouri  River,  which  now  flows  over  its 
site.  In  1846  Henry  Bertram  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  river. 
In  the  following  year  came  James  Thompson.  Robert  Hawke,  another 
well  known  settler,  arrived  in  1848,  and  Thomas  Lowell  in  1852.  These 
all  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  what  was  once  known  as  Hemme's 
Landing.  Joseph  Waits  settled  the  first  farm  on  Big  Tarkio  Creek. 
This  is  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  21,  township  63,  range  40. 
It  is  now  kown  as  the  Volman  farm. 

The  first  saw-mill  of  any  importance  in  Lincoln  Township  was 
operated  by  Bruce  Earl,  now  (1882)  a  prominent  drug  merchant  of 
Corning  and  Judge  of  the  Holt  County  Court.  He  moved  this  mill 
from  the  bottom  in  Bigelow  Township,  and  erected  it  at  a  point  two 
miles  southwest  of  Corning  in  1873.  In  the  fall  of  1879  this  enterprise 
was  discontinued.  During  Judge  Earl's  management  of  this  business 
in  the  Missouri  River  bottom  timber,  he  sawed  up  and  shipped  to 
market  over  ten  million  feet  of  native  lumber. 

The  first  blacksmith  to  locate  within  what  is  now  Lincoln  Township 
was  David  Bertram.  He  settled  in  a  very  early  day  at  the  foot  of  the 
bluffs,  just  a  mile  north  of  the  present  town  of  Corning. 

The  first  church  edifice  erected  in  Lincoln  Township  was,  and  now 
is,  the  property  of  a  German  organization,  known  as  St.  John's  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  Church.  The  building  is  a  frame,  thirty  by  forty  feet  in 
extent,  and  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  i860,  at  a  cost  of  $1,500.  It 
stands  on  the  farm  of  Henry  Roselius,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 1,  township  62,  range  41,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  Missouri  River. 
The  organizers  of  this  church  were  C.  H.  Walter  and  wife,  Henry  Dan- 
kers and  wife,  and    Henry  Roselius,  Sr.,  and  wife.     The  first  minister  oi 


LINCOLN    TOWNSHIP.  287 

this  church  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Messalsky,  of  Nebraska.  He  was  succeeded 
in  1867,  by  Rev.  C.  A.  Nolte.  August  13,  1870,  Rev.  F.  W.  Scholz,  the 
present  (1882)  minister,  took  charge  of  the  church.  Professor  Scholz 
also  teaches  a  private  German  school  in  Corning.  The  present  member- 
Ship  is  about  twenty-five,  a  large  proportion  of  the  congregation  having 
in  1879,  withdrawn  to  organize  the  church  in  Union  Township,  on  the 
Vanderschmidt  farm,  west  of  Craig. 

HEMME'S    LANDING. 

The  first  attempt  to  start  a  town  in  this  part  of  the  county  was 
inaugurated  by  Henry  Hemme,  another  Hanoverian,  who  settled  in  the 
country  in  1844.  This  settlement,  which  was  known  as  Hemme's  Land- 
ing, was  about  two  miles  west  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Corning. 
Its  site  is  now  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Nebraska,  and  the  Mis- 
souri River  flows  within  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of  Corning,  and  consid- 
erably to  the  eastward  of  the  spot  where  the  old  town  once  stood.  At 
one  time  Hemme's  Landing  was  one  of  the  most  important  trading 
points  between  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs.  The  first  merchant  who 
sold  goods  at  the  landing  was  David  Greer,  who  commenced  business 
there  in  1845.  He  was  shortly  after  succeeded  by  Henry  Hemme,  who 
in  1847,  gave  place  to  Vernile  Thompson.  In  1848,  Robert  Hawke 
bought  out  Thompson.  The  Hawkes  and  Dillon  for  many  succeeding 
years  carried  on  an  extensive  business  at  this  point.  They  finally  moved 
to  Nebraska  City,  having  sold  out  to  Thompson.  Thompson  subse- 
quently sold  out  to  Roland  &  Co.,  who,  in  1861,  moved  their  goods  to 
Rock  Port,  in  Atchison  County.  In  1849,  Thomas  &  Lowell  had  opened 
a  store  a  short  distance  below,  on  the  river  bank.  In  185 1,  John  F.  Low- 
ell succeeded  to  the  business.  He  afterwards  sold  to  J.  F.  Taylor,  and 
others,  of  St.  Deroin.  In  1862,  E.  W.  Holly,  of  St.  Joseph,  bought  out 
the  concern.  Adrian  Hoblitzell  succeeded  him  in  1864,  and,  a  short 
time  after,  Conrad  Grab  became  by  purchase  the  owner  of  the  store.  By 
this  time  the  encroachments  of  the  river  threatening  the  entire  destruc- 
tion and  obliteration  of  the  place,  most  of  the  inhabitants  left,  taking 
with  them  their  buildings,  some  of  which  now  stand  in  the  town  of  Corn- 
ing. Grab,  however,  strong  in  the  faith,  hung  on  till  almost  the  last 
moment,  and  finally,  in  the  fall  of  1868,  moved  eastward  to  the  site  of 
what  is  now  the  town  of 

CORNING. 

This  town,  the  most  northern  of  Holt  County,  and  less  than  one 
mile  south  of  the  line  of  Atchison  County,  was  laid  out  in  the  fall  of 
1868.  Its  original  site  occupies  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  30,  township  63,  range  40.     Martin's  Addition,  adjoin- 


288  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

ing  on  the  north,  was  laid  out  in  the  spring  of  1869  by  Horace  Martin, 
Esq.,  late  of  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  a  gentleman  of  distinguished 
scientific  attainments,  and  long  an  honored  member  and  colaborator  of 
the  Smithsonian  Institute  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  observer  in  the 
employ  of  the  United  States  Signal  Service.  Mr.  Martin  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  town  of  Corning,  having  lived  in  the  same  since 
the  month  of  October,  1868.  The  site  of  the  town,  which  is  in  the  bot- 
tom, about  two  miles  westward  of  the  bluff,  is  893  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea.  It  is  119  miles  from  Kansas  City,  51  from  St.  Joseph,  and  77 
miles  from  Council  Bluffs.  During  the  period  of  the  late  flood,  to  which 
full  reference  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Craig,  Corning  also  suffered  from 
the  overflow. 

The  first  to  sell  goods  in  the  tovvn  was  Conrad  Grab,  who,  as  above 
■stated,  had  been  driven  from  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  by  the  encroach- 
ments of  that  stream.  This  was  in  1868.  Shortly  after  Sanders  Bros, 
•opened  a  stock  of  goods  in  the  place.  The  first  blacksmith  who  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  town  was  William  Bertram.  Ferris  &  Drake,  in 
the  same  year,  started  the  first  lumber  yard.  Dr.  J.  Noel  still  (1882)  a 
practicing  physician  of  the  town,  was  the  first  of  his  profession  to  locate 
there.     He  also  settled  in  1868. 

CHURCHES. 

The  German  Reform  Church,  of  Corning,  is  a  small  frame  building, 
•erected  in  1878,  at  a  cost  of  $900.  Rev.  T.  Miller  organized  the  church 
with  a  large  membership.  This  included,  with  others,  Peter  Christen 
and  wife,  Fred  Scheie  and  wife,  Mrs.  Roselius,  William  Bertram  and 
wife,  and  William  Ahlers  and  wife. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  on  First  Street,  in  Martin's  Addi- 
tion, stands  on  lots  4  and  5,  in  block  5.  This  ground  was  donated  by 
Esquire  Horace  Martin  for  the  purpose  of  a  church,  and  the  building, 
a  frame  28x42  feet,  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1879,  at  a  cost  of  $1,100. 
The  congregation  was  first  organized  by  the  Rev.  E.  Edwards,  with  the 
following  members  :  William  E.  Hurst  and  wife,  E.  Hodson  and  wife, 
Miss  Laura  Hodson,  E.  Longwell  and  wife,  and  Homer  Martin  and  wife. 
The  present  (1882)  minister  of  this  church  is  Rev.  M.  F.  Sapp. 

POSTMASTERS. 

The  first  postmaster  of  Corning  was  Conrad  Grab,  the  pioneer 
merchant.  He  was  appointed  in  1868.  In  [869,  he  was  succeeded  by 
R.  W.  Frame.  H.  F.  Ferris,  druggist,  became  postmaster  in  1870.  He 
was  succeeded,  in  1875,  by  J.  R.  Dodds,  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Corning  Herald,  and,  for  many  years  railroad  agent  in  the  place,  and  an 


LINCOLN   TOWNSHIP.  289 

enterprising  and  public  spirited  citizen.  Dr.  J.  Noel  succeeded  Dodds, 
a  short  time  after.  In  the  same  year  (1875),  H.  F.  Ferris  was  re-ap- 
pointed. He  continued  to  fill  the  position  up  to  the  period  of  his  resig- 
nation, in  1879,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Frank  Campbell.  A  short 
time  after,  during  the  same  year,  C.  Casler,  was  appointed.  Joseph 
Hogrefe  became  postmaster  in  1880,  and  was  succeeded  in  188 1,  by  Mil- 
ton Earl,  a  brother  of  the  county  judge. 

TARKIO  VALLEY  BRANCH. 

In  the  fall  of  1880,  the  Tarkio  Valley  Branch  of  the  K.  C,  St.  J.  and 
C.  B.  R.  R.  was  built  from  Corning,  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  into 
Atchison  County.  This  road  extends  a  little  more  than  a  mile  and 
a  half  through  Holt  County. 

MILLS   AND    ELEVATORS. 

The  Corning  Steam  Flouring  Mill  was  built  in  1871-72  by  W.  B. 
Wilson,  at  a  cost  of  $6,664.  George  Collor,  the  present  (1882)  proprie- 
tor, purchased  this  mill  in  the  spring  of  1872,  and  subsequently  effected 
improvements  in  the  way  of  added  machinery  in  value  to  the  amount  of 
$3,000.  The  mill  operates  three  run  of  burrs  and  is  fitted  up  with  all  the 
modern  improvements  proper  to  a  first-class  mill. 

Sedwick,  Walter  &  Co.  built,  in  1881,  the  grain  elevator  now  owned 
by  Fritz  Walter.  It  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  $6,000,  and  has  a 
capacity  of  fifteen  thousand  bushels. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The  first  newspaper  started  in  Corning  was  the  Herald,  published 
by  J.  R.  Dodds,  from  1878  to  188 1,  in  the  interest  of  the  Greenback  party. 

The  Corning  Eagle  was  started  by  Charles  Tiller  and  Major  Lyman. 
This  was  afterwards  moved  to  Fairfax,  Atchison  County,  where  it  made 
its  first  appearance  under  the  name  and  style  of  the  Fairfax  Independent, 
February  11,  1882. 

The  present  business  of  Corning  includes  the  following  : 

Brown,  John  A.,  hotel.  Mills,  Walter  &  Co.,  dry  goods,  gro- 
Christen,  Peter,    furniture    and  ceries,  and  agricultural  impl'ts. 

lumber.  Milliken,  Mrs.,  milliner. 

Collor,  George,  miller.  Noel,  Mrs.  J.,  milliner. 

Conoughy,  J.,  R.  R.  Agent.  Reynolds  &  Bro.,  saloon. 

Earl  &  Earl,  druggists.  Roselius  &  Hogrefe,  dry  goods  and 
Gilmore,  G.,  wagonmaker.  groceries. 

19 


29O  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Hogrefe,    Joseph,    hardware    and     Scholz,  P.  C,  druggist. 

agricultural  implements.  Slaughter,  C,  saloon. 

Kirkland,  L.  W.,  hotel.  Swan,  W.  &  Son,  livery  stable. 

Masters,  John,  blacksmith.  Walter,  Fritz,  elevator. 

Macaulay,  carpenter  and  singing  teacher. 

The  physicians  of  the  town  are  Dr.  J.  Noel,  established  in  1868  ;  Dr. 
W.  P.  Sperry,  in  1881,  and  Dr.  J.  M.  Lovelady,  in  1881. 

Professor  C.  O.  Denny  teaches  the  public  school  of  eighty-five 
pupils.  Rev.  F.  W.  Scholz  teaches  a  private  German  school.  Mrs.  M. 
Earl  teaches  vocal  and  instrumental  music. 

W.  E.  Hunt  and  E.  Hodson,  justices  of  the  peace  for  Lincoln  Town- 
ship, reside  in  Corning. 


®— ?s=5fr=tf- <a. 


'GTr^S 


Sbiographica  L.R 


. m&-i-~$. 0<®$«&S>0 -§— f<- 


JOHN  J.  ADKINS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  owner  of  400  acres  of  land,  his  residence 
being  on  section  21.  He  was  born  in  Anderson  County,  East  Tennessee, 
December  27,  1840.  His  early  school  advantages  were  limited,  but  he 
was  taught  habits  of  industry  and  study  which  have  adhered  to  him  dur- 
ing life.  In  1865  he  came  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  with  his  father, 
Richard  Adkins,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  settled  in  Lincoln  Township, 
remaining  with  his  father  for  two  years.  He  assisted  in  improving  a  fine 
farm  and  then  came  to  this  township,  locating  on  the  place  where  he  now 
lives.  He  has  one  of  the  best  farms  in  this  township  and  is  truly  a  self- 
made  man,  successful  in  nearly  everything  and  no  one  deserves  it  more 
than  he.  Mr.  Adkins  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Spinner,  in  Nodaway 
County,  Missouri,  in  March,  1867.  Her  father  was  Ransom  Spinner,  and 
her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Susannah  Johnson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  have 
four  children  living  :  Margaret,  Charles,  George  and  John  R. ;  three  are  de- 
ceased. James  A.  R.,died  December  1,  1870  ;  Napoleon  B.,  died  Decem- 
ber 2,  1873,  and  Richard  died  April  1,  1880.  Mr.  A.  is  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican in  politics  and  a  Baptist  in  his  religious  preference.  During  the 
war  he  enlisted,  as  first  lieutenant,  in  Company  C,  First  Tennessee  Reg- 
iment, of  the  Union  Army.  He  started,  with  the  regiment,  on  a  long 
march,  was  taken  sick,  from  which  cause  he  became  blind  and  for  a  long 
time  hovered  between  life  and  death.  He  partially  recovered,  but  was 
then  in  a  country  full  of  enemies,  who  knew  him  to  be  a  Union  soldier, 


LINCOLN    TOWNSHIP.  291 

sick  and  on  his  way  home.  He  was  taken  prisoner,  by  bushwhackers., 
and  condemned  to  death  the  next  day,  but,  having  a  fleet  horse,  and  find- 
ing Union  friends  in  the  landlord  and  colored  porter,  he  managed  to 
pass  his  guards  and  finally  reached  the  Union  lines.  He  is  an  indus- 
trious and  well  respected  agriculturist. 

JOHN  A.  BROWN, 

plasterer  and  mason,  Corning,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Missouri, 
October  20,  1849.  In  1853,  his  father,  George  Brown,  moved  to  St.  Joseph, 
but  after  remaining  there  for  eight  months,  and  not  being  satisfied  with 
the  prospects,  he  came  to  Holt  County  and  settled  at  Hemme's  landing. 
There  he  lived  until  1855,  when  he  died.  Mrs.  Brown  was  left  with  four 
young  children,  John  A.  being  but  a  year  old.  In  1877  she  married  Mr. 
Henry  Tieman.  John  remained  at  home  working  on  the  farm  until 
eighteen  years  old,  when  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  for  five  years.  Having  a  desire  to  follow  the  mason's  trade,  he 
went  with  John  Elmore,  one  of  the  best  masons  in  the  state,  to  learn 
the  trade.  He  soon  became  an  adept  at  the  business,  and  remained  with 
his  instructor  for  six  years,  doing  some  of  the  best  work  in  this  part  of 
the  state.  He  married  Mrs.  Lucinda  Catharine  Hargis,  widow  of  Dr.  L. 
B.  Landis,  February  4,  1879.  Dr.  L.  died  in  Mount  Vernon,  Missouri, 
May  10,  1871,  and  left  one  child.  Maggie  Bell,  born  September  27,  1869. 
In  the  winter  of  1882  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  moved  from  Craig  to  Corning, 
and  rented  the  hotel  opposite  the  depot,  where  they  are  keeping  an 
excellent  house.  Mrs.  B.  presides  over  the  household  affairs,  and  is 
admirably  fitted  for  her  position.  Mr.  B.  devotes  his  time  to  his  chosen 
calling,  and  is  unexceptionally  successful  therein.  He  has  been  brought 
up  in  this  vicinity,  and  is  well  known  by  all. 

PETER   CHRISTEN, 

proprietor  of  lumber  yard  and  dealer  in  furniture,  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land, October  25,  1841.  He  received  a  good  education  in  youth  and 
then  learned  the  cabinent  trade,  which  he  has  made  his  life  work.  In 
1865  he  emigrated  to  this  country,  and  came  directly  to  St.  Joseph, 
where  he  was  employed  by  Louis  Hax.  After  remaining  with  him  for 
three  years,  he  went  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  stopped  for  one  year, 
and  in  1869  removed  to  this  place.  He  soon  embarked  in  business,  and 
to  his  stock  of  furniture  he  has  added  a  lumber  yard  and  the  undertak- 
ing business,  in  both  of  which  he  is  doing  well.  He  came  to  this  coun- 
try without  means,  and  now,  by  his  strict  attention  to  business  and 
honorable  dealing,  has  established  a  trade  which  has  become  an  honor 
to   Corning.     Much  of  his   success  is   due  to  his   accommodating  and 


292  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

pleasing  manners.  Mr.  Christen  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Asen- 
dorf,  of  Omaha,  in  1868.  She  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany.  They 
have  an  interesting  family  of  five  children  :  Emma,  Bertie,  Bernhart, 
George  and  Peter. 

GEORGE  COLLOR 

was  born  in  Portage  County,  Ohio,  in  November,  1826.  After  receiving 
his  education  he  went  to  work  in  a  flouring  mill,  learned  the  business 
thoroughly,  and  since  then  has  kept  pace  with  the  various  improvements 
in  milling,  having  made  it  his  life  study.  In  1838  his  father  moved  with 
his  family  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  and  built  the  large  mills  in  that  city 
which  are  still  operated.  The  senior  Collor  became  quite  celebrated  as 
being  one  of  the  best  millwrights  and  workmen  to  be  found  in  the  coun- 
try, and  consequently  had  charge  of  many  important  works  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Fort  Wayne.  He  died  near  Fort  Wayne,  in  the  fall  of  1856.  The  ' 
subject  of  this  sketch,  then  located  at  Rockford,  Illinois,  entered  a  mill, 
and  soon  after  rented  a  mill  in  Pecatonica,  where  he  remained  for  eight 
years,  doing  a  large  and  profitable  business.  After  remaining  in 
Nebraska  for  about  a  year,  in  1873  he  came  to  this  city  and  bought  the 
mill  which  was  partially  built,  completed  it,  and  has  since  been  doing 
an  excellent  business.  He  has  expended,  from  time  to  time,  some 
$2,000  on  important  improvements  in  the  machinery,  so  that  now  his  mill 
has  all  the  modern  facilities  for  producing  the  best  flour  known  to  the 
trade.  Mr.  Collor  married  Miss  Emma  A.  Baker,  of  LaPorte,  Indiana, 
in  1858.  She  was  born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  1840.  They  have  five  chil- 
dren :  Dora  A.,  George  Frank,  Ida  Myrtle,  Charles  Edgar,  and  Leo.  He 
is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  a  Methodist  in  religious  preferences.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 

HENRY  A.  DANKERS, 

one  of  the  leading  residents  and  old  citizens  of  Lincoln  Township,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Stade,  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  on  the  20th  day  of  May, 
1835.  His  father,  Henry  Dankers,  left  Germany  for  this  country  in  the 
year  1841,  when  the  subject  of  this  biography  was  about  six  years  old. 
They  landed  at  New  Orleans  and  came  up  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri 
rivers,  to  Weston,  in  Platte  County,  where  they  parted  with  all  their 
money  in  exchange  for  an  old  wagon,  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  four  cows,  and 
set  out  for  Holt  County,  where  they  heard  that  John  H.  Roselius  had  set- 
tled the  previous  spring.  In  August,  1841,  they  arrived  here.  All  this 
part  of  the  county  was  a  waste,,  unbroken  bottom  land,  and  no  signs  of 
civilization  were  visible  except  where  Roselius  had  erected  a  cabin  in 
the  timber  near  the  Missouri  River.  Indians  were  the  only  inhabitants, 
and  shared  the  solitude  with  the  wild  game,  which   was  found  in  abun- 


LINCOLN   TOWNSHIP.  293 

dance.  Mr.  D.'s  father  chose  a  location  on  section  36.  One  of  the  first 
enterprises  was  to  get  a  school,  and  the  first  one  which  Mr.  Dankers 
attended,  and  the  first  in  the  township,  was  taught  by  a  man  employed 
by  his  father,  John  H.  Roselius  and  Andrew  Buck.  He  only  received 
about  nine  months  schooling,  and  the  remainder  of  his  education  he  has 
obtained  by  his  own  study  and  exertions,  now  being  exceptionally  well 
informed.  In  the  spring  of  1858  he  left  home,  and  in  partnership  with  a 
Mr.  Price  kept  a  grocery  store  across  the  Missouri  River,  at  St.  Stevens, 
Nebraska.  Not  succeeding  according  to  his  expectations,  he  returned 
the  following  year  (1859)  to  Holt  County,  and  went  to  work  again  on  the 
farm  and  trading  in  stock.  He  was  married  on  the  20th  of  January, 
1863,  to  Elizabeth  Kunkel,  who  was  born  in  Hesse  Darmstadt,  Germany, 
but  a  resident  of  Holt  County,  when  married.  They  have  eight  children  : 
Melinda,  Andrew,  Irvin,  Rebecca,  Anna,  Fredrick,  Ella  D.  and  Charles 
Edmond.  Mr.  D.  lived  in  the  timber  near  the  river  until  October,  1873, 
when  he  removed  to  his  present  home,  on  the  farm  adjoining  the  town 
of  Corning.  He  has  built  a  handsome  brick  residence,  one  of  the  best 
in  the  county,  has  been  engaged  in  farming  on  a  large  scale,  and  now 
owns  1340  acres  of  land,  apart  of  which  is  in  Atchison  County.  He  has 
also  been  occupied  in  dealing  in  stock,  which  has  done  much  to  place 
him  in  his  present  circumstances.  His  father  died  in  August,  1870.  Mr. 
D.  was  the  second  of  a  family  of  four  children,  and  is  now  the  oldest  of  two 
children  living.  His  sister  is  now  the  wife  of  Fred  W.  Walter,  Esq. 
He  has  grown  up  with  Holt  County,  and  is  one  of  its  most  industrious 
citizens.  Coming  here,  as  he  did,  forty  years  ago,  and  settling  on  a 
tract  of  wild  bottom  land  without  means,  and  with  little  prospect  of  for- 
tune, he  has  succeeded  in  placing  himself  among  the  wealthy  farmers  of 
the  county. 

JUDGE  BRUCE  EARL. 

Among  the  many  men  of  mark  who  have  earned  for  themselves  a 
name  and  fortune  who  deserve  special  mention,  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York,  March  10, 
1842.  His  father,  Henry  Earl,  was  a  farmer,  and  his  mother  was  form- 
erly Laura  M.  Watson,  of  Ballston,  New  York.  Bruce  left  home  when 
sixteen  years  of  age,  and,  after  working  for  three  years,  in  March,  1864, 
he  started  for  California..  He  went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  after  four- 
teen months  he  returned  to  California,  remaining  for  three  months. 
He  then  went  home,  and  in  June,  1866,  he  came  to  Missouri  and  stopped 
in  Atchison  County,  though  possessed  of  but  twenty  dollars  with  which 
to  engage  in  business.  But  having  come  here  to  stay,  he  commenced 
to  work  in  a  mill  and  chopping  railroad  ties  for  a  dollar  and  fifty  cents 
per  day.  This  he  continued  until  1868,  when  he  came  to  Holt  County 
and  bought  a  saw  mill  with  J.  C.  Yantes,  and  from  this  time  on  labored 


294  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

harder  than  ever.  In  October,  1869,  he  bought  out  his  partner's  interest 
and  operated  the  mill  alone.  He  then  purchased  some  400  acres  of 
timber  of  John  B.  Perkins,  moved  his  mill  on  to  that  land  and  sawed  the 
timber,  and  in  this  manner  obtained  quite  a  start.  In  1874  Mr.  E. 
moved  his  mill  on  to  the  farm  of  Henry  Roselius,  and  there  sawed  the 
timber  on  500  acres  of  land.  After  buying  and  selling  several  mills 
and  sawing  a  large  quantity  of  black  walnut  and  other  valuable  lumber, 
he  closed  up  his  milling  business  and  then,  in  March,  1880,  bought  the 
store  which  he  now  occupies,  putting  in  a  general  stock  of  merchandise. 
He  received  his  brother,  Milton,  into  partnership  and  started  with  excel- 
lent prospects.  In  January,  1882,  they  changed  their  stock  to  drugs, 
medicines,  groceries,  boots  and  shoes.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 
Mr.  Earl  was  appointed  County  Judge,  by  the  Governor,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
of  Henry  Banganstock  in  the  second  district,  who  resigned,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor also  appointed  him  Presiding  County  Judge,  to  fill  the  vacancy  of  T. 
W.  McCoy,  resigned.  He  belongs  to  the  Rock  Port  Chapter  of  Masons.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Ann  Perkins,  of  Atchison  County,  in  1869. 
She  died  October  14,  1869.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Free- 
man, of  Craig,  to  whom  he  was  married  May  15,  1871.  She  died  January 
18,  1875,  leaving  two  children,  Emma  and  Vera,  and  a  step-daughter, 
Bessie  Alice  Freeman.  Mr.  E.'s  third  wife  was  Mrs.  Sarah  Courchain, 
of  Rulo,  Nebraska.  They  were  married  August  1,  1875.  He  has  535 
acres  of  land  in  his  farm,  on  sections  3  and  4,  in  Union  Township.  Judge 
Earl  has  been  a  fortunate  and  successful  man  in  all  his  business  indus- 
tries, prompt  to  his  engagements,  relying  upon  his  own  judgment  for  his 
success.  As  judge  he  is  very  mindful  of  the  wants  and  care  of  the  county 
interests.  The  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  doing  well.  His  brother, 
Milton,  is  the  present  postmaster  of  Corning,  and  is  deserving  of  credit 
for  the  care  and  attention  he  srives  the  official  business. 


t>  ■ 


JOHN    H.  HOGREFE, 

a  substantial  settler  of  Lincoln  Township,  was  born  at  Walsrode,  in 
Hanover,  September  2,  1816.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  lived  in  his 
native  country  until  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age.  In  the  summer  of 
L842,  he  immigrated  to  America,  and  landed  at  Baltimore  on  the  10th  of 
August,  having  been  nine  weeks  on  the  ocean..  After  stopping  at  Mari- 
etta, Ohio,  for  a  few  months,  he  came  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  In  the  fall 
following  he  removed  to  Lexington,  Missouri,  and  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  the  spring  of  1S46.  Mr.  H.  had  long  been  connected  with  the 
German  Methodist  Church,  and  on  leaving  La  Fayette  County,  he  went 
to  St.  Charles  County,  as  a  minister  of  that  denomination,  and  was 
employed  in  preaching  there  until  October,  1846.  He  traveled  as  a 
Methodist  minister  in  Howard.  Chariton  and  Carroll  Counties,  from  1848, 


LINCOLN   TOWNSHIP.  295 

to  1850,  and  had  charge  of  other  stations  in  different  parts  of  the  state. 
He  was  placed  at  Weston,  in  Platte  County,  and  preached  over  a  large 
circuit,  embracing  Clay,  Platte,  Buchanan,  Andrew  and  Holt  Counties. 
In  1850,  he  settled  on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  in  section  8.  Then 
there  were  only  a  few  settlements,  scattered  here  and  there.  Mr.  H.  has 
been  acting  as  a  local  preacher  of  the  German  Methodist  Church  since 
that  time,  and  has  also  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  owns  394  acres  of 
land.  He  was  married  April  19,  1847,  to  Rebecca  Trook,  who  was  born 
and  raised  in  Ohio,  but  had  moved  to  Andrew  County  where  she  was 
married.  They  have  six  sons  and  one  daughter  :  Henry,  Joseph,  Abra- 
ham, Benjamin,  Simeon,  George  W.,  and  Matilda.  Politically  he  is  a 
staunch  Republican.  Mr.  Hogrefe  has  a  fine  farm,  an  excellent  orchard 
of  choice  fruit,  and  some  forty  stands  of  bees. 

GREENBURG  B.  LOUDEN, 

farmer,  is  the  owner  of  215  acres  of  land,  and  resides  on  section  27.  He 
is  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Lydia  (Little)  Louden,  and  was  born  in  Henry 
County,  Kentucky,  May  22,  1822.  He  was  brought  up  as  a  farmer  and 
had  very  limited  advantages  for  acquiring  an  education.  In  1852  he  came 
to  this  state  and  settled  in  Holt  County,  on  the  farm  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  has  a  good  farm  of  his  own  improving,  but  had  only  $10  when 
he  arrived  in  St.  Joseph.  Mr.  Louden  is  giving  his  children  good  school 
advantages,  and  is  much  interested  in  keeping  the  school  of  his  district 
in  session  the  year  round.  He  married  Ann  Eliza  Mosier,  in  this  county, 
in  June,  1853.  They  have  had  fifteen  children,  of  whom  four  are  deceased. 
Those  living  are  :  Greenburg,  Louisa,  Clara  M.,  Jacob,  Jeptha,  Alvessa, 
Allen,  Eli,  Elzara,  Ernest  and  the  babe.  In  politics  Mr.  L.  is  a  Demo- 
crat.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity. 

JAMES  M.  LOVELADY,  M.  D., 

son  of  William  and  Amanda  (Thomas)  Lovelady,  was  born  in  Riverton, 
Fremont  County,  Iowa,  in  1856.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee. He  secured  a  good  education  at  the  Tabor  College,  in  Iowa, 
and,  subsequently,  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Evan  F.  Cowgar,  an  expe- 
rienced physician  of  Riverton.  After  becoming  a  thorough  student,  he 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Medical  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  the  winter  of  1879-80,  and  graduated  from 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  in  St.  Joseph,  in  the  winter  of 
1880-81.  He  was  a  careful  and  studious  scholar,  always  striving  to 
search  for  the  mysteries  of  his  profession,  and  in  his  practice  he  follows 
the  same  plan.  He  located  at  Corning,  Holt  County,  in  the  spring  of 
1881,  commencing  the  practice  of  his  chosen  calling,  and  very  soon  he 
was  enjoying  a  liberal  patronage.     His  success  would  do  credit  to  an 


296  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

older  practitioner.  He  is  a  young  man  of  good  habits,  and  is  keeping 
pace  with  the  advancing  science  of  medicine.  October  20,  1881,  Dr.  L. 
married  Miss  Susie  L.  Smith,  daughter  of  Coleman  Smith,  of  Riverton, 
Iowa,  but  formerly  of  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Lovelady  enjoyed  excellent 
advantages  for  an  education  in  youth,  and  is  an  accomplished  musician, 
besides  being  one  of  the  best  of  housewives. 

JOHN  S.  MAVITY, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  [9,  was  born  in  Ripley  County,  Indiana, 
in  July,  1840.  He  received  a  common  school  education,  and  worked  at 
home  until  grown,  when  he  bought  some  land,  but  it  being  heavy  tim- 
ber, uneven  and  full  of  rocks,  the  improving  of  the  farm  was  the  work  of 
a  lifetime,  and  after  several  years  he  concluded  to  seek  a  home  further 
west.  Accordingly,  in  1871,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and 
settled  on  his  present  place,  one-half  mile  north  of  Corning,  where  he 
improved  his  first  farm  of  240  acres,  to  which  he  has  added,  from  time 
to  time,  until  now  it  is  one  of  the  best  places  on  these  rich  bottoms,  con- 
sisting of  520  acres.  In  1880  he  built  his  present  commodious  dwelling, 
and  this,  with  other  improvements  and  the  location,  renders  his  home 
and  surroundings  among  the  most  desirable.  He  yet  possesses  the  Rip- 
ley County  farm,  as  a  monument  of  his  early  struggles.  Mr.  Mavity 
married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Anderson,  daughter  of  Dr.  William  Anderson, 
of  Indiana,  in  i860.  They  have  eight  children  living  :  William  A., 
James  S.,  Charles  M.,  John  F.,  Mary  Ann,  Laura  Stella,  Isabel  Florence, 
and  Robert  A.  Mr.  M.'s  father,  James  Maverty,  and  his  mother,  who 
was  formerly  Keziah  Evans,  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  M.'s  father, 
Dr.  William  Anderson,  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  her  mother 
was  Christiana  Blair,  of  Ripley  County,  Indiana.  Dr.  Anderson 
received  a  thorough  education  in  Ireland  and  Scotland,  and  studied 
medicine  and  attended  the  medical  schools  at  Edingburgh,  where  he 
graduated  with  honor.  After  coming  to  this  country  he  graduated  from 
one  of  the  best  medical  schools  in  New  York  City,  and  later  settled  in 
Ripley  County,  Indiana,  where  he  became  quite  prominent  as  a  physi- 
cian. He  was  once  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  Thirty-seventh  Indi- 
ana Regiment,  and  served  in  that  capacity,  and  as  Medical  Director, 
etc.,  with  much  distinction.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Mavity,  took  a  thorough 
course  of  study  with  her  father,  and  has  been  an  active  and  successful 
practitioner  for  many  years.  In  1862  Mr.  Mavity  enlisted  in  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  attached  to  the  Fourteenth 
Corps,  and  served  through  all  the  engagements  from  Murfreesboro, 
through  the  hard  campaigning,  to  the  close  of  the  war.  Politically  he 
is  a  Democrat,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Christian  Church.  Few  men  have 
succeeded     better    in    life    than  Mr.  M.       He  has   worked    hard,    been 


LINCOLN   TOWNSHIP.  297 

economical,   and  now  both  he  and  his  wife  can  enjoy  the  fruit  of  their 
hard  toil  in  their  declining  years. 

HEINRICH  MULLER, 

merchant,  and  son  of  Heinrich  and  Wilhelmine  K.  Muller,  is  among  the 
younger  class  of  business  men  in  the  county,  but  none  stand  higher  for 
true  worth  and  business  ability.  He  was  born  in  Wittenberg,  State  of 
Waldeck,  Germany,  October  15,  1848,  and  landed  in  this  country  Janu- 
ary 17,  1871.  He  received  an  excellent  education  in  Germany,  and  also 
acquired  a  thorough  training  in  the  mercantile  business.  He  was 
brought  up  to  habits  of  industry,  his  early  boyhood  days  being  spent  on 
a  farm.  After  emigrating  to  America  he  came  to  St.  Joseph,  and 
entered  the  drug  store  of  Joseph  Schmitz,  and  in  a  short  was  employed 
in  the  drug  establishment  of  T.  Borngessor,  only  remaining  with  him 
until  the  23d  of  June,  1871.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Corning,  and 
formed  a  partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Sedwick  &  Muller,  in  the 
general  merchandise  business.  They  continued  in  this  name  until  F. 
W.  Walter  entered  it,  when  it  was  changed  to  Sedwick,  Walter  &  Co. 
They  have  a  branch  house  at  Fairfax,  where  they  are  doing  a  leading 
business,  and,  as  a  firm,  they  stand  among  the  most  prominent  in  this 
vicinity,  having  ample  capital  to  carry  on  a  large  and  varied  business  to 
advantage.  As  a  result,  they  enjoy  a  liberal  patronage.  Mr.  Muller 
married  Miss  Hattie  Sedwick,  of  Forest  City,  Missouri,  May  15,  1877. 
They  have  two  boys,  Charles  Waldick  and  Harry  Benjamin.  Mrs.  M. 
was  the  daughter  of  Joshua  T.  Sedwick.  Mr.  Muller  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  Lutheran  in  his 
religious  preferences.  He  started  in  life  with  little  means,  but  was  so 
reliable  and  capable  in  his  business  operations  that  he  at  once  gained 
the  confidence  of  his  employers,  and  has  since  succeeded  beyond  his 
most  sanguine  hopes. 

HENRY  NABER, 

farmer,  is  the  owner  of  250  acres  of  land,  his  residence  being  on  section 
32.  He  was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  May  22,  1845. 
His  father,  Henry  Naber,  was  a  shoemaker  by  occupation,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Dora  Fricka.  Henry  spent  his  youth  at 
school,  obtaining  a  good  common  education.  He  came  to  this  country 
in  185 1,  locating  in  Missouri,  and  stopped  in  St.  Louis  for  two  years. 
In  1853  he  came  to  this  county.  His  father  and  step-mother  died  here 
two  weeks  apart,  in  1854,  his  mother  having  died  in  Germany.  They 
left  two  sons,  Henry  and  Richard.  Richard  went  to  live  with  John  F. 
Gerriny,  who  soon  after  died,  and  Richard  then  went  to  St.  Joseph  and 
lived  with  Mr.   Killink,  but  was  afterwards   drowned  in   the    Missouri 


298  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

River.  Henry  lived  with  Mr.  C.  H.  Walter,  until  he  was  twenty-six 
years  old,  when  Mr.  W.  gave  him  a  farm,  and  he  moved  upon  it.  October 
29,  1871,  he  married  Miss  Bothena  Voltmer,  formerly  from  Germany. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Fredrick  Voltmer,  of  this  county.  They  have 
three  children  living :  Anna  Dora,  Henry  Fredrick  Rudolph,  and 
Martha  Augusta  Ragena.  Mr.  N.  started  on  his  farm  in  1870,  with  a 
team  and  cow,  commencing  work  by  improving  his  farm.  By  hard  work 
he  has  succeeded  in  making  one  of  the  fine  homes  in  the  county.  He 
built  his  present  commodious  dwelling  in  1878.  He  has  added  to  his 
original  farm  considerably,  and  has  it  well  stocked  with  horses,  cattle, 
sheep  and  hogs.  He  is  one  of  the  respected  citizens  of  this  county,  and 
is  entitled  to  great  credit  for  his  faithfulness  in  work  from  his  boyhood. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  religiously  a  Lutheran. 

JESSE  NOEL,  M.  D., 

was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Virginia,  September  27,  1817.  His 
father  was  William  T.  Noel,  M.  D.,  who  was  born  in  Essex  County,  Vir- 
ginia, and  who  married  Margery  Harrison,  of  Virginia.  Jesse  was  sent 
to  school  and  acquired  a  good  education,  becoming  a  thorough  student 
of  medicine,  both  theoretically  and  practically,  with  his  father.  He  also 
studied  with  Dr.  Finley,  of  the  city  of  Niles,  Michigan,  to  which  place 
Dr.  Noel  had  moved  in  1831.  After  completing  his  studies  he  practiced 
his  profession  until  he  came  to  this  county  in  1850.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Northwestern  Medical  Association,  of  St.  Joseph.  After  coming  to 
this  state,  he  determined  to  leave  his  practice,  and  accordingly  bought  a 
farm  and  mill,  very  few  persons  knowing  that  he  was  a  physician.  But 
after  the  fevers  and  chills  began  to  assume  a  congestive  form,  his  long 
experience  in  their  treatment  in  Michigan  was  urged  upon  him,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  again  commence  practice,  in  which  he  was  very  success- 
ful. In  1854,  he  moved  to  Brownsville,  Nebraska,  where  he  built  a  mill 
and  took  charge  of  it,  and  also  soon  came  into  possession  of  a  lucrative 
practice.  In  1857,  ne  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and 
again  in  1858.  He  was  also  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  two  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1865,  he  sold  out  his  interests  in  Brownsville  and  returned  to 
Corning,  and  again  bought  a  very  large  mill,  in  which  he  invested 
$5,000.  After  operating  it  successfully  and  profitably  for  some  time,  it 
was  burned  to  the  ground,  a  total  loss,  supposed  to  have  been  set  on 
fire.  The  doctor  soon  imagined  that  the  practice  of  medicine  was  his 
first  calling,  and  therefore  he  gave  up  all  outside  matters,  and  has 
devoted  his  time  exclusively  to  study  and  practice.  He  has  helped  in 
many  ways  to  build  up  the  town,  and  he  sawed  and  drew  the  first  load 
of  lumber  that  was  used- for  erecting  the  first  building  in  Corning.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Democrat.     He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows 


LINCOLN  TOWNSH1K  299 

fraternities.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Colton,  of  Niles,  Michigan, 
daughter  of  William  Colton,  of  Niles.  They  have  four  children  living : 
Margery  (married  to  A.  J.  Berry,  of  Brownsville,  Nebraska),  William  T., 
John  Franklin,  and  James  Madison.  The  doctor  has  always  had  a  great 
desire  to  travel,  and  has  been  in  many  of  our  western  territories,  through 
California,  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory.  Mrs.  Noel  is  a  practical 
milliner  and  dressmaker,  and  is  dealing  in  sewing  machines,  &c,  in 
which  she  is  doing  quite  a  business. 

HARDIN  DOUGLAS  PARIS, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  November  19,  1816.  In  1819  his  father 
emigrated  to  Missouri  and  settled  near  Hannibal.  He  lived  at  home 
and  among  the  Indians  until  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Davis  County, 
Iowa,  and  erected  the  first  building  in  Bloomfield,  the  county  seat, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  He  bought  a  good  many 
lots  in  the  then  small  place.  In  1850,  in  company  with  three  brothers 
and  some  friends,  he  went  to  California,  remaining  for  two  years,  when 
they  returned,  after  a  successful  trip.  Mr.  P.  settled  nine  miles  west  of 
Bloomfield,  and  bought  a  tract  of  land,  and  also  some  lots  in  the  city  of 
Bloomfield.  He  went  to  work  and  improved  a  farm,  and  then  purchased 
a  saw  and  flouring  mill,  which  he  operated  until  1861,  after  which  he 
traded  his  mill  property  for  a  farm  in  Holt  County.  After  three  years 
he  sold  out  and  bought  the  place  where  the  family  now  live,  consisting 
•of  104  acres,  on  section  26.  He  married  Miss  Rebecca  Hopkins,  in 
Davis  County,  Iowa,  July  15,  1852.  Of  the  children  of  this  marriage 
three  are  now  living  :  John  Washington,  Hardin  Douglas,  and  Maria, 
who  married  Joseph  Spencer.  Mr.  Paris  was  once  thrown  from  a  load 
of  hay,  falling  upon  a  pitchfork,  which  caused  his  death,  November  30, 
1870.  Mrs.  P.'s  father  was  George  W.  Hopkins,  and  her  mother  was  for- 
merly Mary  Ann  McFarland,  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  P.  was  born  in  East 
Tennessee.  Mr.  P.  was  among  the  first  settlers  of  Craig,  and  helped  to 
build  up  the  town.  He  was  the  acting  justice  of  the  peace  for  several 
terms  before  he  died.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  thorough 
Union  man.  He  was  a  man  possessed  of  strong  convictions  of  right, 
and  transacted  a  large  amount  of  business  during  his  life  time,  and  made 
a  fortune.  He  left  a  good  farm  and  home  for  his  widow  and  two  sons, 
who  are  now  working  it   and  living  at  home. 

HEINRICH  PETERS, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Danst,  Amtr.  Hasfeld,  Germany,  January  25,  1808. 
His  father,  John  Peters,  was  born  in  Danst,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion.    His  mother  was  Rebecca  Weabash,  of  Danst.     Mr.  P.  was  in  pol- 


300  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

itics  a  Republican,  and  belonged  to  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Christena  Klaus,  daughter  of  Jacob  Klaus.  Their  family  consisted 
of  :  John,  born  June  13,  185 1  ;  Henry,  born  December  1,  1856  ;  Andrew, 
born  April  5,  1859  ;  Klaus,  born  October  20,  1861  ;  Ann  Eliza,  born  in 
1853,  and  died  in  1875.  She  was  married  to  Conrad  Thomas.  Mr.  Peters 
came  to  this  country  with  Andrew  Buck  and  Henry  Dankers,  in  1841, 
and  learned  from  real  experience  the  trials  of  a  pioneer  life.  He  made  a 
claim  of  160  acres,  on  section  36,  near  the  Missouri  River,  where  he  built 
a  small  log  house,  obtained  a  little  rude  furniture,  and  commenced  with 
a  will  to  make  a  farm.  He  had  some  money,  sufficient  to  procure  the 
necessaries  of  life  until  he  could  raise  a  crop.  At  that  time  roads  and 
mills  were  few  in  number.  Mrs.  Peters  could  tell  many  a  sad  tale  of  her 
first  impressions  of  America  and  her  new  home  on  the  bottoms,  but  after 
a  few  years  of  toil  and  sufferings,  by  industry  and  economy,  she  and 
her  husband  found  themselves  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and  in  pos- 
session of  a  home  of  their  own.  Mr.  Roselius  and  some  other  friends 
early  settled  near  them  and  they  soon  had  a  school,  which  was  much 
appreciated.  Mr.  P.  lived  in  his  first  cabin  for  thirty  years,  when  he 
built  a  more  commodious  one.  In  1856  he  bought  a  fine  160  acre  lot,  on 
the  prairie,  east  of  Corning,  on  section  36,  which  added  greatly  to  their 
farming  facilities.  In  188 1  the  family  built  a  barn  and  beautiful  resi- 
dence on  their  new  farm  of  320  acres,  located  on  section  29,  and  which 
Henry  Peters  is  conducting,  in  company  with  the  younger  brothers  and 
his  mother.  Mr.  Peters  died  August  15,  1873.  Johann  Peters  married 
Miss  Annie  Rebecca  Bade,  April  8,  1875,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Annie  C.  R.  and  Johann  Henry.  Johann  Peters,  the  eldest  son,  remains  on 
the  old  farm.  He  and  his  brothers  are  all  industrious  young  men.  Mr. 
Peters,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the  township.  He  labored 
hard  and  saved  a  good  competency  for  his  family.  After  a  life  of  useful- 
ness he  died,  leaving  an  affectionate  companion,  loving  children  and  a 
large  circle  of  friends  to  mourn  his  death. 

HENRY  ROSELIUS. 

A  biographical  history  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Lincoln  Township 
would  be  incomplete  without  mention  of  the  name  of  Henry  Roselius. 
His  father  was  the  first  permanent  settler  of  the  township,  and  the  son 
is  one  of  its  most  active  and  prominent  business  men.  He  was  born 
near  the  city  of  Hanover,  Germany,  October  1,  1838.  He  was  the  youngest 
of  three  children,  and  is  the  only  one  now  living.  His  father,  John  H. 
Roselius,  left  Germany  with  his  family  in  the  fall  of  1840.  They  landed 
in  New  York  City,  then  went  to  New  Orleans,  and  up  the  river  to  St. 
Louis,  and  thence  to  Weston,  in  Platte  County,  Missouri.  Obtaining  a 
wagon,  they  came  to  Holt  County,  and  settled  in  the  northwestern  cor- 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  301 

ner,  where  they  stopped  in  the  wilderness,  pitched  their  tent  and  made 
one  of  the  first  homes  in  the  county.  This  was  on  section  1.  The  family 
lived  alone  in  the  bottom  from  the  spring  of  1841  till  the  following  fall, 
when  Mr.  Dankers  and  Mr.  Peters  and  their  families  arrived  to  keep 
them  company.  Mr.  Roselius  was  at  that  time  but  a  small  boy,  and, 
consequently,  his  life  has  been  principally  spent  in  Holt  County.  He 
attended  the  first  school  ever  taught  in  Lincoln  Township,  kept  by  a  Mr- 
Keiser,  and  supported  by  Mr.  R.'s  father,  Henry  Dankers  and  Andrew 
Buck.  He  has  obtained  the  most  of  his  education  by  his  own  efforts,  and 
in  transacting  his  immense  business  has  gained  an  excellent  knowledge 
of  every  day  business  life.  He  worked  at  home  until  the  death  of  his 
father,  which  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1868.  After  this  Mr.  R.  contin- 
ued his  farming  operations  and  buying  and  dealing  extensively  in  stock, 
in  which  he  was  more  than  ordinarily  successful.  In  December,  1876,  he 
established  a  store  in  Corning,  with  Henry  Hogrefe  as  a  partner.  This 
firm  has  since  been,  and  still  is  one  of  the  leading  firms  of  the  county, 
having  ample  means  to  carry  on  a  large  trade.  Mr.  H.  takes  charge  of 
the  store,  and  Mr.  R.  continues  his  farming  operations.  He  has  750 
acres  of  land,  nearly  all  in  one  body.  He  has  recently  erected  a  com- 
modious residence  which  has  been  furnished  in  good  style,  and  Mrs.  R.'s 
good  taste  and  culture  is  shown  not  only  in  and  about  the  house,  but  in 
the  yard  surrounding  it.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Schmutzer,  of  this 
county,  in  June,  1861.  They  have  four  children  :  Edmund  A.,  Henry 
William,  Minnie  Lydia,  and  August.  In  politics  Mr.  R.  is  a  Demo- 
crat, though  not  radical  in  his  preferences.  His  father  commenced 
here  very  poor,  and  it  was  only  by  great  industry,  hard  work  and  rigid 
economy  that  they  obtained  a  start.  Mr.  R.  ranks  among  the  best 
financiers  in  this  locality,  and  is  noted  for  his  ability,  integrity  and  busi- 
ness capacity.  He  is  comparatively  a  young  man,  for  the  position  he 
occupies,  but  is  old  in  experience. 

PAUL  C.  SCHOLZ, 

druggist,  Corning.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  Rev.  F.  W. 
Scholz,  at  present  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  Church  of  this  place.  He  was 
born  in  Nashville,  Washington  County,  Illinois,  in  1858.  He  received  a 
good  education  in  the  schools  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and,  after  com- 
pleting it,  he  entered  the  drug  store  of  Jacob  Summers,  and  subsequently 
the  large  drug  establishment  of  his  brother,  Phillip  Scholz,  where  he^ 
remained  for  five  years,  making  the  compounding  of  medicines  and 
prescriptions  a  specialty.  During  the  last  two  years  with  his  brother 
he  took  the  entire  charge  of  the  business.  After  traveling  for  a  few 
months  for  his  health,  he  came  to  this  village  in  1879,  an^  bought  the 
old  drug  establishment  of  Ferris   &  Campbell,  which  was  the  only  drug 


302  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

store  then  in  town.  This  he  refitted  and  put  in  a  new  and  fresh  stock  of 
drugs,  chemicals,  paints  and  oils,  etc.,  etc.,  and  has  since  been  doing  a 
thriving  business,  which  is  increasing  from  year  to  year,  and  extending 
into  many  of  the  adjoining  towns.  He  is  well  informed,  genial  in  his 
ways,  and  attentive  to  the  wants  of  patrons.  His  father,  who  was  born 
in  Germany,  came  to  this  country  in  1842.  He  was  married,  in  St.  Louis, 
to  Miss  Charlotte  Alexander,  and  they  have  seven  children  :  John,  Philip, 
Paul  C,  Lydia,  Aggie,  Mattie  and  Mary. 

FRED.  WILLIAM  WALTER, 

one  of  the  progressive  business  men  of  this  county,  was  born  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  on  November  6,  1834.  His  father 
immigrated  to  this  country  in  1844,  arriving  in  New  Orleans  December 
24.  He  and  his  family  came  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  remaining  there 
until  March,  1845,  when  he  came  to  Holt  County,  here  locating  and 
improving  a  large  farm.  Fred,  worked  on  the  farm  with  his  father,  the 
latter  being  engaged  principally  in  wagonmaking.  This  was  continued 
until  1870,  when  they  divided  the  property,  and  he  came  to  his  farm 
adjoining  Corning,  where  he  now  resides.  In  1876  he  built  one  of  the 
best  brick  dwellings  in  the  county,  and  has  made  such  other  improve- 
ments as  a  stock  farm  needs.  He  has  in  his  home  farm  640  acres, 
adjoining  Corning,  and  has  altogether,  in  this  and  Atchison  County,  and 
in  Nebraska,  1,940  acres,  mostly  farming  lands.  Mr.  W.  married  Miss 
Mary  Dankers,  January  30,  i860.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  Dan- 
kers,  Esq.  They  have  four  children  living  :  Conrad  McClellan,  Alice 
Rebecca,  George  Emmet  and  John  Andrew  Fredrick.  In  religion  he 
is  a  Lutheran,  and  in  politics  a  conservative  Democrat.  In  1878  he 
started  the  store  of  Sedwick,  Walter  &  Co.,  in  this  city,  the  business 
being  conducted  under  this  firm  name  until  January,  1882,  when  it  was 
changed  to  Walter,  Muller  &  Co.,  the  old  firm  having  established  a  store 
in  Fairfax.  These  firms  are  among  the  most  responsible  business 
houses  in  these  counties,  and  are  fast  growing  into  favor  with  the  people. 
Mr.  Walter  has  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  people  in  his  private 
business  as  well  as  in  his  public  affairs.  While  having  had  limited 
opportunities  for  an  education  himself,  he  is  very  public  spirited  in  lend- 
ing his  influence  and  using  his  means  in  the  education  of  the  children  of 
the  place  and  his  own  family.  His  eldest  son,  Conrad  McC,  is  in  the 
store  with  Mr.  Muller,  learning  the  mercantile  business.  Very  few  men 
in  the  county  have  been  engaged  as  heavily  in  the  stock  dealing  busi- 
ness as  Mr.  W.,  and  this,  with  his  large  farming  operations,  together 
with  giving  some  attention  to  the  stores,  gives  him  ample  opportunities 
to  try  his  business  capacity.  C.  H.  Walter,  the  venerable  father  of 
Fred.  W.,  was  born    in  Lingen,  Germany,  March  4,  1804.     He   attended 


LINCOLN   TOWNSHIP.  303 

school  from  the  age  of  seven  to  fourteen  years,  then  learned  the  wagon- 
making  trade.  He  carried  on  a  shop  in  Germany  and  worked  a  farm, 
and  in  1844  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife 
and  two  children,  and  located  in  Holt  County,  on  the  farm  where  he  so 
long  lived.  In  the  freshet  of  1881  this  whole  farm  of  500  acres  was 
washed  away,  and  now  forms  the  bed  of  the  river.  On  his  voyage  from 
New  Orleans  the  boat  on  which  he  had  taken  passage  sank,  and  he*  lost 
everything  he  had  except  a  little  money.  Mr.  Walter  married  Catharine 
Dora  Voltmer,  in  Germany,  in  November,  1829.  Her  father  was  John 
Henry  Voltmer.  They  have  two  children  living  :  Fredrick  William 
and  Lena,  the  latter  born  April  3,  1838.  She  married  George  Hair,  of 
this  county,  a  prominent  farmer  in  Union  Township.  Mr.  W.  was  the 
first  mechanic  of  the  kind  in  this  township  and  made  the  first  wagon. 
He  early  became  one  of  the  prosperous  men  here,  and  his  accumulations 
were  very  large.  Since  his  home  was  destroyed  by  water  he  has  lived 
with  his  son  Fredrick.  He  has  gained  for  himself  a  good  reputation, 
and  is  honored  by  all.  He  is  a  Lutheran  in  his  religious  preferences,  and 
a  Jackson  Democrat  in  political  views. 


CHAPTER  XIII.  I 

LEWIS  TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES— PHYSICAL  FEATURES  -  EARLY  SETTLEMENTS- THE  FIRST  CHURCH— FIRST 
DISTILLERY  — FIRST  POST  OFFICE— PIONEER  MERCHANTS  — WILLIAM  BANKS- 
BANKS'  SPRING  — MANX  MEN  — DANIEL  ZOOK  —  THE  FLOAT  BRIDGE  —  POPULUS 
TREMULA— ROAD  FROM  OREGON  TO  FOREST  CITY— MILLS. 

BOUNDARIES. 

One  of  the  two  original  divisions  of  Holt  County  is  Lewis  Town- 
ship, organized  at  the  April  term  of  1841,  and  described  in  the  records 
as  follows  :  "  Beginning  at  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  where  the  range  between  thirty-seven  and  thirty-eight 
intersects  said  river  ;  thence  north  to  the  northern  boundary  line  of  this 
county ;  thence  west  to  the  High  Bridge  Creek ;  thence  down  said 
creek  to  the  Missouri  River;  thence  down  the  Missouri  River  to  the 
place  of  beginning." 

It  thus  appears  that  the  original  limits  of  Lewis  Township  included 
besides  its  present  territory,  a  portion  of  Forbes,  one-half  of  Hickory 
and  of  Clay  Townships,  and  all  that  territory  included  within  the  area 
of  what  is  now  (1882)  Bigelow,  Benton,  Liberty,  Union  and  Lincoln 
Townships,  including  about  four-fifths  of  the  present  area  of  the  county, 
as  well  as  the  greater  part  of  Atchison  County,  and  extending  ten 
miles  within  the  southern  limits  of  the  state  of  Iowa. 

In  May,  1841,  occurred  the  first  election  in  Holt  County.  This 
election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following  officers  in  Lewis  Town- 
ship:  John  Gibson  and  Gallatin  Adkins,  justices  of  the  peace,  and  John 
Lewis,  constable. 

The  organization,  August  9.  1842,  of  Benton  Township,  by  which 
the  base  line  run  by  Oiler,  surveyor  of  public  lands,  was  made  its 
southern  boundary  reduced  the  territory  of  Lewis  Township  to  nearly 
its  present  limits.  The  subsequent  erection  of  new  townships,  changed 
from  time  to  time,  the  names  and  dimensions  of  the  bounding  divis- 
ions which  are  at  present  (1882)  as  follows  :  On  the  north  in  a  distance 
of  fourteen  miles  by  Bigelow,  Benton  and  Hickory  Townships  ;  on  the 
east  by  Nodaway  and  Forbes  Townships  ten  and  a  half  miles  ;  on  the 
south,  two  miles,  by  Forbes  Township,  and  on  the  southwest  and  south, 
in  a  distance  of  about  twenty-three  miles,  by  the  state  of  Kansas,  from 
which  it  is  separated  by  the  Missouri  River. 


LEWIS   TOWNSHIP.  305 

PHYSICAL   FEATURES. 

The  physical  aspect  of  Lewis  Township  presents  a  diversity  of  sur- 
face. About  seven  miles  east  of  its  northwest  corner  the  bluff  formation 
sets  in  and  extends  in  a  nearly  due  southwesterly  direction  through  its 
limits,  in  a  distance  of  about  ten  miles.  All  to  the  westward  of  this  bluff 
and  extending  to  the  Missouri  River,  including  about  thirty  square  miles 
of  territory,  is  level  bottom  land.  That  lying  to  the  eastward  of  the 
bluffs  is  high  rolling  prairie,  interspersed  with  abundance  of  valuable 
timber  and  well  watered  by  streams  of  different  magnitude.  The  Tarkio, 
which  rises  in  Montgomery  County,  Iowa,  a  distance  by  its  course  of 
more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  enters  Lewis  Township,  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  section  6,  and  flows  in  a  westerly  dieection,  just 
south  of  Oiler's  Base  Line,  a  distance  of  a  little  over  two  miles,  into  the 
Missouri  River. 

The  Little  Tarkio  enters  Lewis  Township  in  fractional  section  4, 
and  running  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  through  what  was  known  in 
the  original  United  States  surveys,  as  Impassable  Lake,  and  subsequently 
Tarkio  Lake,  an  extensive  swamp  lying  to  the  northwestward  of  Forest 
City,  enters  the  former  bed  of  the  Missouri  River,  just  above  that  town, 
and  flowing  through  that  channel,  debouches  into  the  present  bed  of  the 
river  about  six  miles  below  the  town.  This  lake  or  swamp,  according  to 
a  survey  made  in  May,  1874,  by  Stephen  C.  Collins,  who,  for  twenty 
years  in  the  early  history  of  the  county,  was  its  surveyor,  and  who  has  long 
been  known  for  the  unwavering  accuracy  of  his  work,  contains  three  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  thirteen  acres  and  a  fraction.  Thomas  W.  Collins, 
attorney  at  law  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  was  employed  to  secure  to  the  County 
of  Holt  a  grant  of  this  land,  which  he  effected  through  the  agency  of  the 
Hon.  I.  C.  Parker,  at  that  time  representative  in  Congress  from  this  dis- 
trict, and  now  (1882)  United  States  District  Judge  in  Arkansas.  The 
patent,  granting  this  swamp,  was  presented  by  said  T.  W.  Collins  to  the 
county  court  and  filed  in  the  clerk's  office  of  that  body  on  the  20th  day 
of  July,  1874.  In  obedience  to  petition  the  county  court  made  an  appro- 
priation for  draining  this  marsh,  and  a  contract  was  made  in  September, 
1874,  to  W.  S.  Cannon  and  H.  Robinson,  for  cutting  a  ditch  to  subserve 
that  purpose.  The  drainage,  however,  is  said  to  be  imperfect,  and  the 
locality,  in  consequence,  unhealthful,  and  otherwise  undesirable.  The 
water  of  the  Little  Tarkio,  where  the  same  enters  the  Missouri  River  at 
the  point  above  mentioned,  contributes  to  form  what  was  formerly 
designated  as  Solomon's  Island.  The  latter  stream,  at  one  period,  flowed 
in  a  southeasterly  direction,  below  its  present  mouth,  through  the  south- 
ern part  of  Lewis  and  Forbes  Townships,  entering  the  Missouri  River 
near  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  county. 

20 


306  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

The  first  settler  on  the  shore  of  Impassable  Lake  was  Isaac  Fill- 
more, a  cousin  of  President  Millard  Fillmore.  He  came  from  New  York, 
in  1841,  and  settled  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake.  The  Widow  May,  George 
Wood  and  others  were  living  on  its  south  side  in  the  fall  of  1842.  Sam- 
uel, Amos  and  Moses  Wilds  settled  west  of  the  lake  in  the  winter  of  1842. 
With  the  exception  of  Michael  May  a  son  of  the  widow,  who  now  lives 
on  section  27,  township  60,  range  39,  these  people  are  long  since   gone. 

Kimsey  Creek  enters  Lewis  Township  in  fractional  section  4,  town- 
ship 60,  range  38,  and  flowing  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  enters  the 
Little  Tarkio  about  a  mile  and  a  half  above  Forest  City. 

Mill  Creek,  a  considerable  stream,  which  rises  in  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  24,  township  60,  range  38,  flows  in  a  southwesterly 
direction,  a  distance  by  its  meanderings  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles,  into 
the  lower  bed  of  the  Little  Tarkio,  which  it  enters  in  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  9,  township  59,  range  38,  and  thus  affords  running 
water  in  the  old  forsaken  bed  of  Little  Tarlcio  from  a  point  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  below  Forest  City.  In  many  places  the  old  bed  of  this 
stream  is  filled  up,  and,  in  wet  seasons,  occasions  disastrous  overflows. 
These  include  the  principal  streams  of  Lewis  Township.  To  the  noted 
Banks'  Spring  reference  is  made  under  the  head  of  "  William  Banks,  the 
Pioneer." 

On  the  20th  of  March,  1866,  Lewis  Township  was  divided,  for  the  • 
convenience  of  election  purposes,  into  East  and  West  Lewis  precincts. 
This  dividing  line  commences  at  a  point  on  the  northern  line  of  said 
township,  where  the  line  between  sections  four  and  five  intersects  said 
northern  line,  and  extends  due  south  eight  and  a  half  miles,  to  the  Mis- 
souri River,  which  it  reaches  between  sections  20  and  21. 

Since  the  first  settlement  of  the  county,  in  1838,  various  changes 
have  occurred  in  the  contour  of  the  territory  included  in  what  is  now 
Lewis  Township.  These  changes,  confined  to  the  western  and  southern 
boundaries,  have  been  the  result  of  the  ever  shifting  course  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  which  is  rarely  known  to  flow  for  any  extended  period  of 
time  in  the  same  channel. 

Immediately  following  the  great  overflow  of  1844,  began  to  appear 
the  growth  of  cotton  wood,  which,  with  a  later  intermingling  of  other 
timber,  now,  to  a  considerable  extent,  where  the  same  has  not  been 
cleared,  overspreads  these  bottoms,  which  were  formerly  prairie,  and 
which  may  be  said  to  be  fathomless  in  the  depths  of  their  exhaustless 
fecundity. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENTS. 

We  have  already  referred,  in  our  mention  of  Forbes  Township,  to 
the  fact  that  while  the  first  two  white  men  who  settled  in  Holt,  happened 
to  locate  within  the  present  limits  of  the  last  mentioned  division  of  the 


LEWIS   TOWNSHIP.  307 

county,  the  second  arrivals,  who  appeared  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
also  selected  that  vicinity,  which  being  in  a  neighborhood  cornering  on 
the  present  Townships  of  Nodaway  and  Lewis,  the  two  latter  townships 
were  among  the  earliest  to  receive  population  from  immigration. 

The  first  white  man  to  settle  within  the  present  limits  of  Lewis 
Township  was  R.  H.  Russel,  present  (1882)  Judge  of  the  Probate  Court 
of  Holt  County.  To  the  arrival  of  his  brother  and  other  settlers  in  the 
fall  of  1838,  we  have  already  referred  in  the  sketch  of  Forbes  Township. 
Early  in  the  spring  of  1838,  R.  H.  Russel  started  in  a  steamboat  from 
his  early  home  in  Indiana,  bound  for  the  Platte  Purchase.  He  had  sent 
his  horse  by  land  with  his  brother,  who,  accompanied  by  the  members 
of  his  family,  the  Sterritts,  and  one  or  two  others,  had  started  by  land 
with  ox  and  mule  teams.  He  had,  however,  a  new  saddle  which,  as  a 
matter  of  safety,  he  concluded  to  bring  with  him.  Before  he  arrived  at 
his  destination,  however,  this  was  stolen  by  some  one  who  had  left  the 
boat  at  some  intervening  landing.  In  due  time  he  reached  Liberty 
Landing,  with  very  few  dollars  in  his  pockets,  and  eager  for  any  employ- 
ment with  the  prospect  of  pay. 

Young  and  unsophisticated,  and  with  little  knowledge  of  the  world, 
he  undertook  a  job  of  excavating  a  cellar,  at  a  stipulated  price  for  the 
entire  work.  When  he  had  accomplished  this  task  he  discovered  that, 
outside  of  his  board,  his  compensation  amounted  to  about  twenty-five 
cents  per  day.  He  then  concluded  to  try  farming,  and  went  to  work  to 
raise  a  crop  of  corn  on  the  property  of  a  large  land  holder  by  the  name 
of  Hawkins.  In  this  he  met  with  better  success.  By  the  time  he  had 
plowed  his  corn  for  the  last  time,  the  proprietor,  pleased  with  the 
industry  and  intelligence  manifested  by  his  young  renter,  offered  him, 
at  a  good  salary,  the  position  of  overseer  of  his  plantation. 

Russel,  however,  had  started  for  the  Land  of  Promise,  and  did  not 
propose  to  stop  short  of  his  destination.  He  declined  the  compli- 
mentary offer  of  his  friend,,  and,  leaving  his  crop  to  ripen,  bent  his 
course  northward.  On  starting,  he  managed  to  purchase,  on  credit,  at 
the  rate  of  twenty-five  cents  per  gallon,  two  barrels  of  whisky.  Borrow- 
ing the  running  gear  of  an  antiquated  wagon,  he  fitted  it  up  with  two 
or  three  loose  boards,  and,  loading  on  his  whisky,  started  on  his  hun- 
dred-mile trip  through  the  wilderness  to  the  new  settlement  in  Holt 
County.  On  his  way  up,  he  reached  the  neighborhood  of  the  trading 
point  of  Robidoux,  now  St.  Joseph,  and  halted  a  short  distance  below 
the  landing,  at  a  shanty  in  which  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hall  had  a 
stock  of  furs  and  pelts.  Young  Russel  was  the  owner  of  an  antiquated 
bull's  eye  silver  watch,  to  which  the  proprietor  of  this  establishment 
taking  a  fancy,  he  gave  him  for  the  same  four  good  buffalo  robes,  which 
he  afterwards  sold  for  five  dollars  each.  On  reaching  Ellington's  Ferry 
on  the  Nodaway  River,  not  being  far  from  his  destination,  Russel  met  a 


308  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

man  by  the  name  of  John  Spence  and  his  brother  who  together  promptly 
made  him  an  offer  of  one  dollar  per  gallon  for  his  whisky  if  he  would 
transport  it  to  Jeffrey's  Point  on  the  Missouri  River.  This  offer  he 
promptly  accepted,  and,  heading  towards  the  Point,  via  the  "Big  Spring" 
now  Banks'  Spring,  below  Forest  City,  he  delivered  his  freight  and 
starting  back  with  his  money,  by  evening,  reached  the  neighborhood  of 
his  new  home  where  the  rest  of  his  party  had  already  arrived.  This 
was  early  in  the  fall  of  1838.  About  the  beginning  of  winter,  he 
returned  with  several  of  his  friends  and  the  necessary  wagons  for  mov- 
ing his  corn.  By  the  time  they  had  gathered  the  crop  and  started 
homeward,  the  month  of  January  had  arrived  ;  snow  was  on  the  ground; 
and  by  the  time  they  reached  the  Nodaway  River,  the  weather  was 
intensely  cold.  They  succeeded  in  crossing  three  of  their  wagons  on 
the  fiatboat  ferry.  The  fourth,  however,  proved  too  weighty  for  the  frail 
bark,  and  the  entire  load  was  precipitated  into  the  waters  of  the  Noda- 
way, after  having  been  safely  transported  a  distance  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred miles.  In  the  darkness  of  the  night,  amid  the  bewildering  snow  of 
the  wilderness,  R.  H.  Russel  lost  his  way,  and,  halting  his  jaded  team, 
as  well  in  apprehension  of  wandering  from  his  destination  as  in  consid- 
eration of  their  condition,  he  passed  in  the  woods  a  night  of  no  trifling 
suffering,  to  find,  by  the  morning  light,  that  he  was  but  three  miles  from 
his  home,  which  he  lost  no  time  in  reaching. 

The  farm  settled  by  this  pioneer  of  Lewis  Township  was  in  section 
12,  township  59,  range  38.  The  land  is  now  (1882)  owned  by  the  heirs 
of  Simeon  Conn.  Here  he  put  up  a  rude  cabin  of  small  logs  or,  rather, 
poles. 

Among  the  early  pioneers  referred  to  as  arriving  in  the  fall  of  1838, 
was  James  Kee,  also  from  Indiana,  a  man  who  met  with  a  sudden  and 
accidental  death,  under  very  peculiar  circumstances.  Kee  was  a  noted 
bee  and  deer  hunter,  and  generally  kept  his  neighbors  in  meat  and 
honey.  Regular  laborious  work  he  had  little  taste  for,  and  did  not  often 
engage  in.  For  some  time  after  his  arrival,  he  shared  with  R.  H.  Russel 
the  pole  cabin  erected  by  the  latter  on  the  above-mentioned  spot.  Hunt-, 
ing,  which  he  made  his  business,  was  his  delight,  and  the  house  was 
always  well  stocked  with  deer  meat,  and  with  wild  honey,  which  they 
kept  in  a  large  trough  hewn  out  of  a  linden  log.  Before  the  close  of 
the  first  decade  of  this  liberal-hearted  pioneer  in  the  west,  he  was 
summoned  to  his  last  account.  In  the  winter  of  1848,  while  at  Grand 
Island,  Nebraska,  on  his  way  to  the  war,  with  his  company,  then  under 
the  command  of  Captain,  afterwards  General  Craig,  of  St.  Joseph,  Kee 
started  out,  in  company  with  Alexander  Boyles,  an  intimate  and  par- 
ticular friend,  to  have,  as  it  subsequently  proved,  his  last  hunt.  Mistak- 
ing him  far  a  turkey,  in  the  gloom  and  distance,  Boyles  shot,  and 
instantly  killed  his  friend.     He  was  overwhelmed  with  grief  at  the  result 


LEWIS  TOWNSHIP.  309 

of  the  terrible  accident,  and  long  mourned  the  disastrous  consequences 
of  his  last  hunt.  He  resided  in  Oregon,  in  this  county,  many  years  after 
his  return  from  the  war,  and  finally  moved  to  California,  where  he  died. 
By  the  spring  of  1839,  the  population  began  to  gather  in,  and  the 
beauty  and  fertility  of  this  portion  of  the  county  soon  attracted  settlers. 
Among  others  came  H.  G.  Noland,  afterwards  judge  of  the  county  court, 
Roland  Burnett,  Larkin  Packwood,  Judge  John  Gibson,  James  Crowley, 
from  Clay  County,  Missouri,  Thomas  Crowley,  Jacob  Martin,  William 
Thorp,  John  Thorp,  Owen  Thorp,  the  Rev.  Dr.  G.  B.  Thorp,  of  the  Hard- 
shell Baptist  Church,  the  first  minister  of  the  Gospel  to  locate  within  the 
limits  of  Holt  County,  Isaac  Massey,  Valentine  Worley,  commonly 
called  "Pelty  Worley,"  Daniel  Sypes,  B.  B.  Grigsby,  Alexander  Boyles, 
Eli  Asher,  Daniel  Hahn,  Col.  John  W.  Kelley,  the  first  attorney  admitted 
to  practice  at  the  Holt  County  bar,  William  Banks,  Judge  Samuel  Wat- 
son, Henry  Watson,  William  Zook,  S.  C.  Collins,  for  twenty  years  county 
surveyor,  Michael  May,  Felix  Frelich,  since  dead,  the  original  vine- 
grower  and  first  man  to  make  wine  in  the  county,  William  Cook,  Rich- 
ard Hahn,  A.  Gemeker,  Andrew  Meyer,  Sr.,  who,  with  a  numerous  family 
settled  in  1843,  (many  of  his  sons  are  now,  1882,  representative  citizens 
of  different  parts  of  the  county),   Henderson  Pinkston. 

Judge  John  Stewart,  who  was  on  the  county  bench  from  1842  to 
1845,  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  county,  and  put  up  the  first 
blacksmith  shop  ever  started  within  its  limits.  This  "was  in  1839.  His 
stand  was  at  what  was  in  those  days  known  at  the  Big  Spring,  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  4,  township  59,  range  38,  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  southwest  of  Oregon,  and  the  same  distance  southeast  of  the 
site  of  the  present  town  of  Forest  City.  This  is  the  spot  now  known  as 
Banks'  Spring,  to  which  full  reference  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
chapter. 

Of  the  original  settlers  who  came  to  the  county  in  1838,  but  two  now 
(1882)  are  living  within  its  limits.  These  are  Judge  R.  H.  Russel,  and 
Roland  Burnett,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Oregon. 

THE  PIONEER  SCHOOL. 

The  early  settlers  of  Holt  County  seem  to  have  been  fully  alive  to 
the  importance  of  educating  their  children,  and  steps  in  that  direction 
were  early  instituted,  Lewis  Township  enjoying  the  distinction  of  being 
the  first  to  inaugurate  within  her  limits  an  enterprise  of  this  character. 

In  the  fall  of  1839,  Uriah  Garner  began  to  teach  the  first  school 
opened  in  Holt  County.  This  was  in  a  log  cabin,  14x16  feet  in  extent, 
and  built  by  R.  H.  Russel  for  a  residence,  a  very  rude  and  primitive 
structure.  It  was  located  on  the  southwest  corner  section  12,  township 
59,  range  38,  three  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Oregon,  on  a  farm  now 


310  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 


(1882)  owned  by  the  heirs  of  Simeon  Conn.  Population,  in  that  early 
day,  was  sparse,  and  the  entire  school  included  the  children  of  John 
Russel,  Thomas  Crowley,  James  Crowley,  G.  B.  Thorp  and  John  Sterritt. 
With  the  influx  of  population,  this  temporary  shelter  soon  gave  way  to 
more  extensive  and  better  appearing  buildings,  and  perhaps  more  culti- 
vated teachers,  but  to  Uriah  Garner  undoubtedly  belongs  the  distinction 
of  being  the  pioneer  teacher  of  Holt  County.  He  met  with  a  sudden 
and  violent  death,  some  years  after,  by  being  struck  over  the  head  with 
a  spade  or  pick,  in  the  hands  of  a  man  with  whom  he  was  working  the 
road. 

THE    FIRST   CHURCH 

built  in  Holt  County  was  erected  in  1843  by  the  Hard  Shell  Baptists.  It 
was  a  rude  frame  structure,  and  stood  on  section  36,  where  the  west 
line  of  the  southeast  quarter  crosses  Mill  Creek,  in  township  60,  range 
38,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  the  town  of  Oregon,  and 
within  the  present  limits  of  Lewis  Township.  The  building  has  long 
since  disappeared.  The  members  of  the  congregation  at  the  organiza- 
tion of  this  church  were  Judge  James  Kimsey  and  wife,  Judge  James 
Adkins  and  wife,  Rev.  Dr.  G.  B.  Thorp,  John  Thorp,  Abraham  Brown, 
and  Ethelbert  Brown.  The  wives  of  the  above  were  also  among  the 
original  members,  as  was  also  Mrs.  Margaret  Stephenson.  John  an< 
Daniel  Baldwin  were  also  enrolled  with  the  original  organizers  of  the 
church.  The  Rev.  Dr.  G.  B.  Thorp,  the  pastor  of  this  church,  was  the 
first  local  preacher  ever  established  in  Holt  County.  He  began  his 
labors  in  1841,  and  continued  a  period  of  thirty  years,  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death,,  which  occurred  in  1871.  He  was  also  a  practitioner  of  medi- 
cine. 

The  first  physician  to  locate  in  the  township  was  Dr.  Norman,  also 
the  first  in  the  county. 

In  1858  the  organization  moved  to  the  town  of  Oregon,  where  they 
erected  for  a  place  of  worship  a  brick  building,  to  which  reference  may 
be  found  under  the  head  of  "Oregon." 

THE    FIRST    DISTILLERY 

in  the  county  was  established  probably  as  early  as  1840,  if  not  before, 
by  Daniel  Sypes,  Sr.,  the  father  of  Buck  Sypes,  whose  narrow  escape 
from  the  conflagration  of  a  lightning-stricken  building  is  fully  detailed 
in  the  sketch  of  Oregon.  This  distillery  was  located  in  Lewis  Town- 
ship, near  the  north  line  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  13,  town- 
ship 59,  range  38.  Ten  years  after  its  erection,  all  traces  of  the  build- 
ing had  disappeared. 


LEWIS   TOWNSHIP.  3  1 1 

FIRST   POST  OFFICE. 

The  first  post  office  established  in  Holt  County  was  located  in 
Lewis  Township.  Judge  R.  H.  Russel  was  the  first  postmaster  appointed. 
This  was  in  1839.  He  kept  the  office  which  was  known  by  the  name  and 
style  of  "  Thorp's  Mill,"  in  a  hewed  log  house,  which  he  had  erected  on 
his  farm,  in  section  12,  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  old  log  cabin, 
which  he  had  put  up  on  his  first  arrival  in  the  country,  and  in  which,  in 
the  following  year,  he  had  allowed  Uriah  Garner  to  start  the  pioneer 
school  of  the  county,  as  above  stated.  Russel  was  also  the  contractor 
for  carrying  the  mail  to  Savannah,  in  Andrew  County.  This  he  did 
once  a  week.  The  mail  bag  was  never  very  weighty.  Four  letters  were 
considered  a  heavy  mail  ;  and  such  a  thing  as  a  newspaper  passing  over 
the  route  was  unheard  of.  Postage  in  those  days  was  twenty-five  cents 
on  a  single  letter.  The  post  office  continued  to  be  maintained  here  till 
the  town  of  Oregon  started,  in  1842,  when  Judge  Russel  appointed  Wil- 
liam Zook,  Sr.,  who  had  just  opened  the  first  store  in  that  town,  to  act 
as  his  deputy,  and  without  any  other  warrant  or  authority  the  office  was 
moved  to  Oregon. 

PIONEER  MERCHANTS. 

Of  George  and  Augustus  Borchers,  the  first  to  engage  in  mercantile 
business  in  the  county,  mention  has  already  been  made  in  the  chapter 
on  Forbes  Township,  where  their  store  was  located. 

WILLIAM    BANKS. 

Among  the  pioneers  of  Holt  County  who  yet  remain  to  tell  their 
early  experiences,  is  William  Banks,  who  resides  on  a  fine  farm  in  Lewis 
Township,  about  a  mile  and  a-half  south  of  Forest  City.  Mr.  Banks  is 
the  proprietor  of  several  valuable  farms  in  the  county.  He  was  born  in 
the  Isle  of  Man,  October  21,  181 1.  When  a  boy  of  fifteen  years  of  age 
he  left  his  native  home,  went  to  Liverpool  and  shipped  as  a  three-years 
apprentice  on  a  westward  bound  vessel.  His  compensation  was  seven 
pounds  sterling,  per  annum,  (less  than  $34),  and  out  of  this  he  was 
required  to  clothe  himself.  He  made  a  seven  months  voyage  to  Mobile 
and  back  to  Liverpool,  when  he  deserted.  He  subsequently  shipped  on 
board  a  vessel  bound  for  St.  Andrews,  and  thence  went  to  Baltimore. 
After  various  fortunes  he  found  himself,  in  1830,  in  New  Orleans,  and 
hired  as  a  deckhand  on  a  steamboat.  In  this  capacity  he  reached  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  about  the  close  of  the  year  1831.  In  the  spring  of  1832 
he  shipped  as  a  deckhand  on  the  steamboat  Yellowstone,  commanded 
by  Captain  Bennett.  This  boat  was  in  the  service  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  and  was  the  first  steamer  to  ascend  the  Missouri  River  as  far 
as  the  mountains.     He  relates  that,  on  this  trip,  he  cut  ash  wood  for  the 


312  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

boat  on  a  piece  of  land  three  and  a-half  miles  below  the  site  of  the 
present  town  of  Forest  City,  on  which,  nine  years  afterwards,  he  settled, 
and  which  he  afterwards  entered.  He  claims  to  be,  next  to  Lewis  and 
Clark,  who  came  up  the  river  in  1803,  the  first  white  man  who  ever  trod 
the  soil  of  what  is  now  Holt  County.  He  remained  three  years  in  the 
service  of  the  American  Fur  Company.  When  he  first  shipped  as  a 
deckhand  his  compensation  was  fifteen  dollars  a  month.  In  the  service 
of  this  company  he  soon  rose  to  be  mate  of  the  steamboat  Howard,  with 
a  salary  of  one  hundred  dollars  per  month.  He  had  continued  unin- 
terruptedly to  follow  the  river  from  New  Orleans  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone  for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  his  day  enjoyed  the  reputa- 
tion of  knowing  the  Missouri  better  than  any  man  who  at  that  time  fol- 
lowed it. 

Determining,  at  length,  to  embark  in  a  less  laborious  calling  than 
the  business  of  steamboating,  in  which  he  had  been  so  long  engaged,  he 
concluded  to  try  merchandising.  Accordingly,  in  partnership  with  John 
C.  Mcintosh,  clerk  of  the  Thames,  he  chartered  that  steamboat,  loaded 
her  with  cypress  shingles,  and  other  material  for  erecting  a  house,  and 
a  seven  thousand  dollar  stock  of  merchandise.  With  this  cargo  he 
landed,  on  the  9th  day  of  August,  1841,  on  the  spot  below  Forest  City, 
above  referred  to  as  having  so  forcibly  attracted  his  attention  on  his  first 
trip  up  the  then  almost  unknown  stream.  This  was  on  a  quarter  section 
of  land,  on  which  a  mulatto,  by  the  name  of  Jeffrey  Dorway,  had  squat- 
ted. From  this  squatter  he  purchased  his  pre-emption,  paying  him 
therefor  the  sum  of  six  hundred  dollars,  one-half  in  merchandise  and  the 
other  half  in  cash.  Mr.  Banks,  in  mentioning  this  Jeffrey  Dorway,speaks 
of  him  as  a  person  of  unusual  intelligence  for  his  class,  as  well  as  a  man 
of  incorruptible  integrity.  He  spoke  fluently  English,  French,  and  five 
Indian  languages,  and  was  interpreter  between  the  whites  and  Indians. 
He  had  been  at  one  time  a  slave  of  Joseph  Robidoux,  the  founder  of  St. 
Joseph,  but  was  at  the  period  of  his  settling,  in  what  was  afterwards 
Holt  County,  a  free  man.  It  appears  that  "  Dorway  "  was  a  corruption 
of  his  original  name,  Dorine.  The  spot  where  Banks  settled  was  called, 
from  this  man,  Jeffrey's  Point.  It  was  a  projection  included  in  south- 
west quarter  section  15,  township  59,  range  38.  Banks  and  Mcintosh, 
on  taking  possession  of  the  claim,  named  the  spot  Iowa  Point.  Here 
thev  proceeded,  immediately  after  landing,  to  erect  their  store-house. 
It  was  a  building  of  hewed  logs,  thirty-six  by  twenty  feet  in  dimensions, 
and  one  and  a  half  stories  high.  This  they  stocked  with  the  goods 
which  they  had  brought  with  them  and  commenced  business.  Theirs 
was  the  second  mercantile  enterprise  started  in  the  county.  At  the  end 
of  fourteen  or  fifteen  months  the  venture  proved  a  failure,  and  Mr.  Banks 
was  a  considerable  loser  by  the  result.  In  the  summer  of  1844  he  started, 
at  Iowa  Point,  Missouri,  where  his  old  store  and  warehouse  stood,  a  flat 


LEWIS  TOWNSHIP.  313 

boat  ferry  across  the  Missouri  River.  Except  the  people  at  the  Indian 
Agency  and  the  Mission  there  were,  at  that  time,  no  white  people  resid- 
ing west  of  the  Missouri  River,  and  this  was  the  only  ferry  on  its  waters 
above  Robidoux  Landing.  His  enterprise  was  regarded  as  a  wild  exper- 
iment, but  it  was  ultimately  crowned  with  success.  In  the  summer  of 
1844,  just  as  he  had  completed  his  boat,  a  command  of  three  hundred 
United  States  cavalry  appeared  on  the  river  bank.  For  transporting 
these  across,  which  undertaking  he  effected  in  the  course  of  half  a  day, 
he  was  paid  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars.  This  was  the  first  money  received 
by  him  for  ferriage,  and  with  it  he  entered  forty  acres  of  land. 

Iowa  Point  was  for  many  succeeding  years  a  noted  crossing  on  the 
Missouri  River,  and  William  Banks  long  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being 
the  most  expert  ferryman  on  its  waters.  During  the  great  California 
emigration  Banks'  Ferry,  though  propelled  by  hand  power,  did  an 
immense  business,  frequently  paying  in  a  single  day  over  one  hundred 
and  forty-four  dollars  clear  of  all  expenses.  Banks  continued  to  operate 
the  ferry  till  1856,  when  he  sold  it.  He  also,  for  many  years,  cut  and 
supplied  wood  to  the  boats  passing  up  and  down  the  river.  The  original 
quarter  on  which  he  settled  in  1841,  when  he  first  purchased  the  pre- 
emption of  Jeffrey  Dorway,  he  entered  in  1844.  Nearly,  if  not  all,  the 
original  tract  has  long  since  been  engulfed  in  the  encroachments  of  the 
Missouri,  and  with  it,  of  course,  the  original  Iowa  Point. 

By  permission  of  William  Banks,  the  point  in  Kansas  opposite  the 
original  Iowa  Point,  Missouri,  was  so  named  by  John  Pemberton  and 
Harvey  Foreman. 

Mr.  Banks'  landed  possessions  in  Holt  County  at  one  time  extended 
from  a  point  below  the  present  site  of  Forest  City,  two  and  a-half  miles 
along  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  and  included  a  tract  of  eight  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres. 

BANKS'    SPRING. 

On  his  present  home  place,  which  is  about  a  mile  and  a-half  south- 
east of  Forest  City,  and  about  the  same  distance  southwest  of  Oregon,  is 
a  remarkable  fountain,  known  as  Bank's  Spring.  The  water  here  gushes 
from  the  base  of  the  rocky  bluff  in  a  stream  of  considerable  volume  and 
remarkable  purity,  flowing  in  a  westerly  direction.  This  stream  sup- 
plies a  tank  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad, 
which  runs  diagonally  through  the  southwest  corner  of  his  quarter  sec- 
tion, number  4,  of  township  59,  range  38,  Lewis  Township,  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  his  residence,  and  the  source  of  the  spring.  This 
residence  is  strikingly  peculiar.  It  is  a  small,  two  story  structure,  and 
would  be  scarcely  worthy  of  mention,  but  from  the  enormous  thick- 
ness of  its  walls,  which  are  of  limestone,  two  feet  through.  Mr.  Banks  is 
the  owner  of  over  a  thousand  acres  of  valuable  farming  land  in  the  bot- 


314  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

torn  and  uplands.  He  was  never  married.  He  is  a  well  preserved  man 
in  full  possession  of  his  faculties,  and  endowed  with  a  remarkably  accu- 
rate and  retentive  memory.  The  varied  experiences  of  his  early  pioneer 
life  he  delights  to  impart,  and  many  of  these  incidents  he  relates  in  a 
manner  which  renders  them  attractive  and  pleasing,  while  an  air  of  sin- 
cerity marks  his  utterance,  entirely  disarming  any  suspicion  that  may 
arise  of  a  desire  on  his  part  to  indulge  in  that  propensity  for  romancing, 
for  which  pioneers  and  travelers  are  proverbially  distinguished. 

MANX    MEN. 

Mr.  Banks  is  not  the  only  Manx  Man  in  the  county.  In  the  spring 
of  1847,  Thomas  Cottier  arrived  from  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  settled  his 
present  (1882)  home  place  in  Lewis  township,  on  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  9,  township  60,  range  38,  on  the  waters  of  Kimsey  Creek.  This 
is  now  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county.  It  includes  twelve  acres  of 
an  apple  orchard,  (six  hundred  bearing  trees)  besides  a  peach  orchard  of 
as  many  trees,  also  pear  trees  and  a  vineyard.  Mrs.  Catharine  Cottier, 
his  mother,  who  resides  with  her  children  is  still,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty  years,  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  excellent  health  and  spirits. 
Through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Cottier,  more  than  five  hundred  people 
have  been  induced  to  leave  the  Isle  of  Man  and  settle  in  Holt  County, 
besides  others  who,  on  arriving  in  the  United  States,  selected  Kansas 
for  their  new  homes. 

DANIEL  ZOOK, 

the  third  to  sell  goods  within  the  limits  of  Holt  County,  also  began  in 
Lewis  Township.  This  was  Daniel  Zook,  Sr.,  who,  in  the  fall  of  1841, 
came  from  Ohio.  He  sold  a  few  goods  in  a  house  on  a  farm  now  owned 
by  the  Widow  Polluck,  and  included  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
15,  township  59,  range  38,  on  the  waters  of  Little  Tarkio  Creek,  about 
three  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Oregon. 
He  remained  here  a  very  short  time,  when  he  returned  home.  Arriving 
again,  in  the  spring  of  1842,  he  built  on  the  site  of  the  town  of  Oregon, 
the  first  house  ever  erected  in  the  place,  as  specially  referred  to  under 
the  head  of  Oregon. 

Of  the  original  settlers  of  Holt  County,  but  two  now  survive. 
These  are  Judge  R.  H.  Russel  and  Roland  Burnett,  both  residents  of  the 
town  of  Oregon. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  county's  history,  when  the  population  was 
scattered  and  neghborhoods  were  widely  separated,  camp  meetings 
were  a  recognized  necessity.  One  of  the  earliest,  if  not  the  first,  of 
these  was  held  by  the  Methodists,  in  the  summer  of  1844,  up  a  hollow 
leading  from  the  old  mill  in  the  north  part  of  Forest  City.     Its  site  was 


LEWIS   TOWNSHIP.  3  I  5 

a  farm  at  that  time,  owned  by  Thomas  Edwards,  and  now  the  property 
of  Mr.  Smith.  The  attendance  at  this  meeting,  though  small,  compared 
with  the  gatherings  of  the  present  time,  included,  for  those  days,  a  very 
large  attendance. 

THE    FLOAT   BRIDGE. 

As  early  as  1839  there  was  built  across  the  Little  Tarkio,  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  section  15,  township  59,  range  38,  a  rather  remark- 
able crossing  of  the  road  extending  between  the  Thorp  settlement,  in 
the  eastern  part  of  Lewis  Township,  and  Hetrick's  Landing,  on  the 
Missouri  River,  the  oldest  established  thoroughfare  in  the  county.  The 
latter  point,  which  was  in  section  20,  township  59,  range  38,  has  long 
since  disappeared  by  the  encroachments  of  the  Missouri.  This  crossing 
was  known  for  several  years  as  the  "  Float  Bridge,"  and  was  so  designa- 
ted from  the  circumstance  that  it  rested  on  floating  logs,  attached  to 
each  other  and  secured  by  fastenings  to  either  bank.  The  Little  Tarkio, 
in  those  days  a  deep,  bold  stream,  was  at  this  point  not  less  than  sixty 
feet  wide,  with  a  depth,  at  low  water  stage,  varying  from  four  to  over  six 
feet.  William  Hetrick  and  his  brother  Joseph  had  a  small  trading  post 
at  this  landing,  their  stock  in  trade  consisting  chiefly  of  whisky,  which 
they  sold  surreptitiously  to  the  Indians.  It  was  for  a  time  an  entrepot 
for  Oregon,  and  goods  were  hauled  from  the  boats  which  landed  here  to 
that  locality,  as  well  as  to  neighboring  stores. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  natural  features  of  Lewis  Township  is 
an  extensive  grove  of  the 

POPULUS   TREMULA, 

or  quaking-aspen,  said  to  be  the  only  sight  of  the  kind  in  the  state,  or, 
indeed  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  This  grove  is  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  southeast  of  Oregon.  It  is  chiefly  on  the  farm  of  James  L.  Allen,  in 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  2,  township  59,  range  38,  near  the  waters 
of  Mill  Creek,  but  extends  considerably  beyond  it.  The  grove,  which  is 
a  spontaneous  growth,  covers  an  area  of  about  twenty  acres,  and,  in  the 
season  of  foliage  is  a  truly  singular  and  beautiful  sight.  The  trees, 
which  appear  to  be  of  uniform  shape,  a  characteristic  resulting,  perhaps, 
from  the  denseness  of  the  growth  in  this  spot,  suggest  the  idea  of  a 
gigantic  cane-brake.  One  of  the  striking  peculiarities  of  these  trees  is 
the  silvery  appearance  of  the  bark  of  even  the  largest  and  oldest  among 
them,  most  of  which  seem  to  range  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  in  height. 
The  aspen  is  a  graceful  tree  when  growing  in  solitary  contrast  to  more 
familiar  timber,  but  viewed  in  a  dense  mass,  like  this  grove,  it  is  as  strik- 
ingly beautiful  as  it  is  novel.  The  bark  of  the  aspen  is  considered  by 
many  to  possess  certain  valuable  medicinal  properties,  and  the  fame  of 
this  celebrated  grove,  at  one  time,  drew  those  who  esteem  the  remedy, 


3l6  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 


from  remote  districts  of  Nebraska  and  Iowa  in  quest  of  the  healing  cuti- 
cle. It  is  estimated  that  the  average  yield  of  this  grove,  if  cut  down, 
would  be,  at  least,  forty  cords  of  wood  to  the  acre. 

ROAD    FROM    OREGON   TO   FOREST   CITY. 

Among  the  important  improvements  of  Lewis  Township  is  the  dirt 
road  extending  in  a  bee  line,  east  and  west,  between  Oregon  and  Forest 
City,  a  distance  from  the  railroad  depot  in  the  latter  town,  to  the  streets 
of  the  former,  of  two  and  a  half  miles.  The  distance  on  this  road 
between  the  corporate  limits  of  the  two  towns  is  about  a  mile  and  three- 
fourths.  This  road,  which  is  the  result  of  some  very  heavy  grading,  was 
built  in  1874  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars,  and  is  one  of  the  best  con- 
structed in  the  country.  Its  Oregon  terminus  is  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  and  one-half  feet  higher  than  the  site  of  the  depot  in   Forest  City. 

MILLS   IN    LEWIS   TOWNSHIP. 

The  first  mill  built  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  Lewis  Town- 
ship was  the  first  put  up  in  Holt  County.  It  was,  in  its  day,  known  as 
Thorp's  Mill,  and  was  operated  by  water  power.  It  stood  on  the  waters 
of  Mill  Creek,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  2,  township  59,  range 
38,  about  two  and  a-half  miles  southeast  of  the  town  of  Oregon,  on  a 
farm  now  owned  by  W.  H.  Sterritt,  a  merchant  of  that  place.  William 
Thorp,  who,  in  1844,  built  this  pioneer  structure,  came  from  Clay  County, 
Missouri.  He  is  now  (1882)  living,  at  an  advanced  age,  in  the  State  of 
Oregon.  About  the  period  of  the  Mexican  War  he  sold  out  to  Judge 
R.  H.  Russel  and  others,  who,  in  turn,  sold  the  mill  to  William  Hobson, 
Sr.  It  was  for  years  after  a  noted  institution  in  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try. It  finally  fell  to  the  possession  of  John  Deffenbaugh,  and  was  long 
known  as  the  Deffenbaugh  Mill.  It  was  originally  fitted  up  with  one 
run  of  burrs.  As  it  grew  in  importance  another  run  was  added.  It  was 
for  years  a  noted  mill,  and  was  latterly  propelled  by  a  Leffel  Turbine 
Wheel.  A  pool  below  the  dam,  which  collected  the  water  for  this  mill, 
was  for  many  years  used  by  different  Christian  denominations  of  the 
vicinity  for  baptismal  purposes.  Its  establishment,  in  1841,  was  an  era 
in  the  history  of  the  county.  For  three  years  prior  to  that  period  resi- 
dents of  that  infant  settlement  were  under  the  necessity  of  going  to  mill 
to  Weston,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  and  often  as  far  as  Liberty,  in  Clay 
County,  one  hundred  miles  distant.  Hence  originated  the  common  say- 
ing of  that  day,  "One  hundred  miles  to  mill."  The  machinery  was 
moved  from  this  mill  about  1875. 

The  second  mill  erected   in  Lewis  Township  was  built,  in  an  early 
day,  by  Samuel  Foster,  Sr.,  and  was  known   as  Foster's  Mill.     It  was 


LEWIS    TOWNSHIP.  3  17 

originally  a  log  house,  but  was  afterwards  rebuilt  a  frame.  It  stood  on 
the  east  fork  of  Mill  Creek.  The  machinery  was  moved  out,  and  the  mill 
abandoned  about  the  close  of  the  year  1874.  It  had  become  the  prop- 
erty of  T.  W.  Collins,  who  sold  the  machinery  and  building  to  J.  L. 
Gomel,  of  Whig  Valley.  The  elevated  stone  foundation  and  decaying 
frame  superstructure  of  this  mill  still  (1882)  stands. 

Samuel  Watson's  Carding  Machine  and  Fulling  Mill  was  built  in 
1846,  on  the  waters  of  Mill  Creek,  which  supplied  the  power  of  the 
machinery.  It  stood  on  the  southwest  quarter  section  36,  township  60, 
range  38,  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Oregon.  For  many  years  this 
mill  did  an  extensive  business,  commanding  a  large  trade  with  portions 
of  Atchison,  Nodaway  and  Andrew  Counties.  In  consequence  of  the 
steady  decrease  in  the  supply  of  water  in  the  creek  the  site  was  aban- 
doned, and  in  1862  the  machinery  of  the  factory  was  transferred  to  Ore- 
gon and  set  up  in  a  building  in  that  town,  as  mentioned  in  our  notice  of 
the  manufacturing  interests  of  that  place.  There  are  few  changes  in  the 
general  aspect,  not  only  of  the  county,  but  of  the  entire  Purchase,  more 
remarkable  than  the  present  absorption  of  streams  that  were,  in  an  early 
day,  of  sufficient  volume  to  afford  motive  power  to  machinery,  and  the 
stranger  is  surprised  to  learn  that,  on  the  road  leading  from  Forest  City 
to  Oregon,  and  about  half  a  mile  from  the  latter  place,  there  was  built, 
in  1845,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  section  27,  township  60,  range  38,  on 
Clark's  Branch,  a  grist  mill,  turned  by  the  water  of  that  now  feeble  and 
often  scarcely  visible  stream.  This  mill  was  built  by  Russell  Turney, 
with  an  undershot  wheel,  and  operated  by  him  for  many  years,  though 
it  had  been  numbered  with  the  things  of  the  past  long  prior  to  the  civil 
war.  The  mill  house  was  a  two  story  building,  fairly  appointed.  S.  C. 
Collins,  a  pioneer,  and  for  upwards  of  twenty  years  surveyor  of  the 
county,  speaks  of  having  grist  ground  at  this  mill,  which,  in  its  day,  did 
a  good  business. 

Russell  Turney  also  afterwards  built  a  saw-mill  on  Kimsey  Creek 
on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  19,  township  60,  range  38,  one  mile 
above  Forest  City.  This  he  operated  from  the  time  of  its  completion  in 
1850  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  in  1861.  As  early  as  1854,  Daniel 
Kunkel.had  built  on  Kimsey  Creek,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
9,  township  60,  range  38,  a  saw-mill,  which  was  turned  by  the  water  of 
this  stream. 

About  ten  years  prior  to  this,  P.  Jackson  had  a  saw-mill  on  the 
same  creek.  This  was  also  a  water-power,  and  stood  on  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  18,  township  60,  range  38.  These  are  all  numbered 
with  the  things  of  the  past.  Martin  Lewis'  saw-mill  built  in  1856,  stood 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  3,  township  59,  range  38.  It  has 
long  since  disappeared.  The  site  of  the  mill  is  now  owned  by  John 
Weis. 


3 18  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

In  the  same  year  Samuel  Hahn  built  a  steam-power  saw-mill  on  a 
a  slough  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  21,  township  59,  range  38. 
The  boiler  of  this  mill  exploded,  and  the  mill  took  fire  and  burned 
down  before  the  war. 

On  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  4,  township  59,  range  38,  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Oregon,  on  Mill  Creek,  and  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  below  the  site  of  the  Martin  Lewis  saw-mill, 
stood  the  old  Scott  mill,  built  by  George  Scott  in  1849,  and  long  since 
numbered  with  the  things  of  the  past.  It  was,  in  its  day,  one  of  the 
most  important  institutions  of  its  kind  in  this  section  of  country,  and 
as  late  as  1858  was  in  full  operation,  with  six  run  of  burrs,  four  saws, 
four  looms,  one  spinning-jack,  one  picker,  four  carders  and  condensers, 
with  fulling  mill,  scouring  and  shearing  machinery.  The  portable 
steam  saw-mills  of  a  more  recent  day,  however,  superceded  the  waning 
power  of  water-fall  in  the  gradually  and  steadily  diminishing  streams, 
and  a  corresponding  degree  of  power  being  required  to  operate  the 
larger  woolen  mills,  they,  in  turn,  were  moved  from  the  failing  water 
courses  and  subjected  to  the  power  of  steam.  Daniel  Hahn  built  and 
operated,  before  the  war,  a  saw-mill  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 3,  township  59,  range  38.  This,  in  common  with  many  others,  has 
long  since  disappeared. 

Philander  Johnson  built,  in  1857,  a  grist-mill  on  Little  Tarkio,  on 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  9,  township  60,  range  39.  After  the  late 
war  a  steam  saw-mill  was  added.  Both  mills  have  long  since  disap- 
peared. Van  Camp's  steam  saw-mill,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 15,  township  60,  range  37,  is  still  (1882)  in  operation. 

Of  the  others,  at  present,  in  operation,  the  most  comprehensive  are 
the  Kunkel  Mills  located  on  the  North  Fork  of  Mill  Creek,  on  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  26,  township  60,  range  38,  one  half  mile  east  of 
the  town  of  Oregon.  The  original  building,  which  was  erected  by 
Daniel  Kunkel  in  1850,  was  a  frame  structure  on  a  stone  foundation. 
The  extensive  brick  addition  was  put  up  during  the  war.  The  works 
included  a  flouring  mill  and  woolen  factory.  The  firm  is  known  by  the 
name  and  style  of  Daniel  Kunkel  &  Sons.  Each  member  owns  a  third 
interest  in  the  concern.  This  is  one  of  the  institutions  of  Northwest 
Missouri,  and  is  worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  notice. 

The  woolen  factory  and  grist  mill  have  an  area  of  thirty-six  by 
ninety-eight  feet.  It  is  built  on  a  stone  basement  eleven  feet  high. 
The  superstructure,  chiefly  of  brick,  consists  of  two  full  stories  with  a 
hip  story,  constituting,  in  all,  four  floors.  This  building  cost,  with  the 
machinery  with  which  it  is  supplied,  upwards  of  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars.  This  machinery  was  manufactured  at  the  Buckeye  Engine 
Works  of  Salem,  Ohio.  The  engine  and  boiler  were  built  to  order  for 
Kunkel's  factory.     These  were  shipped  in  through  cars   from   the   place 


LEWIS    TOWNSHIP.  319 

of  manufacture  to  Forest  City  and  hauled  over  the  splendid  road  which 
connects  that  town  with  Oregon,  by  means  of  heavy  ox  teams,  to  the 
mill  premises.  The  boiler  and  engine  each  weigh  four  tons,  and  the 
smoke  stack,  etc.,  four  more,  making  the  entire  weight  about  20,000 
pounds.  The  engine,  a  one  hundred  and  ten  horse  power,  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  powerful  ever  brought  to  the  Upper  Missouri  Valley, 
and  cost,  including  transportation,  about  four  thousand  dollars. 

The  cloth  factory  is  fitted  up  with  one  broad  Compton  loom  for 
double  width  cloth,  and  four  narrow  looms.  These  operate  in  all  three 
hundred  and  sixty  spindles,  and  turn  out  on  an  average  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  yards  per  day  of  cloth.  The  appliances  are  one  set  of  forty 
inch  machinery  for  carding  and  spinning,  a  first  and  second  breaker,  a 
seven  roll  condenser,  one  set  of  twenty-four  inch  machines,  one  carding 
machine  for  common  rolls,  shearing  machine,  fulling  machine  and 
scourer.  In  fact,  all  the  necessary  appliances  for  manufacturing  cloth. 
This  factory  was  first  established  in  1863,  and  has  proved  a  success  from 
its  earliest  inception.  The  grist  mill  attached  to  this  institution  was  a 
water  power,  operated  by  an  overshot  wheel  twenty-five  feet  in  diame- 
ter, until  the  summer  of  1881,  when  the  growing  uncertainty  of  water 
supply  induced  the  substituting  in  its  stead  of  steam.  This  first  went 
into  operation  in  185 1.  It  is  fitted  up  with  four  run  of  burrs  and  one 
pair  of  rolls,  making  it  equivalent  to  a  five  run  mill.  It  has  besides,  all 
the  appliances  of  a  first  class  mill  with  a  grinding  capacity  of  many 
thousand  pounds  per  day  of  flour,  of  which  it  turns  out  an  excellent 
quality. 

There  are,  besides  the  above,  two  other  flouring  mills  in  Lewis 
Township,  both  of  which  are  located  in  Forest  City:  East  Forest  Mills 
and  Zook  &  Cannon's  Mills,  but  known  as  the  Forest  City  Mills.  There 
is  also  a  saw  mill  in  the  town.  A  full  reference  to  these  interests  will 
be  found  under  the  head  of  Forest  City. 


!;[&«-*• 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

OREGON  AND  FOREST  CITY. 

WHEN  LAID  OUT  AND  NAMED  FINLEY-CHANGED  TO  OREGON-FIRST  AND  SECOND  SALE 
OF  LOTS-SPECIAL  ACT  OF  CONGRESS  -  EARLY  SETTLERS- BUILDINGS-COUNTY 
COURT— FIRST  SCHOOL— FIRST  PREACHER-PHYSICIANS— POST  MASTER— LIGHT- 
NING— MILL-CHURCHES-SECRET  SOCIETIES- WOMAN'S  UNION- LITERARY  SOCIE- 
TIES—NORMAL AND  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS-NEWSPAPER  ENTERPRISES-IMPROVEMENTS 
-  BANKS-BUSINESS— MAYORS  — CONCLUDING  REMARKS  —  POSTMASTERS  —  FOREST 
CITY— EARLY  BUILDINGS— SCHOOLS— HOTEL— EARLY  BUSINESS— BREWERY— TOWN 
INCORPORATED— CHURCHES— SECRET  ORDERS— BANKS— NEWSPAPERS— MILLS  AND 
MANUFACTURERS-PRESENT  BUSINESS  — ORIGINAL  SETTLERS  — INDIAN  BURIAL 
GROUND— SHIPPING  INTERESTS— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

THE   CITY   OF  OREGON. 

We  have  seen  in  a  former  chapter  that  Finley  (now  Oregon),  the 
county  seat  of  Holt  County,  was  laid  out  on  the  21st  day  of  June,  1841,1 
by  John  A.  Williams,  Edward  Smith  and  Travis  Finley,  the  commission-j 
ers  who  were  appointed  for  that  purpose  by  the  legislature. 

At  the  October  term,  i88i,held  at  the  house  of  Jacob  Martin,  Judges 
Noland,  Crowley  and  Kimsey  on  the  bench,  the  commissioner,  John 
Thorp,  presented  his  plot  of  the  town,  which  was  ordered  to  be  certified 
to  the  recorder's  office  for  record. 

On  the  following  day,  October  22,  1841,  the  original  name  of  the 
county  seat,  Finley,  was  changed,  and  it  was  "Ordered  that  the  county 
seat  of  Holt  County  be  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Oregon,  and 
which  name  is  hereby  given  to  said  county  seat." 

FIRST   SALE   OF    LOTS. 

The  first  sale  sale  of  lots  occurred  on  the  21st  and  22d  days  ofOcto 
ber,  1841,  and  the  commissioner  was  granted  till  the  next  term  of  court 
to  complete  said  sale.  His  report  of  the  same  does  not  appear  to  hav( 
been  rendered  till  the  May  term,  1842,  of  the  county  court,  which  was 
held  at  the  house  of  the  Widow  Jackson,  as  the  following  entry  of  tha' 
period  shows  : 

"John  Thorp  makes  the  following  settlement  as  commissioner  o 
the  seat  of  justice  of  Holt  County,  as  follows  : 

A  list  of  money  received  upon  sale  of  Town  Lots  in  the  County  Seat  0 
Holt  County  : 


OREGON  AND   FOREST   CITY.  321 

James  Kimsey .  .• $  3  9° 

George  Borchers 4  OO 

B.  B.  Grigsby 1260 

B.  B.  Grigsby 13  20 

Richard  Linville 8  80 

William  Estes 10  50 

Cornelius  Dorland 15   30 

John  Russel 6  00 

James  S.  Noland 3  80 

Smith  Mclntyre 10  00 

William  Thorp 6  50 

C.  Dorland 2  32 

John   Gibson 2  06 

Total $99  58 

Paid  by  order  of  the  county  court  and  allowed 85  90 

$14  08 
Four  per  cent.,  allowed  by  law 3  98 

Balance  in  hands  of  commissioner $10   10 

SECOND   SALE    OF   LOTS. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  first  sale  of  lots  in  the  town  of 
Oregon,  which  occurred  in  October,  1841.  The  embarrassment  on  the 
part  of  the  court  in  view  of  their  mistaken  action  in  locating  the  town 
site  on  two  different  quarters,  has  already  been  mentioned.  Probably 
in  view  of  this  perplexity  it  was  ordered  by  that  body,  at  their  April 
term,  1842,  that  all  persons  who  had  bought  lots  in  the  town  of  Oregon, 
the  county  seat  of  Holt  County,  be  allowed  the  privilege  to  relinquish 
said  lots  to  the  county  of  Holt,  providing  said  relinquishment  be  made 
by  May  14,  1842,  and  that  the  commissioner  advertise  this  order.  The 
records  show  that  several  purchasers  availed  themselves  of  the  benefit 
of  this  order. 

After  various  attempts  to  right  the  matter  before  the  courts  and  the 
land  office,  on  a  memorial  to  congress  rendered  April,  1842,  a  special 
act  was  passed  by  that  body  to  relieve  the  difficulty  by  legalizing  the 
location  of  the  town  site  ;  and  the  space  of  twelve  months  was  given 
the  commissioner  wherein  to  enter  the  land  On  appearing  a  day  or 
two  before  the  expiration  of  the  year,  the  authorities  at  the  land  office 
in  Plattsburg  declined,  in  view  of  the  existence  of  the  dispute,  to  accept 
the  tender.  The  matter  was  finally  decided  in  favor  of  the  town  by  the 
United  States  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office,  in  Washing- 
ton.    On  the  16th  day  of  May,    1842,  occurred,   by  special   order,  the 

21 


322  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

second  sale  of  lots  in  the  town  of  Oregon,  and  the  same  was  reported 
by  Commissioner  John  Thorp  at  the  June  term  of  the  Holt  County 
Court,  held  at  Mrs.  Rachel  Jackson's  house,  as  follows  : 

James  Landingham,  lot  4,  in  block  15, $62  oo| 

Wesley  Plumer,  lot  1,  in  block  14, 42  00 

A.  P.  Jackson,  lot   1 ,  in  block   1 1, . . .  .  *. 115  00 

Richard  Linville,  lot  8,  in  block  6, 105  00 

John  Thorp,  lot  7,  in  block  6, 36  ool 

William  Cashbarger,  lot  6,  in  block  7, 93  ool 

William  Zook,  lot  2,  in  block   15, 97  ool 

John  Zook,  lot  3,  in  block  15, ... 92  ool 

Franklin  Cooley,  lot  8,  in  block  7, 90  00 

Daniel  Hahn,  lot  7,  in  block  8, 86  00 

Noah  Sypes,  lot  2,  in  block  16, 81  00 

Richard  Linville,  lot  5,  in  block  6, 50  00 


$949  00 
EARLY   SETTLERS  AND   BUILDINGS. 

In  the  fall  of  1841,  Daniel  Zook,  Sr.,  emigrated  from  Ohio,  and  set- 
tled in  Holt  County,  in  the  neighborhood  of  what  was  afterwards  the 
town  of  Oregon.  He  brought  with  him  a  portion  of  a  stock  of  merchan- 
dise, and,  though  not  regularly  engaged  in  the  business,  is  said  to  have 
sold  a  few  goods  during  that  fall.  In  the  following  winter  he  went  back 
to  Ohio,  and  in  the  spring  of  1842,  returned  with  his  family,  which 
included  his  son,  William  Zook,  who  afterwards  became  a  well-known 
banker  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he  died  in  the  spring  of  1876; 
John  Zook,  who  died  in  the  spring  of  1843,  in  Oregon  ;  Sarah  A.  Zook, 
afterwards  the  wife  of  W.  Hill,  of  Holt  County;  Daniel  Zook,  Jr.,  now 
(1882)  a  leading  member  of  the  Holt  County  bar,  and  Thomas,  his  twin 
brother,  who  died  young  ;  Levi  Zook,  a  capitalist  of  Oregon. 

Daniel  Zook,  Sr.,  and  his  son  William,  built  in  Oregon,  the  first 
house  in  the  place.  This  was  on  a  lot  on  Missouri  Street,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  court  house,  and  was  purchased  at  the  sale  above  mentioned.  In 
this  house  they  opened  in  June,  1842,  the  first  stock  of  goods  ever  offered 
for  sale  in  the  town  of  Oregon.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  Daniel 
Zook,  Sr.,  died.  On  the  occasion  of  his  death,  the  county  court  located 
the  present  cemetery  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town  site,  and  the 
body  of  Daniel  Zook,  Sr.,  the  pioneer  merchant  of  the  infant  town  of 
Oregon,  was  the  first  to  rest  beneath  the  sod  of  its  virgin  soil. 

William  Zook,  on  the  death  of  his  father,  continued  to  sell  goods  in 
Oregon,  till  1856.  He  was,  however,  engaged  in  business  in  Forest  City, 
and  elsewhere  in  the  county,  up  to  the  period  of  his  death.  He  was  also 
prominently  identified  with  the  pork  packing  interests  of  Forest  City  and 


OREGON   AND   FOREST     CITY.  323 

St.  Joseph,  and  assisted  in  organizing  the  First  National  Bank,  of  St. 
Joseph,  and  afterwards  the  Colhoun  Bank  in  that  city.  Of  both  these 
institutions  he  was  the  first  president.  An  eminently  successful  busi- 
ness man,  he  was  also  recognized  as  a  liberal  and  public  spirited  citizen. 

The  second  store  started  in  the  town  of  Oregon  was  opened  by 
McLaughlin  &  Robidoux,  in  October,  1842.  P.  L.  McLaughlin,  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  and  manager  of  the  business,  afterwards 
became  a  wealthy  merchant  and  representative  citizen  of  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  where  he  died,  late  in  life.  Jule  Robidoux,  the  other  member 
of  the  firm,  was  a  son  of  the  founder  of  St.  Joseph. 

Edward  Poor,  in  partnership  with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ross, 
started,  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  place. 

The  first  hotel  in  the  town  was  built  by  Richard  Linville,  in  the 
summer  of  1842.  This,  though  the  second  raised  in  the  town,  was  not  the 
second  house  completed.  It  was  a  log  house,  with  four  rooms  below,  and 
a  hall  running  through  the  center.  Above  this  were  two  rooms.  This, 
in  that  day  and  locality,  important  structure  stood  on  the  northwest  by 
north  outside  corner  of  the  public  square,  the  site  of  the  present  spa- 
cious three  story  brick  block,  in  which  are  the  business  houses  of  Ira 
Peter  and  of  D   Martin,  the  Masonic  Hall,  etc. 

It  appears  that  the  Honorable  County  Court,  of  Holt  County,  assem- 
bled for  the  first  time  in  the  county  seat,  at  their  August  term,  1842,  on 
the  eighth  day  of  said  month.  The  court  house,  however,  not  being 
completed,  the  unfinished  bar  room  of  Linville's  Hotel  was  made  to  sub- 
serve the  purpose  of  a  court  room.  The  building  indeed  was  covered 
with  a  roof,  but  otherwise  it  presented  the  appearance  of  a  vast  pen. 
The  interstices  between  the  logs  were  neither  chinked  nor  pointed.  As 
yet,  no  floor  had  been  laid  ;  the  aperture  for  a  window  contained  no 
sash,  and  the  doorway  was  unprovided  with  a  door.  This  extemporized 
hall  of  justice,  however,  presented  the  redeeming  feature  of  coolness, 
for  its  ventilation  was  unstinted.  The  assembled  court  assumed  no  airs 
of  undue  importance,  and  the  luxuries  and  superfluities  of  chairs  and 
tables  were  dispensed  with,  while  the  judicial  wisdom  of  Holt  County 
seated  itself  astride  the  sleepers  of  the  building  on  which  a  floor  was, 
some  day,  intended  to  be  laid  ;  and  those  who  waited  on  its  august 
decrees  either  stood  or  seated  themselves  on  chunks  of  timber  lying 
conveniently  around.  This  picture  of  Spartan  simplicity  and  lofty 
indifference  to  surrounding  circumstances,  was  described  to  the  writer 
by  a  representative  citizen  of  the  town  of  Oregon,  who,  then  a  small 
boy,  and  wonderfully  impressed  with  a  sense  of  respect  for  the  dignity 
of  a  court  which,  in  his  infant  mind,  was  associated  with  the  idea  of 
authority  to  hang  or  otherwise  punish  people,  could  not  restrain  an 
expression  of  amazement  and  disgust  at  the  astounding  difference 
between  the  imaginary  and  actual  court. 


324  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

The  first  saloon  in  Oregon  was  started  by  Ross,  the  pioneer  black- 
smith, in  the  fall  of  1842.  His  stand  was  on  the  north  side  of  Nodaway 
Street,  one  block  west  of  the  court  house  square,  where  it  remained  for 
several  succeeding  years. 

The  third  store  established  in  the  town  was  moved,  in  the  fall  of 
1842,  by  Mcintosh  &  Banks,  from  a  trading  post  at  Iowa  Point  Landing, 
Missouri,  about  four  or  five  miles  southwest  of  Oregon.  This  completed 
the  mercantile  business  of  the  first  year  of  the  existence  of  the  county 
seat. 

FIRST    SCHOOL. 

The  first  school  in  Oregon  was  taught  by  John  Collins.  It  was 
opened  in  the  fall  or  winter  ol  1843,  in  a  squatter's  cabin,  which  stood  in 
a  hollow  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  town.  Among  the  first  pupils 
who  attended  this  initial  school,  to  the  number  of  about  thirty,  were  Levi 
Zook,  now  (1882)  a  representative  citizen  of  the  town  :  Isam  Prior,  John, 
Mary  and  Sarah,  children  of  Roland  Burnett,  who  had  pre-empted  the 
eighty  on  which  a  part  of  the  town  was  afterwards  located  ;  George  Rus- 
sel,  a  nephew  of  Judge  R.  H.  Russel,  of  the  present  probate  court  of  Holt 
County  ;  the  children  of  the  Thorps,  of  Jacob  Martin,  and  of  Larkin 
Packwood,  who  had  pre-empted  the  other  eighty  on  which  the  town  was 
located  ;  Paris  Pfouts,  Cora  Pfouts,  afterwards  wife  of  P.  L.  McLaughlin, 
and  Col.  Kelley's  sons.  Mary  Burnett,  one  of  the  pupils  above  referred 
to,  afterwards  became  the  wife  of  John  Collins,  the  teacher.  Mr.  Collins 
died  in  1854.  Sarah  Burnett  married  Thomas  Collins,  Esq.,  a  well  known 
attorney  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  The  winter  of  1843-44,  during  which 
this  school  was  taught,  is  remembered  by  the  early  settlers  as  one  of  the 
coldest  in  the  annals  of  the  Purchase.  Snow  birds,  in  vast  numbers 
were  rendered  so  tame  by  the  protracted  snow  and  cold  weather,  that 
they  would  fly  into  the  cabins  of  the  settlers  on  the  openings  of  their 
doors  or  windows. 

FIRST   PREACHER. 

The  first  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  town  of  Oregon  was  E.  M. 
Marvin,  afterwards  the  renowned  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  His  first  sermon  was  delivered  in  the  fall  or  winter  of  1842,  in 
the  old  frame  court  house,  the  building  now  owned  by  William  H.  Ster- 
ritt,  on  the  northwest  by  east,  inside  corner  of  the  square,  or  northeast 
corner  of  Washington  and  Nodaway  Streets,  opposite  the  public  square 
In  those  days  the  future  Bishop,  who  achieved  long  before  the  period  0 
his  death  a  national  reputation,  was  a  young  circuit  rider,  and,  in  com- 
mon with  others  of  his  calling  and  position  in  the  newly-trodden  west 
was  endowed  with  but  few  of  the  world's  goods.  It  is  said  that  on  th( 
occasion  of  his  first  appearance  in  his  missionary  capacity  in  Oregon  th< 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  325 

seedy  and  dilapidated  condition  of  his  garments  excited  the  compassion 
of  the  pioneer  merchant  of  the  town,  who  presented  him  with  jeans  suf- 
ficient to  make  him  the  suit  of  clothes  of  which  he  stood  sorely  in  need, 
and  which  he  gratefully  accepted.  William  Zook,  the  merchant  refer- 
red to,  was  at  that  time  a  member  of  no  religious  organization.  He 
afterwards,  however,  united  with  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Oregon,  in  building  which,  with  Dr.' Peter,  he  was  largely  interested. 

F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr.,  now  a  resident  of  Oregon,  taught,  in  1846,  the  first 
singing  school  in  the  town.  He  settled  in  Oregon  in  1845,  and  for  twenty 
years  after  pursued  his  avocation  of  teacher  of  vocal  music.  Mr.  Rostock, 
a  native  of  Germany,  immigrated  to  Ohio,  in  1832,  and  thence  to  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  in  1845. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The  first  physician  to  settle  in  the  town  was  Dr.  J.  C.  Norman. 
About  the  same  time,  or  shortly  after,  came  Dr.  Jabez  Robinson  and  Dr. 
Carr.  Dr.  Norman  settled  in  Oregon  about  1842.  He  was  the  first  phy- 
sician to  locate  in  the  town,  as  well  as  the  first  in  the  county. 

The  first  post  office  established  in  the  county  was,  as  before  stated, 
in  Lewis  Township,  near  Thorp's  Mill,  and  the  first  postmaster  was  R.  H. 
Russel,  the  present  (1882)  Judge  of  the  Probate  Court.  On  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  county  seat  Russel  moved  the  office  to  Oregon,  and 
appointed  there,  as  his  deputy,  William  Zook,  in  whose  store  it  contin- 
ued for  some  time  after.  The  first  to  hold  the  office,  by  appointment,  as 
postmaster  of  the  town  of  Oregon  was  Dr.  J.  C.  Norman.  He  was  for 
many  years  a  resident  of  the  county  and  town,  but  subsequently  moved 
to  California,  where  he  died  in  1870.  M.  S.  Norman,  of  the  firm  of  Pat- 
terson, Noyes  &  Co.,  St.  Joseph,  a  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Norman,  was  the 
first  white  child  born  in  the  town  of  Oregon.  His  birth  occurred  in  Jan- 
uary, 1842. 

The  first  tailor  to  settle  in  Holt  County  was  G.  W.  Baxter,  a  brother- 
in-law  of  Peter  and  Blank  Stephenson.  He  located  in  Oregon,  in  1842, 
and  built  the  second  house  in  the  town. 

The  log  hotel  described  as  standing  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Nodaway  and  Washington  streets,  and  built  by  Richard  Linville  in  1842, 
was  kept  by  him  for  several  successive  years.  It  finally  became  the 
property  of  Francis  M.  Pollock,  who  enlarged  the  building,  weather 
boarded  the  entire  structure  without,  and  plastered  it  within.  Previ- 
ously to  this  Daniel  Zook,  Sr.,  and  afterwards  his  son,  William,  had  as  a 
matter  of  accommodation,  entertained  during  the  sessions  of  the  courts, 
the  officials  and  many  of  the  attendants  on  the  same.  Pollock's  improve- 
ments on  the  original  hotel,  however,  added  a  reputation  which  gave  the 
house  a  sudden  popularity,  and  it  was  liberally  patronized.  But  alas, 
for  the  stability  of  human  affairs  !     On  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  July, 


326  ,  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

185 1,  a  terrible  visitation  befel  the  doomed  structure  and  its  unfortunate 
inmates  :  About  8  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  July  8,  185 1,  while  a  party 
composed  of  Daniel  Sypes,  Jr.,  commonly  called  "  Buck  Sypes,"  a  lad  of 
about  seventeen  years,  and  son  of  Daniel  Sypes,  who  started  in  1842, 
about  four  or  five  miles  southeast  of  town,  the  first  distillery  in  the  county, 
Francis  M.  Pollock,  the  landlord,  James  Fortune,  John  Job,  James  Thorp, 
a  hostler,  and  an  Englishman,  whose  names  are  now  unknown,  were 
assembled  in  the  bar  room  of  the  hotel,  the  building  was  struck  by  light- 
ning, with  the  most  disastrous  results.  The  bolt  fell  upon  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  room,  the  electric  fluid  communicating  instantly  along  the 
wall  to  the  northeast  corner,  and  there  exploded  a  barrel  ot  brandy,  one 
of  alcohol  and  one  of  Bourbon  whisky.  The  flaming  contents  of  the 
barrels  instantly  flooded  the  room,  enveloping  in  flames  every  occupant. 
Job,  who  at  the  time  was  standing  near  the  counter,  was  knocked  down 
by  the  concussion,  and  almost  entirely  consumed  by  the  devouring  ele- 
ment, nothing  but  his  skull  and  a  few  scattering  pieces  of  bone  being 
afterwards  recovered.  Fortune  and  Pollock  were  badly  burned,  the 
former  dying  before  daylight,  and  the  latter  at  sunrise.  The  hostler 
died  in  about  seven  days,  and  Thorp  a  day  or  two  after.  The  English- 
man also  died.  The  only  one  of  the  entire  party  who  recovered  was 
Buck  Sypes.  Standing  near  the  window  at  the  time,  he  was  completely 
overcome  by  the  instantaneous  and  powerful  results  of  the  stroke,  but 
fortunately,  with  the  instinct  of  self-preservation  rather  than  from  any 
presence  of  mind,  he  dashed  out  the  window  sash,  and  jumped  through 
to  the  street.  In  the  frenzy  of  terror,  he  started  on  a  run  for  his  home, 
five  miles  and  a-half  distant.  Though  the  rain  at  the  time  was  falling  in 
torrents,  the  flames  from  his  burning  clothes  were  not  extinguished  when 
he  reached  Mill  Creek,  a  stream  three-fourths  of  a  mile  southeast  of  the 
burning  building.  He  plunged  into  a  mill  pond,  through  which  the 
stream  ran,  and  waded  through  to  the  opposite  side,  thus  completely 
extinguishing  the  fire  in  his  clothing.  He  was  terribly  burned,  and  was 
confined  to  his  bed  eight  weeks,  in  consequence  of  injuries  sustained  in 
the  catastrophe.  He  ultimately  recovered,  but  retained  upon  his  person 
up  to  the  period  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1881,  the 
marks  of  his  terrible  experience.  Frank  M.  Pollock,  who  died  as  above 
stated  about  sunrise  on  the  following  morning,  directed  before  he 
breathed  his  last,  that  he  should  be  buried  with  his  head  to  the  east, 
thus  facing  the  west.  His  reason  for  this  request  has  been  variously 
interpreted.  He  was  a  man  of  reputable  standing  in  the  community. 
He  had  served  several  terms  as  constable,  and  was  sheriff  of  the  county 
from  1846  to  1850. 

The  first  attorney  to  settle  in  Oregon  was  James  Foster,  from  Ohio. 
He  had  been  boarding  at  Mrs.  Jackson's,  and  moved  to  Oregon  in 
1842. 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  327 

The  first  livery  stable  in  the  town  of  Oregon  was  started  by  Alder- 
son  Keaton,  in  1853.  This  was  located  on  Nodaway  Street,  two  blocks 
east  of  the  Court  House  Square,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  stable 
of  Samuel  Stuckey. 

MILL. 

The  first  and  only  mill  ever  erected  in  the  town  of  Oregon  was  built 
by  Utt  &  Watson,  in  1854.  It  was  a  steam  flouring  mill.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  firm  were  John  H.  Utt,  now  a  representative  citizen  of  White 
Cloud,  Kansas,  and  Judge  Samuel  Watson,  for  many  years  an  honored 
member  oi  the  county  bench.  The  deserted  structure,  a  tall  frame  build- 
ing, on  a  lofty  stone  basement,  still  (1882)  stands  in  the  southeast  part 
of  the  town,  a  gloomy  relic  of  other  days.  It  was,  when  first  built,  pro- 
vided with  two  run  of  burrs.  In  the  following  year  a  circular  saw  was 
added.  In  1862  Judge  Watson  moved  the  machinery  of  his  carding  and 
fulling  mill  from  Mill  Creek  to  Oregon,  and  located  it  in  this  building. 
This  change  was  made  in  view  of  the  failure  of  the  volume  of  water  in 
the  creek,  which  had  supplied  the  power  of  the  original  mill.  The  flour- 
ing mill  was  operated  in  Oregon  four  years,  and  the  carding  and  spin- 
ning mill  six  years.  In  1858  Utt  &  Watson  dissolved  partnership, 
whereupon  John  H.  Utt,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  moved  the 
machinery  of  the  flouring  mill  to  White  Cloud,  Kansas.  In  1864  Judge 
Watson  sold  his  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  cloth  to  Daniel  Kunkel, 
Sr.,  who  moved  it  to  his  mill  on  Mill  Creek,  about  one-half  or  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  Oregon.  An  attempt  was  made  by  one  John 
Mclntyre,  in  1878,  to  start  a  corn  mill  in  the  long-deserted  building,  but 
the  enterprise  proved  a  failure.  The  ghostly  and  unsightly  structure  of 
this  relic  of  early  enterprise  is  now  the  property  of  J.  B.  Payne,  of  Oregon. 

CHURCHES. 

The  structure  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church  was  the  first 
ecclesiastical  edifice  erected  in  the  town  of  Oregon.  It  is  a  brick  build- 
ing, on  Main  Street,  opposite  the  court  house  square,  and  was  completed 
in  1853,  chiefly  through  the  exertions  of  William  Zook  and  Dr.  H.  W. 
Peter.  Its  cost  was  about  $2,500.  The  church  was  organized  by  the 
Rev.  S.  M.  Irvin  and  the  Rev.  William  Hamilton,  of  the  Iowa  and  Sac 
Mission  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  of  the  Presbytery  of  Nebraska,  in 
the  old  court  house  building  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Nodaway  and 
Washington  Streets,  the  building  now  (1882)  owned  and  occupied  as  a 
store  by  H.  Sterritt.  The  original  ten  members  were  Samuel  Dunn, 
Margaret  Jane  Dunn,  Joseph  Evens,  Hila  Evens,  Dr.  H.  W.  Peter,  Jane 
Peter,  R.  G.  Emmerson,  Jane  Emmerson,  John  Meyer  and  Sarah  Meyer. 
After  a  sermon,  John  Meyer  and  H.  W.  Peter  having  been  previously 


328  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

chosen  by  the  members,  were  ordained  Ruling  Elders  according  to  the 
form  of  government  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  On  the  Sabbath  fol- 
lowing, the  2d,  of  January,  1853,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was 
administered  by  Rev.  William  Hamilton,  at  which  time  Miss  Sarah 
Cooper,  upon  examination,  and  after  being  baptized  by  the  Rev.  S.  M. 
Irvin,  was  admitted  to  full  membership  in  the  church. 

The  above  proceedings  are  certified  on  the  church  book  as  correct, 
by  Rev.  S.  M.  Irvin,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Nebraska.  At  the  session  of 
April  5,  1856,  William  Zook  and  Elizabeth  Sterritt  were  received  into 
the  church  by  certificate.  The  first  regular  minister  of  this  church  was 
the  Rev.  William  Fulton.     He  served  from   1853  to  i860. 

During  a  considerable  portion  of  the  period  of  the  civil  war,  the 
church  was  without  a  regular  pastor.  Services,  however,  were  held  from 
time  to  time,  by  Rev.  William  Hamilton,  S.  M.  Irvin,  McCane,  Jennings 
Symington  and  others  from  the  Mission  and  elsewhere.  In  1864,  Rev. 
Nathaniel  H.  Smith  was  called  to  the  pulpit,  and  continued  to  preach  in 
this  church  till  the  year  of  1868,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  William 
Cummins.  He  served  the  church  till  1871,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  James  Lafferty.  In  1873,  Rev.  James  M.  McClung  was  called.  He 
continued  to  fill  the  pulpit  till  September  1875.  From  that  period  the 
church  was  without  a  regular  pastor,  till  October  14,  1876,  when  Rev. 
George  Miller  having  been  called,  entered  upon  his  duties  as  pastor. 
He  served  till  the  fall  of  1881,  when  he  was  called  to  the  charge  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church,  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  In  December, 
1881,  Rev.  W.  E.  Williamson  accepted  a  call  to  the  pulpit  of  the  church. 
The  present  (1882)  membership  is  about  two  hundred,  of  whom  about 
eighty  are  active  members. 

The  Sunday  school  superintended  by  Robert  Montgomery,  Esq., 
includes  about  seventy-five  or  eighty  pupils  and  is  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition. 

BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

The  second  church  building  erected  in  the  town  of  Oregon  was  the 
Regular  (Hard  Shell)  Baptist  Church.  It  was  a  small  brick  house, 
which  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  graveyard.  It  was  built  in  1858. 
Twenty  years  after,  the  building  being  deemed  unsafe,  the  same  was 
taken  down  and  the  material  sold  to  different  parties,  S.  C.  Collins 
being  the  principal  purchaser.  This  is  the  church  that  was  organized 
ass  early  as  1843, two  an^  a  half  miles  southeast  of  the  town,  and  referred 
to  as  the  first  religious  organization  in  the  county.  It  moved  to  Oregon 
from  Mill  Creek  on  the  building  of  the  brick  church.  The  Christians 
subsequently  purchased  a  half  interest  in,  and,  for  a  long  period  after, 
used  this  church  with  the  Baptists.  The  earlier  records  of  the  former 
church,  however,  were  lost.     In    1879,  about   a  year  after  the  Baptists 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  329 

had  taken  down  their  building  in  Oregon,  they  purchased  for  the 
extremely  low  price  of  $350,  a  good  frame  building,  worth  at  least 
$1,000,  and  converted  it  into  a  church.  The  circumstance  of  their 
securing  so  excellent  a.  bargain  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  district  in 
which  the  building  stands  had  been  consolidated  with  another  in  which 
there  was  also  a  school  house,  and  consequently  this  building  was  ren- 
dered useless  for  its  original  purposes.  This  church  stands  in  a  beauti- 
ful grove  on  the  road  leading  from  Oregon  to  Forest  City,  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  latter  town.  In  December,  1881,  the  mem- 
bership of  this  church  was  thirty-one.  Elder  Pollard  was  pastor  of  the 
congregation. 

CHRISTIAN   CHURCH. 

The  third  church  organization  instituted  in  the  town  was  that  of  the 
Christians,  in  an  early  day.  As  before  stated,  they  long  shared  the 
brick  church  erected  by  the  Baptists.  The  terms  on  which  this  arrange- 
ment was  effected  were  that  the  Christians  should  complete  the  internal 
finish  of  the  church,  provide  seats,  etc.  This  partnership  arrangement 
continued  till  1878,  when,  as  a  matter  of  safety,  it  became  necessary  to 
takedown  the  tottering*building. 

In  1877  the  Christians  erected  a  neat  and  substantial  brick  church 
on  Washington  Street,  about  one  block  south  of  the  public  square.  It  is 
a  plain  structure  with  a  graceful  spire.  The  early  records  of  this  church 
are  lost,  and  the  only  means  of  acquiring  information  of  its  primitive 
days  are  derived  from  the  imperfect  memories  of  a  few  of  the  surviving 
pioneers  who  still  reside  in  the  county.  The  first  to  preach  to  the  mem- 
bers of  this  church  was  Elder  Duke  Young.  This  was  probably  as  early 
as  1849  or  l8$°>  and  perhaps  earlier.  The  first  meetings  occurred  at  the 
residence  of  Israel  Beeler,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the 
town  of  Oregon.  Among  the  other  ministers  who  had  charge  of  the 
congregation  were  Elders  Cox,  Trapp,  Tate,  White,  Hudgens,  Hopkins 
and  Barrow.  Of  the  re-organized  church  the  ministers  in  succession 
have  been  Elders  W.  A.  Gardner,  P.  K.  Dibble,  Gardner  again  for  two 
additional  years,  and  in  1880  the  present  (1882)  minister,  W.  T.  Mau- 
pin.  It  was  during  the  seven  years  of  Elder  Gardner's  ministry  that 
the  present  church  edifice  on  Washington  Street  was  erected.  Its  mem- 
bership is  very  large  and  a  prosperous  Sunday  School  is  taught  in  the 
building. 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  Oregon,  is  an  outgrowth 
of  the  original  organization  instituted  in  the  year  1841,  and  organized 
by  Rev.  Edwin  Peary  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  Forbes  Township, 
as  fully  set  forth  in  our  report  of  that  locality. 


33°  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNT! . 

The  structure  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  in  Oregon,  stands  on  Main 
Street,  on  the  first  corner  south  of  the  public  square.  It  is  a  neat  frame 
building,  55x35  feet  in  extent.  The  original  edifice  was  erected  in  1866. 
In  the  course  of  succeeding  years,  the  superstructure  appeared  insecure  ; 
and,  in  1879,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  take  down  the  building,  which 
was  accordingly  done.  The  present  neat  and  well  appearing  edifice 
was  erected,  in  1879,  on  the  foundation  of  the  old  building,  and  com- 
pleted in  188 1.  It  is  the  most  elegant  church  in  the  town  as  well  as 
the  most  spacious.  Its  cost  was  about  $3,000.  We  have  referred  to  the 
fact  that  the  Rev.  E.  M.  Marvin,  afterwards  Bishop  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
was  the  first  minister  of  the  Gospel  to  preach  in  Oregon.  The  church 
edifice  of  this  denomination,  however,  was  not  the  first  house  of  worship 
erected  in  the  county  ;  that  distinction  belonging  to  the  Hard-Shell 
Baptists,  as  set  forth  in  the  chapter  entitled  "  Lewis  Township." 

Prior  to  the  year  1864  there  exists  no  records  of  this  body.     On  the 
9th  of  June  of  that  year  the  church  was  reorganized  in  Oregon,  by  the 
Rev.  Edward  Rozell,  with  the  following  members  :  Benjamin  Allen  and 
wiie,  Edgar  Allen  and  wife,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bunker,  L.  D.  Barnes  and 
wife,    Jacob    Cronk    and    wife,  Dr.  J.  A.  Callan  and  wife,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  J. 
Evans   and  wife.     Dr.  Evans  was  the  first  recording  secretary  of  the 
quarterly  conference   at  Oregon.     The  other  members,  some  of  whom, 
perhaps,  did  not  join  the  organization  till  1865,  included  Dr.  Reuben  King 
and    wife,    A.     Hoblitzell    and    wife,   Mrs.    Nancy    Jackson,    for   thirty 
years  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Oregon  ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Creek,  Samuel 
Whitmer  and  wife,  John  Proud  and  wife  ;  Joseph  Martin  and  wife  were 
members  in  1865.     Mr.  Martin  still  (1882)  lives,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
seventy-five  years.     His  wife  died  some  years  since.     George  W.  Lucas, 
originally  from  the  State  of  Iowa,  where  he   was  at  one  time  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  and  afterwards  of  the  State  Senate,  was 
a  prominent  member  of  the  church  in  Oregon,  and  died  at  his  residence 
near  that  place,  January  2,  1882,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
In  the  funeral  sermon  preached   on   that  occasion  by  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Caruthers,  pastor  of  the  church,  he  referred  to  the  fact   that  Mr.  Lucas 
had  been  an  active  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  fifty-one  years.     Silas 
Pierce,  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Holt  County,  has  been  a  prominent 
member  of  the  church  since  the  year  1868.     Andrew  Gemeker  and  wife, 
who  united  with  the  church  here  in  1869,  have  also   long  been  regarded 
as  representative  members  of  the  congregation  in  Oregon.     The  minis- 
ters of  the  Oregon  church  since  its  organization  have  been  :  First,  Rev. 
Edward  Rozell,  from  1864  to  1866  ;  Rev.  F.  S.  B;ggs,  1866-67  J  R-ev-  Sam- 
uel Huffman,  now  (1882)  Probate  Judge  of  Andrew  County,  pastor  from 
1867  to  1868  ;  Rev.  J.  L.  Hatfield,    1868-69  ;  Rev.  J.  F.  Boyle,  1869-70; 
Rev.  William  Hanley,  1870-71  ;  Rev.  F.  H.  Graham,  1871-72  ;  Rev.  S.  W. 
Thornton,  1872-74  ;  Rev.  Oscar  Williams,  1874-75  ;  Rev.  W.  L.  Edmonds, 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  331 

1875-77  ;  Rev.  S.  H.  Enyart,  1877-79  ;  Rev.  Isaac  Chivington,  1879-80  ; 
Rev.  James  Showalter,  1880-81  ;  Rev.  Samuel  Caruthers,  April,  188 1. 
This  church  has  a  Sunday  school  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  scholars, 
superintended  by  J.  W.  Hasness,  assisted  by  ten  teachers. 

THE    GERMAN    M.    E.    CHURCH. 

The  first  to  preach  in  Oregon  for  this  church  was  the  Rev.  Henry 
Hogrefe,  a  circuit  rider.  The  first  services  were  held  in  1847,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr.  They  continued  regularly  for  three  successive 
years  to  meet  at  his  house  for  religious  services,  till  about  the  year  1850, 
when  the  congregation  purchased  for  a  church,  a  school  building  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  brick  edifice,  opposite  the  Normal  School. 
The  Rev.  Henry  Hogrefe  w?.s  succeeded  by  Rev.  Ellis,  and  the  latter 
by  Rev.  Charles  Walters.  Rev.  Koeniky  was  the  first  presiding  elder. 
In  1859,  the  present  brick  church,  above  mentioned,  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $3,650.  The  church  was  then  organized  by  Rev.  H.  Muehlen- 
brock,  with  the  following  members  :  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr.  and  wife,  George 
Meyer,  Daniel  Kunkel,  Philip  Rostock,  Ferdinand  Simero,  Michael 
Spoerle,  Fred.  Mart,  Jacob  Herman,  Herman  Schulte,  Andrew  Gemeker, 
Jacob  Kuentzle,  Jacob  Mart,  C.  Schlotzhauer,  Philip  Schneider,  Philip 
Kollmer  and  Henry  Hogrefe.  The  wives  of  the  above  mentioned  were 
also  members  of  the  church  and  organization. 

The  following  are  the  ministers  who  have  served  this  church  :  Rev. 
H.  Muehlenbrock,  from  1859  to  ^62  ;  Rev.  Henry  C.  Dryer,  from  1862 
to  1863;  Rev.  Peter  Hehner,  from  1863  to  1864;  Rev.  Charles  Stein- 
meyer,  from  1864  to  1865  ;  Rev.  John  Philip  Miller,  from  1865  to  1867; 
Rev.  H.  F.  Arnsberger,  from  1867  to  1869;  Rev.  George  Schotz,  from 
1869  to  1872;  Rev.  Henry  Fiegenbaum,  from  1872  to  1875;  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Fiegenbaum,  from  1875  to  1876;  Rev.  F.  Unland,  from  1876  to 
1879;  Rev.  C.  Herrmann  entered  on  his  pastoral  duties  in  1879,  an^  is 
still  (1882)  minister  of  the  congregation. 

THE  REORGANIZED  CHURCH  OF   JESUS  CHRIST  OF  LATTER  DAY  SAINTS, 

is  an  important  religious  body  in  Holt  County.  Tarkio  Branch  was 
organized  April,  1869,  at  the  residence  of  Walter  Brownlee,  its  Presid- 
ing Elder,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  23,  township  59,  range  38, 
in  Forbes  Township,  just  south  of  the  line  of  Lewis.  This  organization 
as  effected  by  Elder  Davis  H.  Bays,  with  nine  members.  On  the  20th 
jf  October,  1874,  Tarkio  Branch  was  disorganized,  and  the  members 
ormed  into  Oregon  Branch,  with  about  thirty  members.  Reuben  Hoyer 
■vas  Presiding  Elder.  The  present  (1882)  membership  is  twenty-three 
<vith  Ben  H.  Fisher,  Presiding  Elder.  They  have  as  yet  no  public  place 
)f  worship,  but  hold  religious  service?   in  private  residences. 


332  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

COLORED   BAPTIST   CHURCH 

was  erected  in    1867,  is  a  frame  building,  and  contains  a  large    mem- 
bership. 

SOCIETIES— I.   O.   O.    F. 

Pursuant  to  appointment  and  warrant  of  the  Right  Worthy  Grand 
Lodge  of  Missouri,  the  D.  D.  G.  M.  Crane  proceeded  on  the  10th  of 
May,  1852,  to  institute  in  the  town  of  Oregon  a  subordinate  lodge, 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  said  Grand  Lodge.  After  producing  his 
authority,  the  D.  D.  G.  M.  administered  the  proper  obligation  to  the 
petitioners  for  charter,  delivered  to  them  their  warrant  and  hailed  them 
by  the  name  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  54,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

The  following  were  the  first  officers  elected:  James  Foster,  N.  G.; 
William  E.  Pickett,  V.  G.;  William  Zook,  Treasurer,  and  A.  E.  Morriss, 
Secretary.  The  other  charter  members  were  Dr.  H.  W.  Peter  and  W. 
D.  Beeler.  The  first  initiated  were  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr.,  and  J.  S.  Grimm. 
The  institution  has  prospered  abundantly,  its  membership  in  1882 
amounting  to  sixty-five. 

Oregon  Encampment,  No.  43,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  organized  under 
charter  granted  May  21,  1869,  and  signed  Albert  Trevor,  Grand  Patri- 
arch, and  Robert  E.  McNeely,  G.  Scribe.  The  present  (1882)  member- 
ship of  the  encampment  is  forty-five.  Their  hall  is  neatly  appointed, 
and  its  general  appearance  creditable  to  the  order. 

MASONIC. 

Oregon  Lodge,  No.  139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  was  organized  in  a  room 
in  the  original  court  house  building,  now  owned  and  occupied  as  a  store 
by  H.  Sterritt.  This  organization  was  effected  August  15,  1853,  by  vir- 
tue of  a  Dispensation  granted  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Missouri.  The 
officers  constituted  in  said  Dispensation  were  :  J.  W.  Moodie,  W.  M.; 
James  M.  Tuton,  S.  W.,  and  Galen  Crow,  J.  W.  The  lodge  was  set  to 
work  by  the  Worshipful  Master,  who  appointed  the  following  officers  : 
William  E.  Price,  Secretary;  Samuel  B.  Cannon,  Treasurer;  John  F. 
Jackson,  S.  D.;  C.  F.  Cayton,  J.  D.,  and  Jacob  Mosier,  Steward  and 
Tyler. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  this  lodge,  held  September  5,  1853,  the 
petitions  for  initiation  of  A.  W.  Rodgers,  F.  S.  Rostock,  E.  R.  Brown, 
James  Foster,  Elijah  Merrill,  H.  M.  Upton,  A.  C.  Bevan,  W.  P.  Birch- 
field,  and  Dr.  John  Dozier,  were  read  and  referred  to  proper  committees. 

At  a  regular  meeting  held  in  their  hall  October  3,  1843,  James  Fos- 
ter, H.  M.  Upton,  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr.,  and  E.  R.  Brown  were  initiated  in 
due  form.  This  was  the  first  "  Work"  done  in  this  lodge.  They  were 
all  subsequently,  in  due  time,  passed  and  raised.     The  lodge  prospered 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  333 

abundantly,  and  continued  to  work  under  Dispensation,  holding  their 
last  session  by  virtue  of  that  instrument,  May  7,  1855. 

The  first  meeting  under  charter,  which  designates  the  organization 
as  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  139,  and  is  dated  May  31,  1855,  occurred  in  Oregon, 
June  16,  1855.  The  officers  mentioned  in  the  charter  are  :  John  W. 
Moodie,  W.  M.;  James  Foster,  S.  W.,  and  Daniel  Zook,  J.  W.  The 
other  officers  mentioned  in  the  report  of  that  meeting  are  H.  Patterson, 
Treasurer  ;  Daniel  Zook,  Secretary  ;  G.  W.  Crow,  S.  D.  ;  G.  W.  Bratton, 
J.  D.,  and  F.  G.  Rostock,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

The  first  election  under  charter,  for  officers,  occurred  June  24,  1855, 
with  the  following  result:  James  Foster,  W.  M.;  Levi  Zook,  S.  W.;  G. 
W.  Bratton,  J.  W. ;  Hiram  Patterson,  Treasurer ;  Daniel  Zook,  Secre- 
tary; G.  W.  Crow,  S.  D.;  Henry  Meyer,  J.  D.;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Steward 
and  Tyler.- 

At  the  annual  election  held  June  24,  1856,  the  following  were  chosen: 
Daniel  Zook,  W.  M.;  G.  W.  Bratton,  S.  W.;  M.  S.  Moodie,  J.  W.;  Hiram 
Patterson,  Treasurer;  John  Dozier,  Secretary;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr., 
Steward  and  Tyler. 

At  the  election  held  June  24,  1857,  the  following  were  chose'n  : 
James  Foster,  W.  M.;  G.  P.  Luckhardt,  S.  W.;  J.  M.  Patterson,  J.  W.; 
Daniel  David,  Treasurer,  and  Daniel  Zook,  Secretary. 

The  election  of  June  24,  1858,  resulted  as  follows:  James  M.  Patter- 
son, W.  M.;  James  W.  Chadduck,  S.  W.;  W.  W.  Williams,  J.  W.;  G.  B. 
Shadduck,  Secretary ;  Daniel  David,  Treasurer ;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr., 
Steward  and  Tyler. 

The  election  of  June  24,  1859,  resulted  as  follows:  James  Foster,  W. 
M.;  J.  W.  Chadduck,  S.  W.;  W.  H.  Williams,  J.  W.;  Galen  Crow,  Treas- 
urer, and  G.  B.  Shadduck,  Secretary. 

At  the  election  held  June  24,  i860,  James  W.  Chadduck  was  chosen 
W.  M.;  W.  H.  Williams,  S,  W.;  I.  L.  Reynolds,  J.  W.;  W.  B.  Wilson, 
Treasurer;  G.  B.  Chadduck,  Secretary;  and  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr.,  Tyler, 
for  the  ensuing  Masonic  year. 

The  election  of  officers,  held  June  24,  1861,  resulted  as  follows; 
James  Foster,  W.  M.;  James  S.  Hart,  S.  W.;  J.  C.  Bear,  J.  W.;  P.  H. 
Buckley,  Treasurer;  G.  B.  Chadduck,  Secretary,  and  Geo.  A.  Rigdon,  Tyler. 

The  election  held  June  24,  1862,  was  as  follows  :  James  Hart,  W.  M.; 
G.  P.  Luckhardt,  S.  W.;  F.  S.  Rostock,  J.  W.;  R.  D.  Markland,  Secretary; 
Daniel  David,  Treasurer. 

The  officers  elected  in  1863  were  G.  P.  Luckhardt,  W.  M.;  F.  S. 
Rostock,  S.  W.;  James  Hart,  J.  W. 

At  the  anniversary  meeting  held,  as  usual,  June  24,  1864;  George 
P.  Luckhardt  was  elected  W.  M.;  P.  H.  Buckly,  S.  W.;  J.  S.  Hart,  J.  W.; 
L.  VanBuskirk,  Treasurer  ;  G.  B.  Chadduck,  Secretary  ;  F.  S.  Rostock, 
Steward  and  Tyler. 


334  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

The  records  of  election  of  this  lodge  for  the  years  1865,  1866  and 
1867  are  lost. 

At  the  annual  election,  held  June  24,  1868,  Charles  David  was  elected 
and  installed  W.  M.;  John  C.  Vess,  S.  W.;  E.  L.  Allen,  J.  W.;  Daniel 
David,  Treasurer ;  Daniel  Zook,  Secretary,  and  F.  S.  Rostock,  Steward 
and  Tyler. 

The  officers  elected  June  24,  1869,  were  F.  S.  Rostock,  W.  M.;  T. 
H.  Parrish,  S.  W.;  Levi  Thompson,  J.  W. ;  J.  G.  Cotterell,  Treasurer  ;  E. 
L.  Allen,  Secretary,  and  Isaac  Hullinger,  Tyler. 

Officers  elected  June  24,  1870:  James  S.  Hart,  W.  M.;  M.  M.  Smith, 
S.  W.;  S.  P.  Jewell,  J.  W.;  John  G.  Cotterell,  Treasurer  ;  T.  C.  Dungan,i 
Secretary  ;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr.,  Tyler. 

The  election  of  June  24,   187 1,  was  as  follows  :  Edgar  L.  Allen,  W 
M.;  S.  P.  Jewe'l,  S.  W. ;  George  Anderson,  J.  W. ;  E.  VanBuskirk,  Treas- 
urer ;  T.  C.  Dungan,  Secretary  ;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Tyler. 

The  next  election  of  officers  occurred  December  21,  1872,  with  the 
following  result  :    Edgar  L.  Allen,  W.  M.;  Charles   David,   S.  W.;  Levi 
Oren,  J.  W. ;  E.  VanBuskirk,  Treasurer  ;   S.  W.  Morrison,  Secretary  ;  F 
S.  Rostock,  Tyler. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  December  20,  1873,  the  following  offi- 
cers were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  :    M.  M.  Smith,  W.  M.;  E.  Van- 
Buskirk, S.  W. ;  R.  Montgomery,  J.  W.;  Levi  Oren,  Treasurer  ;    John  C 
Vess,  Secretary ;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

December  19,  1874,  the  following  officers  were  elected  :  M.M.Smith, 
W.  M.;  E.  VanBuskirk,  S.  W.;  W.  G.  Mclntyre,  J.  W.;  John  Wallace, 
Treasurer  ;  J.  C.  Vess,  Secretary  ;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

At  the  annual  election  held  December  18,  1875,  the  following  officers 
were  elected  :     W.  G.  Mclntyre,  W.  M.;  Robert  Montgomery,  S.  W. ;  F. 
M.   Joslyn,  J.  W.;  John  N.   Masters,   Treasurer,   and  J.   C.   Vess,    Sec 
retary. 

The  election  for  officers  held  December  16,  1876,  resulted  as  follows 
Robert  Montgomery,  W.  M.;  M.  H.  Soper,  S.  W.;  Charles  Brown,  J.  W.; 
Levi  Oren,  Treasurer;  J.  C.  Vess,  Secretary  and  John  Wallace,  Tyler. 

At  the  regular  communication  held  December  15,  1877,  the  follow- 
ing were  elected  and  installed  officers  of  the  Lodge  for  the  ensuing  year: 
Robert  Montgomery,  W.  M.;  O.  C.  Hill,  S.  W.;  A.  J.  Dooley,  J.  W.;  VV. 
C.  Noble,  Treasurer  ;  Levi  Oren,  Secretary,  and  John  Wallace,  Tyler. 

At  the  regular  annual  election  held  December  21,  1878,  the  follow 
ing  were  elected  and  installed  officers  of  the  Lodge  :  E.  VanBuskirk, 
W.  M.;  A.  J.  Dooley,  S.  W.;  Samuel  Senior,  J.  W.;  J.  B.  Curry,  Treas 
urer  ;  John  Wallace,  Secretary  ;  J.  E.  Cummins,  S.  D.;  W.  O.  Noble,  J.  D., 
and  F.  S.  Rostock,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

The  election  for  officers  held  December  20,  1879,  resulted  as  follows  : 
Robert  Montgomery,  W.  M.;  S.  D.  Senior,  S.  W.;  J.  E.  Cummins,  J.  W.; 


OREGON  AND   FOREST    CITY.  335 

E.  VanBuskirk,  Treasurer  ;  M.  H.  Soper,  Secretary;  F.  S.  Rostock,  Stew- 
ard and  Tyler. 

At  the  regular  election  held  December  18,  1880,  the  following 
officers  were  chosen  :  Robert  Montgomery,  W.  M.;  E.  L.  Allen,  S.  W. ; 
J.  N.  Masters  J.  W. ;  James  B.  Curry,  Treasurer  ;  J.  T.  Thatcher,  Secre- 
tary, and  F.  S.  Rostock,  Steward  and  Tyler.  The  Worshipful  Master 
appointed  J.  E.  Cummins  S.  D.  The  S.  W.  appointed  S.  W.  Morrison 
J.  D.,  for  the  ensuing  year.     These  officers  were  all  duly  installed. 

The  annual  election,  held  as  usual,  in  their  hall  in  Oregon,  occurred 
December  17,  1881,  with  the  following  result:  T.  H.  Parrish,  W.  M.; 
Robert  Montgomery,  S.  W.;  S.  W.  Morrison,  J.  W.;  E.  VanBuskirk, 
Treasurer ;  Dr.  J.  F.  Thatcher,  Secretary.  The  W.  M.  elect,  then 
appointed  the  following  officers:  J.  E.  Cummins,  S.  D.;  E.  D.  Senior,  J. 
D.;  E.  L.  Allen,  S.  S.;  J.  F.  Howell,  J.  S.,  and  F.  S.  Rostock,  Sr.,  Tyler. 
The  above  named  officers  were  then  duly  installed. 

In  1856,  the  Odd  Fellows  began,  in  connection  with  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, to  erect  the  large  three-story  brick  structure  which  stands  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  Washington  and  Nodaway  Streets,  fronting  the 
former  fifty  feet,  and  extending  back  on  the  latter  one  hundred  feet, 
thus  forming  the  northwest  by  north  outside  corner  of  the  court  house 
square.  Finding  themselves  unable  to  complete  the  structure,  after 
having  excavated  the  cellars  and  laid  the  foundations,  they  sold  out  to 
James  Foster,  a  prominent  attorney  and  capitalist  of  the  town,  as  well 
as  an  active  and  influential  member  of  both  orders,  who  proceeded  to 
complete  the  building.  The  Odd  Fellows  either  purchased  from  him 
afterwards,  or  reserved  the  right  to  build  the  third  story  for  their  hall, 
which  they  afterwards  did,    selecting   the    corner   site. 

The  Masonic  fraternity  did  likewise  with  the  north  half  of  the  third 
floor.  Thus  the  entire  third  floor  of  the  building  is  owned  by  these  two 
bodies.  About  the  close  of  the  war  James  Foster  sold  his  share  of  the 
building,  including  the  entire  two  lower  stories  to  Cotterell,  Keenes  & 
Co.,  who  occupied  the  southwest  room  as  a  general  store.  In  the  spring 
of  1867,  Cotterell,  Keenes  &  Co.  sold  the  south  half  of  the  building  to 
Hoblitzell  Bros.  T.  W.  Collins  became,  in  1869,  proprietor  of  the  whole 
first  and  second  floors.  He  subsequently  sold  to  other  parties.  At 
i  present  (1882)  Ira  Peter,  general  merchant,  occupies  the  south  store 
room,  which  is  rented  from  John  T.  Hoblitzell,  and  Daniel  Martin,  in  the 
saddle  and  harness  business,  owns  the  adjoining  lower  floor. 

The  other  Masonic  organizations  in  Oregon,  included  Keystone 
Royal  Arch  Chapter,  No  46,  originally  chartered  in  Oregon,  was  subse- 
quently moved  to  Mound  City,  in  which  chapter  of  this  work  its  history 
will  be  found.  Holt  County  Council,  No.  15,  R.  and  S.  M.,  was  chartered 
July,  1872,  withE.  L.  Allen,  T.  I.  G.  M.;  R.  N.  Howell,  T.  CDungan. 
This  body  surrendered  its  charter  in   1880. 


336  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Besides  the  secret  and  benevolent  societies  already  mentioned, 
Oregon,  which  of  ilate  years  is  achieving  somewhat  of  distinction  as  a 
literary  center,  enjoys  the  possession  of  several  organizations  whose 
objects  point  to  that  end.  Of  these  the  most  prominent  and  important 
is  the  Woman's  Union,  which  celebrated  its  tenth  anniversary  on  the 
6th  day  of  January,  1882.  The  County  Paper  of  January  13,  1882, 
edited  by  D.  P.  Dobyns,  thus  refers  to  that  event  :  "  On  the  6th  day  of 
January,  1872,  Mrs.  S.  Q.  Goslin,  S.  A.  Goslin,  M.  M.  Soper,  Mary  Curry, 
Annie  Batchelor,  Ann  K.  Irvine  and  Elvira  Brodbeck  assembled  at  the 
residence  of  Dr.  Goslin,  in  this  city,  and  organized  themselves  into  a 
society  having  for  its  object  the  mental,  moral  and  physical  improve 
ment  of  woman. 

"'The  Woman's  Union,'  for  such  was  the  title  selected  at  its  first 
meeting,   has  gradually  increased   in   members,  until   to-day  over  one 
hundred  names  are  enrolled  as  members,  and  the  society  is  well  and  favor 
ably  known,  not  only  in  Holt  County,  but  throughout  Northwest  Missouri. 

"On  Saturday  evening  last  the  Union  celebrated  at  the  Christian 
Church,   in  this  city,  the   tenth  anniversary  of  its  organization.     The 
programme    was    opened   by  a  song,    Golden  Years,    after    which    the 
anniversary  address   was  delivered   by  Mrs.  M.  M.  Soper.     Miss  Mar) 
Koucher  recited  The  First  Settler's  Story  in  a  most  excellent  manner 
The  society's  paper  was  then  read  by  Mrs.  Birdsall  Fiegenbaum,  whose 
style  of  delivery  did   ample  credit  to  the  interesting  and   ably  writter 
articles    with  which  its  columns  were  replete.     Hannah  Jane  was  ther 
recited  by  Miss  Belle  Cotterell  in  her  usual  happy  style.     Miss  Emm; 
Hershberger  read   a  most   excellent  essay,   entitled,  Advancement  vs 
Promotion.     Mrs.  Foster  and  Mrs.  Dobyns  read  humorous  selections 
The  Boy  Convict  was  recited  by  Miss  Elma  Hershberger  in  very  excel 
lent  style.     Little   Carrie   and   Lema  Schulte   sang  Evelina  in  a  styli 
which  elicited  unbounded    applause.      Music,    both   vocal    and    instru 
mental,  was  afforded  between   each   exercise  by  Misses   Maupin,  Hill 
Cotton,  Bradrick,  Goslin  and   Howell,  and   Messrs.  Hoffman   and  Kel 
logg,  and  was  first-class  in  every  particular." 

In  her  address  on  this  interesting  occasion,  Mrs.  Soper  referred,  at  som 
length,  and  with  no  insignificant  force,  to  the  sentiments  that  had  calle 
into  existence  this  society,  and,  in  modest  and  dignified  terms,  adverte 
to  the  fact  that  in  the  past  years  of  its  existence,  besides  other  exercise 
of  an  intellectual  character,  over  six  hundred  essays  had  been  written  b 
its  members  upon  almost  all  subjects  of  popular  interest.  The  furthe 
interesting  facts  were  disclosed,  that  the  society  had  received  and  pai 
out  in  that  period  about  $3,000,  and  still  had  on  hand  a  lecture  fund  ( 
over  $100;  that  the  enrollment  summed  up  a  total  membership  of  on 
hundred  and  five  names — of  these,  ten  had  been  removed  by  death,  an 
others  by  change  of  residence  to  remote  lecalities. 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  337 

That  a  very  large  share  of  the  literary  and  scientific  tastes  for  the 
encouragement  of  which  Oregon  is  becoming  widely  known,  is  due  to 
the  efforts  of  these  cultivated  and  enterprising  ladies,  is  a  fact  univer- 
sally conceded,  and  there  is  certainly  no  institution  of  a  moral  and 
intellectual  character  within. the  limits  of  Holt  County  of  which  the 
friends  of  true  progress  have  greater  occasion  to  be  proud  than  the 
Woman's  Union,  of  Oregon. 

OTHER    LITERARY    SOCIETIES. 

The  other  literary  societies,  past  and  present,  of  Oregon,  include 
the  Philomathean,  which  was  organized  in  1873,  'n  the  public  school 
building.  It  continued  to  meet  regularly,  every  Friday  evening,  for  the 
period  of  two  years,  when  it  ceased  to  exist. 

The  Normal  Literary  Society,  founded  in  1876,  had  a  large  member- 
ship, and  prospered  abundantly  up  to  the  period  of  its  demise,  which 
occurred  in  1881. 

The  Oregon  Literary  Society,  organized  October,  188 1,  is  still 
(1882)  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

The  Mutual  Club  is  a  literary  organization,  instituted  in  1877.  Its 
object  is  mutual  improvement  in  matters  pertaining  to  literary  and  phil- 
osophical subjects.  This  very  select  society,  which  holds  its  sessions  at 
the  residences  of  its  members,  has  a  membership  of  about  a  dozen. 

NORMAL  AND  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  fact  that  the  first  school  taught  in 
the  town  of  Oregon  was  a  private  enterprise,  inaugurated  in  the  winter 
of  1843,  by  John  Collins.  The  people  of  Oregon  have  always  been  known 
for  their  earnest  appreciation  of  the  advantages  of  education,  and  early 
availed  themselves  of  such  means  and  appliances  for  promoting  the  cause 
as  the  law  provided. 

Prior  to  the  year  1857,  the  town  of  Oregon  included  two  school  dis- 
tricts, known  as  East  and  West,  numbered  respectively  14  and  15,  each 
being  provided  with  a  separate  building. 

In  1857,  these  two  districts  were  united,  and  a  new  brick  building 
was  planned  and  commenced.  The  structure  was  twenty-four  by  sixty 
feety,  two  stories  high,  and  included  four  rooms  and  two  halls.  This 
building  was  first  occupied,  in  the  fall  of  1858,  by  Cyrus  Cook,  as  Princi- 
pal, G.  W.  Bayless  and  Mrs.  C.  Cook  as  assistants. 

Professor  Cook  was  retained  for  two  or  more  terms,  after  which  the 
following  named  were  successively  employed  as  Principals  :  T.  W.  Col- 
lins, Ancel  Watrous,  Green  O.  Dersham.  During  the  school  year  of 
1864-65,  Colonel  Clarke  Irvine  was  Principal,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Welta  and 
Miss  Bettie  Collins. 

22 


338  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

After  him,  the  following,  for  a  number  of  years,  filled  in  succession 
the  position  of  Principal  :  Noah  Huntsman,  Rev.  —  M  orrison,  Thomas 
Miller  and  J.  C.  McKnight.  During  the  terms  of  1870-71  and  1871-72,  H- 
Hershberger  was  Principal,  first,  with  Daniel  Schulte,  Miss  Fannie  Scott 
and  Miss  Nannie  McDonald,  as  assistants,  £nd  during  the  second  school 
year  with  Samuel  M.  Ruley,  Daniel  Schulte  and  Miss  Ellen  Kennedy,  as 
assistants.     The  colored  school  was  taught  by  Samuel  P.  Clark. 

For  the  term  of  1872-73,  W.  F.  Drake  was  Principal,  with  Miss  Belle 
Sweetman,  Miss  Fannie  Soper,  Miss  Lucy  Christian  and  Miss  Fannie 
Cooper,  as  assistants.     The  colored  school  was  taught  by  W.  S.  Mitchell. 

In  the  spring  of  1873  bonds  were  voted  and  all  arrangements  made 
for  the  erection  of  a  building  to  cost  $25,000.  The  old  house  was  torn 
down  and  the  present  (1882)  structure  was  erected  on  its  site.  The 
Public  School  of  Oregon,  with  its  efficient  normal  department,  is  an  insti- 
tution of  which  her  people  have  just  cause  to  be  proud. 

The  edifice  is  a  spacious  and  elegant  brick  structure,  modeled  on 
the  latest  and  most  approved  plan.  A  lofty  basement  extends  under 
the  entire  area  of  the  building.  This  is,  in  part,  occupied  by  the  four 
hot-air  furnaces  by  which  the  twelve  rooms  contained  in  the  building  are 
heated.  The  appliances  for  promoting  ventilation  are  very  complete 
and  efficient. 

Two  lofty  stories  rise  above  the  substructure,  and  the  whole  is 
crowned  with  a  Mansard  roof  of  elegant  design  and  sufficiently  commo- 
dious proportions  to  afford  the  purpose  of  a  third  story.  But  eight  rooms 
are  as  yet  occupied,  the  Mansard,  which  is  not  for  the  present  needed, 
being  unfurnished  within.  The  elegantly  designed  tower,  which  rises 
above  the  main  front  of  the  edifice,  is  ninety-six  feet  in  height.  From 
the  belfry  in  this  tower  a  wide  and  magnificent  prospect  of  the  surround- 
ing country  is  afforded.  Highland,  White  Cloud,  Iowa  Point,  Troy,  and 
other  towns  in  Kansas,  as  well  as  Rulo,  Nebraska,  are  distinctly  visible, 
while,  to  the  eastward,  several  Missouri  towns  are  clearly  discernible, 
about  sunset,  on  a  clear  day.  The  cost  of  this  building,  inclusive  of  the 
lot  on  which  it  stands,  was  $18,125.  The  furniture  of  the  rooms,  now 
occupied,  cost  one  thousand  dollars.  It  is  all  of  the  most  convenient  and 
approved  style.     M.  Angelo  Powell,  of  St.  Joseph,  was  the  architect. 

Professor  W.  F.  Drake  was  the  first  Principal  in  the  new  building, 
for  the  term  of  1873-74,  with  H.  Hershberger,  Miss  Emma  Kimberlay, 
Mrs.  Rachael  Kirkpatrick  and  Miss  Alice  Parker  assistants. 

T.  L.  Griger  taught,  during  this  period,  the  colored  school. 

During  the  term  of  1874-75,  M.  V.  Babbitt  was  Principal,  with  H.  S. 
Gardner,  Miss  E.  H.  McLung,  Miss  Alice  Parker  and  W.  R.  Springer, 
assistants.  T.  L.  Griger  taught  the  colored  school.  Before  the  expira- 
tion of  the  first  half  of  his  term  M.  V.  Babbitt  resigned,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Ctiarles  J.  Harris,  of  St.  Louis. 


OREGON   NORMAL   SCHOOL  BUILDING. 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  339 

During  the  term  of  1875-76,  H.  Hershberger  was  Principal,  with 
Lewis  Kirkpatrick  chief  assistant.  Mrs.  R.  L.  Kirkpatrick  and  Miss  Ida 
Cheesbro  were  assistants  in  the  lower  grades. 

T.  L.  Griger  continued  to  teach  the  colored  school. 

During  the  term  of  1876-77,  O.  C.  Hill  was  Principal,  assisted  by 
Miss  Alice  Heath,  Mrs.  R.  L.  Kirkpatrick,  Miss  Fannie  Soper,  Mrs.  S.  O. 
Hunnicutt,  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Koucher.  During  this  term  was  instituted  a 
normal  department,  conducted  by  Professor  O.  C.  Hill  and  his  assistant, 
Miss  Heath.  Hill  continued  to  exercise  supervision  over  all  the  other 
departments  of  the  school.  Miss  Lizzie  Patterson  was  teacher  of  the 
colored  school  during  this  academic  year. 

For  the  term  of  1877-78,  Professor  O.  C.  Hill  was  Principal,  assisted 
by  Miss  Alice  Heath  in  the  normal  department,  and  Miss  Julia  Gear- 
heart,  Miss  Fannie  Soper,  Mrs.  R.  L.  Kirkpatrick  and  Mrs.  A.  M.  Kel- 
logg, in  the  public  school.  Miss  Lizzie  Patterson,  continued  to  teach 
the  colored  school. 

For  the  term  of  1878-79,  O.  C.  Hill  was  retained  as  Principal,  with 
Miss  Alice  Heath  assistant,  in  the  normal  department,  and  Miss  Nettie 
Gardner,  Miss  Fannie  Soper,  Miss  Helen  Lehmer  and  Mrs.  A.  M.  Kel- 
logg, assistants  in  the  public  school. 

The  colored  school  this  year  was  taught  by  Miss  Alice  Armstrong. 

During  1879-80,  O.  C.  Hill-  was  Principal,  with  R.  B.  Whittaker  as 
assistant  in  the  normal  department,  and  Miss  Nettie  Gardner,  Mrs.  S. 
Thomas,  Miss  Ella  Evans  and  Mrs.  A.  M.  Kellogg,  assistants  in  the 
public  school  departments. 

Mrs.  L.  McKnight  taught  the  colored  school. 

In  term  of  1880-81,  O.  C.  Hill  was  again  Principal,  with  Mrs.  S. 
Thomas  assistant  in  the  normal  department,  and  Miss  Nettie  Gardner, 
Miss  Alice  Kline,  Miss  Nannie  Nesbit  and  Mrs.  A.  M.  Kellogg,  assist- 
ants in  the  public  school  departments. 

Mrs.  L.  McKnight  taught  the  colored  school. 

For  the  year  1881-82,  C.  L.  Ebaugh  was  Principal,  with  Miss  Annie 
Dysart  as  assistant  in  the  normal  department,  Professor  Samuel  M. 
Ruley,  Miss  Bessie  Lehmer,  Miss  Susie  Lukins  and  Mrs.  A.  M.  Kellogg, 
assistants  in  the  public  school  departments. 

Mrs.  Kate  Fry  tauglit  the  colored  school. 

The  compensation  paid  to  principals  has  ranged  from  $75  to  $100 
per  month,  and  to  assistants  from  $35  to  $60  per  month. 

NEWSPAPER    ENTERPRISES. 

The  first  paper  printed  in  Holt  County  was  the  Holt  County  News, 
tts  first  issue  appeared  July  1,  1857,  in  the  town  of  Oregon.  It  was  a 
even  column  weekly,  published  by  S.   H.  B.  Cundiff.     April   15,   1859, 


34°  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Cundifif  sold  the  paper  to  Cyrus  Cook  and  A.  Watrous.  April  29,  1859, 
J.  W.  Biggers  became  a  partner  of  C.  Cook  &  Co.,  in  the  publication  of 
the  paper.  July  1,  1859,  Cyrus  Cook  became  sole  proprietor  of  the  News. 
November  11,  1859,  tne  paper  became  the  property  of  A.  Watrous,  Jr. 
May  11,  i860,  Charles  W.  Bowman  purchased  an  interest  in  the  paper, 
which  was  thenceforth  published  by  Watrous  and  Bowman.  November 
24,  i860,  the  paper  again  changed  hands,  and  A.  R.  Conklin  was 
announced  as  its  proprietor.  January  8,  1861,  he  changed  the  name  of 
the  paper,  styling  it  the  Courier  and  News.  February  2,  1861,  this  much 
owned  paper  again  changed  hands,  Jabez  Robinson  and  J.  W.  Biggers 
becoming  proprietors.  Its  bold  advocacy  of  the  doctrine  of  the  right  of 
secession  provoked  the  wrath  of  the  military  authorities,  and,  a  short 
time  after  the  last  change  in  ownership  and  management,  Major  Peabody 
came  up  from  St.  Joseph,  with  several  companies  of  militia,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  office  and  moved  away  the  press  and  type.  He  was,  how- 
ever, induced  soon  after  to  bring  back  this  material,  the  type,  however, 
in  a  pied  condition.  The  press  and  other  material  of  the  office  was 
afterwards  sold  to  Sheriff  Campbell,  of  Troy,  Kansas,  who  started  there- 
with a  Republican  paper. 

The  second  newspaper  started  in  the  county  was  the  Monitor,  a 
weekly  journal  published  in  Forest  City  by  J.  R.  VanNatta  and  A.  R. 
Conklin.  It  first  appeared  in  September,  1858.  Towards  the  of  close' of 
the  following  year  the  paper  came  out  as  the  Courier,  published  by  A. 
R.  Conklin.  It  was  succeeded  July  10,  1861,  by  the  Holt  County  Senti- 
nel, published  by  Daniel  Zook  &  Co.,  also  a  weekly  journal.  Only  five 
issues  appeared  when  the  publication  of  the  paper  was  suspended. 
August  14,  1863,  the  Sentinel  again  appeared,  after  an  interval  of  two 
years,  coming  out  with  No.  6.  It  was  again  published  by  Daniel  Zook 
&  Co.  The  Co.  was  a  printer  by  the  name  of  Bodenhamer.  With  No. 
17,  which  appeared  October  30,  1863,  the  publication  of  the  paper  was 
suspended. 

The  Missouri  Expose  was  started  in  Forest  City,  July,  1868,  by  S. 
M.  C.  Reynolds  and  D.  O.  Wasson. 

February  27,  1869,  the  Holt  County  Journal  made  its  first  appear- 
ance as  the  successor  of  the  Expose.  This  was  also  a  weekly.  It  was 
published  by  Thomas  H.  and  Robert  A.  Frame.  After  the  eighteenth 
issue  the  publication  suspended. 

December  3,  1869,  C.  W.  and  G.  W.  Bowman  started,  in  Forest  City, 
the  Independent.  This  they  continued  to  publish  till  October  22,  1870, 
when  D.  P.  Ballard  assumed  control  of  the  paper.  He  suspended  pub- 
lication, November  11,  1870,  when  the  press  and  other  material  were 
moved  to  Rock  Port,  Missouri,  and  a  Democratic  paper  started  with  the 
same.     This  closed  the  journalistic  enterprises»of  Forest  City. 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  34 1 

In  July,  1865,  the  Holt  County  Sentinel  made  its  first  appearance  in 
the  town  of  Oregon,  where  it  continued  to  be  published  by  C.  W.  Bow- 
man till  July,  1869,  when  Adam  Klippel  bought  the  paper.  He  contin- 
ued to  edit  and  publish  the  Sentinel  till  October,  1876,  when  he  sold  out 
to  W.  W.  Davenport,  who  changed  its  name,  styling  it  the  County  Paper. 
In  the  summer  of  1881,  Davenport  sold  out  to  D.  P.  Dobyns  &  Co.,  the 
present  (1882)  proprietors  and  publishers.  It  is  a  handsome  seven  col- 
umn, eight  page  paper,  and  the  recognized  organ  of  the  Republican 
party  in  the  county. 

%  The  Missouri  Valley  Times  was  started  in  Oregon,  July,  1874,  by 
Kaucher  &  Hasness.  It  was  a  neatly  printed,  seven  column  sheet, 
Republican  in  politics.  In  1876,  Captain  Kaucher  sold  his  interest  to 
Henry  Shutts.  The  paper  then  underwent  a  political  change,  appearing 
as  a  Democratic  sheet,  under  the  name  and  style  of  the  Holt  County 
Press.  In  June,  1877,  Mr.  Shutts  sold  his  interest  to  Colonel  Clark 
Irvine.  September,  19,  188 1,  Leigh  Irvine,  Esq.,  became  the  owner  of 
Colonel  Irvine's  interest  in  the  paper,  which  was  forthwith  enlarged  to 
an  eight   page,   seven   column  journal.     It   is   neatly    and   handsomely 

printed. 

BANKS. 

The  first  bank  in  the  town  of  Oregon  was  organized  in  the  fall  of 
1866,  by  Levi  Zook  and  James  Scott.  This,  like  all  its  successors  in  tha 
town,  was  a  private  bank.  It  was  located  in  the  old  court  house  build- 
ing on  the  northwest  corner  of  Washington  and  Nodaway  Streets,  the 
house  now  owned  by  H.  Sterrett.  The  style  of  the  firm  was  Zook  & 
Scott.  They  continued  the  partnership  three  and  a  half  years,  when, 
Zook  retiring,  the  business  was  conducted  by  Scott  alone  for  the  period 
of-.a  year,  ending  June  29,  1871,  when  he  retired,  and  the  firm  of  R. 
Montgomery  &  Co.  succeeded  to  the  business.  This  partnership  con- 
tinued till  January,  1,  [872.  The  firm  then  became  Zook  &  Montgom- 
ery and  continued  three  years.  January  1,  1875,  Levi  Zook  retired 
from  the  partnership  and  M.  S.  Norman  associated  himself  with  the 
business,  which,  under  the  name  and  style  of  Montgomery  &  Norman, 
was  continued  till  January,  1877,  when,  Norman  retiring,  Captain  Albert 
Roecker- became  a  member  of  the  firm,  under  the  present  (1882)  style 
of  Montgomery  &  Roecker. 

In  1872,  the  bank  moved  from  its  original  location  to  a  room  in  the 
rear  of  Ira  Peter's  store,  on  the  opposite  corner.  This  room  fronted  on 
Nodaway  Street,  below  the  corner.  It  continued  in  this  location  till 
the  fall  of  [877,  when  the  present  elegant  brick  building  on  Washing- 
ton Street,  now  (1882)  occupied  by  the  bank,  was  completed  at  a  cost  of 
$3,700. 

Through  all  its   changes  and  modifications  this  bank  has  enjoyed 
the   reputation    of   a   substantial    and    reliable    institution.     Both    Mr. 


342  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Montgomery  and  Captain  Roecker  are  gentlemen,  not  only  of  recog- 
nized ability  as  business  men,  but  rank  with  the  enterprising  and  pub- 
lic spirited  citizens  of  the  northwest. 

IMPROVEMENTS   IN   THE   TOWN. 

Prior  to  the  summer  of  1876,  when  James  A.  Keeves  &  Co.  erected, 
at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars,  their  spacious  two  story  brick  business 
house,  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Nodaway  Streets,  there  was,  with  the 
exception  of  the  court  house,  but  one  brick  building  in  the  town,  and 
that  was  the  antiquated  three  story  block  on  the  northwest  by  north  out- 
side corner  of  Washington  and  Nodaway  Streets,  in  the  third  story  of 
which  are  located  the  halls  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Free  Masons. 
Shortly  after  the  erection  of  Keeves'  building  Daniel  David  erected,  on 
Washington  Street  a  two  story  brick  business  house,  twenty-six  and  a 
half  by  fifty  feet,  with  a  one  story  rear  extension  of  twenty-five  feet. 
This  is  now  (1882)  occupied  by  the   general   store  of  Schulte   Brothers. 

The  sun  of  August  6,  1877,  set  upon  a  row  of  dingy,  rickety,  dilapi- 
dated, and  altogether  hideous  looking  frame  buildings  on  Nodaway 
Street,  fronting  the  public'square,  presenting  a  spectacle  alike  discredit- 
able to  the  enterprise  of  the  citizens  "of  the  town,  and  offensive  to  the 
gaze  of  the  stranger  arriving  in  the  same,  and  especially  striking  in  its 
contrast  with  the  neat  and  attractive  structure  of  the  court  house,  and 
the  luxuriant  growth  of  the  beautifully-kept  park,  in  the  center  of  which 
that  then  primitive  temple  of  justice  reared  its  graceful  proportions.  In 
the  eternal  fitness  of  things,  however,  it  was  decreed  that  this  abuse  of 
the  bounty  of  the  Giver  of  All  Good  should  no  longer  be  tolerated. 
The  morning  of  the  7th  of  August  rose  upon  another  scene.  The  eye- 
sore, the  blot  upon  the  fair  picture  of  Oregon's  wealth  of  vine,  of  fruit 
tree  and  of  graceful  shade  was  a  sheet  of  devouring  flame.  In  one 
short  hour  naught  but  the  smouldering  embers  and  foundation  stones 
remained  to  tell  the  story  of  departed  hideousness  and  delapidation. 
The  people  silently  acquiesced  in  the  justice  of  the  visitation,  only 
regretting  that  they  had  not  long  before  taken  down  the  old  rat- 
harbors,  which  would  have  afforded  fuel  and  kindling  wood  for  a  con- 
siderable period  of  time.  They  went  to  work  and  rebuilt  their  town 
speedily  and  with  a  hearty  will.  No  ephemeral  frame  buildings,  with 
ginger-bread  decorations,  however,  rose  upon  the  ruins,  but  neat, 
elegant  and  substantial  brick  structures,  which  would  be  creditable 
to  a  city  of  many  times  the  population  of  Oregon,  speak,  to-day,  of  a 
spirit  of  enterprise  which  only  slumbered  in  the  old  shanties  of  a  bygone 
generation,  till  awakened  by  the  cracking  voice  of  all-devouring  fire, 
and  to-day,  doubtless,  these  prosperous  people  thank  Providence  for  the 
lesson  so  emphatically  taught,  as  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  cheerful  and 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  343 

elegant  places  of  business,  regret  that  the  old  tottering  buildings  had 
not  been  burned  down  long  before  the  7th  day  of  August,  1877. 

The  rebuilding  of  the  destroyed  houses  prompted  others  (for  enter- 
prise begets  enterprise)  also  to  build,  and  by  the  fall  of  the  fire  summer 
the  handsome  row  of  contiguous  buildings  were  put  up  by  the  following 
parties,  and  at  the  cost  annexed  to  their  several  names  :  F.  and  G. 
Seamans,  $2,000  ;  T.  I.  Kreek,  three  buildings,  two  at  a  cost  of  $3,000 
each,  and  one  at  a  cost  of  $1,250;  N.  Stock,  $2,500  ;  Dr.  M.  Lehmer, 
$2,200;  William  Hawkins,  $3,200,  and  Amos  Castle,  $1,600.  These 
buildings  constitute  a  solid  block  of  two-story  structures  of  uniform 
height,  and  generally  corresponding  external  appearance.  In  the  same 
season  the  Christians  erected  on  Nodaway  Street,  on  the  corner  one 
block  south  of  the  court  house  square,  a  neat  brick  church,  with  graceful 
spire.  Before  the  close  of  1877,  the  brick  banking  house  of  Montgomery 
&  Roecker,  on  Nodaway  Street,  was  completed  and  occupied. 

For  upwards  of  fifteen  years  after  its  start  the  town  of  Oregon  was 
the  most  important  trading  point  above  the  Nodaway.  After  the 
removal  of  the  county  seat  of  Atchison  County  from  Linden  to  Rock 
Port,  the  latter  grew  to  be  a  place  of  considerable  business  importance, 
and  cut  off  a  large  part  of  the  country  trade  from  Oregon.  The  growth 
of  the  surrounding  country,  however,  was  so  rapid  that  the  business  of 
the  town  suffered  no  diminution. 

To  William  Zook  we  have  already  referred.  Many  others  who  after- 
wards became  representative  men  in  their  several  departments  of  busi- 
ness, were  originally  residents  of  Oregon.  Gen.  James  Craig,  of  St. 
Joseph,  once  practiced  law  there.  P.  L.  McLaughlin,  the  Tootles,  Nave 
&  McCord,  Turner  &  Frazer,  B.  B.  Frazer,  John  Ovelman,  Hiram  Patter- 
son and  M.  S.  Norman,  have  all  since  been  leading  wholesale  dealers  of 
St.  Joseph.  Paris  Pfouts,  formerly  editor  of  the  St.  Joseph  Gazette,  sub- 
sequently a  wholesale  grocer  of  St.  Louis,  and  ultimately  publisher  of  a 
daily  paper  in  Texas,  was  originally  an  Oregon  man.  Among  others 
may  be  mentioned  Samuel  Wood,  a  leading  lawyer  of  Montana  ;  J.  H. 
Utt  and  Joseph  Lehmer,  ol  White  Cloud,  Kansas  ;  Dr.  H.  W.  Peter,  now 
a  leading  physician  of  Louisville,  Kentucky  ;  R.  L.  Hatten,  of  Denver  ; 
C.  W.  Bowman,  of  Las  Animas,  and  John  Thatcher,  of  Pueblo,  Colorado. 
Many  of  the  surrounding  towns  in  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  were 
founded  by  men  from  Oregon,  among  them  Forest  City  and  Mound  City, 
Missouri  and  White  Cloud,  Kansas.  Brownville,  Nebraska,  was  named 
in  honor  of  Richard  Brown,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Holt  County,  whose 
place  adjoined  the  town  site  of  Oregon. 


344  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

THE    PRESENT   BUSINESS   HOUSES   OF  OREGON. 

Berres,  August,  furniture  dealer. 
Chadduck,  George,  general  merchant. 
Cook,  William,  blacksmith. 

Castle,  Amos,  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes. 
Dobyns,  D.  P.,  publisher  County  Paper. 
Edwards  &  Fry,  butchers. 
Edwards,  L.  H.,  manufacturer  of  wagons. 
Foster  Brothers,  livery  stable,  hack  line,  etc. 
Foster  &  Ely,  butchers. 

H.  Faragher,  clocks,  watches,  jewelry  and  silverware. 
Hasness  &  Irvine,  publishers  Holt  County  Press. 
Hershberger  &  Anderson,  dealers  in  general  merchandise. 
Hinde,  T.  S.,  dealer  in  drugs,  groceries,  etc. 
Hill,  L.  H.,  barber. 

Hoblitzell  &  Co.,  dealers  in  lumber  and  building  material. 
Hoetter,  E.  P.,  restaurant,  confectionery  and  bakery. 
Inghram  &  Baker,  manufacturers  of  kitchen  safes,  lathe  works,  etc. 
Keeves,  J.  A.,  general  merchant. 
Creek  &  Watson,  general  merchants.  « 

Kyger,  N.  J.,  saloon. 

Kinsley,  Jacob,  harness  maker  and  saddler. 
King  &  Proud,  druggists,  etc. 

Lehmer,  Dr.,  drugs,  paints,  glass  and  fancy  goods. 
Martin,  Daniel,  manufacturer  of    saddles,    harness,    and    dealer    in 
wagons,  buggies,  etc. 

Montgomery  &  Roecker,  bankers. 

Nies,  George,  dealer  in  fancy  goods,  ladies'  dress  goods,  etc. 

Nies,  J.  H.,  &  Co.,  tinners,  and  dealers  in  stoves,  etc. 

Peter,  Ira,  dealer  in  clothing  and  general  merchandise. 

Pilbrick,  Clark,  barber. 

Privet,  Clark,  blacksmith. 

Peret,  J.  W.,  barber. 

Rostock,  F.  S.  &  Son,  boot  and  shoe  makers. 

Schulte  Brothers,  dealers  in  general  merchandise. 

Stock,  Nick,  merchant  tailor. 

Sterrett,  W.  H.,  dealer  in  general  merchandise. 

Stout  &  Bartram,  confectioners. 

Stuckey,  Samuel,  livery  stable. 

Shutts,  Samuel,  blacksmith. 

Seaman,  Fred.,  exclusive  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes. 

Whitmer,  Samuel,  manufacturer  of  sorghum. 

The  practicing  physicians  of  Oregon  are  A.  Goslin  and  J.  T.  Thatcher. 


OREGON  AND   FOREST  CITY.  345 

MAYORS. 

The  city  of  Oregon  was  chartered  by  special  act  of  the  Legislature 
passed  November  5,  1857. 

On  March  24,  1870,  the  same  was  amended  so  as  to  extend  its  juris- 
diction over  subsequent  additions. 

The  elections  for  Mayor  have  always  occurred  on  the  first  Tuesday 
in  April  of  each  year. 

Daniel  David,  1857.  James  S.  Hart,  1868. 

B.  B.  Frazer,  1859.  G.  M.  Edson,  1869. 

Peter  Price,  i860.  .  R.  D.  Markland,  1870. 

Daniel  David,  1861.  Samuel  Stucky,  1871. 

Daniel  David,  1862.  Samuel  Stucky,  1872. 

No  civil  government    from   1863  to  Samuel  Stucky,  1873. 

1864.  Samuel  Stucky,  1874. 

William  Hawkins,   1864.  Henry  Shutts,  1875. 

James  S.  Hart,  1865.  Samuel  Stucky,  1877. 

S.  C.  Collins,  1866.  Samuel  Stucky,  1878. 

A.  Walters,  1867.  He  failed  to  qual-  M.  H.  Soper.  1879. 

ify  and  Wm.  Smith  was  elected 

in  his  place  in  May  following. 

J.  Limbird  was  elected  in  April,  1880,  and  served  till  January, 
1881,  when  he  resigned  to  fill  his  position  in  the  state  legislature, 
Clark  O.  Proud  then  filled  the  position  till  the  period  of  the  election  in 
April,  1881,  when  James  E.  Cummins  was  chosen  mayor.  At  the  same 
election  the  following  were  also  chosen  :  Henry  Cook,  Marshal,  and  A. 
W.  King,  Assessor.  The  following  members  of  the  city  council  were 
also  at  that  time  elected  :  J.  H.  Nies,  Dr.  J.  T.  Thatcher,  James  Watson, 
W.  R.  Springer,  Ira  Peter,  J.  B.  Hoblitzell,  Samuel  Whitmer,  Samuel 
Hershberger,  and  Daniel  Martin. 

CONCLUDING   REMARKS. 

In  respect  of  one  peculiarity,  there  is  perhaps  no  town  in  the  Union 
resembling  Oregon,  and  that  is  in  the  matter  of  fruit  grown  within  its 
limits.  Not  only  the  immediate  suburbs,  but  the  town  itself  is  a  vast  and 
continuous  orchard  of  the  finest  varieties  of  apples,  peaches  and  other 
pomological  products.  It  is  estimated,  without  any  exaggeration,  that 
there  are  growing  within  the  limits  of  the  town  not  less  than  ten  thou- 
sand fruit  trees,  to  say  nothing  of  the  wine  producing  vineyards  that 
abound  in  many  of  the  enclosures  of  the  town.  Of  those  adjoining  the 
town  site  on  the  west  side,  is  the  orchard  of  T.  I.  Kreek,  containing  900 
apple,  300  pear,  and  500  peach  trees,  and  also  about  500  grape  vines. 
On  the   northwest  corner  is  the  extensive  orchard  of  George  P.  Luck- 


346  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

hardt,  described  in  the  chapter  on  "  Nurseries,"  of  which  he  has  the 
most  extensive  in  the  county.  On  the  southwest.  Ab  Zook  has  between 
800  and  900  trees.  On  the  southeast  side,  C.  Hoblitzell  has  an  apple 
orchard  of  1,100  apple  trees,  besides  peach,  pear  and  other  fruit  trees. 
Stephen  Blanchard,  on  the  east  side,  has  an  apple  orchard  of  about  six 
hundred  trees.  Stephen  C.  Collins  has  about  two  hundred  and  twenty 
of  different  varieties. 

POSTMASTERS. 

Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  established  January  17,  1843.     The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  postmasters  appointed  at  this  post  office  from 
1843  to  1881,  inclusive,  together  with  the  date  of  their  appointment  : 
John  C.  Norman,  January  17,  1843.   John  P.  Halbach,  January  2,  1861. 
William  Zook,  January  13,  1845.        Howard  T.  Combs,  May  11,  1861. 
George  W.Kelly,  December  9,  1845.  W.  H.  Sterrett,  March  15,  1862. 
John  Dozier,  February  7,  1848.  William  Hawkins,  February  24,  1865. 

Galen 'Crow,  March  19,  185 1.  Benjamin  F.  Potter,  April  25,  1866. 

Henry  W.  Peter,  December  5/1853.  Samuel  P.  Jewell,  March  16,  1869. 
W.  H.Williams,  December  23,  1856.  Mrs.  Kate  G.  Holtz,  March  10,  1871. 
James  J.  Ruley,  January  20,  1857.      Edgar   L.  Allen,  November  14,  1881. 
Burkitt  J.  Bowen,  February  20,  i860. 

FOREST   CITY, 

an  important  commercial  town  of  the  county,  and,  as  late  as  the  sum- 
mer of  1868,  a  well-known  shipping  point  on  the  Missouri  River,  was 
laid  out  by  a  company  composed  of  Tootles  &  Fairleigh,  of  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  Zook  &  Patterson,  and  Nave  &  Turner  ;  the  two  latter  firms 
from  Oregon,  Missouri. 

The  land  on  which  this  town  was  laid  out,  a  tract  of  520  acres,  was 
purchased  by  the  company  of  the  original  proprietor,  Joel  Baldwin,  for 
about  ten  thousand  dollars.  It  is  in  Lewis  Township,  twenty-eight  miles 
north  by  west  of  St.  Joseph,  on  the  main  line  of  the  Kansas  City,  St. 
Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  on  sections  29,  30,  31  and  32,  town- 
ship 60,  range  38,  and  occupies  a  surface  877  feet  above  the  sea  level. 
The  first  sale  of  lots  occurred  May  15,  1857,  and  the  place,  forthwith, 
began  to  be  settled  and  improved  rapidly.  The  first  store  building  in 
the  place  was  put  up  by  Tootles,  Fairleigh  &  Co.  It  is  a  large  two-story 
frame  building,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Commercial  and  Holt  Streets, 
fronting  on  the  latter,  and  now  (1882)  occupied  by  Joseph  Groves,  dealer 
in  general  merchandise.  It  was  built  in  the  summer  of  1857.  In  the 
same  year,  Nave,  Turner  &  Co.  put  up  the  store  building  now  occupied 
by  J.  M.  Ford  &  Smith.  Others  followed  in  rapid  succession,  and  the 
town  was  soon  built  up.     The  first  brick  building  in  the  town,  a  two- 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  347 

story  business  house,  was  commenced  in  1857,  and  completed  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  by  Zook  &  Baldwin,  and  occupied  by  them  as  a  drug  store, 
the  first  established  in  the  place.  The  senior  member  of  this  firm, 
Daniel  Zook,  Esq.,  is  a  prominent  lawyer  of  the  county,  and  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Oregon.  The  building  is  now,  and  has  been,  since  1872,  occupied 
by  the  drug  store  of  John  France  &  Co. 

The  first  postmaster  in  the  town  was  Daniel  Zook,  appointed  in 
1857.  He  was  succeeded  by  Alvin  Conklin,  who,  in  i860,  was  succeeded 
by  George  Weber.  The  fourth  in  succession  was  Hon.  H.  K.  S.  Robin- 
son. He  became  postmaster  on  the  resignation  of  George  Weber,  in 
1877.  Miss  Mary  M.  Canon  was  appointed  to  succeed  the  former  in 
188 1,  at  which  time  Messrs.  Weber  and  Robinson  accepted  positions  in 
the  Frazer   &   McDonald  Bank. 

The  first  blacksmith  established  in  Forest  City,  was  John  W.  Moody, 
formerly  of  Independence,  Missouri.  He  removed  from  Oregon,  Mis- 
souri, to  Forest  City,  where  he  opened  his  shop  in  the  summer  of  1857. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  taught  in  Forest  City,  was  during  the  winter  of 
1857-58,  in  a  small  frame  building.  The  first  teacher  of  this- school  was 
James  Walden,  from  Kentucky.  He  was  succeeded,  in  1858,  by  Miss 
Mary  Hart.  This  was  a  private  enterprise.  About  ten  years  after,  a 
brick  public  school  building  was  erected  on  the  summit  of  the  abrupt 
hill-range,  which  divides  the  business  from  the  residence  portion  of  the 
town.  This  was  a  house  fifty  by  twenty  feet  in  area,  with  a  hall  through 
the  center.  M.  Howley  did  the  brick  work,  and  G.  W.  Hitt,  one  of  the 
pioneer  carpenters  of  the  town,  the  wood  work.  The  cost  of  the  build- 
ing was  about  two  thousand  dollars.  The  first  who  taught  in  this  school 
was  Rev.  Prof.  Thornton,  assisted  by  Miss  Mary  Canon.  The  building 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  winter  of  1874-75.  The  location  of  this 
house  was  not  a  little  remarkable,  and  about  the  only  claim  to  be  ad- 
vanced in  favor  of  the  site  was  the  fact  that,  in  the  summer  season,  when 
schools  were  not  generally  in  session,  it  was,  from  its  extraordinary 
elevation  (about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  Commer- 
cial Street)  an  airy  situation,  and  one  that  commanded  an  extensive 
prospect  of  the  surrounding  country.  The  ascent  from  the  level  of  the 
town  to  the  summit  of  the  elevation  on  which  this  house  was  perched,  is 
exceedingly  abrupt  and,  in  some  conditions  of  weather,  must  have  been 
impossible  from  more  than  one  way  of  approach. 

The  present  (1882)  graded  school  of  Forest  City  was  commenced  in 
July,  1875,  and  completed  in  October  of  the  same  year.  It  is  a  two- 
story  brick  building,  containing  four  rooms,  two  of  which  are  on  the 
first,  and  the  others  on  the  second  floor.     The  architects  of  the  building 


348  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

were  Stigers  &  Bcettner,  and  the  contractor  R.  K.  Allen,  all  of  St. 
Joseph.  The  building  stands  on  Grand  Avenue,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  town.  Its  cost  was  about  $5,000.  The  first  session  of  the  public 
school  in  this  building  opened  in  November,  1875,  Prof.  Samuel  Ruley, 
Principal,  assisted  by  Miss  H.  Lehmer.  The  school  opened  in  the  fall 
of  1876,  with  the  same  teachers.  In  the  fall  of  1877  Lee  Helsley  became 
Principal,  assisted  by  Miss  Helen  Lehmer  and  Mrs.  E.  F.  Welch. 

The  session  of  1878  opened  with  Rev.  John  Anderson  as  Principal, 
assisted  by  Miss  Jose  Wilkinson.  In  the  fall  of  1879  the  school  opened 
with  Rev.  John  Anderson  as  Principal,  assisted  by  Miss  Julia  Gearhart 
and  Miss  Jose  Wilkinson. 

In  the  fall  of  1880  the  teachers  were  Rev.  John  Anderson,  Principal, 
and  Miss  Helen  Lehmer  and  Miss  Jose  Wilkinson,  assistants.  These 
were  succeeded,  in  the  fall  of  1881,  by  Prof.  M.  Murphy,  Principal, 
assisted  by  Miss  Kate  Howley  and  Miss  Gertrude  Whobrey.  The  pub- 
lic schools  are  in  session  here  eight  months  in  the  year. 

The  colored  school  is  taught  in  a  frame  building  at  the  north  end  of 
Commercial  Street.  This  first  opened  January  4,  1878,  with  William 
Barnes  as  teacher.  He  also  taught  the  session  which  opened  Septem- 
ber, 1878.  October,  1879,  tne  school  opened  in  charge  of  Miss  Lizzie 
Patterson.  September,  1880,  Mrs.  A.  N.  B.  Sprague  had  charge  of  the 
school. 

THE    FIRST    HOTEL 

in  Forest  City  was  kept  in  a  two  story  frame  house  near  the  northern 
extremity  of  Commercial  Street.  It  was  built  by  the  town  company  in 
1859,  and  was  opened  by  G.  W.  Glasgow,  who  continued  to  keep  it 
about  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  was  succeeded  by  L.  B. 
Green,  who  purchased  the  property  of  the  town  company.  The  build- 
ing is  now  (1882)  owned  by  Mrs.  Blackleach.  The  town  company  sub- 
sequently erected  the  two  story  brick  building  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Commercial  and  Holt  Streets.  This  has  always,  since  its  completion, 
been  kept  as  a  hotel,  and  often  changed  hands.  It  is  now  (1882)  kept 
by  B.  B.  Foster  &  Co.,  who  own  the  building. 

EARLY   BUSINESS. 

As  early  as  1857  Nave,  Turner  &  Co.  started  a  grocery  jobbing 
house  in  the  store  room  now  occupied  by  J.  M.  Ford  and  Smith,  on  Com- 
mercial Street.  This  they  continued  till  about  1859.  In  those  days 
whisky  was  abundant,  cheap  and  readily  attainable  anywhere,  and  it  was 
not  till  1858  that  James  Simpson  opened  the  first  saloon  in  Forest  City. 
Whisky  in  those  days  sold  at  from  eighteen  to  twenty-five  cents  per 
gallon,  and  it  is  claimed   by  the  early  settlers  of  the   county  that  there 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  349 

was  then  in  the  country,  generally,  less  drunkenness,  in  proportion  to  its 
population,  than  there  is  at_  present. 

Forest  City,  from  the  period  of  its  foundation,  till  the  summer  of 
1868,  when  the  Missouri  River  suddenly  turned  westward  and  left  the 
town  two  and  a  half  miles  inland,  was  a  place  of  no  inconsiderable  im- 
portance as  a  shipping  point,  and  it  early  became  the  port  from  which  a 
vast  amount  of  produce  of  all  kinds  was  shipped  by  water.  The  great 
staple  in  those  days  was  hemp,  and  as  many  as  thirteen  steamboats  have 
been  tied  up  at  one  time,  at  the  wharf,  awaiting  freight.  By  the  caving 
of  the  river  banks,  before  that  uncertain  stream  left  the  town,  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  Forest  City,  amounting,  probably,  to  one-third  its  origi- 
nal area,  which  was  spread  over  the  bottom,  had  disappeared.  In  the 
summer  of  1868  the  last  boat  landed  at  Forest  City,  and  was  moored  to 
the  rails  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  track, 
which,  on  the  loth  day  of  August  of  that  year,  had  been  completed  from 
St.  Joseph  to  that  point.  This  was  the  Carrie  P.  Kuntz.  On  this  boat 
W.  and  J.  W.  Zook  made  their  last  shipment,  by  water,  of  a  lot  of  corn 
from  this  point.  This  shipment  amounted  to  three  thousand  and  seven 
sacks  of  corn.  By  the  following  day  the  Missouri  was  flowing  two  and  a 
half  miles  west  of  the  town,  and  naught  remained  but  the  sluggish  sedi- 
ments of  the  forsaken  river  bed,  through  which  the  Little  Tarkio  now 
flows,  to  tell  of  the  late  bustle  and  animation  of  thronging  boats,  which 
were  to  visit  her  extinguished  port  no  more. 

In  its  palmiest  days  the  mercantile  business  of  Forest  City  amounted 
to  not  less  than  $300,000  a  year,  to  say  nothing  of  the  vast  shipping 
interests  of  the  place.  The  original  heavy  dealers  of  the  town  were 
Turner,  Frazer  &  Co.  and  Tootle,  Fairleigh  &  Co.  In  1865,  the  heavy 
firms  doing  business  there  were  Frazer  &  Brittain  and  W.  &  J.  W.  Zook. 
Of  the  original  settlers  of  the  place,  but  few  are  now  numbered  with  its 
population.  These  include  Dr.  H.  M.  Wilson,  the  first  physician  to  locate 
in  the  town.  He  came  in  1857,  as  did  also  George  Weber,  the  banker. 
Of  those  who  came  in  the  following  year,  are  J.  M.  Ford,  the  merchant, 
M.  T.  Collins,  carpenter,  William  Burgess,  G.  W.  Hitt,  the  undertaker 
and  builder.     W.  H.  Williams  came  in  the  succeeding  year. 

In  1839,  William  Burgess,  in  partnership  with  Thomas  Cunningham, 
started  near  the  north  end  of  the  town  a  pottery,  which  they  continued 
to  operate  for  some  time,  but  finally  abandoned  for  more  directly  remun- 
erative pursuits.  Among  the  early  established  business  men  of  the  town 
still  in  the  place  is  O.  Graves,  of  the  present  firm  of  Graves  &  Weber, 
and  in  1865,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Graves  &  Faucett. 

One  of  the  early  enterprises  yet  extant,  of  the  town,  is  the 


350  HISTORY    OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

FOREST   CITY    BREWERY. 

This  was  first  started  in  a  small  frame  building,  put  up  for  the  purpose 
in  1859  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  C.  Krauss.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
following  year  Krauss  &  Engel  erected  the  brick  structure  on  stone 
foundation  which  now  constitutes  the  brewery  building.  These  parties 
pursued  the  business  here  four  or  five  years.  Capt.  Albert  Roecker,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  the  county,  and  at  present  engaged  in  the  banking 
business  in  Oregon,  was  at  one  time  identified  with  the  interests  of  this 
brewery.  Jacob  Schweinfurth  purchased  it  of  William  Zook,  of  St. 
Joseph,  into  whose  hands  it  had  subsequently  fallen,  and  in  January, 
1881,  commenced  the  manufacture  of  beer,  which  he  has  since  success- 
fully pursued.  The  original  cost  of  the  building  was  about  $15,000.  It 
was  sold  to  Jacob  Schweinfurth  for  $2,500. 

Forest  City  was  incorporated  by  special  act  of  the  Legislature, 
passed  March  12,  1861.  The  first  Mayor  elected  under  this  charter  was 
George  Weber. 

The  present  1882  officials  of  the  town  are  S.  M.  Glass,  elected  Mayor 
April,  1881  ;  H.  H.  Brady,  Marshal  and  Collector  ;  Joseph  Fergusom 
Assessor  ;  W.  R.  Smith,  Treasurer  ;  and  George  Poindexter,  Register. 

The  members  of  the  Council  are  Dr.  H.  M.  Wilson,  Vine  Hovey,  J. 
M.  Ford,  John  Puncheon,  William  Burgess,  William  Ferry,  A.  Weber, 
Joseph  Groves  and  John  France, 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  church  built  in  Forest  City  was  erected  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South.  It  is  a  brick  structure  on  Grand  Avenue, 
thirty-four  by  fifty-one  feet.  It  was  built  in  i860,  chiefly  by  means  of 
the  material  aid  and  through  the  exertions  of  Hiram  Patterson  and  L. 
Zook,  then  selling  goods  in  the  town.  These  gentlemen  contributed 
$500  toward  the  enterprise.  Joshua  T.  Sedwick  was  also  a  liberal  con- 
tributor, and  superintended  the  erection  of  the  building,  which  cost 
about  $4,000. 

In  1866,  the  M.  E.  Church  South,  sold  this  building  to  the  Mission- 
ary Baptists,  who  still  (1882)  continue  to  own  the  building. 

The  first  to  preach  the  gospel  in  Forest  City  was  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
Baxter,  of  the  M.  E.  Church  South,  and  an  active  organizer  of  the  same 
in  the  town.  This  was  several  years  before  the  erection  of  their  house 
of  worship.  The  records  of  this  church  are  incomplete  and  unsatisfac- 
tory, and  it  is  impossible  to  provide  anything  like  a  complete  history  of 
the  organization.  In  1869,  less  than  three  years  after  the  sale  of  their 
church  to  the  Baptists,  the  M.  E.  Church  South  erected  another  building. 
This  was  a  gothic  frame,  on  Walnut  Street.     H.  Patterson,  of  St.  Joseph, 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  351 

and  J.  T.  Sedvvick,  now  of  Craig,  in  Holt  County,  were  especially  active 
in  the  building  of  the  church,  and  succeeded  in  raising  in  a  few  days, 
the  necessary  funds  (about  $2,200)  for  its  erection.  Among  the  other 
organizers  of  this  church  were  Hiram  Wiggins,  L.  B.  Green,  H.  Patter: 
son,  and  their  wives.  The  present  (1882)  membership  of  this  church  is 
fifty-two.  The  Rev.  C.  D.  Davis  is  pastor  of  the  congregation.  Joseph 
Groves,  a  prominent  merchant  of  the  town,  is  the  popular  superintend- 
ent of  a  large  Sunday  School  attached  to  this  church. 

The  Missionary  Baptist  Church  was  organized  March  31,  1866,  with 
twenty-four  members,  among  whom  were  C.  J.  Hart,  G.  W.  Hitt,  John 
S.  Pugh,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Turner,  Mrs.  Alice  Archer,  William  A.  Joy, 
Henry  C.  Oflfutt,  Miss  Lizzie  Offutt,  H.  E.  Offutt,  Mrs.  Emma  J.  Hitt, 
Charles  E.  Joy,  Isaac  D.  Brown,  Miss  Susan  F.  Hanks,  Miss  Virginia 
Offutt,  Miss  M.  F.  Riley,  Mrs.  M.  J.  Williams,  Mrs.  Jemima  Pugh, 
Mrs.  Mary  J.  Hart  and  Mrs.  Turner. 

The  first  minister  of  this  church  was  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Huntley.  He 
was  succeeded  April,  1870,  by  Rev.  R.  M.  Rhodes.  In  1874,  Rev.  E.  S. 
Irely  was  pastor.  Rev.  S.  J.  Cook  succeeded  to  the  ministry  of  this 
church  in  1877,  and  served  till  1879,  since  which  time  the  church  has 
been  without  a  pastor. 

The  Christians  began  in  1875  the  erection  of  a  frame  church  near 
the  eastern  extremity  of  Grand  Avenue.  It  was  not  entirely  com- 
pleted till  the  winter  of  1881-82.  Its  cost  was  about  $1,500.  Elder  T. 
J.  Williamson  is  pastor.  The  third  ecclesiastical  edifice  built  in  Forest 
City  was  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  near  the  northern  extremity  of 
Commercial  Street.  Its  erection  was  superintended  by  the  Rev.  Father 
Welch,  of  St.  Joseph,  in  1869.  It  is  a  frame  building,  completed  at  a 
cost  of  $1,500.  The  dedication  sermon  was  preached  to  a  large  con- 
gregation by  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Hogan,  of  St.  Joseph.  Rev.  Father 
Baker  is  (1882)  present  minister. 

The  015  School  Presbyterians  have  an  organization  in  Forest  City. 
They  are  without  a  church  edifice  of  their  own,  but  occupy  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South. 

FOREST   CITY    LODGE,  NO.  214,  A.,  F.  AND   A.  M. 

was  organized  U.  D.  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  Missouri, 
and  set  to  work  by  the  D.  D.  G.  Master,  July  8,  i860.  The  officers  con- 
stituted under  this  dispensation  were  Milton  S.  Moodie,  W.  M.;  Levi 
Zook,  S.  W.,  and  Hiram  Patterson,  J.  W.  The  following  subordinate 
officers  were  then  appointed  and  installed  :  Daniel  Zook,  Secretary  ;  H. 
L.  Williams,  Treasurer:  E.  V.  Upton,  S.  D.;  E.  W.  Rynehart,  J.  D.; 
Hiram  Wiggins,  Steward  and  Tyler.  The  lodge  continued  to  work 
under  this  dispensation  until  June   17,   1861,  when  they  assembled  for 


352  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  first  time  by  virtue  of  a  charter  granted  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
state  and  dated  May  30,  1861. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  1861,  occurred  their  first  election  of  officers, 
with  the  following  result:  M.  S.  Moodie,  W.  M.;  Levi  Zook,  S.  W.;  H. 
Patterson,  J.  W.;  Lewis  Leach,  Secretary  ;  H.  L.  Williams,  Treasurer; 
William  Proffitt,  Tyler,  and  R.  L.  Hatten,  Chaplain. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  held  July  6,  1861,  the  Senior  and  Junior 
wardens  resigned,  and  J.  M.  Frazer  was  elected  to  succeed  the  former 
and  Richard  Leach  the  latter  officer. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  second  election  of  officers,  which  occurred 
December  27,  1862,  the  following  were  chosen  for  the  ensuing  Masonic 
year  and  were  duly  installed  :  H.  Patterson,  W.  M.;  E.  V.  Upton,  S.  W.; 
T.  H.  Hatten,  J.  W.;  R.  E.  Turner,  Secretary;  H.  L.  Williams,  Treas- 
urer, and  PL  Wiggins,  Tyler. 

The  annual  election  of  officers  held  at  their  hall  in  Forest  City, 
December  28,  1863,  resulted  as  follows:  J.  M.  Frazer,  W.  M.;  Lewis 
Leach,  S.  W.;  J.  M.  Ford,  J.  W.;  R.  E.  Turner,  Secretary  ;  H.  L.  Williams, 
Treasurer  ;  and  Hiram  Wiggins,  Tyler. 

The  election  of  December  27,  1864,  was  held  with  the  following 
results  :  Hiram  Patterson,  W.  M.;  J.  T.  Sedwick,  S.  W.;  J.  M.  Ford,  J. 
W.;  J.  S.  Brittain,  Secretary;  H.  L.  Williams,  Treasurer;  Hiram  Wiggins, 
Steward  and  Tyler. 

The  election  of  December  27,  1865,  resulted  as  follows  :  H.  Patter- 
son, W.  M.;  J.  T.  Sedwick,  S.  W.;  J.  M.  Ford,  J.  W.;  H.  L.  Williams, 
Treasurer;  Albert  Roecker,  Secretary,  and  Hiram  Wiggins,  Tyler. 

The  election  of  December  27,  1865,  was  as  follows  :  J.  T.  Sedwick, 
W.  M.;  J.  M.  Ford,  S.  W.;  C.  W.  Harris,  J.  W.;  H.  L.  Williams,  Treasurer  ; 
H.  R.  Johnson,  Secretary,  and  Hiram  Wiggins,  Tyler. 

The  annual  election  of  December  27,  1867,  was  held  with  the  follow- 
ing results  :  W.  H.  Williams,  W.  M.;  C.  W.  Harris,  S.  W.;  J.  W.  Zook, 
J.  W.;  R.J.  Poindexter,  Treasurer  ;  Hiram  Patterson,  Secretary,  and  C. 
R.  Conklin,  Tyler. 

The  annual  election  day,  the  27th  of  December,  occurring  on  Sun- 
day, the  regular  election  for  officers  for  the  ensuing  Masonic  year,  was 
held  on  the  day  previous,  the  26th  of  December,  1868,  and  resulted  as] 
follows:  Jacob  M.  Ford,  W.  M.;  John  H.  Hill,  S.  W.;  John  Dyche,  J. 
W.;  Orville  Graves,  Treasurer  ;  Albert  Gooch,  Secretary,  and  Hiram 
Wiggins,  Tyler. 

The  election  of  December  27,  1869,  resulted  as  follows  :  H.  Pat- 
terson, W.  M.;  W.  H.  Williams,  S.  W.;  John  Dyche,  J.  W.;  J.  W.  Zook, 
Treasurer  ;    James  A.  Gooch,  Secretary,  and  M.  D.  Brown,  Tyler. 

At  the  regular  anniversary  communication  held  December  27,  1870, 
the  following  officers  were  elected  and  installed  :  W.  H.  Williams,  W. 
M.;    W.  B.  Orr,  S.  W.;    W.  S.  Canon,  J.  W.  J.  M.  Ford,  Treasurer,  and 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  353 

James  A.  Gooch,  Secretary.  The  following  were  appointed  :  R.  M. 
Rhodes,  Chaplain  ;  H.  M.  Wilson,  S.  D.;  Thomas  Teare,  J.  D.,  and 
Richard  Hartwell,  Tyler. 

The  election  of  December  27,  1871,  occurred  with  the  following 
results  ;  Hiram  Patterson,  W.  M.;  H.  M.  Wilson,  S.  W.:  George  B. 
Chadduck,  J.  W.;  J.  M.  Ford,  Treasurer,  and  L.  R.  Ely,  Secretary.  The 
following  were  then  appointed  :  R.  M.  Rhodes,  Chaplain  ;  John  R. 
Dyche,  S.  D.;  R.  P.  Zook,  J.  D.,  and  M.  V.  B.  Cass,  Tyler, 

December  27,  1872,  the  following  were  elected  and  installed  :  W. 
H.  Williams,  W.  M.;  G.  W.  McKinney,  S.  W.;  R.  P.  Zook,  J.  W,;  J.  M. 
Ford,  Treasurer  ;  L.  R.  Ely,  Secretary,  and  M.  V.  B.  Cass,  Tyler. 

The  election  of  December  27,  1873,  occurred  with  the  following 
results  :  H.  W.  Wilson,  W.  M.;  John  R.  Dyche,  S.  W.;  M.  V.  B.  Cass,  J. 
W.;  J.  M.  Ford,  Treasurer  ;  L.  R.  Ely,  Secretary.  The  appointed  offi- 
cers were  :  O.  C.  Plummer,  S.  D.;  M.  D.  Brown,  J.  D.;  W.  S.  Canon  and 
J.  P.  Adams,  Stewards  ;  H.  Wiggins,  Tyler. 

The  27th  occurring  on  Sunday  the  anniversary  communication  was 
held  on  December  26,  1874,  when  the  following  officers  were  elected  and 
installed:  Joshua  T.  Sedwick,  W.  M.;  John  R.  Dyche,  S.  W.;  John  Hill, 
J.  W. ;  Joseph  P.  Adams,  Secretary  ;  Robert  P.  Zook,  Treasurer  ;  Hiram 
Wiggins,  Tyler. 

At  the  annual  election  of  December  27,  1875,  the  following  officers 
were  elected  and  installed  by  Past  Master  Sedwick  :  W.  B.  Orr,  W.  M.; 
0.  C.  Plummer,  S.  W.;  Hiram  Wiggins,  J.  W.;  R.  N.  Howell,  Treasurer  ; 
J.  M.  Canon,  Secretary  ;  Thomas  Teare  was  appointed  Tyler. 

The  election  of  December  27,  1876,  resulted  as  follows  :  R.  P.  Zook, 
W.  M.;  H.  M.  Wilson,  S.  W.;  Orville  Graves,  J.  W.;  J.  M.  Ford,  Treas- 
urer ;  W.  R.  Smith,  Secretary  ;  Thomas  Teare,  Tyler. 

December  27,  1877,  the  following  officers  were  elected  :  M.  V.  B- 
Cass,  W.  M.;  G.  M.  Williams,  S.  W.;  R.  Hartwell,  J.  W.;  W.  S.  Canon, 
Secretary,  J.  M.  Ford,  Treasurer. 

The  following  officers  were  elected  December  16,  1878,  and  were 
installed  December  27,  1878  :  J.  M.  Ford,  W.  M.;  W.  H.  Wilson,  S.  W.; 
M.  V.  B.  Cass,  J.  W. ;  O.  Graves,  Treasurer;  W.  S.  Canon,  Secretary. 
Thomas  Teare  was  appointed  and  installed  Tyler. 

December  15,  1879,  the  following  were  elected,  and  on  the  27th  of 
the  same  month  were  duly  installed  :  H.  M.  Wilson,  W.  M.;  R.  P.  Zook, 
S.  W.;  D.  S.  Alkire,  J.  W.;  O.  Graves,  Treasurer;  J.  M.  Ford,  Secretary; 
M.  V.  B.  Cass  and  F.  Linsel,  Deacons,  and  Thomas  Teare,  Tyler. 

At  the  regular  election  held  December  20,  1880,  the  following  were 
chosen,  and  on  the  27th  of  the  same  month  were  duly  installed  :  H.  M. 
Wilson,  W.  M. ;  George  Weber,  S.  W. ;  W.  R.  Smith,  J.  W. ;  Orville  Graves, 
Treasurer  ;  J.  M.  Ford,  Secretary  ;  J.  H.  Wilson,  S.  D.;  J.  P.  Adams,  J. 
D.,  and  M.  V.  B.  Cass,  Tyler. 

23 


354  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

The  annual  election  held  December  19,  1881,  resulted  as  follows  : 
H.  M.  Wilson,  W.  M.;  R.  P.  Zook,  S.  W.;  Thomas  Teare,  J.  W.;  Orville 
Graves,  Treasurer;  J  M.  Ford,  Secretary.  With  the  above  were  also 
installed  on  the  27th  of  the  same  month,  M.  V.  B.  Cass,  Tyler  ;  D.  S. 
Alkire  and  W.  R.  Smith,  Deacons. 

The  Lodge,  at  the  period  of  its  organization,  convened  in  a  hall 
occupying  the  second  floor  of  the  building  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Commercial  and  Holt  Streets,  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Joseph  Groves. 
About  1862,  the  institution  was  moved  to  the  second  floor  of  the  brick 
building  now  occupied  by  the  store  of  Graves  &  Weber,  on  Commercial 
Street,  near  the  corner  of  Grand  Avenue. 

The  present  (1882)  lodge  room  is  60x24  feet,  including  ante  rooms, 
and  occupies  the  third  floor  of  R.  P.  Zook  &  Co.'s  large  brick  building, 
on  Grand  Avenue,  opposite  Commercial  Street.  This  building,  with  its 
rear  extension,  one  story,  forty  feet,  was  erected  in  1879. 

The  first  yard  in  which  pine  lumber  was  sold  in  Forest  City,  was 
opened  by  Robinson  &  Platter,  in   1865. 

BANKS. 

The  Frazer  &  McDonald  Bank  was  started  as  a  private  bank,  in  1873, 
by  B.  B.  Frazer  and  Dr.  D.  McDonald.  It  was  chartered  July  30,  1878, 
under  the  laws  of  the  State,  with  a  capital  of  $30,000.  This,  in  April, 
1881,  was  reduced  to  $20,000.  At  that  period,  Dr.  McDonald  the  cashier, 
and  W.  F.  McDonald,  the  teller,  resigned,  and  were  succeeded  by  George 
Weber,  the  present  (1882)  cashier,  and  Hon.  H.  K.  S.  Robinson,  telle 
The  bank  building  is  a  small  two-story  brick  structure,  on  Grand  Avenu 
erected  and  furnished  in  1874,  at  a  cost  of  over  $1,800.  It  is  provided 
with  a  fire-proof  vault  and  burglar-proof  safe.  The  bank  is  regarded  as 
a  solid  institution. 

Forest  City  has  had  in  her  day,  several 

NEWSPAPERS. 

Of  these,  the  first  was  the  Monitor,  a  weekly  journal,  started  iw  1858,  by 
J.  R.  Van  Natta  &  Alvin  R.  Conklin.  Some  time  after  its  start,  in  the 
latter  part  of  1859,  the  name  of  this  paper  was  changed,  and  it  continued 
to  be  published  as  the  Courier.  This  paper  appeared  regularly  till  about 
the  period  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war.  There  were,  at  different 
successive  periods,  some  six  or  seven  similar  enterprises  started  in  Forest 
City.  Special  reference  to  these  will  be  found  under  the  head  of  the 
Newspaper  Press  of  Holt  County. 

Forest  City  was  also  the  seat  of  the  three  first  fairs  held  in  the 
county.  Reference  to  these  will  also  be  found  under  the  general  head 
of  County  Fairs. 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  355 

Forest  City  rejoices  in  the  possession  of  two  grist 
MILLS   AND    MANUFACTORIES. 

The  first,  a  two  run  mill,  is  located  on  block  88,  in  the  north  part  of 
the  town.     It  was  built  in  1867,  by  George  and  Gabriel  Mauck,  and  is  now 
(1882)  owned  by  J.  W.  Zook,  of  St.  Joseph.     For  a  year  previous  to  Jan- 
uary, 1882,  this  mill  was  idle.     It  was  then  put  in  operation  by  Capt.  W. 
S.  Canon. 

East  Forest  Mills,  built  by  Lewis  M.  Kaull  &  Co.  in  1868,  and  com- 
pleted in  1869,  are  located  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  town.  Of 
the  present  company  Captain  William  Kaucher,  a  scientific  and  practical 
millwright  is  secretary  and  manager,  and  J.  P.  Adams,  miller.  The 
present  company  have  owned  the  mill  since  1874.  About  two-thirds  of 
the  stock  is  owned  by  J.  H.  C.  Curtis,  Clerk  of  the  County  Court  of  Holt 
County,  and  J.  P.  Adams,  the  miller.  The  balance  is  divided  among 
numerous  other  parties.  The  capacity  of  the  mill  is  one  hundred  and 
twenty  barrels  every  twenty-four  hours.  This  capacity  is  based  on  the 
average  run.  This  is  a  new  process  mill  and,  besides  the  ordinary 
appliances  proper  to  such  institutions,  is  provided  with  eighty-one  linear 
feet  of  bolting  reels  and  a  George  T.  Smith  purifier.  The  cleaning 
machinery  consists  of  separator,  smutter  and  brush  machine,  besides  two 
sets  of  magnets,  to  intercept  any  metallic  substance  that  might  chance 
to  be  in  the  grain.  The  capacity  of  the  elevator  and  sheller  is  from  500 
to  700  bushels  per  hour.  The  storage  capacity  of  the  mill  and  elevator 
is  ten  thousand  bushels  of  grain. 

J.  A.  Richardson's  saw  mill  is  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
East  Forest  Mills.  It  was  established  in  1869.  The  firm  was  Richard- 
son &  Plummer. 

J.  Demuth  started  a  foundry  in  the  town  in  1865.  He  continued  to 
operate  it  there  till  January,  1882,  when  he  moved  the  works  to  St. 
Joseph.  M.  V.  B.  Cass,  for  many  years  a  well  known  and  popular 
blacksmith  of  Forest  City,  started  his  foundry  in  the  place  on  the 
removal  to  St.  Joseph  of  J.  Demuth. 

France  &  Co.,  representative  druggists  of  the  town,  started  in  1878 
a  rendering  tank  in  the  town.  They  run  out  about  three  car  loads  or 
200  barrels  of  grease  every  year. 

In  January,  1882,  the  firm  of  O.  C.  Plummer  &  Co.  started  in  the 
business  of  manufacturing  dimension  walnut  lumber  and  veneering. 
The  firm  includes  O.  C.  Plummer,  Vine  Hovey,  and  Blair  Harrison. 

THE    PRESENT    BUSINESS 

of  Forest  City  is  as  follows,  beginning  at   the  northern  extremity  of 
Commercial  Street: 


356  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 


The  flouring  mill  of  Zook  &  Canon,  revived  January,  1882,  with 
Captain  W.  S.  Canon,  manager  and  miller. 

Wagon  and  blacksmith  shop  of  G.  W.  Nuflf,  188 1. 

Hotel  of  B.  B.  Foster  &   Co.,  October,   1881  ;  this  building  corners, 
on  Holt  Street. 

General  store  of  Joseph  Groves  opposite,  established  in  1872. 

Mrs.  Chadwick,  millinery,  1881. 

W.  H.  Williams  &  Co.,  stoves  and  tinware,  1858. 

Furniture  store  of  John  Puncheon,  in  which  is  the  post  office,  kept 
by  Miss  Mary  M.  Canon,  1881. 

General  store  of  Ford  &  Smith,  1878.  This  was  the  stand  of  the 
firm  of  Brittain  &  Ford,  started  in  1869. 

E.  C.  Wells  &  Son,  general  store,  1881. 

Giles  Norton,  barber,  1878. 

John  Jackson,  boot  and  shoemaker,  1879. 

George  W.  Baldwin,  grocery  and  confectionery,  1880. 

J.  Limp,  butcher. 

Minton  Bros.,  general  stock,  1881. 

D.  Beeler,  saloon,  1881. 

William  Burgess,  saloon,  1858. 

Graves  &  Weber,  general  store,  1875. 

Sandford  Lympus,  confectionery,  1878. 

W.  H.  Willis,  inventor  and  patent  right  man,  1865. 

On  Grand  Avenue  :  R.  P.  Zook  &  Co.,  general  store,  1877.  The 
original  firm  was  W.  &  J.  W.  Zook,  established  in  i860. 

The  Frazer  &  McDonald  Bank.  * 

Office  of  the  lumber  yard  of  George  Poindexter  &  Co.,  1880. 

M.  V.  B.  Cass,  blacksmith,  wagon  shop,  and  foundry,  1869. 

Dr.  M.  D.  Brown,  dentist,  watchmaker,  etc.,  1863. 

G.  W.  Hitt,  carpenter,  builder  and  undertaker,  ,1858. 

Thompson  Collins,  carpenter,  1858. 

Fred  Schaffer,  shoemaker,  188 1. 

James  Hayley,  blacksmith,  1880. 

L.  A.  Hill,  butcher  shop,  1881. 

Brewery  revived  by  Jacob  Schweinfurth  in  1881. 

On  C  Street  :   Zook  &  Terry's  livery  stable. 

Office  of  S.  T.  Lucas,  grain  dealer. 

Mrs.  Trissal's  Hotel. 

Kane,  Miller  &  Glass,  live  stock  dealers. 

Zook  &  Terry,  wood  yard. 

The  dates  annexed  indicate  the  origin  of  the  present  firms,  many 
of  the  members  of  which  are  old  representative  merchants  of  the 
town. 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  357 

The  professional  men  are  Dr.  H.  M.  Wilson  and  Dr.  E.  B.  Bullock, 
physicians  ;  Dr.  M.  D.  Brown,  dentist,  and  D.  S.  Alkire,  attorney-at- 
law.     Of  the 

ORIGINAL    SETTLERS 

of  Forest  City,  few  now  (1882)  continue  to  reside  there.  They  include 
Captain  W.  S.  Canon,  manager  of  Zook  &  Canon's  mill ;  Dr.  H.  M.  Wil- 
son, the  pioneer  physician  of  the  place;  George  Weber,  the  banker,  and 
George  Turnham.     These  were  all  in  the  town  when  it  first  started,  in 

1857.  William  Burgess,  G.  W.  Hitt  and   Thomas  Collins  were  there  in 

1858.  W.  H.  Williams  came  in  1859,  and  J.  M.  Ford  in  i860.  R.  P. 
Zook  is  among  the  earliest  settlers.  Dr.  H.  M.  Wilson,  the  pioneer  phy- 
sician of  the  town,  is  also  an  active  promoter  of  the  fruit  interests  of  the 
neighborhood.  Near  his  residence,  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  he 
has  an  orchard  of  two  hundred  apple  trees,  one  hundred  and  fifty  bearing 
pear  trees,  large  peach  and  cherry  orchards,  besides  currants,  goose- 
berries and  small  fruits  without  end.  He  has  also  sixty-five  stands  of 
bees. 

Forest  City  is  no  less  noted  for  the  longevity  of  its  people.  Among 
the  most  remarkable  instances  of  this  character  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pope, 
a  native  of  Lincoln  County,  Kentucky.  At  the  period  of  her  death, 
which  occurred  October  7,  1878,  at  the  residence  of  her  grandson,  A.  B. 
Brady,  in  the  country,  she  was  one  hundred  and  four  years  old.  For 
the  twenty  years  previous  to  her  death,  she  had  made  her  home  in  Forest 
City,  with  Dr.  Wilson,  whose  wife  was  her  grand  daughter,  and  to  the 
last  seemed  to  be  in  almost  full  possession  of  her  faculties.  Squire  J.  D. 
Perkins,  another  pioneer  of  Holt  County,  and  a  native  of  Virginia,  died 
at  his  home  in  Forest  City,  in  1880,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six 
years. 

INDIAN   BURIAL  GROUND. 

On  the  summit  of  the  abrupt  elevation  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  which  divides  the  town  of  Forest  City,  were  recently  found, 
but  a  short  distance  below  the  surface,  numerous  human  bones,  and  in 
some  instances  complete  skeletons,  supposed  to  be  the  remains  of 
Indians,  whose  bodies  were  buried  there  at  a  period  long  anterior  to  the 
arrival  of  the  whites  in  the  country.  Some  of  these  relics  are  in  the  pos- 
session of  Dr.  H.  M. -Wilson. 

SHIPPING    INTERESTS. 

Forest  City,  in  the  days  of  its  early  and  vigorous  prosperity,  was,  as 
before  intimated,  a  noted  shipping  point  by  steamboat  on  the  Missouri 
River,  which  left  it  shortly  after  the  completion  of  the  Kansas  City,  St. 


358  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  to  that  town.  Though  its  shipments 
by  rail  amount,  in  the  course  of  the  year  to  no  trifling  figure,  they  are 
inconsiderable  compared  with  the  amount  of  produce  hauled  by  wagon, 
every  year,  through  its  streets,  northward,  southward  and  westward.  In 
the  matter  of  apples  alone,  of  which  Holt  County  has  an  immense  acre- 
age, as  many  as  one  hundred  and  sixty  wagon  loads  have  crossed  the 
White  Cloud  Ferry  to  Kansas,  in  a  single  day.  In  the  fall  of  1880  John 
Lyons,  the  ferryman  at  this  point,  took  in  over  four  thousand  dollars  for 
crossing  apple  wagons  alone.  The  landing  place  on  the  Missouri  side 
of  the  White  Cloud  Ferry  is  a  considerable  distance  above  Forest  City  ; 
nothing  but  the  old  bed  of  the  river  through  which  the  Tarkio  now 
flows  separating  the  town  site  from  Rush  Island,  or,  as  it  was  formerly 
called  Solomon's  Island,  a  body  of  land  including  between  three  thousand 
and  four  thousand  acres  of  inexhaustibly  fertile  soil. 


-^s^s*^^ 


P^ 


^BIOGRAPHICA  Li* 


CAPTAIN  EDGAR  L.  ALLEN 

was  born  in  Howard,  Steuben  County,  New  York,  April  23,  1834.  His 
parents,  Benjamin  and  Annie  (Rogers)  Allen,  were  both  natives  of  the 
same  state.  Edgar  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  native  village,  receiv- 
ing fair  educational  advantages.  Upon  arriving  at  maturity  he  com- 
menced teaching  and  taught  for  several  terms.  He  immigrated  west- 
ward, in  1854,  settling  near  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  teaching  and  farming.  In  May,  1858,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri, and  followed  his  profession  until  August,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Thirty-third  Missouri  Infantry,  and  served  until  1865.  He 
was  mustered  in  as  sergeant  and  was  afterwards  promoted  to  captain. 
He  took  part  in  the  Red  River  campaign,  under  Gen.  Banks,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Helena,  Arkansas,  Nashville,  Tennessee,  Tupelo,  Mississippi, 
and  many  others.  His  company  went  to  the  field  with  one  hundred  men, 
and  there  were  but  thirty-two  present  when  mustered  out.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  Captain  Allen  again  settled  in  Holt  County  and  resumed 
farming.  In  1866  he  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  and  Recorder  of  Holt 
County  and  served  until  the  close  of  1874,  when  he  moved  on  a  farm  near 
town.  In  the  spring  of  1881  he  moved  into  town  and  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  Deputy  Clerk  and  Recorder.     In  December,  1881,  he  received  the 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  359 

appointment  as  Postmaster  at  Oregon,  and  took  charge  of  the  office  Jan- 
uary i,  1882.  Being  an  old  settler  he  is  widely  and  favorably  known, 
and  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  exercises  scrupulous  care  and 
fidelity.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  has  voted  for  every 
president  since  that  party  was  organized.  He  is  an  active  member  of 
Oregon  Lodge,  No.  139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  has  filled  every  position 
within  the  gift  of  the  lodge,  holding  the  office  of  steward  at  present.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Keystone  Chapter,  No.  46,  of  Mound  City,  and  was 
formerly  a  charter  member  of  Holt  Council.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  ot  280 
acres  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county.  Captain  Allen  was  married 
January  1,  i860,  to  Miss  Eliza  Risk,  daughter  of  Cornelius  and  Mary 
Risk,  formerly  of  this  county.  She  was  born  in  this  county  in  October, 
iS4i,and  was  here  reared.  Himself  and  wife  are  active  members  of  the 
M.  E.  Church  of  Oregon,  in  which  he  holds  the  office  of  steward  and 
trustee.  They  have  a  family  of  seven  children  :  George  H.,  twenty  years 
of  age  ;  Floyd,  now  thirteen  ;  Emma,  eleven  years  old  ;  Lilly,  nine  years 
old  ;  Edna,  seven  years  old  ;  Ella,  aged  four  years  ;   Eddie,  two  years  of 


age. 


JUDGE  GEORGE  ANDERSON, 


stock  raiser  and  dealer  in  general  merchandise,  is  prominent  among  the 
enterprising  citizens  of  Holt  County.  His  parents,  David  Anderson 
and  Rachel  nee  Dixon,  were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1831 
moved  to  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  when  it  was  a  wilderness,  and  settled 
in  the  heavy  timber.  George  was  born  in  the  town  of  DeKalb,  Crawford 
County,  Ohio,  June  10,  1838,  and  was  the  seventh  child  in  a  family  of 
twelve  children.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  received 
fair  educational  advantages,  completing  his  schooling  at  the  DeKalb 
Seminary.  When  sixteen  years  old,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Shelby,  Richland  County,  Ohio,  and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  he  com- 
menced dealing  in  stock,  following  the  business  for  some  three  years. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  came  to  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  in  March,  1863,  and  purchased  a  farm  some  three  miles 
east  of  Oregon,  but  returned  to  Ohio  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  bus- 
iness at  Gallia.  In  June,  1865,  he  again  came  west,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  on  the  outskirts  of  Oregon.  In  the  fall  of  1865,  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business  with  G.  W.  Cummins,  forming  the  firm  of  Anderson 
&  Cummins,  under  which  name  the  business  was  conducted  for  about 
two  years.  His  health  failing,  Mr.  Anderson  retired  and  improved  a 
farm  south  of  town,  where  Mr.  Hoblitzell  now  resides.  He  disposed  of 
this  property  in  January,  1874,  and  settled  on  another  farm  near  Forest 
City,  which  he  also  improved.  In  1877  he  returned  to  Oregon,  and  in 
1879  ne  erected  his  present  residence,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
city.     He  owns  65   acres   of  land  adjoining  the   town,  where  he  lives, 


360  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

besides  two  fine  farms  in  this  county,  one  of  320  acres  in  Hickory  Town- 
ship, and  400  acres  in  section  25,  township  62,  range  38,  all  under  culti- 
vation, and  well  stocked.  Two  good  orchards  are  on  the  home  farm. 
During  his  residence  in  the  county  Mr.  A.  has  put  out  six  orchards,  and 
has  done  much  towards  building  up  the  county.  February  1st,  1879,  he 
purchased  an  interest  in  a  general  merchandise  store,  with  a  Mr.  Hersh- 
burger,  and  they  continued  the  business  until  the  15th  of  January,  1882, 
when  Mr.  H.  retired,  and  the  firm  became  George  Anderson  &  Co.  They 
carry  one  of  the  heaviest  stocks  in  the  county.  On  the  29th  of  May, 
1869,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Holt  County  Agricultural  and  Mechan- 
ical Society,  and  served  five  years.  He  became  President  of  the  society, 
September  21,  1872,  filling  this  position  two  years.  In  1872,  he  was 
elected  County  Judge,  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  served  six  years. 
He  has  also  served  some  eight  years  on  the  school  board,  and  helped  to 
erect  the  school  house.  He  has  been  an  active  member  of  Oregon 
Lodge,  No.  139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  since  1867.  He  has  made  three  trips 
to  the  home  of  his  childhood,  taking  his  family  with  him  twice.  Judge 
Anderson  was  married  February  26,  1861,  in  the  village  of  DeKalb, 
Ohio,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Cummins,  an  accomplished  lady,  daughter  of 
George  and  Caroline  Cummins,  who  were  early  pioneers  of  Ohio.  She 
was  born  August  6,  1835,  in  DeKalb,  and  was  the  sixth  in  a  family  of 
eight  children.  She  was  educated  at  the  DeKalb  Seminary.  They  have 
had  two  children  :  Carrie  R.,  born  February  2,  1862,  and  David  C,  born 
May  26,  1867.  Miss  Carrie  is  a  graduate  of  the  Oregon  Northwest  Nor- 
mal School.  She  also  took  a  course  of  painting  lessons  at  Linwood  Col- 
lege, St.  Charles,  Missouri.  She  shows  a  wonderful  talent  for  the  art, 
and  has  some  beautiful  specimens  of  her  work.  The  Judge  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Oregon. 

GEORGE  W.  BALDWIN, 

dealer  in  staple  and  fancy  groceries  and  confections,  is  a  leading  business 
man  of  Forest  City.  His  father,  Joel  Baldwin,  born  in  18 10,  in  Rich- 
mond, Indiana,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Holt  County.  He  came  here 
in  1850,  and  located  at  this  place.  He  once  owned  the  town  site,  but 
sold  it  to  the  town  company,  having  had  it  all  in  one  farm.  He  held  an 
interest  in  a  drug  store  and  also  in  a  fine  farm  south  of  town.  He  died 
June  5,  1874.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy  M.  Vinsonhaler, 
was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  October  9,  1819.  She  married  Mr. 
Baldwin  in  1841,  and  they  moved  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  the  same 
year,  with  her  father,  Jacob  Vinsonhaler.  George  W.  Baldwin  was  born 
April  14,  185 1,  in  Forest  City.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  the  then 
small  village,  and  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  In 
1876  he  opened  a  confectionery  and  restaurant  establishment  at  Forest 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  36 1 

City,  which  he  conducted  one  year,  but  his  health  failing,  he  sold  out 
and  retired  from  business  until  April,  1880,  when  he  purchased  a  stock  of 
staple  and  fancy  groceries.  He  again  commenced  business,  and  now  has 
his  store  well  filled  with  a  complete  stock,  and  has  secured  a  large  patron- 
age. Having  grown  up  to  manhood  in  this  vicinity,  Mr.  B.  is  well 
known.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  City  Register  for  several  years,  in 
an  acceptable  manner.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Forest  City.  His  father  was  raised  as  a  Friend,  and  carried 
through  life  those  sterling  principles  of  honesty  and  integrity  taught 
him  in  childhood.  He  was  a  man  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
were  favored  with  his  acquaintance,  and  his  residence  was  a  rendezvous 
for  the  young  people  to  gather,  they  always  being  certain  of  having  a 
pleasant  time  at  Uncle  Joel's. 

WILLIAM  BANKS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  4.  Among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Holt 
County  may  be  mentioned  the  subject  ofthis  sketch.  His  parents,  Thomas 
and  Catharine  Banks,  were  both  natives  of  the  Isle  of  Man.  William 
was  born  at  that  place  on  the  21st  of  October,  181 1.  He  was  reared  on 
a  farm  and  received  a  common  school  education.  When  seventeen 
years  old  he  went  to  Liverpool,  England,  and  bound  himself  out  for 
three  years'  service  on  the  high  seas,  for  the  sum  of  £7  per  year,  he  to 
furnish  his  own  clothing.  He  made  a  voyage  to  Mobile,  Alabana,  thence 
to  St.  Andrews,  thence  to  Jamaica  and  the  West  Indies,  and  back  to 
Liverpool.  While  there  he  ran  away  from  his  captain  and  went  aboard 
another  vessel  bound  for  Baltimore,  and  thence  to  New  Orleans.  He 
then  commenced  steamboating,  which  he  continued  for  ten  years.  He 
made  three  trips  up  to  the  headquarters  of  the  American  Fur  Company, 
at  Fort  Union,  and  has  had  two.  narrow  escapes  from  being  blown  up  on 
steamboats  ;  at  one  time,  when  an  explosion  took  place,  some  forty 
persons  died  from  the  effects  of  the  steam.  In  the  fall  of  1841  Mr.  B. 
started  from  St.  Louis  with  a  stock  of  general  merchandise,  landing  on 
the  Missouri  side  of  the  river  opposite  Iowa  Point,  on  the  9th  of  August. 
Having  sold  the  goods,  he  started  a  ferry  and  woodyard,  and  also 
improved  a  farm.  He  moved  to  the  farm  he  now  occupies  in  1855,  and 
has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  since.  He  owns  some  1,280 
acres  of  land  in  Holt  County,  though  he  commenced  life  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ladder.    He  is  of  a  jovial  disposition  and  hospitable  in  his  manners- 

AUGUST  BERRES, 

undertaker  and  dealer  in  furniture,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  on 
the  13th  of  February,  1833.  His  parents,  Frank  and  Elizabeth  Berres, 
were  both  natives  of  Germany.     August  remained  at  his  birthplace  until 


362  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

nineteen  years  of  age,  and  while  there  learned  the  furniture  trade.  He 
crossed  the  ocean  in  May,  1852,  and  landed  at  New  York  City,  where 
he  stayed  for  about  eighteen  months,  working  at  his  trade.  He  then 
went  to  Chicago,  and  one  year  later  moved  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana, 
working  there  and  at  Huntington,  Indiana,  for  some  time.  In  August, 
1866,  he  came  west  and  settled  in  Oregon,  and  opened  a  furniture  and 
undertaking  establishment,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  business, 
his  being  the  oldest  established  business  house  in  town.  Mr.  B.  is  well 
known  in  St.  Joseph,  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  New  York  City,  and  other 
places,  and  is  a  reliable,  hard  working  man.  He  was  formerly  a  member 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Berres  was  married  while  in  Indiana,  on  the  6th 
of  July,  1862,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hurst,  daughter  of  John  and  Ursula 
Hurst,  of  Baden,  Germany.  She  was  born  in  that  place  December  22, 
1832,  and  came  to  this  country  when  thirteen  years  old.  They  have  been 
blessed  with  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Frederick,  born 
September  25,  1856;  Mary,  born  December  26,  1863;  Emma,  born 
December  n,  1866,  and  Josephine,  born  September  5,  1871. 

ANDREW  BURRIER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  28,  was  born  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  13th  of  September,  1812.  His  parents,  Philip  and  Mary  Bur- 
ner, were  both  natives  of  Maryland,  and  Andrew  accompanied  them  to 
Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  when  quite  small.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
early  assisted  in  clearing  land,  and  has  given  his  attention  to  agricultu- 
ral pursuits  through  life.  Upon  reaching  his  majority,  he  moved  to 
Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  some  eight  years.  He 
then  came  to  Holt  County  and  settled  near  Oregon,  which,  at  that  time 
was  a  small  place,  containing  only  six  or  eight  houses.  The  county 
was  thinly  settled  and  roving  bands  of  Indians  frequently  passed 
through.  Since  that  date  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  tilling  the  soil.  He  owns  320  acres  adjoining  the  city  of 
Oregon  on  the  northeast.  His  farm  is  well  improved  and  he  has  a 
handsome  residence  upon  it,  also  an  orchard.  Mr.  Burner  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  Ridenour,  in  1838.  She  was  born  December  17,  1820,  in 
Harrison  County,  Ohio.  They  have  five  children  living  :  Daniel,  born 
April  8,  1847  ;  Margaret,  born  May  13,  1849,  (now  the  wife  of  James 
Bumps,  of  St.  Joseph);  Eliza  J.,  born  September  2,  1853,  (now  Mrs.  E. 
Roulette,  of  Holt  County);  Hughey,  born  April  30,  1856;  Andrew, 
born  October  13,  i860.  Seven  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Burrier  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  S.  CANON, 

of  the  firm  of  Zook  &  Canon,  proprietors  of  the  Forest  City  Mill,  was 
born  in  Leesville.  Ohio,  October  24,  1833.     His  father,  Samuel  R.  Canon, 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  363 

was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Rachael  Singery, 
was  from  Maryland.  Until  he  was  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  William  lived  at 
his  native  village.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education,  and 
also  attended  one  term  at  College.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  October,  1852,  his  father  purchasing 
a  farm  some  six  miles  east  of  Oregon.  He  filled  the  position  of  County 
Judge  some  twelve  years.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1853,  young  Canon 
commenced  clerking  in  Oregon.  In  October,  1853,  he  went  to  what  is 
now  known  as  Council  Bluffs,  with  Tootle  &  Jackson.  Their  store  was 
burned  in  December,  1853,  and  he  then  returned  to  Oregon,  and  remained 
with  Zook  &  Peter  until  April,  1854,  when  he  crossed  the  plains  with 
Crow  &  McCrosy,  who  drove  a  herd  of  cattle  to  California.  Mr.  Canon 
again  came  to  Oregon  in  June,  1856,  and  began  clerking  for  Zook  & 
Patterson.  In  1857  he  came  to  Forest  City  with  them,  they  keeping  one 
of  the  first  business  houses  in  town.  In  1859  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
in  company  with  William  Zook,  purchased  the  hardware  and  tinware 
store  at  this  point.  This  they  carried  on  until  December  25,  1861,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Fourth  Missouri  State  Militia,  cavalry.  He 
recruited  this  company  and  was  elected  captain.  They  went  to  St. 
Joseph,  then  to  Kansas  City,  and  from  there  to  Neosho,  where  they 
joined  the  army  of  the  frontier,  and  later  served  through  Southern  Mis- 
souri and  Arkansas.  His  father  died  on  the  20th  of  December,  1863,  and 
William  Canon  resigned  and  came  home  to  settle  up  his  father's  estate. 
He  then  engaged  in  dealing  in  horses  and  mules,  and  in  1865  he  bought 
the  Forest  City  saw  mill,  which  he  operated  until  1866.  In  1865  he  also 
commenced  contracting  and  building  railroads.  He  followed  this  busi- 
ness until  1876,  when  he  embarked  in  the  grain  business.  In  1877  he 
made  a  trip  to.  the  Black  Hills,  but  after  remaining  there  a  short  time,  he 
returned  and  resumed  the  grain  and  stock  business.  In  June,  1879,  ne 
went  to  Mound  City  and  opened  the  grain  business  at  that  point,  but  the 
short  crop  in  1881  making  the  business  dull,  he  discontinued  his  transac- 
tions there  for  a  short  time.  In  January,  1882,  he  took  charge  of  the 
Forest  City  Mills.  Mr.  Canon  has  eight  acres  of  land  and  a  neat  resi- 
dence, situated  on  a  hill  between  Forest  City  and  Oregon,  from  which  he 
has  a  view  of  both  places.  Also  of  Iowa  Point,  White  Cloud,  Kansas  and 
Rulo,  Nebraska — five  towns  and  three  States.  He  was  the  first  member 
admitted  into  the  Forest  City  Lodge,  No.  214,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  City  Council 
and  of  the  School  Board  several  terms.  Mr.  C.  was  married  in  October, 
1857,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  McCrary,  a  native  of  Missouri.  She  died  in  July. 
1877.  He  has  four  children,  Credelia,  born  August  13,  1859,  (now  Mrs. 
L.  H.  Luckhardt);  Kitty  K.,  born  March  22,  1861  ;  Charlie  R.,  born 
August  28,  1863,  and  Nellie  M.,  born  April  3,  1866.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  of  Forest  City. 


364  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

AMOS  J.  CASTLE, 

dealer  in  boots  and  shoes  and  gents'  furnishing  goods,  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Maryland,  July  27,  1838.  His  parents,  John  and  Eliza 
Castle,  were  both  natives  of  Maryland.  Amos  was  reared  to  manhood 
at  his  birthplace,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  He  commenced 
to  learn  the  shoemakers  trade  in  1854,  at  Boonsboro,  in  his  native 
county,  and  in  1858  he  immigrated  to  Indiana,  where  he  remained  some 
six  months,  being  at  Hagerstown,  Wayne  County,  during  that  time.  In 
the  fall  of  1858  he  came  to  Oregon  and  worked  at  his  trade  here  until 
June,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Thirteenth  Missouri  Infan- 
try, and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Missouri.  He,  with  his 
regiment,  were  taken  prisoners  and  paroled.  He  returned  to  Oregon, 
and  in  February,  1862,  re-enlisted  in  Company  F,  Fourth  Missouri 
Cavalry.  They  were  discharged  in  September  of  that  year  on  account 
of  being  paroled.  Mr.  C.  held  the  position  of  orderly  sergeant  while  in 
the  cavalry.  He  once  more  settled  in  Oregon  and  resumed  work  at  his 
trade.  He  occupies  a  room  which  is  filled  with  a  well  assorted  stock  of 
boots.  He  is  an  active  member  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  54,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in 
which  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  lodge.  Mr. 
Castle  was  married  February  28,  1865,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Jackson,  daughter 
of  John  F.  Jackson,  of  Holt  County.  She  was  born  in  Uniontown,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  27,  1848.  He  and  his  wife  are  active  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  Oregon.  They  have  had  six  children  :  Otho, 
born  October  30,  1866  ;  Charles,  born  August  26,  1869  ;  Edward,  born 
August  I,  1871  ;  Clarence,  born  May  26,  1873  ;  Ellen,  born  November 
11,  1875,  and  Jessie,  born  August  19,  1881. 

THOMAS  COTTIER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  9,  is  among  the  early  pioneers  of  North- 
western Missouri.  His  parents  John  and  Catharine  Cottier,  were  both 
natives  of  the  Isle  of  Man.  Thomas  was  born  on  that  island  on  the  3d 
of  February,  1829.  He  remained  at  his  birthplace  until  eighteen  years 
of  age,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  receiving  fair  educa- 
tional advantages.  He  crossed  the  ocean  in  February,  1847,  and  after  a 
voyage  of  nine  weeks,  landed  at  New  Orleans,  going  from  there  by 
steamboat  to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  to  Western  Missouri.  From  that 
place  he  came  by  team  to  Holt  County.  Soon  after  he  engaged  in  team- 
ing in  Oregon,  and  also  for  the  government  on  the  plains  during  the 
Mexican  War.  His  mother  came  here  in  1849,  and  is  still  a  resident  of 
this  county.  She  is  now  eighty-eight  years  of  age,  but  is  still  active  and 
in  possession  of  all  her  faculties.  On  the  7th  of  February,  1850,  Mr.  C. 
married  Miss  Minerva  Beeler,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  365 

this  county.  She  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  came  to  Missouri  with  her 
mother's  family  in  1844.  They  settled  in  the  bottom,  but  the  high  water 
in  the  spring  of  1844,  compelled  them  to  move.  This  they  did  by  put- 
ting their  household  goods  on  a  raft  and  wading  to  the  bluffs,  some  two 
miles  distant,  pushing  the  raft  before  them.  Mr.  Cottier  and  his  wife 
subsequently  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He  had  pre- 
empted it  in  the  fall  of  1847,  and  since  then  he  has  given  his  attention 
to  farming.  At  that  time  he  owned  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  one  horse.  The 
cattle  were  used  to  break  the  ground  and  the  horse  to  tread  the  corn. 
During  the  war  he  served  in  the  Enrolled  Missouri  Militia,  assisting  in 
defending  the  property  of  the  citizens.  He  has  filled  the  district  offices 
several  terms,  but  is  no  office  seeker.  Mr.  C.  owns  upwards  of  a  1,000 
acres  of  fine  land  in  Holt  County,  and  some  200  in  Nebraska.  The  home 
farm  contains  270  acres,  is  well  improved,  has  a  good  residence  and  an 
excellent  orchard,  twelve  acres  in  extent,  of  600  bearing  trees,  two  peach 
orchards,  and  a  large  amount  of  small  fruit.  His  farm  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  county.  He  also  has  an  excellent  stock  farm  in  Liberty  Town- 
ship. He  and  his  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
They  have  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living:  Hannah  J., 
born  September  10,  1852,  (now  Mrs.  J.  G.  Elliot,  of  Mound  City);  John 
T.,  born  January  24,  1854;  James  C,  born  December  13,  1855  ',  Lizzie, 
born  September  13,  1857,  (now  Mrs.  James  Ward,  of  Minnesota  Valley, 
Holt  County);  Mary  S.,  born  August  13,  1859,  (now  Mrs.  John  A.  Hall,  of 
Minnesota  Valley);  Emma,  born  March  20,  1862,  and  Robert,  born 
August  21,  1864. 

GEORGE  W.  CUMMINS, 

of  the  firm  of  Anderson  &  Co.,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  was  born 
in  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  March  29,  1844.  His  father,  George  Cum- 
.mins,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  Scottish  parentage.  His  wife,  form- 
erly Caroline  Hoblitzell,  was  of  German  descent  and  a  native  of  Mary- 
land. George  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace  and  received  fair 
educational  advantages,  attending  for  some  time  the  DeKalb  Seminary. 
When  thirteen  years  old  he  commenced  clerking  in  a  general  merchandise 
store,  in  which  he  remained  until  he  was  seventeen.  In  September, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Sixty-fourth  Ohio,  in  what  was  known 
as  Sherman's  Brigade.  They  served  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
receiving  their  bloody  baptism  at  Shiloh.  They  then  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Murfreesboro,  Prairieville,  Chickamauga,  and  through  the  entire 
Atlanta  campaign.  Coming  back  under  Thomas  they  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Nashville  and  Franklin,  and  were  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
Tennessee.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  twice  wounded,  once  at  Mur- 
freesboro' and  once  at  Chickamauga.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  came 
west,  and,  in  May,  1865,  settled  in  Oregon.     In  the  fall  of  that  year  he 


366  HISTORY    OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

engaged  in  the  hardware  business,  with  Mr.  Anderson,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Anderson  &  Cummins.  They  continued  for  some  two  years  in 
the  business,  and  Mr.  C.  then  purchased  the  stock  and  operated  it  one 
year  on  his  own  account.  Purchasing  an  interest  in  a  dry-goods  line, 
he  remained  in  this  about  one  year.  He  settled  on  a  farm,  near  Oregon, 
in  February,  1872,  and,  after  about  six  years,  he  moved  back  to  town,  in 
1878,  and  in  1879  he  became  associated  with  Anderson  &  Co.  He  filled 
the  position  of  Secretary  of  the  Holt  County  Agricultural  and  Mechani- 
cal Society  for  about  four  years.  In  his  manners  he  is  much  of  a  gentle- 
man and  an  excellent  salesman.  He  still  retains  his  fine  farm,  near  Ore- 
gon. Mr.  Cummins  was  married,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Eliza  Cahill,  a  daughter 
of  R.  W.  Cahill,  of  DeKalb,  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  where  she  was  also 
born,  in  October,  1846.  They  have  two  children  :  Guy,  born  May  23, 
1869;  Gertrude,  born  July  2,  1870.  Mrs.  Cummins  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Oregon. 

JOHN  S.  CURZON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  10,  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Sarah 
(Hindley)  Curzon,  who  were  natives  of  England.  They  crossed  the 
ocean  and  settled  in  York  State  about  1840.  John  S.  was  born  on  the 
13th  of  February,  1848,  in  Onedia  County,  New  York.  He  spent  his 
boyhood  days  on  the  farm  at  his  birth  place  and  received  the  benefits  of 
a  common  school  education.  In  1865  he  came  west  and  settled  where 
he  now  resides.  He  farms  the  Carpenter  farm,  which  contains  582 
acres.  He  is  quite  largely  interested  in  stock  raising,  is  an  energetic, 
enterprising  citizen,  and,  being  among  the  early  settlers,  is  widely  and 
favorably  known.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  C.  was  married 
April  10,  1879,  to  Miss  Cinda  Adams,  daughter  of  W.  H.  Adams,  of  this 
county.  She  is  a  native  of  Sibley  County,  Minnesota,  and  was  born  on 
the  29th  of  April,  1858.  They  have  one  child  living,  Johnnie  W.,  born 
the  17th  of  September,  1881  ;  lost  one,  Elgie,  who  died  July  31,  1881. 
Mr.  C.'s  mother  resides  with  him.  She  is  now  seventy-five  years  of  age 
and  is  still  enjoying  good  health.  Curzon  Station  was  named  in  honor 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

J.  H.  C.  CURTIS, 

clerk  of  Holt  County,  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  this  county.  His 
parents,  Jacob  and  Harriet  Curtis,  were  both  natives  of  Virginia.  John 
was  born  January  1st,  1830,  in  Berkley  County,  West  Virginia.  He  was 
reared  to  manhood  at  his  birth-place,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the 
farm,  and  receiving  his  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  In  1853, 
he  moved  to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  and   in    1858   he    settled    in    Knox 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  367 

County,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  some  two  years.  Then  he  came 
to  Missouri,  locating  in  Holt  County.  He  commenced  to  learn  the  mill- 
wright's trade  while  in  Ohio,  and  has  followed  that  occupation  through 
life.  He  has  been  engaged  in  building,  repairing  or  operating  almost 
every  mill  in  this  section  of  country,  or  Northwest  Missouri,  Southern 
Iowa,  and  the  eastern  parts  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  has  contrib- 
uted largely  toward  the  growth  and  improvement  of  the  county.  In  the 
fall  of  1874,  he  was  elected  clerk  of  Holt  County,  and  has  since  contin- 
ued to  fill  the  position  with  credit  to  himself  and  all  parties  interested. 
He  is  at  present  interested  in  the  Forest  City  Flouring  Mills.  During  the 
war  he  served  in  the  Enrolled  Missouri  Militia.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  175,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  also  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No. 
54,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Curtis  has  been  twice  married  ;  first,  in  May,  1857, 
to  Magaret  Alleybaugh,  who  died  in  December,  1872.  He  was  married 
again  in  March,  1874,  to  Charlotte  Henry,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Cyrus  and  Maria  Henry,  of  that  state. 

SAMUEL  DICKSON 

was  born  in  August,  1830,  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  His  parents, 
Stuart  and  Agnes  Dickson,  were  born  in  the  northern  part  of  Ireland, 
and  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Samuel  was  reared  to  manhood  in 
Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  the  benefits  of  a  common 
school  education  ;  also  learning  the  blacksmiths  trade  in  his  youth.  In 
1854  he  moved  to  Champaign  County,  Illinois,  where  he  commenced 
work  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he 
was  among  the  first  to  offer  his  services.  In  June,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  as  a  private,  and  was  mustered 
out  in  September,  1864,  holding  the  position  of  first-lieutenant.  He 
served  in  many  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the  rebellion,  among 
which  were  Pea  Ridge,  Perryville,  Stone  River,  and  others.  He  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  and  was  placed  on  detached  duty. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Dickson  returned  to  Champaign  County, 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  until  1858,  when  he  came  to  Forest  City. 
He  has  since  been  engaged  in  railroading,  has  held  different  positions  on 
the  road,  being  at  present  section  foreman.  He  was  married  on  the 
14th  of  April,  1870,  to  Mary  E.  Long,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  They  have 
had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living  ;  Agnes,  born  January  19, 
i87i,and  Nevilla,  born  August  16,  1875.  Mrs.  Dickson  is  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church.     Mr.  D.,  religiously,  was  raised  a  Presbyterian. 

DAVID  P.  DOBYNS, 

of  the  firm  of  Dobyns  &  Co.,  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  County 
Paper,  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  January  25,  1845.     His    parents, 


368  HISTORY    OF    HOLT    COUNTY. 

James  R.  and  Mary  Dobyns,  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  David  was 
reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace.  Having  several  uncles  engaged  in 
the  printing  business,  he  concluded  to  learn  that  art,  and  consequently 
commenced  setting  type  when  but  twelve  years  of  age,  devoting  his 
spare  moments  to  it  when  not  in  school.  This  occupation  he  has  fol- 
lowed principally  through  life.  He  was  among  the  first  to  respond  to 
President  Lincoln's  call  for  troops,  during  the  war,  and  although  only 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  enlisted,  in  April,  1861,  in  Company  H,  First 
Missouri  Infantry,  under  Col.  Frank  P.  Blair.  He  assisted  in  taking 
Camp  Jackson,  and  also  took  part  in  the  St.  Louis  Walnut  Street  riot. 
From  there  he  went  to  Boonville,  thence  to  Wilson's  Creek,  where  he 
was  severely  wounded  in  the  foot,  and  with  his  company  he  marched 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  miles,  walking  most  of  the  way.  He  was  then 
discharged  on  account  of  disability.  Mr.  D.  afterwards  re-enlisted  in 
Company  H,  Fortieth  Missouri  Infantry,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  as 
keeper  of  Gratiot  Street  Military  Prison  at  St.  Louis.  He  held  this 
position  for  several  months,  and  then  again  joined  his  regiment  at  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  taking  part  in  that  battle,  and  also  those  of  Franklin, 
Mobile  and  Fort  Blakeley,  besides  many  others.  He  was  mustered  out 
at  St.  Louis  in  August,  1865.  Mr.  Dobyns  subsequently  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  newspaper  business.  He  published  the  Macon  Argus  and 
Macon  Republican  for  several  years,  and  during  the  winters  of  1867-8  he 
was  one  of  the  enrolling  clerks  for  the  Missouri  Legislature  in  the  House. 
He  fiiled  the  position  of  county  clerk  and  auditor  of  Macon  County, 
Missouri,  from  1869  until  1872,  and  was  also  police  judge  for  two  years 
He  was  then  called  to  take  charge  of  the  books  of  the  St,  Joseph  Herald, 
and  after  remaining  some  time  with  the  Herald  Company  he  came  to 
Oregon,  in  company  with  W.  W.  Davenport,  who  purchased  the  Holt 
County  Sentinel,  in  1876.  In  January,  1880,  the  name  of  the  paper  was 
changed  to  The  County  Paper.  In  June,  1881,  Mr.  Davenport  sold  his 
interest  to  D.  P.  Dobyns  and  W.  F.  Waller,  moving  to  Jacksonville, 
Illinois,  in  October  of  the  same  year.  In  December,  1881,  Mr.  Waller 
sold  his  interest  back  to  Mr.  Davenport,  and  the  company  is  now  known 
under  the  firm  name  of  D.  P.  Dobyns  &  Co.  Mr.  Dobyns  publishes  a 
spicy  sheet,  interesting  and  full  of  news,  and  has  a  large  circulation.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  54.  I-  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  held 
the  position  of  Dietrict  Deputy  Grand  Master  and  Grand  Representa- 
tive. He  is  also  a  member  of  Cour  de  Leon,  No.  11,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
of  Hannibal,  Missouri.  He  was  married  April  20,  1870,  to  Miss  Emma 
Greer,  daughter  of  W.  A.  Greer,  of  Macon,  Missouri.  She  was  born  in 
Monroe  County,  Missouri,  on  the  11th  of  March,  1850.  They  have  had 
four  children  :  Lulu  B.,  born  December  11,  1872  ;  Edwin  B.,  born  July 
4,  1874  ;  Leigh  B.,  born  November  30,  1878,  and  James  F.,  born  Decern 
ber  1,  1880.     Mr.  D.  and  wife  are  each  members  of  the  Christian  Church 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  369 

HON.  THOMAS  C.  DUNGAN, 

attorney  and  counselor  at  law,  was  born  in  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  April 
3,  1840.  His  father,  B.  Ellis  Dungan,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
while  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Sarah  S.  Fox,  was  born  in  Philadelphia. 
The  former  was  naval  constructor  in  the  United  States  ship  yards  for 
several  years.  Thomas  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birth  place,  spend- 
ing his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  receiving  excellent  educational 
advantages.  He  completed  his  education  at  the  Vermillion  Institute,  in 
Ohio.  Arriving  at  maturity,  he  became  engaged  in  teaching  and  reading 
law,  and  taught  for  some  two  years.  In  May,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany E,  One  Hundred  and  Seventieth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  with  the  Sixth  Army  Corps  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  taking 
part  in  the  battle  of  Winchester  and  other  minor  engagements.  He 
held  the  position  of  sergeant,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Camp  Chase, 
Ohio,  in  September,  1864.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  D.  resumed  the 
study  of  law,  under  Hon.  W.  S.  Kennon,  of  St.  Clairsville,  Ohio,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  September,  1866.  In  the  November  following  he 
emigrated  westward  and  settled  in  Oregon,  where  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Holt  County  bar.  In  June,  1868,  he  was  appointed  city 
attorney,  and  in  April,  1873,  at  the  special  election,  he  was  elected  circuit 
attorney  for  the  Twenty-ninth  Judicial  district,  embracing  four  counties. 
In  the  fall  of  1873,  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney,  and  filled  this 
position  for  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1880,  he  was  elected  State  Senator 
from  the  First  Senatorial  district,  embracing  the  four  counties  of  Holt, 
Atchison,  Nodaway  and  Andrew,  and  served  his  constituents  in  a  very 
creditable  manner.  Mr.  D.  stands  among  the  leading  attorneys  of 
Northwest  Missouri.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  notary  public  some 
ten  years.  He  owns  two  fine  farms  east  of  Oregon,  and  a  large  one  of 
680  acres  near  Forbes.  He  has  dealt  largely  in  real  estate,  and  made  the 
first  set  of  Abstract  books  in  the  county.  Politically,  he  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  having  been  brought  up  to  the  principles  of  that  party.  He 
has  been  a  self-made  man,  and  during  life  has  given  his  attention  entirely 
to  his  own  business.  He  is  an  active  member  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No. 
139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  also  of  Oregon  Council  No.  15.  Mr.  Dungan  was 
married  May  13,  1879, to  Miss  Fanny  I.  Soper,  daughter  of  Hannibal  and 
Wolvina  Soper,  of  Holt  County.  She  was  born  in  Ohio.  They  have 
one  child,  Estella  Francis,  born  February  25,  1880. 

HARRY  FARAGHER; 

jeweler  and  watchmaker,  was  born  in  Toronto,  Canada,  September  29, 
i860.  His  father,  Thomas  Faragher,  was  born  on  the  Isle  of  Man  and 
his  wife  was  a  native  of  Ireland.     Harry  was  reared  and  educated  at 


370  HISTORY   OF   HOi/l'   COUNTY. 

Toronto  and  graduated  from  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  His  father 
was  a  jeweler  and  watchmaker,  and  the  son  commenced  to  learn  that 
trade,  with  his  father,  when  about  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  worked 
there  until  May,  1880,  when  he  started  out  on  his  own  account.  After 
visiting  Chicago,  and  spending  some  three  months  there  in  sight-seeing, 
etc.,  he  immigrated  westward  and  located  in  Oregon,  where  he  started  a 
jewelry  store.  He  now  carries  a  large  and  complete  stock,  one  of  the 
best  in  the  county,  and,  having  been  raised  to  the  business,  understands 
it  thoroughly.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Good  Templar  order  in  Toronto, 
and  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Oregon. 

DR.  GEO.  A.  FIEGENBAUM,  A.  M., 

of  the  firm  of  Goslin  &  Fiegenbaum,  physicians  and  surgeons,  was  born 
in  Galena,  Illinois,  January  1,  1855.  His  father,  Henry  H.  Fiegenbaum, 
was  a  native  of  Prussia,  Germany,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Clara  C.  Kastenbutt,  was  from  Hanover,  Germany.  The  former 
was  an  itinerant  minister  in  the  German  M.  E.  Church,  and  conse- 
quently made  various  moves.  He  went  with  his  family  to  Wapello, 
Iowa,  in  i860,  then  to  Pekin,  Illinois,  in  1864,  thence  to  Quincy,  Illinois, 
in  1867,  and  in  1870  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  George  now  started  out 
on  his  own  account  by  first  engaging  himself  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile 
establishment.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he  moved  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  and 
took  a  classical  course  at  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  University  and  a  theolog- 
ical course  at  the  German  Wesleyan  College,  attending  the  two  col- 
leges together.  After  five  years  study  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1878, 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  In  1877  he  commenced  the  study  of  medi- 
cine under  Dr.  Ray  Beattie,  and  in  the  tall  of  1878  he  attended  his  first 
course  of  lectures  at  the  St.  Joseph  Hospital  Medical  College.  By  the 
removal  of  Dr.  Beattie  to  South  America  Mr.  F.  was  obliged  to  choose 
another  preceptor,  which  he  found  in  the  person  of  Dr.  T.  H.  Doyle,  of 
St.  Joseph.  He  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1880,  and  that  same  year 
the  Wesleyan  University  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M.  In 
July,  1880,  he  came  to  Oregon  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Gos- 
lin. In  the  spring  of  1882  he  received  the  appointment  of  physician  of 
Holt  County.  Dr.  F.  is  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  Northwest 
Missouri.  He  was  married  in  October,  1880,  to  Miss  Anna  B.  Brodick, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  I.  A.  Brodick,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa.  She  was 
born  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  on  the  16th  of  August,  1856.  She  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Woman's  Union  of  Oregon. 

PATRICK  FITZMAURICE, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  13,  a  large  land  owner  of  Holt  County, 
was  born  on  the  Island  of  Mayo,  in  March,  1822.     His  parents,  Thomas 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  371 

and  Catharine  (Hunt)  Fitzmaurice,  were  both  natives  of  the  same  island. 
Patrick  was  the  second   child  in   a   family  of  eight  children.     He   was 
reared  at  his  birth  place,  and  in  the  fall  of  1844,  he  crossed  the  ocean  in 
the  ship  Pantheon.     After  landing  at  New  York  City,  he  settled  in  Bal- 
timore.    When  the  call  was  made  for  troops  during  the  Mexican  war,  he 
enlisted  in  1846,  in  Company  A,  Walter  Gear's  Battalion  Light  Infantry. 
He  served  under  General  Scott,  and  took  part  in  the  campaign  from  the 
coast  through  to  the  city  of  Mexico.     He  was  discharged  at  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  on  the  31st  of  August,  1848.     In  1849,  Mr.    F.  made  a  trip  to 
Oregon  Territory,  and  in  1850  he  went  to  California,  where   he   worked 
in  the  gold  mines.     After  celebrating  the   fourth  of  July,   185 1,  in  San 
Francisco,  he  Started  for  the  states  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  and   thence 
to  New  Orleans.     He  came  up  the  river  to   St.   Louis,  and   then  took  a 
trip  through  western  Missouri.     Returning  to  Baltimore,  he  was  married 
December  23,  185 1,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Fitzmaurice.     In  the  spring  of  1852, 
they  started  west  by  cars,  thence  by  steamboat  to  Weston,  Missouri,  and 
from  there  by  team  to  St.  Joseph,  which,  at  that  time,  was  but  a  small 
place.     Leaving  his  wife  there,  he  started  out  afoot  to  look  up  a  location. 
He  soon  purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in   agricultural  pursuits.     He  owns  upwards  of  1100  acres  of 
bottom  land,  well  improved,  there  being  upon  it  a  good  orchard,  brick 
residence,  etc.     It  is  one  of  the  best  stock  farms  in  the  county.     Mr.  F. 
has  filled  the  position  of  school  director  several   terms,   taking   a  deep 
interest  in  educational  matters.     His  first  wife  died  on  the   13th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1859,   and   left  three   children,  two  of  whom  are  now    living  : 
Mary  Ann,  born  January  13,  1858  ;  Thomas  A.,  born  September  13,  1858. 
He  was  again  married  in   i860,  to  Miss   Mary  A.   Stanton,  a  native  of 
Mayo  Island.     By  this  union  they  have  seven  children  :     Sarah  E.,  born 
December  7,  1*862  ;  John  M.,  born  September  7,  1864  ;  P.  Timothy,  born 
September  7,  1866  ;  Edward  M.,  born  October  25,  1868  ;  Robert  E.,   born 
September  2,  1870;  Joseph  W.,  born  January  14,  1877;  Stephen  W.,born 
July  30,  1 88 1.     Himself  and  family  are  active  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church  of  Forest  City. 

JACOB  S.  FOSTER 

was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  June  4,  1808.  His  parents,  Elijah  and 
Annie  (Singley)  Foster,  were  also  natives  of  that  place.  Jacob  accom- 
panied them  to  Richland  County,  Ohio,  in  1817.  They  settled  in  the 
heavy  timber,  among  the  Indians,  and  i«  this  wilderness  young  Foster 
was  reared  to  manhood,  his  education  being  obtained  in  the  old  log 
school-house,  with  slab  benches,  puncheon  floors,  etc.  He  helped  to 
open  several  farms  in  that  vicinity, and,  in  1830,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Ely,  a  native  of  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania.  They  immi- 
grated west,  in  the  fall  of  i860  and  settled  in  Oregon,  since  which  time 


372  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

he  has  been  a  resident  of  Holt  County.  During  the  war  he  filled  the 
position  of  First  Lieutenant  of  the  Silver  Grays,  a  company  of  106,  organ- 
ized in  this  county.  His  father  took  part  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  he, 
himself,  although  quite  young  at  that  time,  remembers  quite  distinctly 
the  bombardment  of  Baltimore.  Mrs.  Foster  died  at  Oregon,  on  the  17th 
of  June,  1875.  From  this  union  there  had  been  born  nineteen  children, 
seventeen  boys  and  two  girls.  Of  these  five  are  now  living  :  David,  born 
July  25,  183 1  ;  Jehu,  born  February  25,  1835  ;  Jacob,  born  March  20,  1841  ; 
Solomon,  born  in  February,  1842  ;  Rebecca,  born  March  6,  1846,  (now 
Mrs.  R.  L.  Coleman.)  Mrs.  Coleman  keeps  house  for  her  father  and 
brothers.  She  has  a  daughter,  Annie  L.  Coleman,  born  February  27, 
1877.  Mr.  Foster  has  retired  from  active  life  and  is  living  with  his  chil- 
dren. He  is  still  quite  hale  and  hearty  and  bids  fair  to  see  many  more 
years. 

D.  FOSTER  &   BROTHERS, 

are  proprietors  of  a  meat  market  and  also  of  livery  and  feed  stables. 
This  firm  was  organized  in  1871.  They  have  one  of  the  best  stables  in 
the  county,  fitted  with  a  good  stock,  and  are  doing  a  flourishing  business 
in  the  livery  line.  They  run  a  line  of  hacks  from  Oregon  to  Forest  City, 
for  the  accommodation  of  passengers,  and  carry  the  mail  and  express. 
For  the  past  ten  years  they  have  not  missed  a  mail,  and  during  the  high 
water  in  the  spring  of  1881,  they  carried  it  through  to  St.  Joseph.  They 
are  enterprising  citizens,  and  besides  the  business  mentioned,  they 
operate  a  superior  meat  market.  David  Foster  is  the  eldest  living  son 
of  Jacob  and  Mary  Foster.  He  was  born  on  the  25th  of  July,  183 1,  in 
Morrow  County,  Ohio.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  at  his 
birthplace,  and  received  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  education.  In 
1854,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Noble  County,  Indiana,  where  he 
remained  until  the  fall  of  1859,  working  on  a  farm  in  the  summer  season, 
and  teaching  school  during  the  winter  months.  He  then  moved  west 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He  gave  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits  until  the  spring  of  1870,  when  he  located  in 
Oregon  and  kept  the  City  Hotel  for  one  year.  In  1871,  he  engaged  in 
the  livery  business  with  his  brothers,  which  he  has  since  continued.  He 
has  filled  the  position  of  city  marshal,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
city  council.  He  devotes  the  most  of  his  time  to  the  care  of  the  meat 
market.  Mr.  Foster  was  married  on  the  28th  of  September,  1858,  to 
Miss  Clara  Cline,  daughter  of  John  Cline,  Esq.  She  was  born  in  Ohio. 
They  have  nine  children  :  Albert  J.,  born  May  5,  1858  ;  James  F.,  bornj 
July  19,  1859;  Charles  H.,  born  September  5,  1863  ;  Christian,  born  May 
28,  1868  ;  Edward,  born  March  1,  1870;  Robert  L.,  born  December  4, 
1871  ;  Lillian  A.,  born  January  29,1866;  Cattie,  born  September  14, 
1874,  and  Myrtle  D.,  born  September  6,  1877. 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  373 

JEHU   FOSTER, 

the  second  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Foster,  was  born  in  Morrow  County, 
Ohio,  February'  25,  1835.  He  remained  at  his  birthplace  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Noble 
County,  Indiana.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  received 
a  common  school  education.  In  1858  he  took  the  California  fever  and 
started  for  the  land  of  gold.  While  en  route  he  stopped  at  Oregon  and 
finally  located  here.  He  went  to  Iowa  Point  in  the  spring  of  1859  and 
for  one  year  conducted  a  livery  stable  for  Dr.  Robinson.  In  the  spring 
of  i860  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Oregon,  where  he  remained  some  six 
years.  During  the  war  he  served  in  the  Enrolled  Missouri  Militia  for 
about  six  months.  In  1866  he  moved  to  Oregon  and  engaged  in  the 
stock  business.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he  took  charge  of  the  City  Hotel 
at  Oregon  and  operated  that  one  year,  after  which  he  became  associated 
with  his  brother  in  the  livery  business,  and  has  since  followed  that  occu- 
pation. Mr.  Foster  was  married  the  17th  of  December,  1863,  to  Miss 
Ellen  Markland,  daughter  of  Colonel  R.  D.  Markland,  who  served  in 
the  Enrolled  Missouri  Militia  in  this  section  of  country  for  some  time. 
Mrs.  F.  was  born  near  Cincinnati  in  June,  1840.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Emma  C,  born  Febrnary  25,  1868  ;  Frank  F.,  born  March  17, 
1870.  Mrs.  Foster  has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
since  1868. 

WILLIAM  H.  FRAME, 

Sheriff  of  Holt  County,  was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  on  March  12, 
1848.  His  parents,  W.  R.  and  Nancy  (Hook)  Frame,  were  both  natives 
of  Ohio.  William  remained  at  his  birthplace  until  nineteen  years  of  age, 
spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  receiving  his  education  in 
the  neighborhood  schools.  In  1863,  when  only  fifteen  years  of  age,  he 
enlisted  with  the  one  hundred  day  men,  in  Company  D,  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-second  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  mustered  in  at 
Gallipolis,  Ohio.  After  serving  his  time  he  re-enlisted  in  Company  I, 
One  Hundred  and  Ninety-first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
nearly  a  year.  He  took  part  in  some  of  the  engagements  in  the  Shen- 
endoah  Valley,  although  on  post  duty  most  of  the  time.  The  regiment 
was  mustered  out  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  in  November,  1865.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  then  returned  to  his  old  home,  in  Ohio,  and  remained 
there  until  1868,  when  he  came  westward  and  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Mound  City.  In  1869  he  moved  to  a  farm  near  Craig,  on  which  he  lived 
one  year,  next  turning  his  attention  to  the  mercantile  business,  in  Craig. 
In  1878  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Holt  County  and  was  re-elected  in  1880. 
He  makes  an  excellent  official,  and  discharges  the  duties  of  this  position 
with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all   parties  inter- 


374  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

ested.  He  is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  21 1,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  which  he 
has  filled  all  the  offices  of  the  subordinate  lodge.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  197,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  in  which  he  has  filled  most  of 
the  offices.  Mr.  Frame  was  married  June  28,  1874,  to  Miss  Fannie 
Arnold,  daughter  of  Thomas  Arnold  of  Holt  County.  She  was  born  in 
Atchison  County,  Missouri.  They  have  one  child,  Richard  W.,  born  July 
l9<  i875-     Mrs.  Frame  is  a  member  of  the  Ladies  Union  of  Oregon. 

CHRISTIAN   FUHRMAN, 

farmer,  is  the  owner  of  277  acres  of  land,  his  residence  being  on  section 
13.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  May  8,  1826,  and  in  1832  came  to  this 
country,  settling  in  Ohio.  In  1836,  he  moved  to  Adams  County,  Indiana, 
where  he  was  raised  to  manhood,  and  there  he  helped  his  father  clear  a 
heavy  timber  farm.  Later  he  bought  some  land  of  his  own,  which,  by 
more  than  ordinary  work  he  managed  to  improve.  In  the  spring  of  1869  he 
sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  the  Platte  Purchase,  locating  in  Holt  County, 
where  he  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  This  was  nearly  all 
new  and  unimproved  land.  By  the  help  of  his  family  he  has  obtained 
such  a  home  as  is  worth  a  few  years  of  toil.  His  residence  is  a  good 
one,  and  he  has  one  of  the  best  bank  barns  in  the  county,  a  former  one 
having  burned  down  in  1876,  being  struck  by  lightning.  An  orchard  of 
300  trees  is  on  the  place.  As  a  man  and  neighbor,  Mr.  F.  is  honest  and 
kind,  and  is  honored  by  all.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Behurick,  in 
Indiana,  in  1847.  She  was  the  daughter  of  John  Behurick,  from  Ger- 
many. They  have  six  children  living:  Henry  Charles,  Sophia,  Christ, 
Daniel,  Edward  and  Elizabeth.  Philip  died  November  6,  1880,  aged 
29  years  Mary  and  John  died  in  Indiana  in  1858.  Mr.  F.  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Association.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

ASHER  GOSLIN,  M.  D., 

of  the  firm  of  Goslin  &  Fiegenbaum,  physicians  and  surgeons,  was  born 
«n  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  February  24,  1830.  His  father,  Nathaniel 
Goslin,  was  born  in  Virginia,  while  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Annie  Cox,  was  from  New  Jersey.  Asher  spent  his  boyhood  days  on 
the  farm  at  his  birth-place,  and  received  his  education  at  Antioch  College, 
of  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio.  He  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  under 
Dr.  D.  H.  Bradley,  of  Felicity,  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  in  1856,  and  took 
his  first  course  of  lectures  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  situated  at  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  during  the  winter  of  1858-9.  In  October,  1859,  he  moved 
to  White  County,  Illinois,  and  practiced  at  that  point  until  September, 
1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Forty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry. 
He  was  elected  captain  in  the  regiment  in  April  1862,  and  on  the  battle 


OREGON   AND   FOREST   CITY.  375 

field  of  Shiloh  he  was  promoted  to  surgeon  of  the  regiment,  serving  in 
this  capacity  until  October,  1864.  The  last  year  of  his  service  he  was 
in  charge  of  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps  Field  Hospital.  In  October, 
1864,  Dr.  G.  re-enlisted  and  was  promoted  to  acting  staff  surgeon  of  the 
United  States  Army.  At  the  time  of  re-enlistment  he  was  presented 
with  a  case  of  surgical  instruments,  valued  at  $200,  by  his  old  regiment 
(the  Forty-eighth  Illinois).  He  served  until  May,  1865,  and  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  siege  of  Corinth, 
second  battle  of  Corinth,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Mississippi,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  the  Atlanta  campaign,  through  with  Sherman  to  the  Sea 
and  through  the  Carolinas  to  Washington,  where  he  took  part  in  the 
grand  review.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  in  Olney,  Illinois,  and 
resumed  his  practice.  He  remained  there  until  May,  1869,  when  he 
located  in  Oregon,  Missouri,  in  June,  1869.  His  kind  manner  and  cheerful 
countenance  makes  him  a  welcome  visitor  to  the  sick  room,  for  to  the 
best  qualifications  as  a  physician,  he  adds  promptness  in  attention  to 
calls.  In  July,  1880,  he  accepted  as  a  partner  Dr.  Fiegenbaum.  Since 
then  they  have  had  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  Dr.  Goslin  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellow's  Lodges.  He  has  filled  the  position  of 
president  of  the  Oregon  Normal  School  Board,  and  professor  of  physiology 
in  the  school.  He  was  married  September  1,  1855,  to  Miss  Sarah  A. 
Quinn,  a  native  of  Felicity,  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  and  daughter  of 
Isaiah  and  Acineth  Quinn,  of  that  place.  She  was  born  September  4, 
1835.  They  have  one  child,  Estella  M.,  born  July  16,  1857.  Mrs.  G.  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Oregon,  and  an  active  member 
of  the  Woman's  Union  of  Oregon. 

ORVILLE  GRAVES, 

of  the  firm  of  Graves  &  Weber,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  August  26,  1832.  His  parents, 
James  and  Ruth  S.  Graves,  were  from  Virginia.  Orville  was  raised  to 
manhood  at  his  birthplace,  on  the  bank  of  a  little  creek  called  Pleasant 
Run,  some  four  miles  from  the  village  of  Springfield,  the  county  seat. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  old  fashioned  log  school  houses,  and 
when  sixteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  to  learn  the  blacksmith  trade. 
He  worked  the  first  year  for  thirty  dollars,  and  furnished  his  own  cloth- 
ing and  washing,  and  in  the  spring  of  185 1,  he  went  aboard  a  steamboat 
at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  going  to  St.  Louis.  He  went  from  there  up  the 
river  to  St.  Joseph,  and  thence  by  team  to  the  northeastern  part  of  Atchi- 
son County.  He  and  two  brothers  took  up  a  claim  on  east  Tarkio  Creek, 
remained  there  one  year,  and  then  purchased  an  improved  farm  on  the 
Nodaway  River,  in  Nodaway  County.  In  the  fall  of  1852,  their  parents 
moved  here  and   settled  with   the   boys.     In    1865,  the   subject   of  this 


376  HISTORY   OF    HOLT    COUNTY. 

sketch  sold  out  with  the  intention  of  starting  for  Oregon  Territory.  He 
traveled  over  the  country  considerably,  but  finally  settled  at  Forest  City 
and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  with  J.  B.  Truett.  After  thus 
continuing  the  business  five  years,  George  Weber  became  a  partner, 
and  he  afterwards  sold  out  to  the  present  partner,  Emil  Weber.  They 
carry  a  large  and  complete  stock  in  their  line,  and  receive  a  liberal  pat- 
ronage. Mr.  Graves  has  been  a  member  of  the  city  council  several 
years.  He  belongs  to  Forest  City  Lodge  No.  214,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and 
has  filled  the  office  of  treasurer  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  married 
February  9,  1853,  to  Miss  Frances  Vinsonhaler,  daughter  of  Jacob  Vin- 
sonhaler,  an  old  pioneer  of  Nodaway  County.  She  was  born  in  Ohio 
in  February,  1835.  They  have  four  children  living:  Mary  B.,born  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1854,  (now  Mrs.  Emil  Weber);  Annie  E.,  born  in  1856,  (now 
Mrs.  Robert  P.  Zook);  Charles  T.,  born  July  2,  1862,  and  Daisy  L.,  born 
in  1870.  Lost  three.  Mrs.  G.  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Being 
an  old  pioneer,  Mr.  Graves  is  well  known  in  this  vicinity.  He  has  ever 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  building  up  and  improving  the  county,  for  which 
he  deserves  much  credit. 

JOSEPH  GROVES, 

dealer  in  general  merchandise,  was  born  near  Luray,  Page  County,  Vir- 
ginia, January  14,  1842.  His  parents,  Peter  and  Catherine  Groves,  were 
both  natives  of  Virginia.  Joseph  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birth- 
place on  the  farm  and  received  a  common  school  education.  During 
the  war  he  espoused  the  southern  cause  and  served  for  about  four  years 
in  the  Confederate  army.  He  was  a  member  of  an  artillery  company 
with  Hill's  corps,  William  Pegram's  battalioo,  and  took  part  in  nearly 
all  the  battles  against  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  through  the  entire 
siege  of  Petersburg,  at  the  battles  of  Fredricksburg,  Chancellorsville 
and  through  Grant's  campaign.  His  battery  fired  the  first  cannon  shot 
at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  Mr.  G.  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
after  which  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming  in  his  native  county  and 
state.  In  the  fall  of  1867  he  emigrated  west  and  remained  one  year  in 
Hancock  County,  Illinois.  In  1869  he  came  to  Forest  City  and  started 
a  livery  stable,  carrying  on  the  business  some  two  and  a  half  years. 
He  then  became  associated  with  George  B.  Chaddock,  in  the  general 
merchandise  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Chaddock  &  Groves, 
and,  after  three  years,  Mr.  Groves  took  the  stock  in  his  name  and  has 
continued  the  business  since.  He  has  a  branch  store  at  Mound  City, 
conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Groves  &  Furguson.  Mr.  G.  also 
ships  some  grain  and  deals  in  agricultural  implements  of  all  kinds. 
He  owns  a  handsome  residence  and  other  town  property.  He  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  of  the  school  board.  Mr. 
Groves  was  married  the  26th  of  February,  1871,  to  Miss  Cora  Whobrey, 


OREGON   AND  FOREST    CITY.  377 

daughter  of  J.  B.  Whobrey,  of  this  county.  They  have  three  children  : 
John,  born  October  16,  1872  ;  Mattie,  born  March  16,  1875  ;  Mary,  born 
April  16,  1879.  Himself  and  wife  are  active  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  South,  in  which  he  fills  the  position  of  recording  steward  and 
Sabbath  School  superintendent. 

DANIEL  HAHN,  Sr., 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  3.  Prominent  among  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  Holt  County,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His  parents, 
Andrew  and  Mary  Hahn,  were  natives  of  Maryland,  and  were  among 
the  early  pioneers  of  Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  Daniel  was  born  in 
that  county,  on  the  24th  of  November,  18 12.  His  boyhood  days  were 
spent  on  the  farm,  and  he  received  an  education  in  the  subscription 
schools  kept  in  the  log  houses.  His  father  owned  a  saw  mill,  and  when 
twelve  years  of  age  Daniel  commenced  to  work  in  the  mill,  following  the 
business  for  several  years.  He  emigrated  west  with  his  family  in  the 
fall  of  1840,  came  by  steamboat  to  Boone  County,  Missouri,  and  thence 
by  ox  teams  to  what  is  now  Holt  County,  arriving  here  on  the  27th  of 
March,  1841.  It  was  a  vast  wilderness,  inhabited  principally  by  roving 
bands  of  Indians,  and  abounding  in  game.  He  took  up  a  claim  in  sec- 
tion 17,  Lewis  Township,  on  the  bottoms,  built  a  log  cabin  and  broke 
some  thirty  acres  of  ground.  Being  a  good  shot,  he  killed  game  enough 
to  keep  the  family  in  meat  the  year  round.  Their  milling  point  was 
Platte  River  Mills,  below  St.  Joseph,  and  during  the  winter  of  1842,  he 
made  all  their  meal  on  a  hominy  block.  The  high  water  in  the  spring 
of  1844  drowned  his  stock  and  destroyed  his  farm.  He  then  settled  on 
another  farm,  on  which  he  remained  until  1846,.  when  he  located  where 
he  now  resides.  It  consists  of  200  acres  of  well  improved  land,  watered 
by  running  water,  and  well  adapted  to  stock  raising.  It  lays  one  and 
one-half  miles  south  of  Oregon.  He  has  a  comfortable  residence,  good! 
orchard,  etc.  He  built  a  water  saw  mill  on  Mill  Creek,  in  1848,  and  run 
it  until  1862.  During  the  war  he  espoused  the  Union  cause,  shouldered 
a  musket  and  went  to  the  front,  although  fifty-two  years  of  age.  He 
enlisted  in  Company  H,  Thirty-fifth  Missouri  Infantry,  in  the  spring  of 
1862,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  taking  part  in  many  of  the 
engagements  in  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  Missis- 
sippi. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  farm,  and  has  given 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  since.  Mr.  H.  is  now  living  with 
his  third  wife.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Susan  Kerns,  who  died  in  1847, 
leaving  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Mary,  Leah,  born 
February  3,  1841  (now  Mrs.  Charlie  Prather)  and  Melinda,  born  January 
22,  1843,  (now  Mrs.  John  Marsh,  of  Oregon).  His  second  wife  was  Nancy 
Hogue.     She  died  in  1866,  and  left  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are   liv- 


378  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

ing  :  Diana,  born  January  18,  1850,  (now  Mrs.  William  Miller)  ;  Rich- 
ard and  Daniel,  twins,  born  April  8,  1855  ;    Anna  J.,  born  December  29, 

1858  ;  David,  born  December  30,  i860.  He  was  married  again  in  1873, 
to  Mrs.  Sarah  Anderson,  a  native  of  Indiana.  She  has  one  child  by  her 
former  husband,  Ell  J.  Anderson,  born  June  15,  1871.  By  this  union  they 
have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  living :  Adam,  born  August  9, 
1874,  and  Anna  J.,  born  August   15,  1875. 

JOHN  W.  HAIGLER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  12,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Holt  County, 
was  born  December  9,  1837,  in  Franklin  County,  Missouri.  His  parents, 
Eli  and  Elizabeth  (Hinkle)  Haigler,  were  both  natives  of  Virginia.  John 
was  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  ol  seven.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
receiving  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  education,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1849  ne  came  to  Holt  County  and  settled  on  the  Missouri  River  bot- 
tom. At  the  death  of  his  mother,  in  1851,  he  returned  to  his  old  home, 
remaining  until  1855,  when  he  again  came  to  this  county.     In  the  fall  of 

1859  he  took  a  trip  to  Texas,  and  after  spending  a  few  months  on  the 
frontier  he  returned  to  Holt  County.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  went  to 
Nebraska  and  remained  there  until  the  spring  of  1866.  Since  then  he 
has  resided  in  this  locality.  He  owns  some  300  acres  of  fine  bottom 
land,  200  of  which  are  under  cultivation.  He  has  a  handsome  brick 
residence,  and  his  farm  is  one  of  the  finest  for  stock  purposes  in  the 
county,  he  being  quite  largely  interested  in  that  business.  The  high 
water  in  the  spring  of  1881  damaged  him  to  the  extent  of  about  $4,000, 
destroying  100  acres  of  winter  wheat,  fences,  etc.  Mr.  Haigler  was  mar- 
ried February  27,  1861,  to  Sidonia  Furguson,  daughter  of  Joseph  N.  and 
Polly  Furguson,  of  Franklin  County,  Missouri.  She  was  born  in  that 
county  July  5,  1835.  By  this  union  they  have  four  children:  Mary  J., 
born  December  13,  1861  ;  Virginia  E.,  born  October  11,  1864;  Harry  L., 
born  January  14,  1868,  and  John  W.,  born  September  26,  187 1.  They 
have  lost  three.  Mrs.  Haigler  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South. 

HASNESS  &  IRVINE, 

editors  and  proprietors  of  the  Holt  County  Press.  This  firm  is  composed 
of  J.  M.  Hasness  and  L.  Irvine.  J.  M.  Hasness  was  born  in  the  village 
of  New  Lisbon,  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  January  22,  1849.  His  father, 
Abraham  Hasness,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  while  his  wife  was  a  native 
of  Ohio.  In  1857  J.  M.  accompanied  his  parents  to  Iowa,  and  after 
remaining  there  some  two  years  he  made  a  short  visit  to  Ohio,  and 
thence  to  Oregon,  Holt  Count)',  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1859.  His 
fathe-r  was  a  cabinetmaker   by  trade,  and  opened  a  shop  at   this  place. 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  379 

J.  M.  received  fair  educational  advantages  and,  in  1867,  he  began  to  learn 
the  printing  business,  first  in  Oregon  and  then  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Missouri. 
From  there  he  went  to  Hiawatha,  Kansas,  in  1870,  where  he  held  the 
position  of  foreman  of  the  Hiawatha  Dispatch  for  three  years.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1874,  he  moved  to  Rock  Port,  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and 
started  the  Rock  Port  News.  In  August  of  that  year  he  sold  an  interest 
to  William  Kaucher.  They  moved  the-  paper  to  Oregon,  and  started 
the  Missouri  Valley  Times.  In  1876  Mr.  Kaucher  sold  his  interest  to 
Henry  Shutts,  and  the  new  firm  changed  the  name  of  their  paper  to  the 
Holt  County  Press.  In  1877  Mr.  Shutts  disposed  of  his  share  to  Clark 
Irvine  and,  in  1878,  Mr.  Hasness  purchased  Mr.  Irvine's  interest  and  con- 
ducted the  paper  alone  until  September,  1881,  when  he  sold  a  half  inter- 
est to  Leigh  Irvine.  They  publish  a  neat  and  newsy  sheet  and  represent 
the  Democratic  interests  of  the  county  in  a  very  able  and  satisfactory 
manner.  Mr.  H.  is  an  able  writer  and  is  much  of  a  gentleman  in  his 
manners,  having  risen  to  his  present  position  as  a  journalist  step  by  step. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  54,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  holds 
the  position  of  District  Deputy  Grand  Master.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.  of  Oregon.  He  was  married  October  4,  1880,  to  Miss  Alice 
Kreek,  daughter  of  T.  I.  Kreek,  one  of  the  old  pioneers  of  Holt  County. 
She  was  born  in  this  county  August  15,  1857.  They  are  active  members 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  of  Oregon,  in  which  he  holds  the  position  of  Sab- 
bath-School Superintendent.  Leigh  Irvine,  of  the  firm  of  Hasness  & 
Irvine,  also  of  the  firm  of  O'Fallen  &  Irvine,  attorneys,  is  a  son  of  Clark 
and  Annie  Irvine,  who  were  pioneers  of  Holt  County,  Missouri.  Leigh 
was  born  on  the  28th  of  November,  i860,  in  Oregon.  After  receiving  a 
preparatory  education  in  the  Oregon  schools  he  entered  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Columbia,  Missouri,  in  the  fall  of  1880,  graduating  from  the 
law  department  during  the  summer  of  1881.  He  then  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  O'Fallon  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Oregon. 
In  September,  1881,  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Holt  County  Press, 
and  now  carries  on  both  branches  of  business.  He  is  a  good  writer  and 
a  deep  thinker  and  stands  among  the  prominent  attorneys  of  the  county. 

THOMAS  S.  HINDE, 

druggist  and  apothecary  and  dealer  in  books,  etc.,  was  born  in  Mt.  Ver- 
non, Jefferson  County,  Illinois,  on  the  21st  of  April,  1847.  His  parents, 
James  and  Elizabeth  Hinde,  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  When  quite 
small  Thomas  was  taken  to  White  County,  Illinois.  His  father  prac- 
ticed law,  and  held  the  positions  of  circuit  clerk  and  recorder  of  that 
county  for  several  years.  Thomas  received  his  education  principally  at 
the  State  University,  at  Bloomington,  Indiana.  When  twelve  years  of 
age,   he    commenced  to    assist  his  father   in   the   circuit   clerk's   office, 


380  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

remaining  with  him  while  not  in  school  until  he  was  twenty-one.  In 
the  fall  of  1867,  he  migrated  west  and  settled  at  Savannah,  Andrew 
County,  Missouri,  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  After  fol'owing 
this  occupation  for  eighteen  months,  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business 
with  Dr.  Holloway,  with  whom  he  continued  until  October,  1872,  when 
he  came  to  Oregon.  He  soon  opened  a  drug  store  at  this  point, 
and  has  since  carried  on  a  flourishing  business.  His  stock,  the  largest 
in  the  city,  is  very  complete.  He  also  carries  a  stock  of  fancy  groceries, 
and  has  a  neat  and  tasty  store  room  on  Nodaway  Street.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  Oregon  Lodge  No.  54,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  filled  all  the  offices 
within  the  gift  of  the  lodge.  Mr.  Hinde  was  married  on  the  22d  of  Sep- 
tember, 1867,  to  Miss  Flora  A.  Thompson,  daughter  of  William  B. 
Thompson,  of  White  County,  Illinois.  She  was  born  in  Carmi,  White 
County,  Illinois,  May  6,  1879,  ar,d  was  an  old  schoolmate  of  Mr.  Hinde. 
They  had  four  children  :  Grace,  Willie,  Edith  and  James.  Mrs.  H.  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOHN  C.  HINKLE, 

farmer  and  stock-raiser,   section    18,  was   born  November  23,   1837,  in 
Franklin  County,   Missouri,   on  the  bank  of  the   Missouri    River.     His 
parents,  Adam  and   Sarah  Hinkle,  were  both  natives  of  Virginia,  but 
came  to  Missouri  about  the  year  1830.     John  was  the  fourth  in  a  family 
of  six  children.     His  parents  both  died  when  he  was  quite  small,  and  he 
grew  to  manhood  an  orphan.     His  mother  died  in  1842,  and  his  father  in 
1843.     John  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birth  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  old.     He  received  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  education,  and 
August  10, 1858,  he  landed  in  Holt  County,  Missouri.     He  then  purchased 
the  place  where  he  now  resides,  there  being  a  small  log  cabin  upon  it, 
and  some  twenty  acres  broken.     Since  this  date,  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  Holt  County,  actively  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.     He  at  present 
owns  some  719  acres  of  fine  bottom  land,  about  510  of  which   are  under 
cultivation.     He   has    a   comfortable   residence   and  an  excellent  barn, 
besides  an  orchard  of  800  apple  trees.     His  farm  is  well  watered  and 
well  adapted  to  stock  raising,   and  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  county. 
During  the  late  civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  served 
three  years  under  General  Price,  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Blue  Mills, 
Lexington,    Pea    Ridge,  second  Corinth,  Vicksburg,  West    Plains    and 
many  others,  serving  in  the  commissary  department  most  of  the  time. 
At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  returned  to  his  farm.     He  is  a  member  of 
Forest  City  Lodge,  No.  214,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.     Mr.  Hinkle  was  married 
the  8th  of  August,    [858,  to  Miss  Susan  T.  Noble,  a  native  of  Scotland 
County,  Missouri,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Viney  Noble.     She  was 
the  eighth  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  and  was  born  October   16,  1835, 


OREGON    AND    FOREST    CITY.  38 1 

Her  father  came  from  Kentucky,  while  his  wife  was  born  in  Tennessee. 
They  came  to  Missouri  about  the  year  1816,  when  it  was  still  a  territory. 
The  former  taught  school  in  Pike  County,  when  he  was  obliged  to  take 
his  rifle  with  him  and  watch  for  Indians.  Both  of  the  parents  and  all  of 
the  family  are  still  living,  none  of  the  latter  having  ever  been  sick.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hinkle  have  had  a  family  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  now 
living.  John  A.,  born  July  18,  1859  >  Jehu  G.,  born  November  13,  i860  ; 
William,  deceased  ;  George  W.,  born  January  30,  1866  ;  Leola  Olive, 
born  January  19,  1868  ;  Byron  Lee,  born  August  6,  1870.  Himself  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  of  Tarkio 
Chapel,  in  which  he  formerly  held  the  position  of  steward.  The  high 
water  in  the  spring  of  1881,  destroyed  eighty  acres  of  fall  wheat,  and 
damaged  1,000  bushels  of  corn,  besides  sweeping  away  his  fences. 

HOBLITZELL   &  BRO., 

dealers  in  pine  lumber  and  farm  wagons.  The  firm  is  composed  of 
Cornelius  and  Joseph  Hoblitzell.  Cornelius  Hoblitzell  was  born  in 
Platte  County,  Missouri,  January  10,  1841.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Maryland,  while  his  wife  was  from  Pennsylvania.  They  came  to  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1844,  and  settled  in  Oregon,  after- 
wards moving  upon  a  farm  five  miles  east  of  town.  On  this  place  they 
lived  some  time  and  then  came  back  to  Oregon.  The  town  of  Browns- 
ville, Nebraska,  next  became  their  home,  and  in  the  spring  of  1861  they 
returned  to  Holt  County.  The  boys  obtained  a  fair  school  education, 
but  received  a  thorough  insight  into  business.  During  the  war  Joseph 
served  in  the  Union  army,  and  Cornelius  served  in  the  Enrolled  Mis- 
souri Militia.  In  1865  Joseph  and  Cornelius  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business,  which  they  continued  some  two  years  and  then  became  inter- 
ested in  the  lumber  business,  in  which  they  have  since  been  engaged. 
They  have  a  large  yard  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  which  Joseph  superin- 
tends, and  Cornelius  superintends  the  other  four,  situated  at  Oregon, 
Forest  City,  Craig,  and  Fairfax.  All  these  yards  are  conducted  by  men 
well  qualified  for  their  positions — Edmund  Pinkston  at  Forest  City, 
Charles  Doughty  at  Craig,  and  William  Combs  at  Fairfax.  They  own 
all  the  lumber  yards  in  Holt  County,  except  two,  and  do  a  thriving  busi- 
ness at  these  points.  They  have  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  growth 
and  improvement  of  this  county.  Cornelius  moved  to  Craig  in  1875 
and  resided  there  six  years,  returning  to  Oregon  in  188 1.  He  owns  a 
fine  fruit  farm  east  of  Oregon,  of  some  seventy-five  acres,  on  which  he 
has  some  1,100  trees  of  all  kinds  and  a  large  quantity  of  small  fruit. 
He  is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  — ,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he 
holds  the  office  of  Worshipful  Master.  Mr.  H.  was  married  March  19, 
1861,  to  Amanda  M.  Combs,  of  Peru,  Nebraska.     She  was   a  native   of 


382  HISTORY    OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Illinois  and  was  born  November  27,  1842.  They  have,  three  children 
living:  Cora  B.,  born  January  14,  1862,  (now  Mrs.  H.  F.  Allen,  of  Wat- 
son, Atchison  County);  Winnie  V.,  born  February  9,  1870  ;  William  H.T 
born  January  5,  1881.  Himself,  wife  and  eldest  daughter  are  active 
members  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  Oregon,  in  which  he  fills  the  positions  of 
steward  and  Sabbath  School  superintendent.  He  is  also  president  of 
the  Holt  County  Sabbath  School  organization. 

VINE  HOVY, 

agent  for  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  at 
Forest  City,  was  born  in  Urbana,  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  on  the  22d 
of  July,  1832.  His  parents,  Samuel  T.  and  Rachel  C.  Hovy,  were  both 
natives  of  Ohio.  Vine  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace,  and 
received  an  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  learned  the 
brickmakers  trade  in  his  youth,  and  in  1856  he  moved  to  McDonough 
County,  Illinois,  remaining  there  for  three  years,  working  at  his  trade. 
In  1859  he  immigrated  to  Colorado,  and  made  that  vicinity  his  home 
until  September,  1862.  He  was  located  at  Tarryall  and  Blue  River,  and 
was  engaged  in  mining  and  ranching,  after  which  he  returned  to  the 
States.  In  the  winter  of  1862  he  took  another  trip  west  with  a  freight 
train,  but  having  sold  his  outfit  he  again  came  to  the  States.  In  the 
spring  of  1863  he  went  to  Montana,  returned  to  Ohio  in  November,  1864, 
and  enlisted  in  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-sixth  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  The  regiment  was  placed  on  duty  at  Fort  Delaware,  and 
Mr.  H.  was  mustered  out  in  September,  1865,  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio.  He 
came  west  in  November,  1865,  and  located  at  East  Atchison,  where  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs 
Railroad  Company,  commencing  as  a  truck-man  in  the  freight  house. 
Later,  he  became  freight  agent,  and  in  September,  1879,  he  accepted  the 
position  as  agent  at  Forest  City,  and  has  filled  the  position  since,  with 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  railroad  company.  He  is 
amember  of  the  city  council  of  Forest  City.  He  owns  an  interest  in  a 
steam  sawmill.  Mr.  Hovy  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  of 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  of  Atchison.  He  was  married 
July  22,  1856,  to  Miss  Lizzie  M.  Goheen,  daughter  of  J.  W.  Goheen,  of 
Belleville,  Illinois.  They  have  an  interesting  family  of  four  children  : 
Emma  B.,  nineteen  years  old  ;  Lottie  L.,  nine  years  of  age  ;  Nellie  M., 
aged  six,  and  Laura  C.  F.,  four  years  old.  Mr.  H.,  his  wife  and  eldest 
daughter,  are   members  of  Presbyterian  Church  at  Forest  City. 

WILLIAM  KAUCHER. 

Prominent  among  the  old  pioneers  of  this  county  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.     His  parents,  Jacob  and  Dorothy  Kaucher,  were  both  natives 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  383 

of  Pennsylvania.  William  was  born  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,, 
November  22,  183 1.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  principally  in  German- 
town,  Ohio,  receiving  fair  educational  advantages.  His  father  was  a  mill- 
wright, and  his  four  sons  learned  that  trade.  William's  first  work  on  his 
own  account  was  at  Sidney,  Shelby  County,  Ohio,  but  from  there  he 
went  to  Freeburg,  Ohio,  and  then  to  Terra  Haute,  Indiana,  next  moving 
to  Westfield,  Clark  County,  Illinois.  During  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska 
excitement  he  came  west,  and  settled  at  Leavenworth,  in  April,  1855. 
He  located  in  Oregon  in  July,  1855,  and  superintended  the  erection  of 
the  first  steam  mill  in  the  coanty,  and  probably  the  first  one  above  St. 
Joseph.  He  has  since  then  made  Oregon  his  home,  and  has  been  inter- 
ested in  nearly  every  mill  in  Northwestern  Missouri.  In  1856,  he,  with 
a  partner  established  a  general  shop  in  Oregon,  for  the  manufacture  of 
looms  and  other  articles  of  furniture.  They  continued  the  business  some 
two  years.  From  that  time  on  he  has  been  engaged  in  erecting  and  operat- 
ing mills  in  Missouri,  Iowa,  Nebraska  and  Kansas.  He  was  elected  sheriff 
of  Holt  County,  in  the  fall  of  1862,  and  was  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1864. 
When  all  the  officers  in  the  state  were  thrown  out  in  1865,  the  subject  of 
•our  sketch  was  re-appointed  by  the  governor,  and  filled  the  office  until 
the  close  of  1866.  In  November,  1867,  he  was  appointed  United  States 
Assistant  Internal  Revenue  Collector,  of  Holt,  Atchison,  Nodaway  and 
Andrew  Counties,  he  filling  the  position  until  August,  1871.  The  office 
was  then  abolished,  and  the  business  thrown  into  the  collector's  office. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1S74,  in  part- 
nership with  J.  M.  Hasness,  Mr.  K.  started  the  Missouri  Valley  Times,  at 
Oregon.  In  August,  1876,  he  sold  out  to  Henry  Shutts,  and  turned  his 
attention  to  the  milling  business.  February  28th,  1881,  he  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  East  Forest  City  Mills.  These  mills  are  owned  by  a  stock 
company,  and  are  among  the  most  complete  mills  in  Northwest  Mis- 
souri, being  rated  as  a  225  barrel  mill.  He  fitted  it  up  and  now  super- 
intends the  business.  Mr.  Kaucher  has  had  a  long  experience  in  the . 
business,  and  understands  it  thoroughly.  He  is  a  member  of  Oregon 
Lodge  No.  139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  Oregon  Lodge  No.  54,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
also  Oregon  Encampment  No.  43,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  married  Septem- 
ber 26,  1858,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Watson,  daughter  of  Judge  Samuel  Wat- 
son, one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Holt  County.  She  was  born  near 
Oregon,  in  1842,  and  died  August  9,  1872.  By  this  union  they  had  seven 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living  :  Mary,  born  May  20,  1861  ;  Lilly, 
born  November  18,  1863  ;  Eva,  born  December  15,  1866  ;  Lawrence,  born 
September  12,  1869.  Mr.  K.  was  married  again  May  26,  1873,  to  Lucy 
S.  Christian.  She  is  a  native  of  Chicago.  They  have  had  three  children, 
two  of  whom  are  living  :  Leah  E.,  born  December  9,.  1877,  and.  George,. 
born  November  20,  1880. 


384  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

JAMES  A.  KEEVES, 

•dealer  in  general  merchandise,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Berkeley  County, 
Virginia,  September  25,  1828.  His  parents,  Arthur  and  Sarah  Keeves, 
were  both  natives  of  Virginia.  James  was  the  youngest  of  six  children, 
five  of  whom  are  now  living.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm, 
and  commenced  to  follow  the  plow  when  only  nine  years  of  age,  receiv- 
ing but  a  common  school  education,  in  the  subscription  schools.  In  185 1 
he  left  his  birthplace  to  preach,  as  a  supply  minister  for  the  M.  E.  Church, 
on  the  Wardensville  circuit,  in  Hampshire  County,  Virginia.  One  year 
later  he  returned  to  Berkeley  County.  His  father  died  in  1850,  and  his 
mother  decided  to  move  west  with  the  family.  In  the  spring  of  1854 
they  took  the  steamer  at  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  going  to  St.  Louis, 
then  went  to  St.  Joseph,  and  thence  to  Oregon,  by  team,  arriving  here 
May  22,  1854.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  having  $500,  determined  to 
settle  on  a  farm.  He,  in  partnership  with  his  mother,  purchased  160 
acres,  paying  $2,000  for  it.  It  is  now  the  County  Poor  Farm.  In  i860 
Mr.  K.  moved  to  Oregon  and  conducted  the  City  Hotel  one  year,  clear- 
ing $1,500.  He  then  moved  back  on.  the  farm,  on  which  he  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1864,  whe  he  located  in  Oregon.  He  soon  entered 
into  partnership  with  Daniel  E.  and  John  G.  Cathell,  in  the  general  mer- 
chandise business,  which  they  continued  till  1866.  He  afterwards  worked 
four  years,  as  book-keeper,  with  Levi  Zook  and  James  Stalt,  in  their 
bank.  October  4,  1870,  he  bought  an  interest  in  a  general  merchandise 
store,  with  Judge  Watson.  They  erected  a  good  brick  block  in  1878, 
and  on  the  4th  of  October,  1878,  Mr.  Watson  retired  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Bevan  purchased  an  interest,  she  being  represented  by  her  son.  On  the 
18th  of  January,  1882,  Mr.  Keeves  purchased  Mrs.  B.'s  interest.  He  now 
•carries  a  well-assorted  stock  and  does  a  good  business.  He  is  a  member 
of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  Mr.  Keeves  has  been  twice 
married  ;  first,  October  6,  1863,  to  Miss  Eliza  Hahn,  daughter  of  Richard 
Hahn,  one  of  the  old  pioneers  of  Holt  County.  She  died  October  9, 
1864.  He  was  married  again  the  22d  of  March,  1870,  in  Berkeley  County, 
Virginia,  to  Miss  Kate  T.  Jones,  a  native  of  that  county,  born  January 
10,  1843.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  church  since  he  was  nineteen 
years  ol  age.  He  first  belonged  to  the  Methodist,  but  there  not  being 
any  members  of  that  denomination  here  when  he  came  he  joined  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he  fills  the  position  of  Elder.  His  wife  is 
also  a  member  of  that  denomination. 

ROBERT  L.  KELLY, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  December,  18 14.     When  he  was 
ten  years  old   his  father  moved    to  Knox    County,  Ohio,  and  bought  a 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  385 

farm.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  then 
went  to  Kentucky,  and  there  learned  the  stonecutters  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  more  or  less  during  life.  April  10,  1850,  he  married  Miss  Cas- 
sandra Perrigo,  the  daughter  of  William  Perrigo,  of  Breckinridge  County, 
Kentucky,  where  she  was  born  in  1828.  They  had  six  children  :  George 
W.,  James  W.,  Elizabeth,  who  married  David  Ramsey,  of  Atchison 
County  ;  Eliza,  Ellen  and  Irene.  In  the  spring  of  1850  Mr.  Kelly 
came  to  this  state  and  county,  and  bought  unimproved  land.  He  at 
once  commenced  with  a  will  to  cultivate  it,  put  up  a  small  house,  set  out 
an  orchard,  etc.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  the  call  for  troops 
was  made,  he  responded  at  once,  entered  the  Sixth  Missouri  State 
Militia  as  first  lieutenant,  and  after  his  time  expired  he  re-enlisted  in 
the  Thirty-fifth  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry  as  sergeant,  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  Benton  Barracks,  St.  Louis.  After  being  there  some  three 
months  he  was  taken  sick  and  died,  December  22,  1862.  He  was  an 
able,  honest,  capable  and  intelligent  man,  Union  trom  principle,  and  a 
good  soldier.  Mrs.  K.  was  left  on  her  new  farm  with  her  small  children 
to  care  for,  and  while  she  experienced  many  hardships  and  trials,  she 
was  brave,  and  faced  the  dangers  with  true  valor  and  womanly  courage. 
She  ha.s  raised  her  family,  given  them  good  educations,  and  four  of  them 
have  become  teachers.  She  has  kept  her  farm  of  200  acres,  situated  on 
section  23,  and  has  succeeded  in  keeping  it  in  excellent  condition.  They 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

MAJOR  GEORGE  W.  KELLY 

is  a  prominent  man  among  the  early  settlers  of  Holt  County.  He  was 
born  near  Union,  Monroe  County,  Virginia,  on  the  26th  of  July,  1824. 
His  parents,  John  W.  and  Mary  (Stuart)  Kelly,  were  both  natives  of 
Virginia.  George  accompanied  them  to  the  White  Sulphur  Springs  and 
then  to  Lewisburg,  Virginia,  in  1835,  where  he  remained  until  November, 
1840.  His  father  edited  the  Western  Enquirer,  and  George  worked  in 
the  office  and  learned  the  printing  business.  In  the  fall  of  1840  he  came 
westward  with  his  parents,  stopping  a  short  time  in  Lafayette  County, 
Missouri.  The  elder  Kelly  traveled  through  to  Holt  County  to  view  the 
country,  returned,  and  in  January,  1841,  he  and  his  son  George  came  up 
and  erected  a  cabin  in  what  is  now  known  as  Nichols'  Grove,*  where  they 
took  claims.  The  family  followed  during  the  succeeding  March.  John 
W.  Kelly  being  a  lawyer,  moved  to  Oregon  and  hung  out  his  shingle. 
He  was  appointed  commissioner  to  purchase  the  town  site,  and  was  the 
first  lawyer  enrolled  in  the  county.  He  filled  the  position  of  county 
judge  for  several  terms,  and  also  represented  the  county  several  terms  in 
the  Legislature.  He  was  nominated  for  lieutenant  governor,  on  the 
Thomas  Benton  ticket,  but  was  defeated.     He  died  the  26th  of  Septem- 

25 


386  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

ber,  1868.  George  received  a  fair  education,  and  attended  the  first  school 
taught  in  the  county.  He  read  law  to  some  extent  with  his  father,  and 
while  in  Virginia,  he  had  studied  Latin  and  Greek.  Upon  arriving  at 
maturity  he  engaged  in  trading,  and  served  several  terms  as  deputy 
sheriff  of  Holt  County.  During  the  Mexican  war,  in  1847,  he  enlisted  in 
Craig's  company,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Powell's  battalion  of  mounted  Mis- 
sourians.  This  company  was  made  up  in  Holt  and  Atchison  Counties. 
They  were  ordered  out  on  the  plains, — started  for  Oregon  Territory  ; 
they  built  Fort  Kearney,  and  remained  a  short  time  at  Fort  Laramie,  and 
made  an  expedition  into  the  Sioux  country.  They  were  discharged  in  ( 
November,  1848,  after  which  he  returned  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  In 
the  spring  of  1850  the  subject  of  this  sketch  started  overland  for  Cali- 
fornia, leaving  Oregon  on  the  14th  of  April,  and  arriving  in  Sacramento 
City  the  3rd  of  July.  He  went  by  the  northern  route  from  Humboldt 
north  through  the  southern  part  of  Oregon,  having  missed  the  shorter 
route.  After  remaining  one  year  in  California,  he  returned  by  the  Isth- 
mus and  New  Orleans,  and  then  to  Holt  County.  He  was  engaged  as 
deputy  sheriff  and  also  in  dealing  in  land  and  stock.  In  September, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Kimball's  regiment,  Missouri  Volunteer  Militia,  and 
held  the  position  of  major  of  cavalry  in  this  regiment.  In  March,  1862, 
he  re-enlisted  as  major  of  the  Fourth  Regiment  Missouri  State  Militia 
Volunteers,  and  served  with  his  regiment  three  years,  or  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  having  acted  in  Southern  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  He  assisted 
in  driving  General  Shelby  out  of  Missouri  in  1863,  and  General  Price  in 
1864.  He  was  the  only  field  officer  on  the  battle  field  at  Little  Blue,  his 
regiment  losing  forty-eight  men  in  this  encounter..  He  rode  across  the 
creek  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  under  the  enemy's  fire.  His  horse  was 
shot  twice,  and  Captain  Blair,  one  of  his  best  captains,  was  killed.  He 
commanded  the  right  wing.  They  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Mine  Run, 
Kansas,  where  they  captured  800  prisoners  and  ten  loaded  pieces  of 
artillery.  At  the  close  ol  the  war  Major  K.  returned  to  Holt  County, 
and  has  since  made  this  his  home,  with  the  exception  of  six  months  spent 
in  Kansas  City,  and  one  year  at  St.  Joseph.  He  commenced  the  hotel 
business  in  Oregon  in  1875,  and  in  August,  1877,  the  hotel  burned.  In 
November,  of  that  year,  he  came  to  Forest  City  and  conducted  the 
Brady  House  two  years  and  four  months.  Since  then  he  has  retired  from 
active  life.  He  has  never  been  a  member  of  any  .secret  society,  nor  has 
he  ever  drank  any  liquor.  He  was  married  January  10,  1847,  to  Miss 
Alvira  H.  Davis,  a  native  of  Ohio.  She  died  at  Forest  City,  November 
2,  1879.     She  was  an  active  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

PHILIP  KOLLMOR, 

superintendent  of  the  Holt  County  Poor  House,  was  born  in  Wurtenberg, 
Germany,  on  the  6th  of  December,  1826,  and  is  the  son  of  Fredrick  and 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  387 

Catharine  Kollmor,  both  natives  of  Germany.  Philip  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  the  village  of  El  Hofen,  receiving  a  common  education.  He 
learned  the  baker's  trade,  and  also  served  for  a  while  in  the  German  army- 
In  1852  he  crossed  the  ocean,  and  landed  at  New  York  City  on  the  6th 
of  February,  remaining  there  some  ten  months,  working  in  a  sugar 
house.  From  there  he  went  to  Morrow  County,  Ohio,  where  he  worked 
four  years  in  the  coal  mines,  after  which  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri, arriving  here  April  29,  1856.  For  the  first  few  years  he  worked 
by  the  day  in  Oregon.  During  the  civil  war  he  was  among  the  first  to 
respond  to    President  Lincoln's  call  for  troops.     He  enlisted  June   13, 

1861,  in  Company  B,  Twenty-fifth  Missouri  Infantry,  and  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Lexington,  Missouri,  and  was  taken  prisoner  and  parolled. 
He  re-enlisted  and  at  the  bloody  battle  of  Shiloh,  on  the  6th  of  April, 

1862,  he  was  severely  wounded.  He  remained  in  the  hospital  until  Sep- 
tember I,  1862,  when  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  Return- 
ing to  Holt  County,  Mr.  K.  engaged  in  farming  and  trimming  fruit  trees. 
He  now  owns  an  improved  farm  of  40  acres,  situated  on  the  road  between 
Oregon  and  Forest  City.  He  took  charge  of  the  Holt  County  Poor  House 
March  1,  1880,  and  has  since  filled  this  position.  He  makes  an  efficient 
superintendent,  being  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  gifted  with  a  kind 
and  generous  nature.  Mr.  Kollmor  was  married  October  1,  1854,  to  Miss 
Fannie  Millheart,  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany.  They  have  eight 
children  :  William,  born  May  10,  1857  ;  Sophia,  born  September  27, 
1858  ;  Trocy,  born  April  10,  i860,  (now  Mrs.  Michael  Toll,  of  this  county) 
Albert,  born  December  7,  1863  ;  Emma,  born  April  6,  1867  ;  Elizabeth, 
born  March  13,  1868;  Melia,  born  December  25,  1870;  Fredrick,  born 
April  18,  1878.  Two  are  deceased.  Himself  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  German  M.  E.  Church,  of  Oregon. 

THOMAS  ISRAEL  KREEK, 

retired  merchant  and  fruit  grower,  has  forty-five  acres  of  land  adjoining 
the  corporation  of  Oregon.  He  is  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Amelia 
(Castle)  Kreek,  and  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Maryland,  May 
13,  1826.  His  advantages  for  acquiring  an  education  were  very  limited. 
In  youth  he  learned  the  shoemaking  trade  and  worked  at  it  for  many 
years.  In  1852  he  came  to  this  state,  locating  in  Holt  County,  where 
he  started  a  shoe  shop,  at  Oregon,  and  continued  the  business  until 
1861,  when  he  embarked  in  the  general  merchandise  business  with 
Jonas  Lamer,  an  old  merchant.  They  bought  goods  on  a  rising  market 
and  did  a  very  large  and  profitable  business.  In  1865  Mr.  K.  sold  out 
to  his  partner,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  entered  into  business 
with  Samuel  Hershberger,  and  the  relation  has  been  continued  for 
many  years,  though  with  several  changes  in  the  firm.     Now  the  firm  is 


388  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Kreek  &  Watson,  and,  as  it  is  one  of  the  old  and  successful  firms,  is 
enjoying  a  very  satisfactory  patronage.  The  business  is  carried  on  by 
the  sons  of  Messrs.  Kreek  &  Watson.  Mr.  Kreek  has  been  from  the 
first  one  of  the  leading  men  in  Oregon  in  the  way  of  building.  First 
he  erected  a  good  residence  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  and  in  1875 
he  built  two  large  brick  stores  and  a  third  one  with  Mr.  Hershberger. 
In  1881  he  put  up  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  the  city — a  model 
of  architectural  beauty  and  splendor.  On  his  forty-five  acres  of  land 
he  has  some  800  apple  trees,  300  pear,  500  peach,  and  cherries,  plums, 
grapes  and  all  other  small  fruit  of  the  best  quality.  He  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Steel  Jackson,  in  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  15, 
185 1.  They  have  by  this  happy  union  eight  children  living:  John 
Andrew,  Amelia  Castle,  Elizabeth  A.,  Agnes  Steel,  Thomas  Orick, 
Franklin  Edward,  Harry  Ellsworth  and  Mary  Ellen.  Mrs.  Kreek's 
father  was  John  F.  Jackson,  and  her  mother  was  formerly  Nancy  Can- 
non. Mr.  Kreek  was  treasurer  of  Holt  County  in  1879-80,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  city  council  for  many  years.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics  and  religiously  is  a  Methodist.  John  A.  Kreek  is  a 
partner  in  the  store  of  Kreek  &  Watson,  and  is  a  young  man  well  edu- 
cated in  business  life.  By  experience,  courteous  manners,  and  honor- 
able dealing  has  built  up  a  very  desirable  trade. 

KREEK  &  WATSON, 

dealers  in  general  merchandise.  This  firm  is  composed  of  J.  A.  Kreek 
and  Jonas  Watson.  The  former  was  born  in  Union,  Fayette  County, 
Pennsylvania,  January  5,  1852.  His  father,  T.  I.  Kreek,  was  a  native  of 
Maryland,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  E.  S.  Jackson,  was 
born  in  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania.  They  moved  west  in  the  fall  of 
1862,  and  settled  at  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  John  A.  was 
reared  to  manhood.  After  receiving  a  preparatory  education  in  the 
schools  of  the  place,  he  entered  college  at  Springfield,  Ohio.  The  elder 
Kreek  was  engaged  in  merchandising,  and  John  was  brought  up  to  learn 
that  business.  After  completing  his  education  he  clerked  with  his 
father,  and  on  January  1,  1878,  his  father  then  retired  and  turned  the 
business  over  to  his  son  and  Jonas  Watson.  They  carry  about  the 
heaviest  stock  of  goods  in  town,  and  do  a  flourishing  business.  Mr.  K. 
is  a  young  man  of  steady  and  industrious  habits,  and  one  that  gives  his 
attention  to  his  business.  He  plays  first  alto  in  the  Oregon  Cornet 
Band.  Jonas  Watson,  of  this  firm,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Ellen  Wat- 
son, who  were  pioneers  of  Holt  County.  He  was  born  near  Oregon, 
May  14,  1846,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  on  this  frontier,  receiving  a 
fair  education,  and  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  until  twelve 
years  of  age.     He  then  commenced  to  assist  in  his  father's  woolen  fac- 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  389 

tory,  where  he  worked  until  1865,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  On  the  first  of  March,  1874,  his  father  engaged  in  the 
merchandise  business  with  James  A.  Keeves,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Watson  &  Keeves.  Jonas  clerked  in  this  store  until  October,  1877. 
January  1,  1878,  he  became  associated  with  J.  A.  Kreek,  under  their 
present  firm  name.  Mr.  Watson  is  an  excellent  salesman,  and  holds  the 
respect  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  has  filled  his  present  office  of 
public  alderman  for  some  three  years.  During  the  war  he  served  in  the 
Enrolled  Missouri  Militia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  frater- 
ternity,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  furthering  the  interests 
of  the  town.  He  was  married  November  6,  1870,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Schute,  daughter  of  Herman  Schute,  who  was  an  early  settler  of  Holt 
County.  She  was  born  and  raised  here.  They  have  five  children  : 
Jennie  M.,  born  November  27,  1871  ;  Ida  E.,  born  October  19,  1874; 
Cordelia,  born  April  13,  1876,  and  Jonas  L.,  born  August  4,  1881.  Mrs. 
W.  is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist   Episcopal  Church,  of  Oregon. 

DANIEL  KUNKEL,  Sr., 

miller,  manufacturer  and  inventor,  was  born  in  York  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  1,  18 1 5,  and  when  ten  years  old  his  father  moved  to  Richland 
County,  Ohio,  where  Daniel  received  his  education.  He  was  engaged 
in  chopping  and  clearing  rough  timbered  land  until  his  father  had  a  farm 
and  improvements,  when  he  bought  a  piece  of  land  and  made  a  small 
start  in  life.  In  1847,  he  sold  out  his  farm  and  came  to  Holt  County. 
Observing  that  the  settlers  needed  a  grist  mill,  and  finding  good  water 
facilities  where  his  mill  now  stands,  he  set  about  the  task  of  erecting  a 
suitable  structure,  with  that  indomitable  will  which  has  characterized 
his  whole  life.  In  September,  185 1,  he  had  a  mill  ready  for  grinding. 
People  came  from  far  and  near.  Business  at  once  became  brisk,  even 
beyond  his  most  sanguine  hopes,  and  in  1861,  he  added  a  fine  engine 
and  set  up  machinery  for  carding  wool.  In  1865,  needing  better  facili- 
ties and  more  room,  he  made  a  large  brick  addition,  filled  it  with 
machinery  for  manufacturing  cloth,  and  also  added  three  run  of  burrs 
and  crushers,  the  mill  having  but  one  run  at  first.  Mr.  K.,  with  the 
assistance  of  his  sons,  has  been  doing  a  very  successful  and  satisfactory 
business,  until  now  he  has  retired.  In  January,  1882,  the  four  sons  and 
son-in-law  bought  the  whole  establishment.  They  all  have  been  edu- 
cated in  the  mill  and  factory,  and  are  giving  great  satisfaction  to  their 
customers.  In  1864,  Mr.  K.  invented  a  washing  machine,  which  has 
been  a  success,  and  a  late  improvement  has  placed  it  at  the  head  of 
these  articles.  The  railroad  men  say  that  his  car  coupler  is  the  one  of 
all  others  which  is  destined  to  come  into  use.  He  has  also  invented  a 
drill  extractor,  which  is   one   of  the  most   useful   and  valuable  tools  for 


390  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

miners  in  use.  Few  men  have  done  more  for  the  town  and  country  than 
Mr.  K.  He  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune,  and  by  commenc- 
ing poor,  by  diligence  and  economy  he  has  accumulated  a  competency. 
He  married  Miss  Veronica  Butler  in  1836.  Of  this  union  six  children 
are  living:  Gideon,  John  E.,  Daniel,  Margaret,  Cornelius  and  Christo- 
pher B.  Mrs.  K.  died  in  September,  1852.  He  married  for  his  second 
wife,  Miss  Elizabeth  Haner,  in  1855.  They  have  six  children  :  Elizabeth 
B.,.  Albert,  George  W.,  Mary  A.,  Lydia  A.  and  Cordelia. 

JOHN  E.  KUNKEL, 

merchant,  miller  and  woolen  manufacturer,  was  born  in  Richland 
County,  Ohio,  July  20,  1837,  and  came  to  this  county,  with  his  father,  in 
1847.  He  was  brought  up  from  boyhood  in  a  mill,  and  has  a  perfect 
understanding  of  the  mill  and  factory.  He  accompanied  his  brother, 
Gideon,  to  California,  and  after  remaining  ten  months  he  returned  and 
has  worked  in  the  mill  since  that  time.  In  1882  he  bought  an  inter- 
est in  the  establishment,  with  his  brothers,  and,  perhaps,  there  is  none 
of  them  as  well  qualified  for  every  part  of  the  business  as  he.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Haner,  of  Oregon,  in  1864.  She  was  born  in  Germany. 
They  have  three  children,  Gideon,  John  Wesley  and  Rozina.  Mr.  K. 
took,  to  rear,  Mary  Beam,  when  she  was  a  small  child,  and  has  cared  for 
her  until  she  is  grown  to  be  a  young  lady.  Mr.  K.  is  an  excellent 
mechanic  and  an  intelligent  gentleman,  and.  a  man  with  his  habits  of 
industry  must  and  will  succeed  in  life. 

MICHAEL  LEHMER, 

physician,  surgeon  and  druggist,  was  born  in  Somerset  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, February  13.  1823.  His  father,  Jacob  Lehmer,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  wife,  Barbara  Lehmer,  was  from  Virginia.  Michael 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  in  1837.  He  spent 
his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  received  a  preparatory  education  in 
the  common  schools.  In  1846,  he  entered  Wittenburg  College,  situated 
at  Springfield,  Ohio,  where  he  attended  for  some  eighteen  months,  after 
which  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Doctor  Winwood,  of 
Springfield,  Ohio.  He  remained  with  that  gentleman  about  one  year, 
then  went  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  took  his  first  course  of  lectures 
in  the  fall  of  1847,  at  the  medical  department  of  the  Howard  University, 
called  the  Massachusetts  Medical  College.  In  the  spring  of  1848,  he 
returned  to  his  old  home  in  Ohio,  and  that  summer  studied  medicine 
under  Doctor  Selden.  In  the  fall  of  1848,  he  took  a  partial  course  at  the 
University  Medical  College  of  New  York  City,  then  entered  Detmold's 
Practical  School  of  Medicine  and   Surgery,  and  graduated  from  there  in 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  39 1 

the  spring  of  1850.  Returning  to  his  old  home  in  Ohio,  Dr.  L.  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  immigrated  west  in  July,  185 1,  and 
settled  at  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  resumed  practice 
until  1872.  His  health  being  poor,  he  discontinued  all  except  the  office 
practice.  In  1870,  he  opened  a  drug  store,  and  has  since  continued 
therein.  He  has  a  neat  residence  in  the  south  part  of  town.  His  store 
was  burned  in  1877,  but  he  immediately  erected  a  substantial  brick  and 
opened  a  new  stock  of  drugs,  now  having  a  large  and  complete  stock. 
Being  a  man  of  long  experience  in  the  business,  he  understands  it  thor- 
oughly. The  doctor  was  married  in  1865,  to  Miss  Susan  C.  Dumm,  a 
native  of  Monroe  County,  Ohio. 

JUDGE  SOLOMON  LEHMER, 

section  24,  was  born  in  Somerset  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  December, 
1826,  and  early  moved  to  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  with  his  father, 
where  he  remained  until  grown.  He  received  a  good  education  and 
followed  farming  at  home,  and  for  three  years  he  studied  medicine  and 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  medical  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  New  York  City,  under  the  celebrated  Dr.  Mott.  As  his  prefer- 
ences were  for  farming,  he  gave  up  the  practice  of  medicine  and  has 
now  become  one  of  the  large  and  enterprising  farmers  of  the  county. 
He  came  to  this  locality  in  185 1,  and  after  some  eighteen  months  he 
bought  the  farm  which  he  has  since  occupied.  This  land  and  the  coun- 
try about  it  was  an  unoccupied,  boundless  prairie,  but  he  has  set  out 
forest  trees,  an  orchard  of  400  apple  trees,  with  all  kinds  of  other  fruits 
and  a  fine  vineyard,  built  a  beautiful  residence  and  other  buildings,  and 
has  one  of  the  best  homes  in  this  section.  He,  in  company  with  his 
brother,  Jacob  Lehmer,  who  is  unmarried,  owns  612  acres  of  land.  Mr. 
L.  is  a  good  farmer  and  one  of  the  leading,  enterprising  citizens  of  the 
county.  He  was  elected  county  judge  in  1866,  and  for  six  years  served 
as  such  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  county.  He  is  a  leading  Repub- 
lican and  a  Lutheran.  In  185 1  he  was  married  in  Ohio  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Hill.  She  was  born  in  Greenock,  Scotland.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren living  :  Helen,  Agnes,  Bessie,  and  George.  Bayard  Taylor,  his 
eldest  son,  died  when  twenty-four  years  of  age. 

CAPTAIN  STEPHEN  T.  LUCAS, 

grain  and  live  stock  dealer,  was  born  in  Bradford  County,  New  York,  on 
the  19th  of  May,  1836.  His  father,  Uriah  Lucas,  a  native  of  York  State, 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Lucy  H.  Potter, 
was  from  Pennsylvania.  Stephen  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birth- 
place, spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  receiving  an  education 


392  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  early  learned  the  plasterers  and  brick- 
layers trade,  and  in  1855  he  immigrated  to  Clinton  County,  Iowa,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years.  Then  he  moved  to  Rock  Port,  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  after  one  year,  came  to  Forest  City  in  the  spring 
of  i860.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  among  the  first  to  respond  to 
President  Lincoln's  call  for  troops.  In  July,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany E,  Twenty-fifth  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  as  a  private.  The 
regiment  were  taken  prisoners  at  the  battle  of  Lexington,  and  paroled, 
after  which  they  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  and  the  Tennessee  cam- 
paign. At  Nashville  they  were  consolidated  with  Col.  Biswell's  Engineer- 
ing Corps,  as  the  First  Missouri  Engineers.  Here  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  received  the  position  of  second  lieutenant.  His  regiment  assisted 
in  building  the  railroad  from  Nashville  to  Johnstonville,  under  Colonel 
Flad,  after  which  they  joined  General  Sherman  in  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
At  Atlanta  Mr.  Lucas  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  at  Savannah, 
Georgia,  he  received  a  commission  as  captain  of  Company  M,  First 
Missouri  Engineers.  They  went  through  with  Sherman,  and  after  the 
surrender  of  Johnston's  army,  marched  through  Richmond  to  Washing- 
ton, and  took  part  in  the  grand  review.  Then  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  from  there  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  mustered  out  in  July,  1865. 
Captain  Lucas  had  served  some  four  years  and  six  days,  and  had  taken 
part  in  many  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the  war.  He  soon  returned 
to  Forest  City  and  went  to  work  at  his  trade.  In  the  fall  of  1874  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Holt  County,  and  served  two  terms.  In  1878  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  stock  and  grain  business  at  this  point,  in  which  he  is 
at  present  engaged.  He  owns  a  small  farm  of  fifty-seven  acres,  adjoin- 
ing the  town,  and  also  owns  twenty-three  lots,  besides  having  a  neat 
residence  in  the  city.  He  is  a  well  respected  citizen,  and  every  worthy 
cause  receives  his  support.  Captain  Lucas  was  married  on  the  16th  of 
December,  1868,  to  Nancy  C,  daughter  of  Allen  Wood,  an  old  pioneer 
of  this  county.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  was  principally  raised 
in  Holt  County,  Missouri. 

.GEORGE  P.  LUCKHARDT, 

nurseryman  and  fine  stock  breeder,  is  a  native  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Prussia,  Germany,  January  17,  1826,  and  was  the  son  of  Gott- 
fried and  Mary  Luckhardt,  also  natives  of  Germany.  George  remained 
at  his  birth-place  until  he  was  seventeen,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  the  village.  He  was  reared  under  the  auspices  of  the  German 
Reformed  Church,  having  for  his  pastor  the  renowed  Peter  Langhart. 
He  was  first  educated  for  a  teacher,  but  when  fifteen  years  of  age  went 
into  the  government  treasury  department,  where  he  continued  for  one 
year.     He  then  commenced  to  learn   the  watchmaker's  trade,  with  his 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  393 

brother,  and  when  seventeen  he  left  home  and  traveled  over  Germany 
for  several  years,  working  at  his  trade.  In  June,  1850,  he  crossed  the 
ocean,  and  landed  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  from  whence  he  went  to  Phil- 
adelphia, and  thence  to  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  received  a 
good  position.  After  remaining  there  one  year  he  moved  to  Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1851,  and  opened  a  jewelry  store  on  his  own  account. 
Four  years  after  he  came  west  and  settled  in  Oregon,  in  November,  1855. 
He  here  opened  a  jewelry  store,  and  when  the  war  broke  out  he  was 
appointed  county  treasurer,  and  in  the  fall  of  1861  he  was  elected  to  that 
office.  He  filled  the  position  some  two  and  a  half  years.  Mr.  L.  next 
opened  a  photograph  gallery,  but  still  carried  on  the  jewelry  business. 
In  1865  he  disposed  of  these  branches  of  business  and  purchased  80  acres 
of  improved  land,  with  a  good  brick  residence  upon  it,  adjoining  the 
town  on  the  north.  He  here  embarked  in  the  nursery  business,  and 
though  there  were  but  six  fruit  trees  on  the  place  when  he  bought  it,  he 
now  has  40  acres  in  orchard,  besides  all  varieties  of  fruit  peculiar  to  this 
climate.  His  health  being  poor,  Mr.  L.  concluded  to  abandon  the  nur- 
sery business,  and  turn  his  attention  to  raising  fine  stock  hogs.  In  the 
spring  of  1881  he  imported  some  of  the  finest  stock  in  the  United  States. 
His  Poland  Chinas  are  registered  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  he  is  tak- 
ing great  pains  to  keep  none  but  the  best  stock.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
aldermen  of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  Oregon  Lodge  No.  139,  A.  F. 
and  A.  M.,  in  which  he  has  filled  the  position  of  Master  some  two  years. 
He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge.  Mr.  L.  was  mar- 
ried November  2,  1852,  to  Miss  Henrietta  F.  Von  Luenen.  She  was  a 
native  of  the  town  of  Luenen,  Germany,  which  was  named  after  her 
father's  family.  She  was  born  June  27,  1832.  They  have  had  twelve 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living:  Mary  H.,  born  August  5,  1853; 
(now  Mrs.  W.  M.  Hampshire,  of  Mound  City,)  Louis  H.,  born  September 
18,  1857  ;  Julia,  born  August  26,  1861  ;  George,  born  December  9,  1863  ; 
William,  born  August  26,  1865  ;  Flora  H.,  born  July  23,  1868  ;  Anna  A., 
born  September  9,  1869  ;  Nellie,  born  December  27,  1875.  Himself  and 
wife  are  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Oregon,  in  which 
he  holds  the  position  of  elder.  He  formerly  filled  the  position  of  Sab- 
bath School  superintendent,  for  fifteen  successive  years.  In  1867,  he 
was  a  representative  to  the  general  assembly,  held  at  Cincinnati,  from 
the  upper  Missouri   Presbytery. 

SAMUEL  B.  LUKENS, 

dentist,  was  born  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  March  9,  1826.  His  parents, 
Moses  and  Elizabeth  Lukens,  were  both  natives  of  Ohio.  Samuel  spent 
his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  received  an  education  in  the  neigh- 
borhood schools.     When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  commenced  to  learn 


394  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  dentist's  profession,  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Jefferson  County,  Ohio. 
After  studying  for  about  one  year  he  traveled  for  two  years,  and  finally 
located  at  Cadiz,  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  in  1850,  and  practiced  there  in 
the  same  room  for  sixteen  years.  In  the  fall  of  1866  he  came  west  and 
located  at  Gilead,  Lewis  County,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until  1871, 
after  which  he  came  to  Oregon.  Here  he  has  since  continued  in  busi- 
ness and  now  has  neat  rooms  over  Castal's  shoe  store.  His  long  experi- 
ence gives  him  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  profession,  and  that  he  under- 
stands both  the  surgical  and  the  mechanical  part  of  it  all  will  acknowl- 
edge. Charles  Lukens  assists  in  the  business  and  has  obtained  a  com- 
plete knowledge  of  it  from  his  father.  Mr.  L.  has  a  handsome  residence 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  town.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows' 
fraternity.  He  was  raised  among  the  Quakers  and  still  adheres  to  many 
of  the  sterling  principles  taught  by  that  sect.  He  was  married,  May  2, 
1849,  t°  Miss  D.  J.  Johnson,  of  Lynchburg,  Virginia.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Jonathan  Johnson,  who  held  the  position  of  tobacco  inspector  of 
Lynchburg  for  some  thirty  years.  They  have  five  children  living : 
Charles  W.,  born  December  28,  1856  ;  Elizabeth,  (now  Mrs.  James  Myer, 
of  Holt  County);  Susan  J.,  born  December  2,  1861  ;  Mary  E.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1864;  Jonathan  J.,  born  January  30,  1867.  Mrs.  L.  was  also 
reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Quakers.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  M. 
E.'Church  of  Oregon,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  October,  1879.  His 
eldest  son,  Charles,  who  is  with  him  in  business,  studied  for  a  lawyer 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  the  17th  of  June,  188 1,  at  the  adjourned 
term  of  court.  He  is  a  very  promising  young  man.  He  was  married 
December  24,  1881,  to  Miss  Alice  Rayhill,  of  Pana,  Christian  County, 
Illinois.  She  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Indiana,  in  January,  1852. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

WILLIAM  LUNSFORD, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  29,  also  an  early  settler  of  Holt  County, 
was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Cumberland  River,  in  Wayne  County, 
Kentucky,  October  17,  1819.  His  parents,  Isam  and  Rhoda  Lunsford> 
were  natives  of  North  Carolina.  They  moved  to  Kentucky  in  an  early 
day,  and  when  William  was  seven  years  of  age  they  went  to  Morgan 
County,  Indiana.  After  remaining  there  seven  years,  in  1833  they  came 
to  Crawford  County,  Missouri.  William  moved  to  Holt  County  in  1847 
and  settled  where  he  now  resides,  in  the  heavy  timber.  He  once  wit- 
nessed an  Indian  war-dance  near  his  residence,  in  which  one  hundred 
Indians  took  part.  He  kept  a  store  and  traded  with  the  Indians,  and 
improved  his  farm  in  those  early  days.  His  farm  now  contains  169  acres 
of  well  improved  land,  White  Cloud,  Kansas,  being  situated  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  Missouri  River.     He  also  owns  an  improved  farm 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  395 

of  200  acres,  on  section  19.  He  is  a  hard  working,  industrious  citizen, 
and  holds  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  has  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  school  trustee  several  years,  road  overseer,  etc.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  Burr  Oak  Grange,  No.  1739,  and  fills  the  office  of  elector,  and 
was  one  of  its  charter  members.  Mr.  L.  was  married  in  1839  to  Miss 
Rachel  L.  Walker,  a  native  of  Alabama.  They  have  seven  children  : 
Mary  A.,  born  March  8,  1840,  (widow  of  Elias  E.  Penny);  Wesley  J.,  born 
August  20,  1842.;  Drucilla  E.,  born  March  7,  1844,  (now  Mrs.  John  Tur- 
ney,  of  this  county);  Robert  H.,  born  February  25,  1847;  George  C.,  born 
December  17,  1852  ;  John  F.,  born  December  14,  1856,  and  Isaac  H., 
born  February  19,  1862.  Three  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Lunsford  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Burr  Oak  Christian  Church. 

WESLEY  J.  LUNSFORD, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  29,  was  born  on  the  20th  of  August, 
1842,  in  Crawford  County,  Missouri,  and  is  the  second  child  of  William 
and  Rachel  L.  (Walker)  Lunsford,  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere. 
He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Holt  County  in  1847,  and  was  reared  to 
manhood  on  the  frontier,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  Dur- 
ing the  civil  war  he  took  an  active  part  and  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
Fourteenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  July  29,  1863.  He  served  on  the  frontier 
and  filled  the  position  of  second-duty  sergeant.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  Holt  County  and  has  since  given  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  212  acres,  100  of  which 
is  under  cultivation,  and  upon  it  he  has  a  good  orchard,  neat  residence, 
etc.  He  owns  another  farm  of  300  acres  in  section  23.  At  present  Mr. 
Lunsford  fills  the  office  of  school  director.  He  was  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  Burr  Oak  Grange,  No.  1739,  and  filled  the  position  of  mas- 
ter the  two  first  terms,  now  filling  the  same  position.  He  was  married 
on  the  12th  of  March,  1863,  to  Miss  Susan  E.  Boyd,  daughter  of  Joshua 
Boyd.  She  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Missouri,  October  17,  1844. 
They  are  both  active  members  of  Burr  Oak  Christian  Church,  in  which 
he  fills  the  position  of  deacon. 

J.  FOSTER   MARSHALL, 

real  estate  dealer  and  loan  agent,  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Columbia, 
South  Carolina,  and  was  born  July  29,  1847.  He  was  named  after  his 
father,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  place.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Elizabeth  A.  De  Bruhl.  She  was  of  French  origin,  although 
born  in  Columbia.  Foster  was  principally  raised  at  Abbeyville,  about 
one  hundred  and  five  miles  north  of  Columbia,  receiving  a  preparatory 
education  in  the  schools  of  that  place.     During  the  war  he  espoused  the 


396  HISTORY    OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

southern  cause,  and  assisted  in  defending  what  he  believed  to  be  the 
rights  of  his  country.  In  the  fall  of  1864,  when  only  seventeen  years  of 
age,  he  enlisted  in  Trenholm's  battalion  of  cavalry,  under  Wade  Hamp- 
ton, and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  filling  the  position  of  orderly 
sergeant.  The  command  was  fighting  Sherman  continually  from  that 
time  to  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  M.'s  father  had  served  in  the  Mexican 
War  as  Captain  of  Company  E,  of  the  famous  Palmetto  Regiment.  He 
also  took  an  active  part  in  the  late  war,  filling  the  position  of  colonel, 
and  was  killed  at  the  second  battle  of  Manassas  Junction,  in  1862.  At 
the  close  of  the  war,  Foster  returned  to  the  home  of  his  childhood,  and 
in  January,  1867,  entered  the  University  of  South  Carolina,  situated  at 
Columbia,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1868.  He  then 
went  to  Ocala,  Florida,  and  was  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  cotton,  he 
owning  a  large  cotton  plantation  on  the  famous  Silver  Run,  where  De 
Soto  claimed  old  age  could  be  restored  to  youth  by  bathing  in  its  waters. 
In  1871,  Mr.  M.  returned  to  the  place  of  his  nativity,  and  soon  after- 
wards immigrated  westward,  arriving  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  on  the 
29th  of  May  of  the  same  year.  He  soon  engaged  in  civil  engineering 
on  the  Kansas  City,  Memphis  and  Mobile  Railroad,  and  assisted  in  build- 
ing this  road.  In  July,  1872,  he  settled  at  St.  Joseph,  where  he  remained 
for  one  year,  and  in  1873,  he  became  located  at  Phelps,  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  W.  Osborn  in  the  real 
estate  and  brokerage  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Osborn  &  Marshall. 
They  moved  their  principal  place  of  business  to  Mound  City  in  the  fall 
of  1875,  and  continued  the  business  until  the  spring  of  1878,  when  they 
dissolved,  and  Mr.  Marshall  resumed  the  calling  on  his  own  account, 
with  headquarters  at  Oregon,  and  a  branch  office  at  Mound  City.  He 
carries  on  a  flourishing  business,  and  has  the  respect  of  many  acquaint- 
ances. He  is  no  office  seeker,  but  gives  his  attention  strictly  to  his 
legitimate  business.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  His  father  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate  of  South  Carolina  when  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  and  filled  the  position  for  some  fifteen  years. 

MICHAEL  MAY, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  27.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
in  Montgomery  County,  Indiana,  March  14,  1830.  His  parents,  John  and 
Martha  May,  were  both  old  citizens  of  that  place.  He  accompanied 
them  to  Greene  County,  Missouri,  when  nearly  nine  years  of  age,  and 
about  this  time  his  father  died.  After  remaining  some  years  his  mother 
and  her  family  moved  to  Lamar  County,  Texas,  and  after  one  year  they 
returned  to  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  and  then  came  to  Holt  County  in 
the  fall  of  1843.  They  settled  at  Iowa  Point,  on  the  Missouri  side, 
raised  one  crop  of  corn  after  the  high  water  had  subsided  in  1844,  and 


OREGON  AND   FOREST    CITY.  397 

then  sold  out  and  moved  to  where  Mr.  M.  now  resides.  The  country- 
was  a  wilderness  and  abounded  in  game.  Hog  and  hominy  was  the 
principal  diet,  and  it  was  very  difficult  to  get  grinding  done.  In  1861 
he  took  a  trip  across  the  plains  to  Washington  Territory  and  Oregon, 
and  after  spending  some  three  years  on  the  coast  he  returned  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus  and  New  York  City  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He 
soon  purchased  his  old  farm,  and  has  since  remained  upon  it.  He 
now  owns  273  acres  of  fine  bottom  land,  which  is  well  improved, 
most  of  it  being  under  cultivation.  A  handsome  residence  and  a 
small  orchard  adorn  the  place.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  school 
trustee,  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Grange,  his  wife  still 
holding  her  membership.  Mr.  May  has  been  three  times  married  : 
First,  in  1854,  to  Olive  Currier,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  who  died  in 
the  spring  of  1861.  They  had  three  children  :  Frances  E.,  born,  Jan- 
uary 8,  1857,  now  Mrs.  James  Harris,  of  this  county  ;  Warren,  born 
December  27,  1858,  and  Jane,  born  October  26,  i860.  He  married  again 
in  1864  to  Sarah  Pilkerton,  a  native  of  Missouri.  She  died  in  March, 
1868.  By  this  union  there  was  one  child,  Flora  A.,  born  November  20, 
1866.  He  married  his  present  wife,  Nancy  Nolan,  a  native  of  Jackson 
County,  Missouri,  September  30,  1869.  She  was  born  March  12,  1833. 
They  have  two  children  :  George,  born  February  11,  1872,  and  John  E., 
born  January  17,  1874.  Mrs.  May  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church, 
of  Forest  City. 

HENRY  MINTON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  8,  is  a  prominent  pioneer  of  Holt  County. 
He  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Kentucky,  March  14,  1822,  and  was  the 
son  of  Isaac  and  Ruth  (Blevins)  Minton,  both  natives  of  Kentucky. 
Henry  was  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Tennessee  when  five  years  of  age,  and  there  his 
father  died  and  his  mother  moved  to  Franklin  County,  Missouri,  in  1835 ■ 
Henry  was  reared  to  manhood  in  that  locality,  on  the  farm,  receiving  a 
common  school  education.  In  1846  he  volunteered  in  Jack  Hayes'  regi- 
ment of  Texas  Rangers,  and  assisted  in  the  Mexican  war.  His  company, 
with  several  others,  was  left  to  guard  the  Texas  frontier.  In  1848  he 
returned  to  Franklin  County,  arriving  August  of  that  year  ;  then  made  a 
trip  to  Holt  County.  He  went  back  to  Franklin  County,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  moving  to  Holt  in  the  spring,  but  taking  the  California  gold 
fever  in  the  spring  of  1849,  ne  crossed  the  plains  to  the  land  of  gold. 
He  was  six  months  and  four  days  on  the  way.  He  remained  there  until 
the  fall  of  185 1,  engaged  in  working  in  the  gold  mines,  and  returned  by 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  Cuba  and  New  Orleans.  In  the  spring  of  1852 
he  came  to  Holt  County  and  settled  in  this  township.  An  elder  brother, 
his    mother   and    sisiter  accompanied  him.     The    county   was  then   an 


398  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

unbroken  wilderness,  but  since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  owns  at  present  1,600  acres  of  fine  bottom  land, 
and  on  the  home  farm  there  are  some  400  acres  under  cultivation.  He 
has  a  good  brick  residence,  and  an  orchard  of  some  250  bearing  trees. 
This  is  one  of  the  finest  stock  farms  in  the  county.  During  the  civil 
war  Mr.  M.  enlisted  in  the  Fourteenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  served  some 
time,  filling  the  position  of  second  lieutenant.  He  was  taken  sick  and 
left  in  the  hospital  at  Camden  Point,  Arkansas,  in  April,  1864,  and  while 
there  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels.  After  he  had  recovered,  he 
was  taken  to  Tyler,  Texas,  and  kept  until  February,  1865.  He  was  then 
exchanged  at  New  Orleans,  obtained  thirty  days'  furlough,  visited  his 
family,  and  joined  his  regiment  again  at  Pine  Bluffs.  They  went  to  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  where  they  were  finally  discharged.  Politically,  he  is 
an  old-time  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Odd  Fellows. 
Mr.  Minton  was  married  December  15th,  1852,  to  Mrs.  Lucretia  A. 
Jeffries,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lucretia  Boyd,  daughter  of  J.  C.  Boyd, 
an  old  pioneer  of  Holt  County.  She  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Mis- 
souri, January  10th,  1837.  They  have  had  ten  children,  nine  of  whom 
are  living.  Joseph  L.,  born  November  23,  1853  ;  Isaac  M.,born  February 
23,  1856;  William  E.,  born  March  1,  1858;  John  R.,  born  September  30, 
i860;  Martha  J.,  born  February  18,  1864;  George  H.,  born  September 
23,  1866;  Ida  L.,  born  December  8,  1872  ;  Lucretia  B.,  born  September 
9,  1876  ;  David  H.,  born  January  20,  1881.  Himself  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church  of  Burr  Oak,  in  which  he  holds  the  posi- 
tion of  elder. 

MINTON  BROTHERS, 

dealers  in  general  merchandise,  are  among  the  enterprising  business 
firms  of  Holt  County.  W.  E.  Minton,  a  member  of  this  firm,  was  born  in 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  March  1,  1858.  His  father,  Henry  Minton,  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  county.  He  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Mrs. 
Minton's  maiden  name  was  Lucretia  Boyd,  a  native  of  Cooper  County, 
Missouri.  William  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace,  spending 
his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  receiving  a  preparatory  education  in 
the  common  school.  In  1876  he  commenced  to  attend  the  State  Normal 
School,  at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  and,  after  a  course  of  two  years  there,  he 
entered  the  State  University,  at  Columbia,  in  1878,  and  graduated  from 
the  normal  department.  On  March  ich  188 i,  he  commenced  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Forest  City,  in  partnership  with  two  brothers.  They 
are  located  on  Commercial  Street  and  carry  a  large  and  complete  stock, 
and  do  a  flourishing  business.  William  has  the  principal  care  of  the 
business.  In  his  manners  he  is  much  of  a  gentleman  and  is  an  excellent 
salesman.     Having  been  raised  in   the  county  he  is  well  known  by  all. 


OREGON    AND    FOREST    CITY.  399 

• 

He  is  an  active  member  of  Forest  City  Lodge,  No.  214,  A.  F.  and  A.  M. 
He  was  married  October  13,  188 1,  to  Miss  Minnie  Dyer,  a  niece  of  Pat 
Dyer,  of  St.  Louis.  She  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Missouri,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1859.  She  was  principally  raised  and  educated  in  St.  Louis,  by  her 
uncle.     She  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

ROBERT  MONTGOMERY, 

of  the  firm  of  Montgomery  &  Roecker,  bankers,  was  born  on  the  9th  of 
August,  1837,  in  Bangor,  Ireland.  His  parents,  Hugh  and  Agnes  Mont- 
gomery, were  both  natives  of  Ireland,  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age 
Robert  crossed  the  ocean,  landing  at  New  York  City,  June  13,  1854.  He 
soon  became  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  wholesale  house,  and  in  December, 
1854,  he  moved  to  Jackson  County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  i860, 
making  his  home  with  an  uncle,  and  attending  school  some  two  years- 
He  then  resumed  the  duties  of  a  clerk  at  the  Latrobe  iron  furnace,  and  in 
i860,  he  located  in  Greenup  County,  Kentucky.  One  year  later  he 
returned  to  Ohio,  and  again  engaged  as  clerk  at  the  Keystone  furnace. 
After  remaining  there  some  four  months,  in  August,  1861,  he  volunteered 
in  the  Union  army.  He  went  to  Greenup,  Kentucky,  where  he  assisted 
in  recruiting  Company  C,  Twenty-second  Kentucky  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  held  the  position  of  second  lieutenant.  After  serving  some  eighteen 
months,  he  accepted  a  position  as  Aid-de-camp,  on  General  George  W. 
Morgan's  staff.  In  June,  1863,  General  Morgan  resigned  ;  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  also  resigned,  and  accepted  the  position  of  sutler  of  the  First 
Ohio  Heavy  Artillery,  with  which  he  continued  until  February,  1865. 
During  his  term  of  service  he  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Pond  Gap,  under 
General  Garfield,  at  the  taking  of  Cumberland  Gap,  in  1862,  under  Gen- 
eral Morgan,  the  battle  of  Yazoo  Bluffs,  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  under 
General  Sherman,  then  under  General  McClellan,  of  Illinois, -at  the  cap- 
ture of  Arkansas  Post,  and  back  to  Vicksburg,  where  Morgan  resigned. 
In  1862,  while  they  held  Cumberland  Gap,  Mr.  Montgomery,  with  a  force 
of  men,  went  to  Barboursville,  Kentucky,  and  paroled  some  four  hundred 
prisoners.  In  February,  1865,  he  became  a  clerk  at  the  Berkley  iron 
furnace,  where  he  remained  for  some  nine  months.  On  the  14th  of 
November,  1865,  he  married  Miss  Frances  S.  White,  daughter  of  Hiram 
W.  White,  of  Olney,  Richland  County,  Illinois.  She  was  born  in  Jack- 
son County,  Ohio,  March  28,  1841.  They  subsequently  traveled  one 
year  in  the  west,  then  returned  to  Jackson  County,  Ohio,  in  the  spring 
of  1866,  where  he  was  employed  as  clerk  with  the  Lincoln  iron  furnace 
company.  In  April,  1870,  he  moved  to  Olney,  Illinois,  and  in  June,  1871, 
he  immigrated  westward,  and  settled  in  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
where  he  purchased  the  interest  of  James  Scott,  in  the  banking  business. 
This  business  was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  R.   Montgomery  & 


40O  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

• 
Co.,  until  January  i,  1872,  when  Levi  Zook  became  associated  with  them, 
forming  the  firm  of  Zook  &  Montgomery.  In  January,  1875,  Mr.  Zook 
retired,  and  M.  S.  Norman  became  a  member  ;  the  name  of  the  firm  then 
becoming  Montgomery  &  Norman.  January  15,  1877,  Mr.  Roecker  pur- 
chased Mr.  Norman's  interest,  and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Mont- 
gomery &  Roecker.  This  bank  does  a  flourishing  business,  and  is  on  a 
solid  basis.  Mr.  Montgomery  is  an  active  member  of  Oregon  Lodge 
No.  139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  in  which  he  has  filled  the  position  of  Master 
for  about  three  years.  He  also  belongs  to  Keystone  Chapter,  No.  46,  of  j 
Mound  City.  Himself  and  wife  are  both  active  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  Oregon,  in  which  he  fills  the  position  of  elder  and 
Sabbath  School  superintendent.  They  have  one  child,  Hiram  W.,  born 
July  14,  1868. 

SAMUEL  W.  MORRISON, 

county  collector,  was  born  March  7,  1843,  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  the  son  of  Alexander  W.  and  Margaret  Morrison,  who 
were  natives  of  the  same  state.  Samuel  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his 
birthplace,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  receiving  an 
education  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  During  the  war  he  served  in 
the  state  militia  of  Pennsylvania  when  the  state  was  invaded.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1869,  he  moved  westward  and  settled  in  Holt  County  on  a  farm. 
In  1870,  he  moved  to  Atchison  County,  and  remained  one  year,  and  in 
1871,  he  was  made  deputy  county  clerk  of  Holt  County.  In  1872,  he 
became  deputy  county  collector,  and  filled  the  position  until  the  fall  of 
1876,  when  he  was  elected  county  collector  for  a  two  years'  term.  He 
was  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1881,  and  at  present  fills  the  office,,  discharg- 
ing his  duties  with  scrupulous  care  and  fidelity.  He  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  Oregon  Lodge  No.  139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  in  which  he  at  present 
holds  the  office  of  junior  warden.  He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Republican, 
and  is  a  public  spirited  and  enterprising  citizen.  Mr.  Morrison  was 
married  March  28,  1877,  to  Miss  Flora  Hahn,  daughter  of  Richard  Hahn, 
an  old  pioneer  of  Holt  County.  She  was  born  and  raised  here.  They 
have  two  children:  Blanche,  born  January  9,  1878,  and  Kate  R.,  born 
March  22,  1881.  They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Oregon. 

JAMES   B    PAYNE, 

proprietor  of  stave  and  heading  factory.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  in  Boone  County,  Missouri,  June  3,  1834.  His  father,  Ballin- 
ger  Payne,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Mary 
Hobbs,  was  born  in  Virginia.    They  moved  to  Missouri  in  an  early  day. 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  401 

James  passed  his  youthful  days  on  the  farm  and  received  his  education 
in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Holt 
County  in  the  fall  of  1849,  an<^  nere  he  remained  until  1858,  when  he 
moved  to  Doniphan  County,  Kansas.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  up 
to  1864,  when  he  commenced  the  general  merchandise  business  at 
Lafayette,  Kansas.  This  he  followed  some  seven  years.  Returning  to 
Holt  County  in  the  fall  of  187 1,  he  located  at  Oregon,  where  he  con- 
tinued the  mercantile  business  until  1878,  then  purchasing  the  stave  and 
heading  factory  in  the  spring  of  1877.  It  is  fitted  up  with  a  complete 
set  of  machinery  and  does  superior  work,  being  capable  of  turning  out 
some  two  car  loads  of  work  per  week.  Mr.  Payne  owns  some  900  acres 
of  land  in  Holt  County,  most  of  which  is  improved.  He  owns  his  resi- 
dence property  in  Oregon,  the  grounds  surrounding  which  are  decorated 
with  evergreens  and  are  the  handsomest  in  the  city.  During  the  late 
war  he  served  in  the  Kansas  Militia  and  assisted  in  driving  Price  out  of 
Missouri  in  1864.  He  is  a  member  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  139,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  Payne  was  married  on  the  27th  of  April,  1853, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Reed,  daughter  of  Andrew  J.  Reed,  of  this  county. 
She  is  a  native  of  Johnson  County,  Missouri,  and  was  born  on  the  30th 
of  December,  1838.  They  have  been  blessed  with  nine  children,  eight 
of  whom  are  living:  Andrew  B.,  born  February  13,  1854;  Emily  J., 
born  August  12,  1856,  (now  Mrs.  Byron  Edmonds,  of  this  county);  Min- 
nie C,  born  November  28,  1858,  (wife  of  Rev.  P.  M.  Best,  of  Sidney, 
Iowa);  Mary  E.,  born  April  11,  1861  ;  James  W.,  born  March  15,  1864; 
David,  deceased;  Eva,  born  September  6,  1869;  Johnnie  E.,  born  May 
15,  1876,  and  Laura  A.,  born  July  13,  1881.  Mr.  P.  and  his  wife  are 
active  members  of  the  Christian  Church  of  Oregon.     . 

HUGH  PENNEL, 

farmer,  stock  raiser  and  fruit  grower,  is  the  owner  of  350  acres  of  land, 
his  residence  being  in  section  25.  Mr.  P.  was  born  in  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  February  1,  1821.  His  opportunities  for  attending  school  in  youth 
were  limited.  In  April,  1842,  he  came  to  Holt  County  and  made  a 
claim,  where  he  now  lives,  and  when  the  land  came  into  market  he 
entered  it.  He  has  made  his  farm,  two  miles  east  of  Oregon,  one  of  the 
finest  of  the  township.  He  was  among  the  early  pioneers  of  the  county, 
and  for  ten  years  he  experienced  many  hardships  and  was  deprived  of 
many  comforts.  In  1842  he  assisted  to  raise  the  first  building  in 
Oregon,  which  was  a  log  store,  built  by  William  Zook,  who  had  about 
$800  capital  to  purchase  goods.  Mr.  P.  has  a  valuable  orchard,  with  all 
kinds  of  fruit,  and  in  1868  he  built  his  fine  brick  residence.  His  father, 
William  D.  Pennel,  came  here  in  the  spring  of  1843,  and  took  the  claim 
one-half  mile   west   of  his  son,  where  he  made  a  fine  farm.     In  185 1  he 

£6 


402  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

died.  His  wife  died  in  Ohio  in  1838.  They  left  seven  children,  of 
which  Hugh  was  the  second.  Hugh  Pennel  was  married  in  Holt  County 
to  Miss  Hannah  Beeler,  September  18,  1856.  They  have  by  this  happy 
union  four  children  living:  John,  William,  Jennie  and  Cora  Belle. 
Elizabeth  died  when  eight  years  old,  and  Mary  died  at  the  age  of  six 
years.  Mr.  P.  is  an  active  Republican.  He  and  his  estimable  com- 
panion are  zealous  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mrs.  P.'s 
father  was  Israel  D.  Beeler.  Her  grandmother  was  formerly  Hannah 
Drybread,  and  her  grandfather  Thomas  Beeler. 

IRA  PETER, 

dealer  in  general  merchandise,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Ken- 
tucky, April  1,  1836.  His  parents,  Richard  and  Lucy  Peter,  were  both 
natives  of  Kentucky.  Ira  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He,  with  his  father, 
came  overland,  in  a  buggy,  in  the  fall  of  1852,  and  settled  in  Oregon,  and 
here  he  became  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store.  After  remaining  in 
the  drug  business  some  five  years,  in  the  spring  of  1857,  ne  embarked  in 
general  merchandising.  In  1861  he  opened  a  drug  store,  which  he  car- 
ried on  until  1869.  He  then  resumed  the  general  merchandise  business, 
in  company  with  M.  S.  Norman,  with  whom  he  continued  till  1875,  when 
he  purchased  Mr.  Norman's  interest.  Mr.  Peter  now  carries  one  of  the 
largest  stocks  of  goods  in  town,  and  does  a  flourishing  business.  He 
came  here  when  the  town  was  a  mere  village  and  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  furthering  its  interests,  always  having  been  an  open-hearted  and 
public-spirited  citizen.  During  the  war  he  served  in  the  Enrolled  Mis- 
souri Militia.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  P.  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried ;  first,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Susan  Owsley,  a  native  of  Andrew  County, 
Missouri.  She  died  March  1,  1870,  leaving  four  children  :  Charlie,  born 
January  23,  1862  ;  Bryant,  born  August  6,  1863  ;  Frank,  born  September 
16,  1865  ;  Mary,  born  February  18,  1870.  He  was  married  again  Octo- 
ber 2$,  1873,  to  Miss  Betty  Price,  a  native  of  Page  County,  Virginia. 
They  have  one  child,  Lucy,  born  August  14,  1876.  Himself  and  wife  are 
both  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Oregon,  in  which  he 
fills  the  position  of  deacon. 

THOMAS  L.  PRICE, 

dealer  in  hardware  and  agricultural  implements,  was  born  August  8, 
1853,  in  Page  County,  Virginia,  near  Blue  Ridge,  where  the  famous  gave 
has  lately  been  discovered.  His  father,  Peter  Price,  was  born  in  1798  in 
Virginia,  and  his  mother,  Mary  Keyser,  was  also  a  native  of  that  state. 
She  is  now  some  seventy-two  years  of  age  and  she  and  her  husband 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  403 

are  both  residents  of  Oregon  at  present.  The  parents  of  Thomas 
moved  west,  settling  in  Oregon  in  1855,  and  he  was  reared  to  manhood 
on  the  frontier  and  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  this  place. 
In  October,  1875,  he  commenced  clerking  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
Ira  Peter,  with  whom  he  remained  four  years,  after  which  he  engaged 
in  dealing  in  clothing  and  gents  furnishing  goods  in  partnership  with  B. 
B.  Frazer,  of  St.  Joseph.  After  continuing  the  business  one  year  at  Ore- 
gon, they  moved  to  Watson,  where  they  remained  one  year.  Mr.  P. 
returned  to  Oregon  in  December,  1881,  and  in  February,  1882,  he 
opened  a  stock  of  hardware  and  agricultural  implements  at  this  point, 
the  only  house  in  this  line  in  town.  He  is  an  enterprising  young  man, 
and,  having  been  raised  in  the  county,  is  well  and  favorably  known.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Lodge,  No.  196,  of  Oregon.  Mr.  Price 
was  married  October  20,  1879,  to  Miss  Sedora  Wilson,  a  native  of  Indiana. 
She  was  born  on  the  14th  of  December,  1858.  She  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Oregon. 

JOHN  PROUD, 

farmer,  section  13,  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  in  1807.  He  was 
raised  a  farmer,  and  at  that  early  day  his  school  advantages  were  limited- 
He  married  Miss  Sarah  H.  King,  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  in  1830. 
She  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  March  24,  18 12.  They  had  ten 
children  :  Bennett  Colvin,  born  in  1831,  died  in  1853  ;  William  J.,  born 
in  1833,  died  in  1845  ;  Timothy  H.,  born  in  1836  ;  David  K.,  born  in  1838; 
Rachael  A.,  born  in  1841,  died  in  1862  ;  Samuel  W.,  born  in  1844  ;  Clark 
O.,  born  in  1847  ;  Laura  R.,  born  in  1849,  died  in  1864';  Elizabeth  A., 
born  in  1852;  Luella  L.,  born  in  1855.  At  her  death  Rachael  Ann  left 
her  husband  and  three  children.  David  K.  enlisted  in  September,  1861, 
in  the  Thirty-fourth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  died  at  Camp  Nel- 
son, Kentucky,  of  typhoid  fever,  in  March,  1862.  In  1849,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Proud  moved  to  Howard  County,  Indiana,  where  they  improved  a  heavy 
timbered  farm,  and  made  a  fine  home.  In  1864,  they  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  here  he  bought  a  farm,  on  which  he  has 
made  excellent  improvements.  This  contains  130  acres,  and  now  in  his 
old  age,  he  has  a  good,  comfortable  home,  with  all  the  comforts  that  he 
can  desire.  He  took  William  H.  Snow,  when  he  was  three  years  old,  to 
bring  up.  He  is  now  of  age,  and  is  a  worthy  and  industrious  young 
man,  and  is  working  the  farm  of  Mr.  P.  Mr.  Snow  was  born  in  Decatur, 
in  1 86 1,  and  with  his  parents  came  to  Holt  County,  where  his  mother 
died,  leaving  three  children.  To  relieve  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Proud  still  further 
from  care,  they  have  for  many  years  had  Miss  Louisa  Mingers,  from 
Athens,  Ohio,  who  lives  with  them  and  takes  full  charge  of  the  house- 
work.    She  is  a  good  housekeeper,  and  an  excellent  companion.     Mrs. 


404  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

P.'s  father,  John  King,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  was  an  able  minis- 
ter in  the  M.  E.  Church.  Mr.  Proud  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
Methodist  in  religious  preferences. 

CLARK  O.  PROUD, 

of  the  firm  of  King  &  Proud,  druggists  and  stationers,  was  born  near 
Kokomo,  Howard  County,  Indiana,  November  28,  1847,  and  was  the  son 
of  John  and  Sarah  Proud,  who  were  natives  of  Ohio.  Clark  spent  his 
boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  attended  the  neighborhood  schools.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  west  in  March,  1864,  they  settling  some  three 
miles  north  of  Oregon.  Mr.  Proud  served  for  some  time  in  the  Enrolled 
Missouri  Militia.  He  attended  school  in  Oregon,  and  in  1867,  com- 
menced teaching,  which  profession  he  continued  for  some  eight  years. 
In  1875  ne  went  to  Atchison  County,  where  he  remained,  following  his 
calling,  for  about  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1877,  he  came  to  Oregon  and 
purchased  the  interest  of  Levi  Owens  in  the  drug  store,  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  Dr.  King,  under  the  firm  name  of  King  &  Proud,  they 
enjoying  a  liberal  share  of  the  patronage  of  the  residents  of  this  city, 
and  deserve  their  success.  In  1881  Mr.  Proud  filled  an  unexpired  term 
as  mayor  of  Oregon.  He  has  also  filled  the  position  of  councilman. 
He  was  married  August  31,  1867,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Curtis,  daughter  of 
James  Curtis,  Sr.,  late  of  this  county.  She  was  born  and  raised  here. 
They  have  two  children,  Willard  C,  born  June  28,  1873  ;  Effie,  born  Sep- 
tember 1,  1877.  Mrs.  Proud  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  of 
Oregon. 

JACOB  QUICK, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  22,  was  born  on  the  22d  of  June,  1837,  in 
Callaway  County,  Missouri.  His  father,  Thomas  Quick,  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Rachel  Johnson, 
was  from  North  Carolina.  Jacob  was  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren. He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  has  given  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits  through  life.  In  August,  1850,  he  came  to 
Holt  County,  with  his  parents,  his  father  taking  up  a  claim  in  section  26. 
During  the  war  Jacob  Quick  espoused  the  Union  cause,  and  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Fourteenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  on  the  19th  of  September, 
1863.  He  served  under  Gen.  Steel,  on  the  frontier.  He  has  filled  the 
offices  of  school  director  and  road  overseer  three  years  each,  and  is  well 
acquainted  all  over  the  county.  He  owns  335  acresof  fine  bottom  land, 
160  acres  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  has  a  handsome  residence, 
a  fine  orchard  of  100  trees,  and  his  farm  is  well  stocked.  Mr.  Quick  was 
married  February  14,  1867,  to  Miss  Jane  Cunningham,  daughter  of  Isaac 
Cunningham,  of  this  county.     She  was  born  in  Edgar  County,  Illinois, 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  405 

March  27,  1848.  They  have  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing :  Rachel  M.,  born  November  1 1,  1867  ;  George  W.,  born  June  14,  1869  ; 
Becky  A.,  born  December  31,  1871  ;  Florence  T.,  born  December  12, 
1872;  Hattie  E.,  born  January  5,  1874;  Samuel  J.,  born  September  16, 
1876;  Lucy,  born  September  23,  1878. 

GEORGE  W.  QUICK, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  22,  the  sixth  child  in  a  family  of  eight, 
was  born  September  1,  1841,  in  Callaway  County,  Missouri,  and  is  the 
son  of  Thomas  and  Rachel  (Johnson)  Quick.  The  former  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  and  the  latter  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  George 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  the  fall  of  1850. 
The  country  was  then  a  vast  wilderness,  and  inhabited  by  roving  bands 
of  Indians  and  wild  game.  It  was  in  a  log  cabin  on  this  frontier  that 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to  manhood,  his  education  being 
obtained  in  a  log  school  house  with  a  dirt  floor.  This  school  building 
was  erected  in  about  1850,  and  was  on  the  edge  of  Forbes  Township. 
Chade  Colcher  was  his  first  teacher.  About  the  time  George  arrived  at 
maturity  the  civil  war  broke  out,  and  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Four- 
teenth Kansas  Cavalry,  on  the  19th  of  September,  1863,  and  served  on 
the  frontier.  He  took  a  trip  to  White  County,  Illinois,  in  1864,  thence 
through  Iowa,  and  back  to  Holt  County  in  the  fall  of  1865.  Since  then 
he  has  given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  owns  940  acres 
of  fine  bottom  land,  about  600  acres  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  there 
being  upon  it  a  good  dwelling  and  a  fair  orchard  of  150  trees.  He  has 
two  thoroughbred  Norman  French  horses,  and  other  graded  stock.  Mr. 
Q.  was  married  April  4,  1866,  to  Miss  Flora  Edwards,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Edwards,  of  this  county.  She  was  born,  in  Greene  County,  Georgia, 
October  12,  1849.  By  this  union  they  have  had  eight  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living  ;  James  T.,  born  February  13,  1867  ;  William  J.,  born 
October  «i8,  1868  ;  Afton  L.,  born  October  18,  1870  ;  Moses  A.,  born 
February  27,  1873  ;  Byron  W.,  born  April  17,  1875  ;  Claude,  born  March 
25,  1877,  and  George  W.,  born  November  9,  188 1.  Himself  and  wife  are 
active  members  of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  Q.  is  gifted  with  a  reten- 
tive memory,  and  relates  many  anecdotes  of  his  early  trials  here. 

CAPTAIN  ALBERT  ROECKER, 

of  the  firm  of  Montgomery  &  Roecker,  bankers,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Leonberg,  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  on  the  9th  of  November,  1840.  His 
parents,  Frederick  and  Katherine  Roecker,  were  also  natives  of  that 
place.  Albert  lived  there  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  receiving  the 
benefits  of  a  common  education.     He  also  learned  the  painter's  trade. 


406  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

In  July,  1859,  he  crossed  the  ocean,  landing  at  New  York  on  the  18th  of 
September,  of  that  year.  There  he  engaged  in  working  at  his  trade, 
and  there  he  remained  until  July,  i860,  when  he  moved  westward  and 
settled  at  Forest  City,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  assisting  his  brother-in- 
law  in  the  brewery  until  February,  1862.  Mr.  R.  then  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  Company  B,  Fourth  Cavalry,  Missouri  State  Militia,  and  served 
in  Southern  Missouri  and  Northern  Arkansas,  participating  in  all  the 
important  engagements  of  the  campaign.  He  assisted  in  driving  Price 
from  Missouri  in  1864,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  California,  Browns- 
ville, Little  Blue,  in  Jackson  County,  and  Marias  des  Cygne,  Kansas, 
where  they  captured  General  Marmadukeand  several  hundred  prisoners, 
and  some  pieces  of  artillery.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  subse- 
quently promoted  to  captain,  filling  every  office,  except  that  of  second 
lieutenant.  His  company  was  mustered  out  in  March,  1865,  but  he  was 
retained  and  put  in  command  of  Company  A.  The  staff  officers  were 
all  mustered  out,  and  he  had  full  command.  He  was  mustered  out  in 
July,  1865.  At  the  battle  of  Little  Blue,  Mr.  R.  was  acting  adjutant 
under  Major  Kelly,  his  real  position  being  first  lieutenant  under  Captain 
Blair,  who  was  killed  in  this  battle.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned 
to  Forest  City,  and  was  again  engaged  with  his  brother-in-law  in  the 
brewery  until  July,  1866.  In  the  fall  of  that  year,  he  was  elected  sheriff 
and  collector  of  Holt  County,  and  was  re-elected  in  1868.  In  1870,  he 
was  elected  county  clerk,  and  served  one  term  of  four  years.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1875,  he  crossed  the  ocean  and  visited  the  home  of  his  childhood, 
but  later  returned  to  Oregon.  In  January,  1877,  Captain  R.  became 
associated  with  R.  Montgomery  in  the  banking  business,  under  the 
present  firm  name  of  Montgomery  &  Roecker.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  Forest  City  Lodge  No.  214,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  also  of  Keystone  Chap- 
ter No.  46,  of  Mound  City.  He  was  married  the  7th  of  February,  1867, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Weber,  who  was  born  in  Wheeling,  West  Virginia. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  A.  Weber,  of  Atchison  County.  They  have  been 
blessed  with  six  children  :  Louisa,  born  May  18,  1868  ;  Emma,  born 
April  21,  1870;  Annie,  born  March  26,  1872;  Frederick,  born  May  24, 
1874;  Charles,  born  June  30,  1876;  Frank,  born  February  18,  1880. 
Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

CHRISTOPHER  SCHLOTZHAUER, 

farmer  and  miller,  section  10,  is  one  among  the  pioneers  of  Northwest- 
ern Missouri.  His  parents,  Rudolph  and  Christiana,  were  both  natives 
of  Germany.  Christopher  was  born  on  the  12th  of  April,  1828,  in  that 
country.  He  crossed  the  ocean  with  his  father  and  mother  about  1835, 
and  landed  at  New  Orleans.  After  remaining  some  two  years  in  Louisi- 
ana,  they   came  by  steamboat   to   St.   Louis  and   thence  to  Boonville, 


OREGON   AND    FOREST   CITY.  407 

Cooper  County,  Missouri  ;  thence  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
reared  to  manhood,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  receiv- 
ing fair  educational  advantages.  He  helped  clear  two  farms  in  that 
densely  wooded  locality,  and  when  seventeen  he  commenced  to  learn 
the  carpenter  trade,  which  he  followed  for  several  years.  In  1852  he 
moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  at  Irish  Grove,  con- 
tinuing to  live  in  that  neighborhood  engaged  in  farming  for  twelve 
years.  He  also  operated  a  saw-mill  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1864, 
he  came  to  Holt  County  and  settled  where  he  now  resides.  He  has 
since  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  at  present  owns  160 
acres  of  well  improved  land.  His  farm  is  well  watered  by  two  never 
failing  springs  and  a  branch.  Curzon  Station,  on  the  Kansas  City,  St. 
Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  is  only  a  short  distance  from  his  resi- 
dence. In  May,  188 1,  Mr.  S.  purchased  the  steam  saw-mill  located  at 
that  point.  This  mill  does  as  much  business  as  any  in  the  county,  is 
complete  in  its  appointments,  and  when  crowded  is  capable  of  cutting 
ten  thousand  feet  per  day.  Mr.  S.  is  a  very  enterprising  and  energetic 
citizen.  Politically  he  is  an  Independent  Republican  and  formerly 
voted  the  old  Whig  ticket.  He  was.married  on  the  9th  of  April,  1848, 
to  Miss  Dorathy  Snider,  daughter  of  John  P.  Snider.  She  is  also  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  was  born  on  the  second  of  January,  1843.  She 
was  brought  across  the  ocean  when  about  one  year  of  age.  They 
have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living  :  Sarah  E.,  born  Jan- 
uary 24,  1849,  (now  Mrs.  Jacob  Mart,  of  Oregon,  Missouri);  Rudolph, 
born  November  13,  1850 ;  Philip,  born  March  30,  1856 ;  John,  born 
October  8,  1858;  Christopher,  born  September  13,  1862  ;  Julia  A.,  born 
July  3,  1865.  Himself  and  wife  are  active  members  of  the  German  M. 
E.  Church.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  a  local  preacher  in  this  church 
for  some  twenty-five  years. 

RUDOLPH  SCHLOTZHAUER 

was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Missouri,  in  1850,  and  in  1866  came  to 
Oregon.  After  attending  school  for  some  time,  he  entered  the  Sentinel 
office  in  Oregon,  and  learned  the  printing  business,  at  which  he  worked 
for  ten  years.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  B.  A.  Kunkel  in  1876.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Daniel  Kunkel,  Esq.,  of  this  city.  They  have  two 
children,  Ina  Alberta  and  Morton  Virner.  In  1878,  Mr.  Schlotzhauer 
abandoned  the  printing  business  and  entered  the  mill  and  factory  of 
Daniel  Kunkel,  with  whom  he  has  since  remained.  In  the  winter  of 
1882,  Mr.  Kunkel  sold  the  mill  and  factory  to  three  of  his  sons  and  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  They  are  doing  an  excellent  business,  obtaining 
large  quantities  of  wheat,  and  manufacturing  fine  brands  of  flour.  Many 
of  the  neighboring  towns  are  supplied  by  them.  Mr.  S.  is  an  industrious 
man,  and  has  hosts  of  friends. 


408  HISTORY   OF    HOlT   COUNTY. 

JAMES  SCOTT 

is  prominent  among  the  early  settlers  of  Holt  County.  He  is  a  native 
of  Washington  County,  Virginia,  where  he  was  born  October  26,  1821. 
His  parents,  Robert  and  Eleanor  D.  Scott,' were  both  natives  of  Virginia. 
James  passed  his  youthful  days  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  neighbor- 
hood schools.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Fountain  County,  Indiana, 
;n  1834,  but  his  father  died,  in  1838,  and  the  care  of  the  family  fell  upon 
James.  In  the  fall  of  1840  they  moved  to  Cole  County,  Missouri,  and 
settled  near  Stringtown,  twelve  miles  from  Jefferson  City.  In  March, 
1842,  they  came  to  Holt  County,  locating  on  a  farm  four  miles  north  of 
Oregon,  where  they  pre-empted  a  piece  of  wild  land,  and  commenced  to 
improve  a  farm.  The  county  was  almost  totally  uninhabited,  save  by 
Indians,  and  many  were  the  hardships  endured  by  those  who  first  sought 
homes  on  the  frontier.  On  the  15th  of  March,  1855,  Mr.  Scott  married 
Miss  Sophronia  A.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Morgan  County,  Missouri,  and  a 
daughter  of  Richard  and  Mary  Johnson.  She  was  born  May  5,  1838. 
Her  parents  both  died  when  she  was  about  seven  years  of  age,  and  she 
was  adopted  and  raised  by  James  Miller,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of 
Holt  County.  Mr.  Scott  and  his  wife  soon  settled  on  a  farm  of  their 
own,  some  three  miles  north  of  Oregon.  In  1846  Mr.  S.  was  elected 
county  assessor  of  Holt  County,  and  filled  the  office  four  terms.  In  the 
fall  of  1859  he  was  elected  county  clerk,  moved  to  Oregon  and  served 
in  this  office  until  compelled  to  retire  by  the  convention  ordinance,  in 
1864,  which  threw  out  all  of  the  officers  of  the  state.  He  then  became 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  which  he  continued  until  1867,  when 
he  entered  into  the  banking  business  with  Levi  Zook.  They  opened  the 
first  private  bank  in  Oregon,  under  the  firm  name  of  Zook  &  Scott,  but, 
in  1871,  the  latter  member  retired  from  the  business  on  account  of  ill- 
health.  In  1873  he  moved  on  a  farm,  three  miles  east  of  Oregon,  where 
he  lived  until  the  fall  of  1880,  when  he  returned  to  Oregon  and  engaged 
in  dealing  in  real  estate  and  loaning  money.  He  purchased  a  handsome, 
residence,  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  and  has  made  it  one  oi  the 
best  in  the  city.  During  the  war  Mr.  S.  remained  a  strong  Union  man. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  Himself  and  wife  are  active  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Oregon,  with  which  denomination  they  have 
worshipped  since  1864.  Mr.  S.  has  filled  the  position  of  elder  several 
years  and  is  an  active  Christian  worker.  His  mother  is  living  with  him 
now,  and,  though  seventy-nine  years  of  age,  is  still  in  the  enjoyment  of 
good  health.    She  is  one  of  the  oldest  pioneers  now  living  in  Holt  County. 

HENRY  SHUTTS, 

attorney    and    counselor  at   law.     Prominent  among  the  rising   young 
attorneys  of  Northwest  Missouri,  is  the  subjectjof  this  sketch.     He  was 


OREGON   AND    FOREST    CITY.  409 

born  in  Columbia  County,  New  York,  December  29,  1843,  and  is  the  son 
of  John  and  Catharine  (Cole)  Shutts,  both  natives  of  York  State.  His 
parents  early  moved  to  Ulster  County,  New  York,  and  settled  near 
Kingston,  and  when  Henry  was  thirteen,  they  moved  westward,  locating 
at  Joliet,  Will  County,  Illinois.  There  he  remained  until  twenty  years 
of  age,  having  received  a  good  academic  education.  In  1863  he  took  a 
trip  west,  and  spent  one  season  in  Colorado.  On  his  way  home  he 
stopped  a  short  time  in  Atchison  County,  and  finally  became  engaged 
in  teaching.  Going  next  to  Forest  City,  Holt  County,  he  resumed 
teaching,  and  also  read  law.  In  the  spring  of  1865,  Mr.  S.  came  to 
Oregon,  and  read  law  with  Dan  Zook.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1865,  by  Judge  William  H.  Herren,  of  the  then  Twelfth  Judicial  District 
of  Missouri,  and  since  that  date  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Oregon.  In 
1866  he  purchased  the  outfit  of  the  old  Missouri  Valley  Times,  in  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Hasness.  They  started  the  Holt  County  Press,  the 
only  Democratic  organ  in  the  county,  and  after  continuing  the  business 
one  year,  Mr.  Shutts  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Irvine.  He  was  elected 
mayor  of  Oregon,  in  1866,  and  filled  the  position  two  years,  and  was  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  representative  in  1867.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr,  Shutts  was  married  in  1868,  to  Miss  Tilly 
Collins,  daughter  of  S.  C.  Collins,  an  old  settler  of  Oregon.  She  was 
born  here  on  the  15th  of  June,  1845.  She  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Oregon. 

LAWSON  SIPES, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  13.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  an  early 
resident  of  the  county,  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Indiana,  October 
9,  1858,  his  parents,  Daniel  and  Katie  E.  Sipes,  being  natives  of  Indiana. 
They  moved  to  Missouri  in  the  fall  of  1841,  and  took  up  a  claim,  where 
Lawson  now  resides,  built  a  log  cabin  and  broke  a  small  piece  of  ground. 
It  was  on  this  frontier  that  young  Sipes  was  reared  to  manhood,  he  assist- 
ing in  clearing  the  farm.  He  spent  his  spare  moments  in  hunting,  and 
during  the  war  he  espoused  the  Union  cause,  and  served  in  the  Enrolled 
Missouri  Militia.  He  has  ever  been  an  enterprising  citizen,  always 
adhering  to  principles  of  honesty,  integrity  and  attention  to  business. 
He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres,  upon  which  he  has  a  new  residence,  a 
good  orchard  of  some  1,500  peach  trees  and  200  apple  trees.  Mr.  Sipes 
was  married  on  the  20th  of  November,  1859, to  Miss  MelindaE.  Hoffman. 
She  was  born  in  Ray  County,  Missouri.  They  have  been  blessed  with 
eight  children,  Charles  L.,  born  October  24,  1862  ;  Rebecca,  born  January 
16,  1865  ;  Richard  D.,  born  March  6,  1867  ;  Mary  E.,  born  February  6, 
1870 ;  John  R.,  born  June  11,  1871  ;  William  L.,  born  October  24,  1874; 
Joseph  H.,  born  April  1,  1877  ;  and  Eddie  F.,  born  September   11,    1879. 


4IO  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

SAMUEL  STUCKEY, 

proprietor  of  a  livery  and  feed  stable,  also  a  pioneer  of  Holt  County, 
was  born  in  Berkeley  County,  West  Virginia,  April  3,  1831.  His  parents, 
Samuel  and  Hannah  Stuckey,  were  both  natives  of  Virginia.  Samuel 
was  reared  at  his  birthplace,  on  the  farm,  and  derived  his  education 
from  the  native  schools.  In  1852  he  went  to  Champaign  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  three  years,  after  which,  in  1855,  ne  moved  to  Iowa, 
settling  in  Jefferson  County.  On  the  14th  of  February,  1857,  ne  landed 
in  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  worked  at  various  occupa- 
tions until  i860.  On  the  first  of  September,  i860,  Mr.  S.  married  Miss 
Virginia  W.  Russel,  daughter  of  R.  H.  Russel,  of  Holt  County.  She  was 
born  in  this  county,  June  4,  1844.  Soon  after  they  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Nodaway  Township,  on  which  Mr.  S.  remained  until  March,  1866.  He 
served  one  term  as  constable  of  that  township,  and  in  the  spring  of  1866 
he  took  a  trip  to  the  home  of  his  childhood.  After  visiting  his  parents 
he  returned  in  the  fall  of  that  year  and  settled  in  Oregon.  He  was  sub- 
sequently appointed  constable  of  Lewis  Township,  and  was  marshal  of 
Oregon  for  three  years,  serving  one  year  by  appointment,  and  was 
elected  for  two  years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1871  he  was  elected  mayor 
and  justice  of  the  peace  of  Oregon.  He  served  in  this  capacity  four 
years,  consecutively,  then  acted  as  deputy  sheriff  two  years.  In  1877  Mr. 
S.  was  re-elected  mayor  of  Oregon,  and  re-elected  in  1878.  In  1879  he 
was  appointed  deputy  sheriff,  continuing  to  discharge  the  duties  of  that 
office  until  April,  1880,  when  he  commenced  the  livery  business  in 
Oregon.  He  has  one  of  the  best  livery  outfits  in  the  county,  and  is  ever 
found  ready  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  the  traveling  public.  He  also 
runs  a  line  of  hacks  to  Forest  City.  Mr.  Stuckey  is  a  member  of  Oregon 
Lodge,  No.  54,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  fills  the  office  of  Left  Support. 
Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Oregon, 
in  which  he  holds  the  position  of  deacon.  They  have  raised  two  orphan 
children  :  Hattie  Adams  (now  Mrs.  Samuel  Simpson),  and  Miss  Bertha 
Bonnell,  born  on  the  10th  of  August,  1869. 

JOHN  T.  THATCHER, 

physician  and  surgeon,  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Schuyler  County,  Mis- 
souri, August  22,  1850.  His  father,  William  S.  Thatcher,  was  from  Ken- 
tucky, and  by  occupation  was  a  merchant.  His  mother,  formerly  Miss 
Martha  J.  Gates,  was  a  native  of  Illinois.  John  remained  at  his  birth- 
place until  twelve  years  of  age,  and  in  the  spring  of  1863,  he  accompa- 
nied his  parents  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  until  1865, 
thence  to  Plattsmouth,  Nebraska,  and  in  the  spring  of  1867,  they  moved 
to  Missouri  City,  Clay  County,  Missouri.     Three  months  later  Atchison, 


OREGON    AND    FOREST   CITY.  411 

Kansas,  became  their  home.  In  1871,  Mr.  T.  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  under  G.  H.  T.  Johnson,  of  that  place.  In  the  fall  of  1872,  he 
attended  a  partial  course  of  lectures  at  St.  Louis,  but  on  account  of  the 
institution  suspending  operations,  he  went  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  and 
attended  the  Detroit  Homecepathic  Medical  College  during  the  winters 
of  1872-3,  and  1874.  He  graduated  on  the  12th  of  February,  1874,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Atchison  and  entered  into  partnership  with  his 
preceptor  for  six  months.  In  January,  1875,  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  and 
attended  a  partial  course  of  lectures  at  the  Missouri  Medical  College,  an 
allopathic  school.  Returning  to  Atchison,  he  opened  an  office  on  his 
own  account.  In  February,  1876,  he  embarked  in  the  drug  and  book 
business,  but  after  one  year  he  removed  to  St.  Joseph,  and  took  charge 
of  Dr.  Hall's  Homeoepatic  Pharmacy.  In  November,  1877,  he  returned 
to  Atchison  and  opened  an  office,  remaining  in  this  place  until  the  22d 
of  April,  1878,  when  he  came  to  Oregon.  A  partnership  was  effected 
with  Dr.  J.  A.  Callen,  under  the  firm  name  of  Callen  &  Thatcher,  but  the 
relation  was  dissolved  on  the  23d  of  May,  1879.  Since  then  Dr.  Thatcher 
has  continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  alone,  in  which  he  has  been 
very  successful,  being  cheerful  and  attentive  to  the  wants  of  the  afflicted. 
He  is  a  member  of  Oregon  Lodge  No.  139,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  in  which  he 
holds  the  position  of  secretary.  He  also  belongs  to  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of 
Oregon,  Lodge  No.  197,  and  fills  the  offices  of  financier  and  medical 
examiner.  He  is  a  member  of  Friendship  Lodge  No.  5,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of 
Atchison,  Kansas,  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Kansas  State  and 
Missouri  Valley  Medical  Society.  Dr.  Thatcher  at  present  fills  the  posi- 
tion of  president  of  the  Oregon  City  Board  of  Aldermen,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Oregon  Cornet  Band. 

E.  VAN  BUSKIRK, 

an  able  attorney,  counselor  at  law  and  notary  public  of  Holt  County, 
was  born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  February  25,  1822.  His  father, 
Lawrence  Van  Buskirk,  was  born  in  Hancock  County,  Pennsylvania,  and 
his  forefathers  came  from  Holland.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Labor,  was  of  Irish  descent,  and  was  born  in  Maryland. 
She  died  when  young  Van  Buskirk  was  about  four  years  of  age.  He 
lived  with  an  uncle  until  twelve  years  old,  then  went  to  Marion  County, 
Ohio,  and  joined  his  father,  who  had  again  married.  When  eighteen 
years  old,  he  commenced  to  learn  the  printer's  trade  at  Mount  Vernon, 
Ohio,  where  he  worked  two  years.  In  1842,  he  immigrated  west,  and 
settled  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  with  an  uncle.  In  1845,  L.  D.  Nash 
started  the  Western  Empire — the  first  paper  published  in  Savannah — 
and  as  he  did  not  fully  understand  the  business,  he  induced  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  to  take  charge  of  the  business,  which  he  did  for  one  year. 


412  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

In  1846  he  went  to  Weston,  Platte  County,  Missouri,  and  published  the 
Western  Empire  and  the  Regular  Baptist  for  S.  J.  Lowe.  In  1848,  he 
returned  to  Savannah  and  published  the  Western  Empire  for  one  year 
on  his  own  account.  His  health  failing,  he  discontinued  the  business, 
and  settled  on  a  farm.  He  came  to  Holt  County  in  March,  1852,  and 
engaged  in  teaming,  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting  his  health      In  August, 

1853,  he  was  elected  circuit  clerk  and  recorder  of  Holt  County,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1859,  serving  until  the  5th  of  May,  1865.  Mr.  Van  Buskirk 
had  been  engaged  in  the  study  of  law  for  some  time,  and  was  duly  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  June,  1865,  and  has  continued  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession since  that  time.  In  February,  1861,  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to 
the  state  convention,  to  consider  the  relation  of  Missouri  to  the  Federal 
Government.  He  served  at  five  different  sessions,  or  until  July  1,  1863, 
when  an  election  was  called  and  elected  a  Legislature.  Under  an  order 
from  General  B.  F.  Loan,  he  was  made  enrolling  officer  of  Holt  County. 
Accordingly  he  stumped  the  city,  organized  the  militia  and  assisted  in 
recruiting  the  Twelfth  Missouri  Cavalry.  He  drew  the  supplies  for  the 
regiment  and  was  elected  major,  but  fell  sick,  and  when  the  regiment 
was  called  into  service,  was  compelled  to  resign.  He  was  afterwards 
appointed  as  agent  to  procure  credit  for  enlistments  in  favor  of  Holt 
County.  He  has  served  on  the  town  school  board  several  years,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  erection  ot  the  present  school  house.  He  is 
a  member  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  139,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  fills  the 
position  of  treasurer.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  owns  a  hand- 
some residence  and  property  in  the  west  part  of  town.  Mr.  Van  Buskirk 
was  married  on  the  25th  of  December,  1844,  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Hart, 
daughter  of  William  and  Priscilla  Hart,  of  Andrew  County,  Missouri. 
She  was  born  in  Morrow  County,  Ohio,  March  10,  1824.  They  have 
four  children  living,  Priscilla,  born  February  6,  1846,  (now  Mrs.  Martin 
Whitmer,  of  this  county)  ;  Alexander,  born  November  17,  1849  '■>  John, 
born  December  28,  1858,  and  Mary,  born  December  1,  1863.  Two  are 
deceased.     Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Regular  Baptist  Church. 

JONES   VAUGHAN, 

farmer,  section  11,  was  born  in  Culpeper  County,  Virginia,  on  the  19th 
of  September,  1808,  and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Margaret  Vaughan, 
both  natives  of  Virginia.  Jones  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birth- 
place, spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  receiving  a  common 
school  education  in  the  subscription  schools.  In  1836  he  emigrated 
westward  and  remained  five  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Hannibal,  Missouri. 
He  then  returned  to  Virginia  and  was  located  near  his  old  home  until 

1854,  when  he  came  west  with  his  father's  family.  They  landed  in 
Oregon    on    the    23d  of    November,    1854.     He   settled    where   he  now 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  413 

resides  in  1855,  and  since  that  time  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  During  the  war  he  made  one  trip  with  the  militia  to  Fort 
Scott,  Kansas.  He  has  always  been  a  hard  working  man,  and  now 
owns  a  good  farm  of  eighty  acres,  most  of  which  is  under  cultivation. 
He  has  a  comfortable  residence,  fair  orchard,  etc.  He  was  formerly  a 
member  of  the  Grange.  Great  credit  is  due  him  for  the  care  with 
which  he  watched  over  his  aged  parents.  His  father  died  in  1874,  after 
having  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-six  years  and  six  months.  His  mother 
is  still  living  and  is  now  in  her  eighty-ninth  year,  and  though  quite 
feeble,  is  tenderly  cared  for  by  her  son  and  daughter.  An  unmarried 
sister  presides  over  the  household  affairs  for  Mr.  Vaughan.  Being  an 
old  settler,  he  is  widelv  known  over  this  countv. 

M.  D.  WALKER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  1,  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eight 
children.  His  father,  Isaac  Walker,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  was  married  to  Jane  Reno,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  They 
moved  to  Indiana,  about  the  year  1840.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  on  the  29th  of  September,  1843,  in  Dearborn  County,  Indiana.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Mason  County,  Illinois,  in  1848,  and  there 
passed  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  receiving  a  preparatory  education 
in  the  high  schools  of  Havana,  Illinois.  When  he  was  preparing  to  enter 
college  the  civil  war  broke  out,  and  he  was  among  the  first  to  respond 
to  President  Lincoln's  call,  although  only  eighteen  years  of  age.  He 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Second  Illinois  Cavalry,  in  June,  [861,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  taking  part  in  man)'  of  the  hardest  fought 
battles  of  that  conflict,  among  which  were  Ft.  Henry,  Ft.  Donelson, 
Island  No.  10,  Davis'  Bridge,  Holly  Springs,  through  the  Vicksburg  Cam- 
paign, in  the  battles  of  Black  River  Bridge,  Champion  Hill,  Jackson, 
Mississippi,  and  many  others.  He  participated  in  the  celebrated  raid 
from  Baton  Rouge  to  the  mouth  of  the  Pascagoula  River,  thence  by 
steamer  to  New  Orleans,  and  then  to  Pensacola,  Florida,  taking  part  in 
the  capture  of  Spanish  Fort  and  siege  of  Mobile.  He  served  at  Mont- 
gomery, went  next  to  Vicksburg,  and  then  on  the  expedition  through 
Texas,  being  mustered  out  at  New  Orleans,  in  June,  1865.  Mr.  Walker 
then  returned  to  Springfield,  and  devoted  six  months  to  the  study  of 
medicine.  Upon  moving  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  he  entered  Cole's  commer- 
cial college,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  February,  1866. 
After  visiting  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City  and  Council  Bluffs,  he  finally  com- 
menced the  wholesale  liquor  business  at  Denver,  Colorado,  with  a  branch 
house  at  Central  City.  After  remaining  here  some  six  months,  he 
returned  to  Council  Bluffs  and  embarked  in  the  drug  business.  In  August 
1867,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  and  bought  and  improved  what  is  now 


414  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

known  as  the  Libby  farm.  This  he  sold  in  1870,  moved  to  Oregon,  and  | 
opened  a  drug  store,  continuing  this  business  one  year,  when  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  in  1871.  He  has  since  given  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  now  owns  a  farm  embracing  a  quarter  section 
of  fine  land,  140  acres  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  upon  it  there  being 
a  good  orchard.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  educational  matters,  and 
has  filled  the  various  district  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  Oregon  Lodge 
No.  196,  A.  O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Walker  was  married  in  September,  1868,  to  | 
Miss  Olibia  Fash,  a  daughter  of  James  L.  Fash,  of  Peoria,  Illinois.  She 
was  born  on  the  7th  of  October,  1848,  and  was  raised  and  educated  at 
Peoria.  They  have  had  four  children  :  Esther  V., born  October  17,  1869; 
Lawrence  J.,  born  February  26,  1876  ;  Ophelia,  born  April  23,  1878,  and 
an  infant,  unnamed,  born  October  4,  188 1.  Himself  and  wife  are  active 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Oregon. 

JUDGE  SAMUEL  WATSON. 

Among  the  oldest  pioneers  and  most  respected  citizens  of  Holt 
County  is  Samuel  Watson.  He  was  born  in  Richmond>  Wayne  County, 
Indiana,  October  27,  1813.  His  parents  were  originally  from  Kentucky. 
Samuel  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  village,  receiving  a  com- 
mon school  education.  He  commenced  to  learn  the  cabinet  trade  when 
sixteen  years  of  age.  and  this  occupation  he  followed  some  eight  years 
at  his  birthplace.  In  the  fall  of  1841  he  came  overland  with  a  brother, 
to  this  then  western  country,  and  after  crossing  the  Nodaway  River  on 
the  18th  of  October,  1841,  he  took  up  a  claim  one  and  a-half  miles  south- 
east of  where  Oregon  now  stands.  He  built  a  log  cabin  upon  it  in  the 
spring  of  1842,  planting  some  eight  acres  of  corn.  Roving  bands  of 
Indians  passed  occasionally  in  those  early  days,  and  since  then  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  has  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  Holt  County. 
He  assisted  in  building  the  first  school  house  in  the  vicinity.  In  1844  he 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  filled  the  position  for  four  years. 
In  1846  he  was  appointed  county  judge,  and  served  some  nine  years.  In 
1856  he  represented  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature.  Ray  &  Cope- 
land  built  the  first  woolen  mill  in  the  county  on  his  land,  and  in  1846  he 
purchased  the  mill,  and  after  operating  it  ten  years  remodeled  it  and 
carried  on  the  business  until  1865.  In  1862  he  moved  into  Oregon.  In 
1868  he  embarked  in  the  general  merchandise  business  with  a  partner, 
and  continued  the  business  until  1878.  He  still  owns  his  original  claim 
of  160  acres,  and  has  it  well  improved.  Judge  Watson  was  married  in 
December,  1834,  to  Miss  Ellen  Edwards,  a  native  of  North  Carolina. 
They  have  had  seven  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Nannie  and 
Jonas.  The  five  deceased  are  :  William  P.,  Richard  C,  James  F.  and 
Sarah  E.,  twins,  and  Mary  J.     It  is  to  such   sturdy,  bold  pioneers  as  Mr. 


OREGON    AND    FOREST    CITY.  415 

and  Mrs.  Watson  that  the  rising  generations  are  indebted  for  the  trans- 
formation of  a  wilderness  to  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  desirable 
locations  in  Missouri. 

EMIL  WEBBER, 

of  the  firm  of  Graves  &  Webber,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  was 
born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  on  the  20th  of  December,  1848,  and  was  the 
son  of  Herman  and  Justine  Webber,  both  natives  of  that  place.  Emit 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  October,  1865,  landing  at  New  York 
City,  from  whence  he  came  to  Forest  City.  He  soon  commenced  clerk- 
ing with  George  Webber,  and,  in  January,  1874,  he  went  to  Mound  City, 
where  he  entered  into  the  general  merchandise  business,  with  a  partner. 
After  continuing  there  for  three  years  he  became  associated  with  Mr. 
Graves,  in  January,  1877,  in  his  present  calling.  Mr.  Webber  was  married 
June  30,  1876,  to  Miss  Mary  B.  Graves,  daughter  of  Orville  Graves.  She 
was  born  in  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  February  4,  1854.  They  have 
one  child,  Fannie  C,  born  April  30,  1877.  Mrs.  Webber  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 

AMOS   WEIS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  3,  was  born  in  Hessen  Darmstadt, 
Germany,  on  the  15th  of  June,  1825.  His  parents,  Jacob  and  Clara 
Weis,  were  both  natives  of  Germany.  Amos  was  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  seven  children.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  at  his  birthplace 
and  received  excellent  educational  advantages.  In  1848  he  crossed  the 
ocean  and  landed  at  New  York  City  on  the  10th  of  May.  He  soon 
settled  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  remaining  in  that  vicinity  until  1855,  when 
he  moved  to  Dane  County,  Wisconsin,  and  improved  a  farm.  In  the 
spring  of  1862  he  came  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  after  a  short  time 
moved  to  Nebraska,  locating  in  Otoe  County,  near  Nebraska  City.  He 
sold  out  in  1865,  came  to  Holt  County  and  settled  where  he  now  resides 
and  since  then  has  been  steadily  engaged  in  improving  his  farm.  He 
owns  140  acres,  well  improved,  there  being  two  dwelling  houses  upon  it. 
The  residence  he  occupies  is  situated  on  an  elevation  and  gives  a  fine 
view  of  the  surrounding  country  and  the  city  of  Oregon,  one  mile  dis- 
tant. His  farm  is  well  adapted  to  stock  raising.  Mr.  Weis  is  an  open- 
hearted  and  generous  citizen  and  is  endowed  with  a  true  spirit  of  man- 
liness. He  was  married  in  December,  1849,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Belar. 
She  crossed  the  ocean  in  the  same  year  as  her  husband — 1849.  They 
have  had  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  living  :  Henry,  born  Septem- 
ber 1,  1850  ;  Elizabeth,  born  June  13,  1852,  (is  now  Mrs.  Nicholas  Stook, 
of  Oregon),  and  Charlie,  born  November  22,  1865  ;  lost  one,  Philip. 
Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Reformed  Church. 


416  HISTORY   OF   HOLT  COUNTY. 

CHARLES  WYLIE, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of  this  locality. 
He  was  born  July  8,  1839,  in  Oneida  County,  New  York.  His  father, 
Charles  B.  Wylie,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  while  his  mother,  Lucinda 
Gridly,  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Charles  spent  his  boyhood 
days  on  the  farm,  at  his  birthplace,  and  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. He  immigrated  west,  in  1859,  and  settled  on  Rush  Island,  which 
then  belonged  to  Doniphan  County,  Kansas,  but  the  river  has  since 
changed  its  course,  leaving  the  island  in  Missouri.  Mr.  Wylie  returned 
to  New  York,  in  1861,  and,  after  remaining  for  three  years,  he  again  came 
to  Missouri,  in  1864,  and  settled  on  the  same  island.  He  was  engaged 
in  the  lumber  and  wood  business  at  that  time,  when  steamboats  ran  the 
river,  and  afterwards  followed  farming.  In  187 1  he  moved  to  Forest 
City,  and  then  upon  his  farm,  on  section  25,  a  short  distance  north  of 
Forest  City.  His  wife's  health  being  poor  he  moved  back  to  Forest  City, 
in  1880.  He  owns  a  good  residence  property  there,  and  has  in  his  pos- 
session nearly  all  of  section  25.  This  is  well  improved.  He  also  owns 
a  half  interest  in  1,000  acres  on  Rush  Island,  240  acres  near  Craig,  and 
some  300  acres  in  section  31,  he  being  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Richard- 
son of  Forest  City.  The  high  water  in  the  spring  of  1881  damaged  him 
to  the  extent  of  some  $4,000,  washing  away  nearly  five  miles  of  fencing, 
destroying  his  fall  wheat,  damaging  1,300  bushels  of  corn  in  the  cribs, 
and  some  250  bushels  of  wheat  in  the  bin.  But,  with  the  energy  char- 
acteristic of  the  man,  he  soon  commenced  repairing  his  losses.  Mr. 
Wylie  was  married  on  the  25th  of  December,  1866,  to  Miss  Ellen  March, 
a  native  of  Essex  County,  New  York.  They  have  two  children,  Nellie 
and  Frankie. 

DANIEL  ZACHMAN, 

county  recorder,  was  born  in  Marion  County,  Ohio,  on  the  20th  of  April, 
1841,  and  was  the  son  of  Francis  and  Mariah  Zachman,  who  were  natives 
of  Baden,  Germany-  but  who  crossed  the  ocean  in  [829.  Daniel  was 
reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the 
farm,  and  receiving  an  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  also 
worked  some  at  the  carpenter  trade.  When  the  cloud  of  civil  war 
enshrouded  the  country,  Mr.  Z.  was  among  the  first  to  respond  to  Presi- 
dent Lincoln's  call  for  three  years'  men.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
October,  1861,  in  Company  D,  Eighty-second  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  second 
Bull  Run,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  where  the  regiment  was  badly 
demoralized,  Chattanooga,  Missionary  Ridge,  siege  of  Atlanta,  through 
with  General  Sherman  to  the  sea,  and  through  to  Washington,  where  he 
took  part  in  the  grand  review.     He  was  discharged  in  July,  1865,  having 


OREGON   AND   FOREST    CITY.  417 

been  promoted  to  sergeant.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Z.  returned  to 
his  old  home,  and  in  the  fall  of  October,  1866,  he  came  west  and  settled 
at  Nickols'  Grove,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
He  improved  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres,  and  now  has  a  good  residence,  etc. 
In  the  fall  of  1878  he  was  elected  recorder  of  Holt  County,  and  has  since 
continued  to  fill  the  position,  with  credit  to  himself  and  all  parties  inter- 
ested. Politically,  he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  he  has  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Mr.  Z.  was  married  March  6, 
1866,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Anselment,  daughter  of  Joseph  Anselment,  of 
this  county.  She  was  born  in  Marion  County,  Ohio,  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1844.  They  have  three  children,  John  N.,  born  December'  28,  1866  ; 
Solomon  O.,  born  in  December,  1873,  and  Flora  A.,  born  February  3, 
1876.  Mr.  Zachman  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Associa- 
tion. 

LEVI  ZOOK, 

retired  banker,  and  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Holt  County,  is  a 
native  of  Marion  County,  Ohio.  His  father  Daniel  Zook,  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Annie  Forney,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
Levi  was  born  on  the  10th  of  May,  183 1.  He  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Missouri,  in  the  Spring  of  1842,  and  arrived  in  Holt  County  on  the 
1st  of  May,  when  the  county  was  something  of  a  wilderness.  The  sale 
of  lots  for  the  town  of  Oregon  took  place  soon  after  they  reached  here, 
and  his  father  purchased  a  few  of  these  lots  and  erected  the  first  business 
house  in  town.  He  soon  started  a  general  merchandise  business  in 
partnership  with  one  of  his  sons.  Here  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
reared  to  manhood.  He  received  a  fair  education  mostly  by  self  appli- 
cation, and  after  becoming  old  enough,  he  assisted  his  brother  in  the 
store.  His  father  died  in  the  fall  of  1842,  and  was  the  first  person  buried 
in  the  town.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  Levi  became  a  partner  with  his 
brother,  and  they  remained  in  the  business  some  five  years,  when  they 
retired.  Upon  recovering  his  health,  which  had  long  been  poor,  Mr. 
Zook  again  entered  into  the  general  merchandise  business,  in  partnership 
with  Hiram  Patterson,  with  whom  he  continued  about  six  years,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Zook  and  Patterson.-  In  1857  they  moved  to  Forest 
City,  and  did  business  there  until  the  fall  of  1861,  when  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war  demoralized  this  locality  to  some  extent.  Mr.  Z.  moved  the 
stock  of  goods  to  Glenwood,  Mills  County,  Iowa,  where  he  closed  it  out. 
In  the  spring  of  1862  he  opened  a  stock  of  dry  goods  at  Oregon,  on  his 
own  account,  but  in  1864  he  accepted  as  a  partner,  Mr.  Jonas  Lamar. 
They  continued  the  business  until  1868.  In  1867,  our  subject,  in  con- 
nection with  James  Scott,  opened  a  private  bank,  ( the  first  one  in 
Oregon)  under  the  firm  name  of  Zook  &  Scott.  In  1870  Mr.  Zook  retired 
from  the  banking  business,  but  still  continued  the  merchandise  business 

27 


41 8  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

at  different  points.  January  I,  1872,  he  again  resumed  the  banking  bus- 
iness with  Robert  Montgomery,  under  the  firm  name  of  Zook  &  Mont- 
gomery, with  whom  he  remained  until  January,  1875,  when  he  retired 
from  the  banking  business.  He  retained  an  interest  in  the  merchandise 
business  at  different  points,  until  1881.  During  the  summer  of  1881,  he 
superintended  the  improvements  on  the  county  court  house.  He  has 
never  sought  for  office,  but  has  always  given  his  attention  to  his  legiti- 
mate business.  During  the  war  he  was  a  strong  Union  man,  and  assisted 
in  raising  volunteers.  He  also  served  in  the  Enrolled  Missouri  Militia, 
his  health  not  permitting  his  entering  into  the  regular  service.  He  is  a 
member  of  Forest  City  Lodge  No.  214,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  an  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Oregon.  Mr.  Zook  was  married 
on  the  3d  of  November,  1859,  to  Miss  Minnie  Von  Lunen,  She  was 
born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  but  was  brought  across  the  ocean  when  quite 
young.  Her  parents  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  in  which  state  she  was 
raised.  She  died  November  2,  1864,  leaving  one  child,  Charles  D.,  born 
July  24,  i860. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

LIBERTY  TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES-PHYSICAL    FEATURES-EARLY    SETTLERS-NEW     LIBERTY    CHURCH— BIO- 
GRAPHICAL. 

Liberty  Township,  the  north  central  division  ot  Holt  County,  extends 
in  an  east  and  west  direction  eight  miles,  and  in  a  north  and  south  direc- 
tion six  miles,  forming  the  surface  of  a  rectangular  parallelogram.  This 
is  one  of  the  new  townships,  having  been  organized  as  late  as  1874,  out 
of  Benton,  of  which  it  was  formerly  a  part.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north, 
in  a  distance  of  eight  miles,  by  Atchison  County  ;  on  the  east  by  Clay 
Township  ;  on  the  south  by  Benton,  and  on  the  west  by  Lincoln  Town- 
ship. 

PHYSICAL   FEATURES.    . 

Almost  the  entire  surface  of  Liberty  Township  is  prairie  land  ; 
besides  Ross  Grove,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township,  only  a  small 
amount  of  timber  being  found,  and  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
streams  alone.  The  entire  area  of  the  township  is  well  watered  by 
Squaw  Creek  and  its  tributaries,  and  also  by  other  minor  streams. 

Squaw  Creek  enters  Liberty  Township  in  section  19,  township  63, 
range  38,  and  flows  in  a  southerly  by  westerly  direction  through  six 
sections,  entering  from  section  13,  Benton  Township.  The  middle 
branch  of  this  creek  rises  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  21,  and, 
flowing  in  a  southwesterly  direction  through  a  portion  of  eight  sections, 
enters  the  east  branch  of  the  same  in  section  13,  township  62,  range  38. 
The  east  branch  of  Squaw  Creek  rises  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 26,  township  63,  range  38,  and,  flowing  in  a  generally  southwesterly 
course,  unites  in  section  13  with  the  west  branch,  forming  the  main 
body  of  Squaw  Creek,  which  here  flows  southward  into  Benton  Township. 

Davis  Creek  rises  in  section  10,  township  62,  range  38,  of  Liberty 
Township,  and,  flowing  in  a  southwesterly  direction  through  sections  15 
and  16,  enters  Benton  Township,  in  section  21. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

Liberty  Township  was  one  of  the  last  localities  settled  in  Holt 
County,  and  the  general  character  of  its  improvements  is  rather  above 


420  ,  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  average.  A  few  settlers,  however,  located  in  an  early  day  in  the 
southern  portion  of  the  township,  when  the  same  was  included  in  Ben- 
ton Township.  Probably  the  first  of  these  was  Robert  K.  Ross,  of  Ten- 
nessee, still  (1882)  living  in  the  place.  He  settled  in  what  is  now  known 
as  Ross'  Grove  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  7,  township  62,  range 
38,  near  the  waters  of  Squaw  Creek,  four  and  a  half  miles  due  north  of 
Mound  City.  Among  those  who  settled  in  the  neighborhood  about  this 
time,  or  shortly  after,  came  William  Gady,  John  Clinger,  from  Indiana  ; 
Mrs.  Sarah  Stockwell,  Henry  French,  Chris  Shultz,  and  Adam  Avery, 
all  from  Indiana.  Samuel  Nay,  from  Illinois,  settled  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  township  about  1846.  Tinsley  Dickey,  from  the  same  state, 
also  came  about  that  period.  William  Beauchamp,  from  Kentucky, 
settled  there  in  1850.  Five  years  after,  Fount.  Donan,  from  Kentucky, 
•settled  in  the  neighborhood.  John  Hindman  and  Hiram  Lawrence, 
from  Ohio,  were  also  among  the  earlier  settlers.  J.  Glick,  from  Vir- 
ginia, settled  there  in  i860.  Henry  Miller,  from  Illinois,  came  in  1864, 
and  William  G.  Mclntyre,  ex-sheriff  of  the  county,  settled  in  Liberty 
Township  about  1867.  Of  late  years,  attracted  by  the  superior  excel- 
lence of  its  lands,  the  territory  of  this  township  has  rapidly  settled  up 
with  an  enterprising  and  intelligent  class  of  citizens.  The  streams  on 
public  highways  are  all  crossed  by  excellent  bridges,  and  go.od  school 
houses  are  found  in  every  district.  Attention  is  also  directed  to  the 
culture  of  fruit,  for  the  superior  excellence  of  which  Holt  County  is  so 
justly  noted,  and  the  day  seems  not  far  distant  when  every  farm  in  Lib- 
erty Township  will  have,  as  in  other  districts  of  the  county,  its  bearing 
orchard. 

NEW   LIBERTY   CHURCH. 

The  only  church  building  in  Liberty  Township  stands  on  the  farm 
of  James  R.  Miller.  On  the  southeast  corner  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  3,  township  62,  range  39,  is  a  lot  including  ten  acres  of  ground, 
six  of  which  are  devoted  to  the  purpose  of  a  cemetery,  and  the  other 
four,  in  the  corner  of  this  lot,  is  the  church  yard  proper,  in  which  stands 
the  neat  structure  of  the  church,  a  frame  building  erected  by  the  Mis- 
sionary Baptists  in  1876,  at  a  cost  of  $2,100.  The  building  is  40x60  feet 
in  extent,  and  presents  a  plain,  though  neat  appearance.  The  congrega- 
tion of  this  church  was  organized  in  New  Liberty  School  House  (District 
57)  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  year  1872,  by  Rev.  E.  S.  Egerly,  of  Oregon. 
Among  the  original  members  were  J.  J.  Crews  and  wife,  H.  C.  Offutt  and 
wife,  David  Hanks  and  wife,  and  William  Drury.  The  congregation  con- 
tinued to  meet  in  this  school  house  till  the  erection  of  the  church  edifice. 

Through  the  liberality  of  the  Baptists,  other  denominations  are  per- 
mitted tc  hold  services  in  the  building,  a  privilege  of  which  several 
organizations  in  the  county  occasionally  avail  themselves. 


LIBERTY   TOWNSHIP.  42 1 

As  an  evidence  of  the  rapid  advance  in  the  value  of  property  in  this 
section  of  Holt  County,  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  last  piece  of 
vacant  land  in  Liberty  Township  sold  in  May,  1881,  at  the  rate  of  $20 
per  acre. 

There  are  no  towns  in  Liberty  Township. 


-G*— ?^Jfr=S2— S> 


£tK^ 


^BIOGRAPHIC  A  L.R 


WILLIAM  G.  ANDES, 

farmer  and  merchant,  section  32,  was  born  on  the  16th  of  February,  1848, 
and  was  a  native  of  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia.  His  father,  John 
Andes,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Vir- 
ginia, and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Susan  Glick,  was  also  a 
Virginian" by  birth.  In  May,  1857,  William  G.  came  to  Missouri,  locating 
in  this  county.  He  passed  his  youth  in  Virginia  and  Missouri  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  He  has  been  engaged  in  farming, 
principally,  during  life,  and  now  owns  320  acres  of  land,  with  a  young 
bearing  orchard  of  250  trees,  and  has  an  abundance  of  small  fruits.  He 
has  some  400  peach  trees.  Mr.  Andes  is  Democratic  in  his  political 
views.  He  was  married  May  22,  1877,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Moler,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Moler.  They  have  two  children  living :  Jessie,  aged  four 
years,  and  Adam,  five  years  old.  Two  are  deceased.  Mr.  Andes'  relig- 
ious preferences  are  with  the  German  Baptists. 

L.  I.  BENNETT, 

farmer,  section  3,  was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Virginia,  on  the  29th 
day  of  March,  1846.  His  parents,  William  and  Melinda  (Airy)  Bennett, 
were  both  natives  of  Virginia.  The  former  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  L.  I.  passed  his  youth  on  the  farm  in  his  native  state,  receiving  an 
education  in  the  common  schools.  During  the  war  he  served  for 
eighteen  months  in  the  Confederate  service,  being  a  member  of  Company 
E,  Twenty-ninth  Battalion  of  Virginia.  In  March,  1870,  he  moved  to 
Missouri,  and  the  same  year  became  a  resident  of  Holt  County.  He 
now  owns  170  acres  of  land,  with  a  young  orchard  of  130  apple  and 
peach  trees,  besides  smaller  fruits.  He  has  upon  his  place  some  fine 
graded  stock.     Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.     Mr.  Bennett  was  married 


422  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

November  18,  1866,  to  Ellen  Hanley,  daughter  of  Mr.  Samuel  Hanley. 
They  have  five  children,  Anna  Florence,  aged  thirteen  ;  John  M.,  aged 
ten  ;  Charles,  aged  eight ;  Maud  Ellen,  aged  six,  and  Sidney,  aged  five 
years.  Mr.  B.'s  religious  preferences  are  with  the  Christian  denomi- 
nation. 

J.  S.  CHAPIN, 

section  3,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  New  York,  October  4,  1832. 
His  father,  Alvin  Chapin,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  his  mother, 
formerly  Mary  Brewster,  was  born  in  Rutland  County,  Vermont.  J.  S. 
Chapin  spent  his  early  youth  on  a  farm,  and  obtained  a  common  school 
education.  In  1845  he  moved  to  Illinois,  and  from  there  came  to  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  in  1869.  He  now  has  in  his  possession  210  acres  of 
land,  with  an  orchard  of  300  apple  trees,  some  cherry,  plum  and  pear 
trees,  and  200  grape  vines,  besides  other  fruit.  Mr.  Chapin  makes  a 
specialty  of  fattening  and  shipping  cattle.  He  was  married  February 
10,  1870,  to  Helen  J.  Bradt,  daughter  of  Richard  Bradt,  Esq.  She  was 
born  in  New  York  State,  but  was  raised  in  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C. 
have  six  children  :  Charles  B.,  born  March  9,  1871  ;•  Frank  H.,  born 
November  10,  1873  ;  Harry  C,  born  January  20,  1876  ;  Mable  E.  and 
Grace  E.,  born  June  7,  1879,  and  an  infant  born  January  28,  1882.  He 
is  Republican  in  politics. 

JOHN  T.  COTTIER, 

a  son  of  Thomas  Cottier,  Esq.,  was  born  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  Jan- 
uary 24,  1854.  His  youth  was  spent  on  his  father's  farm,  near  Oregon, 
and  his  primary  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools.  He 
also  attended  some  time  later  the  high  school  at  Oregon.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  views.  Mr.  Cottier  has  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  of  as 
good  land  as  is  to  be  found  in  this  county,  situated  in  section  20.  His 
young  orchard  contains  some  300  apple  trees,  besides  peaches,  cherries, 
plums,  etc.     His  religious  preferences  are  with  the  Christian  Church. 

JAMES  COTTIER, 

farmer,  section  19,  was  born  at  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1855.  His  father,  Thomas  Cottier,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
a  native  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Minerva  Bealer,  was  born  in  Indiana.  James  passed  his  younger  days 
on  the  farm  at  home,  and  attended  the  common  schools  and  also  the 
high  school  at  Oregon.  He  owns  171  acres  of  excellent  prairie  land, 
improved,  upon  which  are  150  young  apple  trees.  Mr.  Cottier  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  was  married  December  22,  1880,  to. Miss  Alice  King,  daughter 
of  O.  H.  King,  Esq.  He  religiously  inclines  toward  the  Christian 
denomination. 


LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP.  423 

HENRY  CRANSLIN, 

farmer  and  stock  feeder,  section  4,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  where  he  was 
born  September  10,  1830.  His  parents  were  both  born  in  Germany,  and 
the  father  was  a  farmer  by  calling.  Henry  left  his  native  country  when 
five  years  of  age,  in  1835,  and  for  four  years  was  a  resident  of  New 
Orleans.  When  he  was  nine  years  old  he  went  to  Morgan  County, 
Missouri,  in  1839,  and  after  living  there  for  seven  years  he  located  in 
Lafayette  County.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  came  to  Holt  County,  where 
he  now  owns  800  acres  of  land.  He  has  a  good  orchard  of  200  trees. 
His  educational  advantages  were  much  neglected  in  early  life,  but  by 
self  application  in  later  years  he  has  obtained  a  liberal  knowledge.  Mr. 
Cranslin  was  married  in  June,  i85i,  to  Sarilda  Nicholas,  who  was  born 
September  13,  1836,  in  Madison  County,  Illinois.  Her  father  was  William 
Nicholas.  They  have  four  children  :  Nancy  J.,  born  January  2,  1865  ; 
Margaret  A.,  born  December  3,  1867  ;  Henrietta,  born  July  17, 1870,  and 
Louisa  Ellen,  born  September  1,  1871.  In  politics  Mr.  C.  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  religiously  a  German  Baptist. 

PETER  DEARMONT, 

farmer,  stock  feeder  and  shipper,  section  14,  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
was  born  in  Clarke  County,  of  that  state,  April  17,  1835.  His  youth  was 
spent  in  tilling  the  soil,  and  his  education  was  such  as  could  be  received 
in  the  common  schools.  During  the  war  he  was  in  service  for  four  years, 
and  was  in  the  battles  of  Gettysburg,  Petersburg,  first  and  second  Bull 
Run,  the  seven  days  fight  around  Richmond,  and  several  minor  engage- 
ments. In  1871,  he  removed  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Holt  County,  and 
here  he  now  owns  190  acres  of  land,  his  orchard  embracing  apple,  peach, 
cherry  and  plum  trees.  Mr.  Dearmont  was  married  in  St.  Joseph  on  the 
12th  of  November,  1858,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Bell,  daughter  of  Strother 
Bell,  Esq.  She  was  born  in  Clarke  County,  Virginia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D. 
have  six  children:  Washington,  born  September  22,  1859;  Beauregard, 
born  September  22,  1861  ;  James  Lee,  born  June  3,  1863  ;  Lucy,  born 
March  5,  1866;  Hays,  born  April  14,  1869,  and  Claude  H.,  born  Septem- 
ber 15,  1875.     Mr.  Dearmont  is  a  Democrat,  and  religiously  a  Methodist. 

JOSEPH  T.  DEARMONT, 

farmer,  section  11,  was  born  in  Clarke  County,  Virginia,  on  the  19th  of 
November,  1844.  His  parents,  Michael  and  Lucy  (Ferguson)  Dearmont, 
being  natives  of  the  same  state.  The  youth  of  Joseph  was  passed  on  a 
farm,  and  for  a  time  he  attended  the  common  schools.  In  the  fall  of 
1871  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  this  county,  where  he  now 
resides,  having  in  his  possession  100  acres  of  land,  upon  which  is  a  good 


424  HISTORY   OF   HOLT  COUNTY. 

though  young  orchard,  of  the  various  varieties  of  fruit.  During  the  late 
war,  he  was  for  three  years  a  member  of  Company  D,  Sixth  Virginia 
Cavalry,  of  the  Confederate  army.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Manassas, 
Brandy  Station,  Winchester,  and  several  smaller  engagements.  Mr.  D.'s 
religious  preferences  are  with  the  Presbyterian  denomination.  He  has 
been  twice  married  ;  first,  October  i,  1865,  to  Matilda  A.  Bell.  His 
second  marriage  was  to  Ellen  E.  Piper,  January  17,  1878.  She  was  born 
and  raised  in  Frederick  County,  Virginia.  Mr.  D.  has  two  children, 
Charles  H.,  born  February  5,  1868,  and  Mary  Maud,  born  July  27,  187 1. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views. 

FOUNTIN   DONAN, 

farmer,  section  18,  was  born  on  the  1st  day  of  September,  1830,  in  Hart 
County,  Kentucky,  and  was  the  son  of  David  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Gillaspy) 
Donan,  both  natives  of  Virginia.  The  former  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  Fountin  passed  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  county,  obtain- 
ing a  good  common  school  education.  He  was  also  an  attendant  of  a 
Masonic  college.  In  1850  he  took  a  trip  to  California,  returning  to  Ken- 
tucky in  1852,  and  in  March,  1856,  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Holt 
County,  in  September  of  that  year.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  went  to  Colorado, 
returning  to  Missouri  in  1859,  and  in  1863  he  again  went  to  Colorado, 
and  from  there  to  Montana.  Mr.  D.  now  has  560  acres  of  land,  with  an 
orchard  of  600  apple  trees,  cherries  and  other  fruit,  and  upon  his  place 
he  keeps  good  graded  stock.  In  1859-60-61,  he  held  the  position  of 
deputy  surveyor,  and  during  the  war  he  belonged  to  Colonel  Slayback's 
regiment  of  the  Missouri  Confederate  service.  He  was  in  two  engage- 
ments, those  of  Blue  Mills,  and  Lexington,  Missouri.  September  10, 
1871,  Mr.  D.  was  married  to  Mary  Ashby,  daughter  of  Lloyd  Ashby,  Esq. 
Their  family  consists  of  John,  aged  eight  ;  William  Henry,  aged  seven  ; 
Anna  L.,  aged  six,  and  Robert  A.,  two  years  old.  He  is  a  Democrat, 
and  religiously,  a  Methodist. 

WILLIAM  DRURY, 

farmer  and  stock  feeder,  section  11,  is  a  native  of  Hart  County,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  was  born  in  May,  1836.  His  father,  T.  B.  Drury,  was 
born  in  New  York,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Walden,  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  The  younger  days  of  William  were 
passed  on  a  farm  and  in  attending  the  common  schools.  In  1856  he 
moved  to  Minnesota,  where  he  lived  until  October,  1859,  then  locating 
in  Illinois.  After  residing  in  that  state  for  two  years  he  returned  to 
Minnesota,  in  the  spring  of  1862,  and  then  entered  the  army,  becoming 
a  member  of  Company  F,  Second  Minnesota  Cavalry.  He  was  in  sev- 
eral engagements  with  the   Indians,  and  remained  in  service  two  years. 


LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP.  425. 

Mr.  D.  continued  to  live  in  Minnesota  until  October,  1868,  when  he  came 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  here  he  now  owns  160  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  is  a  good  bearing  orchard  of  250  apple  and  300  peach  trees,  with 
a  choice  variety  of  small  fruits.  He  also  has  some  good  graded  cattle, 
and  feeds  and  ships  large  quantities  of  stock.  May  11,  1856,  Miss  Sarah 
Herron,  daughter  of  John  Herron,  became  his  wife.  She  was  born  in 
Ohio,  on  the  8th  of  July,  1837.  They  have  a  family  of  four  children  :  M. 
W.,  born  March  6,  1859  J  S.  F.,  born  August  13,  1861  ;  Hannah  M.,  born 
January  17,  1865  ;  George  Samuel,  born  March  8-,  1878.  Mr.  D.  is  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

THOMAS  J.  FEASEL, 

section  1,  was  born  in  Darke  County,  Ohio,  on  the  13th  of  August,  1844,. 
and  was  the  son  of  Joseph  Feasel,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  Matilda 
nee  Templeton.  Thomas  spent  his  earlier  youth  on  a  farm,  and  at  the 
common  schools  in  Indiana.  When  only  thirteen  years  of  age,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1857,  he  c.ame  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  During  the  late  war 
he  served  for  three  years  in  Company  D,  of  the  Seventh  Iowa  Cavalry, 
and  was  in  numerous  conflicts  with  the  Indians,  among  which  were  the 
battles  of  Horse  Creek  and  Julesburg,  Nebraska.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Feasel  was 
married  November  10,  1867,  to  Miss  Nancy  J.  Watson,  daughter  of  Mr. 
Henry  Watson.  They  have  five  children  :  Sarah  J.,  born  November  10, 
1868;  Mary  E.,  born  September  16,  1870;  Nathan  D.,  born  January  12, 
1876;  Alberta  May,  born  October  14,  1879,  and  Nettie  L.,  born  May  24, 
1881.  Mr.  F.  has  240  acres  of  land,  with  a  young,  bearing  orchard  of 
150  apple,  100  peach  and  40  cherry,  besides  a  few  plum  trees. 

JOSEPH    FLORY, 

farmer,  section  12,  was  born  in  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  on  the  20th  of 
January,  1844,  his  parents  being  Daniel  and  Christena  (Sniteman)  Flory. 
The  former,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  a  native  of  Rockingham  County, 
Virginia,  and  the  mother  of  Germany.  The  early  life  of  Joseph  was 
passed  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county,  and  he  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  took  a  trip  to  the  Rocky  Mountain  country,  and  spent 
two  years  in  that  region,  previous  to  his  coming  to  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri, in  May,  1874.  Mr.  F.  now  has  eighty-five  acres  of  land,  and  one 
hundred  apple  and  fifty  young  peach  trees,  with  other  varieties.  His 
religious  preferences  are  with  the  Latter  Day  Saints,  and  in  December, 
1875,  he  was  ordained  by  his  church  to  preach.  On  the  2d  of  May,  1867, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  A.  Coffman,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
daughter  of  Mr.  Joseph  Coffman.  They  have  three  children  :  Sarah  C, 
born  August  27,  1868;  Mary  Alice,  born  March  10,  1875,  and  Isaac  T.,. 
born  May  7,  1877.     Mr.  F.  is  independent  in  his  political  views. 


426  HISTORY  OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

HENRY  FLORY, 

farmer,  section  I,  a  native  of  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  was  born  on  the 
17th  of  September,  1848,  and  was  the  son  of  Daniel  Flory,  who  was  born 
in  Virginia,,  and  an  agriculturist  by  calling.  His  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Christena  Sniteman,  and  she  was  a  native  of  Germany.  Henry  was 
raised  in  his  native  county,  on  a  farm,  obtaining  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. In  the  spring  of  1887  he  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  began 
tilling  the  soil,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  forty  acres,  well  improved,  and 
with  a  small,  good  bearing  orchard.  Mr.  Flory  was  married  in  Augusta 
County,  Virginia,  to  Miss  Eliza  A.  Fauber,  daughter  of  Peter  Fauber,  of 
that  county.  She  was  born  on  the  18th  of  October,  1849.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  his  religious  preferences  are  with  the  German 
Baptists. 

LEMUEL  FOUNTAIN, 

farmer,  section  15,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Perin,  Clermont  County, 
'Ohio,  on  October  9,  1830,  his  parents  being  Matthew  and  Patty  P. 
Fountain.  His  father,  who  was  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  farming, 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  his  mother  of  Massachusetts.  Lemuel 
•spent  his  youth  in  Indiana  on  a  farm,  there  receiving  an  education  such 
as  the  common  schools  afforded.  In  1867  he  moved  to  the  state  of  Min- 
nesota, and  on  the  9th  of  April,  1868,  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in 
Holt  County,  where  he  now  owns  eighty  acres  of  good  land.  He  has 
300  young  bearing  peach  and  other  varieties  of  fruit  trees.  Mr.  F.  is  an 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  his  religious 
preferences  are  with  the  Methodist  denomination.  October  16,  185 1,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Coburn,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Coburn. 
Their  family  consists  of  Amanda  Hazlett,  aged  twenty-eight  ;  Edwin, 
aged  twenty-five.;  William,  aged  twenty-three;  Ezra,  aged  twenty- 
two  ;  Anna,  aged  eighteen  ;  James,  aged  sixteen  ;  Lemuel,  aged  four- 
teen ;  Matta  May,  aged  twelve  years,  and  Guy,  six  years  old. 

LEVI  GILLIS, 

farmer  and  stock  dealer,  section  18,  postoffice,  Mound  City,  is  a  son  of 
George  Gillis,  and  was  born  in  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  July  7,  1839. 
He  came  to  Holt  County  with  his  parents,  and  here  he  has  since  resided, 
except  a  short  time  during  the  war.  He  has  made  farming  his  principal 
occupation,  and  now  has  300  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  erected  a  fine 
residence  in  the  year  1881.  April  12,  1865,  Mr.  G.  was  married  to  Miss 
Martha  Morrow,  who  was  born  in  Greene  County,  Ohio,  April  15,  1843. 
They  have  five  children  :  Olive,  Cordelia,  Thomas,  Nettie,  and  Lau- 
■rania.  Mr.  G.  is  a  member  of  Mound  City  Lodge  No.  294,  A.  F.  and 
A.  M. 


LIBERTY   TOWNSHIP.  427 

JOSEPH  GLICK, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  33,  was  born  on  the  25th  of  August,  1830, 
in  New  Market,  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Susan  (Wampler)  Glick.  The  former  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  the  latter  of  Maryland.  Joseph  was  raised  on  a 
farm,  in  his  native  county,  and  received  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion. In  1857  he  came  to  this  state,  and  on  October  14th  of  that  year, 
located  in  Holt  County,  where  he  is  now  the  owner  of  165  acres  of  land. 
He  first  settled  in  Benton  Township,  and  for  sixteen  years  lived  on  one 
place,  and  has  been  an  occupant  of  his  present  farm  for  eight  years. 
During  the  late  war  he  served  for  three  months  in  the  State  Militia.  He 
is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Glick  was  married  February  20,  1868,  to  Lucinda 
Palmer,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Martin  Palmer.  Mrs.  Glick  was. born  in  Ben- 
ton Township,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  November  1,  1852.  They  have 
four  children,  Lucinda  Ann,  born  July  27,  1871  ;  William  J.,  born  August 
30,  1874  ;  Ida  May,  born  October  27,  1876,  and  Maggie  V.,  born  July  19, 
1880.  On  the  13th  of  April,  1873,  Mr.  G.  was  ordained  to  preach  the 
gospel  by  the  German  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  had  so  long  been  a 
rqember.  He  has  upon  his  farm  some  fine  Berkshire  hogs.  His  orchard 
contains  125  apple  and  ?0O  peach  trees,  besides  other  selections. 

JOEL  GLICK, 

farmer,  section  4,  is  a  native  of  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  where  he 
was  born  on  September  14,  1839,  ms  parents  being  Joseph,  a  farmer,  and 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  Susan  (Wampler)  Glick,  the  latter  of  Maryland. 
Joel  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm  in  Virginia,  and  for  some  time  attended 
the  common  schools.  In  1857  he  came  to  Missouri,  and  the  same  year 
located  in  Holt  County,  and  here  he  now  owns  170  acres  of  land.  Mr. 
Glick's  religious  preferences  are  with  the  German  Baptist  denomina- 
tion, and  in  September,  1875,  he  was  ordained  as  clergyman.  Politically 
is  a  Democrat.  March  20,  1862,  he  was  married  to  Achsah  Pearson, 
daughter  of  James  Pearson.  They  have  five  children  :  Martina  Bell, 
aged  seventeen  ;  William  J.  S.,  aged  fifteen  ;  Ann  Eliza  Susan,  aged 
eleven  ;  George  L.,  aged  five,  and  David  Casper,  aged  two  years. 

GEORGE  W.  KELLER, 

farmer,  section  15,  was  born  on  the  7th  of  January,  1838,  in  Morrow 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Matilda  (  Sames )  Keller. 
The  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  an  agriculturist  by  occupation, 
and  the  mother  of  George  was  originally  from  Ohio.  Young  Keller  was 
raised  in  his  native  state,  on  a  farm,  receiving  his  education  there  and 


428  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

in  Missouri.  In  the  fall  of  1857  he  came  to  this  state,  and  settled  in 
Holt  County,  where  he  now  has  in  his  possession  40  acres  of  land,  with 
150  young  apple  trees,  and  an  abundance  of  small  fruits.  For  four  years 
in  the  late  civil  war  Mr.  K.  was  a  member  of  Company  F,  Fourth  Mis- 
souri State  Militia.  He  was  in  several  conflicts,  among  which  were  the 
battles  of  Springfield,  Missouri,  and  Mine  Creek,  besides  minor  engage- 
ments. He  is  Republican  in  politics.  On  the  nth  of  February,  1865, 
he  was  married  to  Rebecca  Ann  Thornton,  a  daughter  of  Franklin 
Thornton,  Esq.  Their  family  consists  of  Armina  E.,  twelve  years  old.; 
Delia  M.,  aged  ten  ;  William  J.,  aged  six  ;  George  A.,  four  years  of  age, 
and  Alta  M.,  eighteen  months  old.  Religiously,  Mr.  K.  inclines  toward 
the  Methodist  faith. 

JACOB  R.  KELLER, 

farmer,  section  32,  was  born  on  February  11,  1852,  in  Baltimore  County, 
Maryland.  His  father,  David  Keller,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born 
in  Maryland,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Rachel  A.  Bowl,  was  from  the 
same  state.  The  early  life  of  Jacob  was  passed  in  Pennsylvania  on  a 
farm,  and  he  obtained  a  common  school  education.  In  187 1,  he  removed 
to  Missouri,  and  the  year  following  (1872)  came  to  Holt  County.  His 
landed  estate  consists  of  168  acres,  and  upon  his  farm  he  has  115  apple 
trees,  with  a  great  quantity  of  peaches,  pears,  cherries,  etc.  Politically 
he  is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Keller  was  married  September  9,  1875,  to  Miss 
Virginia  Andes,  daughter  of  John  Andes,  Esq.  They  have  two  children 
living;  John  Elmer,  aged  four  years,  and  Charles  Marvin,  born  April  18, 
1880.  One  child  is  deceased.  Mr.  K.  religiously  is  a  German  Baptist, 
and  in  the  fall  of  188 1,  he  was  ordained  a  minister  of  his  church. 

WILLIAM  G.  McINTYRE, 

farmer,  section  10,  a  native  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  was  born  on  the 
20th  of  May,  1847,  his  parents  being  Lewis  and  Mariah  (Blair)  Mcln- 
tyre.  The  former  was  born  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  and  was  a  tiller 
of  the  soil,  and  William's  mother  came  originally  from  Indiana.  Young 
Mclntyre's  youth  was  spent  on  a  farm,  he  receiving  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Holt  County.  During  the  war  he  was  in  service  for 
three  years  and  five  months  in  Company  K,  Thirteenth  Missouri,  and 
he  participated  in  the  campaign  of  1864  against  Price.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican  and  has  served  this  county  as  its  sheriff  and  collector.  In 
the  fall  of  1872  he  was  elected  sheriff  and  served  for  one  term,  and  in 
1874  he  was  the  choice  of  the  people  for  the  position  of  collector.  He 
is  zn  Old  School  Presbyterian.  Mr.  Mclntyre  has  a  fine  farm  of  eighty- 
five  acres,  with  130  young  apple  and  fifty  peach  trees,  with  small  fruits. 
He   was   married   March    12,    1871,   to  Miss   Anna   Miller,    daughter  of 


LIBERTY   TOWNSHIP.  429 

Henry  C.  Miller,  of  Liberty  Township,  Holt  County,  Missouri.  Mrs. 
Mclntyre  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Two  children  have  been  born 
to  them  :  Guy  E.,  born  April  18,  1878,  and  Bertha  A.,  born  May  6, 
1880. 

JOHN  P.  McMURRAY, 

farmer,  section  36,  was  born  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  within  the  limits 
of  Clarke  County,  Virginia,  on  January  23,  1839.  His  father,  Peter,  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  as  was  also  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Catharine  Sample.  John  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  state,  and  he  subsequently  moved  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Holt 
County,  in  October,  1871.  His  estate  consists  of  160  acres  of  land,  and 
a  good  young  orchard  of  120  apple,  with  peach,  pear  and  other  fruit 
trees  ;  also  100  grape  vines.  Mr.  McMurray  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  During  the  late  war  he  was  in  the  Sixth  Virginia  Cavalry, 
of  the  Confederate  service,  and  was  in  both  of  the  battles  of  Bull  Run, 
and  all  of  the  principal  engagements  around  Richmond.  He  is  a  staunch 
Democrat.  He  has  been  twice  married  :  First,  on  November  3,  1859,  to 
Sarah  E.  Dearmont,  and  the  second  marriage  occurred  to  Ellen  G. 
Crebs,  daughter  of  John  H.  Crebs,  of  Virginia.  Mrs.  McMurray  is  a 
native  of  that  state,  and  was  educated  at  Dunbar  Seminary,  of  Winches- 
ter, Frederick  County.  Their  family  circle  embraces  :  Wilton,  born 
November  18,  i860  ;  Willie,  born  May  21,  1863  ;  Walter,  born  October 
3,  1865  ;  Wade,  born  May  30,  1867  ;  Edgar,  born  February  11,  1872  ; 
Edith,  born  September  7,  1873  ;  Ella,  born  February  17,  1876;  Stonewall 
Jackson,  born  May  13,  1878,  and  Eola,  born  July  7,  1880.  Mr.  McMur- 
ray's  religious  preferences  are  with  the  Presbyterian  denomination. 

HENRY  C.  MILLER, 

section  9,  was  born  in  Germany,  October  23,  182 1,  and  his  parents  were 
each  natives  of  that  country.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  Henry  was 
raised  and  received  a  common  school  education  at  his  birthplace.  He 
is  a  machinist  by  trade,  the  greater  part  of  his  youth  having  been  spent 
in  a  machine  shop.  In  December,  1844,  he  emigrated  to  New  Orleans, 
and  after  residing  there  tor  eighteen  months,  in  December,  1846,  he 
moved  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  From  thence  he  went  to  Vicksburg,  and 
after  nearly  a  year,  returned  to  Cincinnati,  and  until  1852  he  worked  at 
the  machinist  trade.  In  that  year,  Edgar  County,  Illinois,  became  his 
home,  and  there  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  In  the  spring  of  1865,  Mr. 
Miller  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  160  acres 
of  land.  He  has  a  fine  bearing  orchard  of  150  apple  and  140  peach 
trees  and  a  good  vineyard  of  600  grape  vines,  besides  smaller  fruits. 
Mr.  M.  was  married  in  Cincinnati  in  December,  1847,  to  Christena  Heyer, 


430  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY, 

daughter  oi  John  Heyer.     She  was  born  in  Germany,  December  25,  1826 
Their  family  consists  of  Annie,  (wife  of  William  G.    Mclntyre),    born 
January  18,  1852  ;  Franklin,  born  August  29,   1855  '■>  Louisa,  (wife  of  O. 
M.  Kelly),  born  April  1,  1858,  and  John,  born  April  12,  1861.     Mr.  Miller's  | 
religious  preferences  are  with  the  Lutherans,  and  his  political  views  are 
Republican. 

JOHN  A.  MILLER, 

is  a  native  of  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born 
February  19,  1837.  His  parents,  Martin  and  Margaret  (Halter)  Miller, 
as  well  as  both  of  his  grandparents,  were  born  in  Cumberland  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  John  was  raised,  being  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  resided  in  his  native  county  until  1869,  when  he  came  to 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  near  Oregon,  where  he  lived  for  about 
eight  years.  He  then  moved  to  this  township,  and  located  where  he  now 
resides,  having  a  good  farm  of  160  acres  of  land  in  what  is  known  as 
Minnesota  Valley.  His  orchard  includes  200  apple,  100  peach  and  some 
cherry  trees.  Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  Cumberland  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  January,  1855,  to  Miss  Catharine,  daughter  of  Abram  Severs, 
Esq.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  have  ten  children  :  Alfred  A.,  born  May  26, 1858; 
John  A.,  born  February  14,  i860  ;  Margaret  C,  born  January  22,  1862  ;. 
Amanda  M.,  born  April  17,  1864;  Martin  A.,  born  June  6,  1866;  Wil- 
liam H.,  born  August  5,  1868  ;  Eva  May,  born  November  7,  1871  ;  Mira 
Belle,  born  April  1,  1873  ;  Mary  Ann,  born  April  8,  1875,  and  James  A. 
G.,  born  July  12,  1878. 

J.  P.  NORMAN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  6,  was  born  on  the  15th  of  May,  1847,. 
being  a  native  of  Page  County,  Virginia.  His  father,  John,  was  an  agri- 
culturist by  occupation,  and  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  his  mother  whose 
maiden  name  *  was  Lucy  A.  Peterfish,  was  from  the  same  state.  The 
youth  of  J.  P.  Norman  was  spent  in  his  native  state,  on  a  farm,  his  educa- 
tion being  received  in  the  common  schools  of  Indiana.  In  March,  1869,. 
he  removed  to  Missouri,  locating  in  this  county,  and  now  owns  126  acres 
of  land,  upon  which  is  some  good  graded  stock.  He  also  has  a  young 
bearing  orchard.  For  eighteen  months  during  the  war,  he  was  in  Com- 
pany K,  Second  Virginia  Infantry  of  the  Confederate  service,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Gettysburg  and  Chancellorsville,  besides 
minor  engagements.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  Mr.  Norman  was 
married  December  15,  i$72,  to  Rachael  A.  Flinn,  daughter  of  Adam 
Flinn.  They  have  three  children  :  Minnie  A.,  aged  eight  years  ;  Lura 
A.,  aged  seven  years,  and  Walter,  three  years  old.  Religiously,  Mr.  N. 
is  a  German  Baptist. 


LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP.  43 T 

WILLIAM  R.  OWENS, 

farmer,  section  3,  owes  his  nativity  to  Saline  County,  Missouri,  where 
he  was  born  on  the  29th  of  March,  1849.  His  father,  John  Owens,  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  his  mother,  formerly 
Mary  Bright,  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  William'  passed  his  youth  in 
Missouri  on  a  farm,  and  during  his  early  life  attended  the  common 
schools.  In  April,  1875,  he  came  to  Holt  County  and  here  he  now  owns 
120  acres  of  land  and  a  young  orchard  of  seventy-five  apple  trees  and 
some  small  fruits.  Politically  Mr.  O.  is  a  Democrat.  March  10,  1870, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Anderson,  daughter  of  William.  Anderson,  became  his 
wife.     His  religious  preferences  are  with  the  Christian  denomination. 

F.  S.  PEARCE, 

farmer,  stock  feeder  and  shipper,  section  17,  was  born  on  the  16th  day 
of  January,  1845,  in  Baltimore  County,  Maryland,  and  was  the  son  of 
William  and  Elizabeth  (Hartman)  Pearce,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
In  March,  1855,  young  Pearce  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Holt 
County.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm,  partly  in  Maryland  and  also  in  this 
state,  he  receiving  a  common  school  education.  During  the  late  war  he 
enlisted  in  Company  D,  Twenty-eight  Illinois  Regiment  and  served  for 
nearly  four  years,  participating  in  the  battles  of  Belmont,  Shiloh,  the 
surrender  of  Vicksburg  and  several  minor  engagements.  The  landed, 
estate  of  Mr.  Pearce  consists  of  130  acres  of  land,  upon  which  is  a 
young  orchard  of  120  apple,  peach  and  pear  trees,  etc.  He  has  beeni 
twice  married,  first,  in  1866,  to  Rebecca  J.  Penrose,  daughter  of  Mr. 
John  Penrose,  and  by  this  union  there  was  one  child,  A.  E.,  now  fifteen 
years  of  age.  On  the  16th  of  January,  1873,  Emma  J.  Bender  became 
his  wife.  Her  father  was  Elias  Bender,  Esq.  They  have  one  child,  U. 
S.,  aged  five  years.  Mr.  P.  is  Republican  in  politics,  and  religiously  is  a 
Methodist. 

I.  C.  PEARCE, 

farmer  and  feeder  and  shipper  of  hogs  and  cattle,  section  27,  is  a  native 
of  Baltimore  County,  Maryland,  where  he  was  born  on  the  27th  of  August, 
1847.  His  parents  were  WilUam  Pearce,  a  farmer,  who  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Elizabeth  Pearce,  whose  maiden  name  was  Hartman,  of  the 
same  state.  In  1855,  I-  C.  was  brought  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Holt 
County,  and  here  his  youth  was  principally  spent,  and  his  common  school 
education  mostly  obtained.  During  the  late  civil  war  he  was  in  the 
State  Militia  for  twelve  months.  His  farm  contains  160  acres  of  land,, 
with  a  young  orchard  of  250  apple  and  200  peach  trees,  and  some  grapes,, 
etc.  He  devotes  much  attention  to  his  stock  interests.  Religiously,. 
"Mr.  Pearce's  preferences  are  with  the  Methodists.     He  was  married  in* 


432  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

January,  1868,  to  Mary  A.  Kunkel,  daughter  of  Henry  Kunkel.  They 
have  five  children,  Ida,  aged  ten  years  ;  Lilly,  aged  eight  ;  Nellie,  aged 
six  ;  Hayes  aged  four  years,  and  Gertrude,  aged  two  years.  In  politics, 
Mr.  P.  is  a  Republican. 

R.  K.  ROSS,  Sen., 

farmer,  sections  4  and  6,  was  born  in  Guilford  County,  North  Carolina, 
February  25,  18 10,  being  a  son  of  Andrew  Ross  and  Anna,  nee  Kimmons, 
both  natives  of  North  Carolina.  Young  Ross  passed  his  early  days  in 
Tennessee,  on  a  farm,  but  was  denied  the  privileges  of  acquiring  an 
education  in  the  schools  of  pioneer  fame.  He  was  an  early  settler  of 
Missouri,  and  especially  of  Holt  County,  to  which  he  had  moved  in  1847. 
He  now  owns  a  farm  of  140  acres.  Mr.  Ross  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Latter  Day  Saints.  October  1,  1831, 
he  was  married  to  Jane  Bird,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Bird,  and  a  native  of 
Tennessee.  Their  family  consists  of  ten  children  :  Andrew  J.,  Nancy, 
Mary  H.,  Eliza  J.,  Lucinda,  Rachel,  George  W.,  Isaac,  R.  K.  and  Frances. 
They  have  lost  five  children.    Mr.  R.  is  a  Democrat. 

R.  K.  ROSS,  Jr., 

section  4,  is  a  son  of  R.  K.  and  Jane  (Bird)  Ross,  the  former  of  North 
Carolina  and  the  latter  of  Tennessee,  and  was  born  in  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  November  26,  1852.  He  here  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm, 
obtaining  a  common  school  education,  and  has  always  made  this  county 
his  home.  His  landed  estate  consists  of  eighty  acres  of  land,  well 
improved.  Politically,  Mr.  Ross  is  a  Democrat,  and  his  religious  prefer- 
ences are  with  the  denomination  of  Latter  Day  Saints.  In  March,  1878, 
be  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Worley,  whose  father  was  Peter  Worley. 
They  have  two  children  :  William  Thomas,  two  years  old,  and  an  infant 
son,  Robert  K. 

JUDGE  GEORGE  P.  SKEELS, 

farmer,  stock  feeder  and  shipper,  section  15,  was  born  in  Scipio  Town- 
ship, Seneca  County,  Ohio,  August  8,  1833,  his  parents  being  Silas  and 
Anica  (Beardsly)  Skeels.  The  former  was  a  native  of  New  Haven 
County,  Connecticut,  and  the  latter  was  born  in  the  same  state.  George 
was  reared  in  his  native  county  on  a  farm,  and  received  a  liberal  educa- 
tion at  the  Seneca  County  Academy,  located  at  Republic.  When  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  began  teaching  school,  and  with  one 
exception  taught  every  winter  until  i860.  March  27,  1856,  he  removed 
to  Kansas,  where  he  remained  until  October  26,  1857,  when  he  came  to 
Holt  County.  In  1859,  he  returned  to  Ohio,  but  after  being  there  for 
four  years,  came  again  to  this  county  in  1864.  Since  residing  here  he 
has  taught  school  four  years.     In  the  fall  of  1866,  Mr.  Skeels  was  elected 


LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP.  433 

county  judge,  was  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1868,  and  has  served  in  this 
capacity  for  eight  years,  thus  showing  the  esteem,  as  an  official,  in  which 
he  is  held  by  the  community.  He  is  a  staunch  Republican  in  his  politi- 
cal views,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  In  the  fall  of  1866, 
he  commenced  farming,  and  has  given  much  attention  to  agriculture 
and  the  feeding  and  shipping  of  stock,  having  upon  his  place  some  good 
graded  cattle  and  thoroughbred  hogs.  His  farm  contains  220  acres,  and 
he  has  a  bearing  orchard  of  300  apple  and  100  peach  trees,  besides  cher- 
ries, plums,  grapes  and  other  fruit.  Judge  Skeels  was  married  January 
I,  i860,  to  Miss  Serilda  A.  Caton,  daughter  of  Mr.  Christopher  P.  Caton. 
She  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Missouri,  but  was  brought  to  Holt 
County  when  a  child.  Their  family  consists  of  six  children  :  Dora  H., 
born  August  I,  1862  ;  Frank  B.  and  Flora  E.  (twins)  born  October  26, 
1865  ;  Myrtie  E.,  born  July  12,  1868  ;  May  F.,  born  January  24,  1871,  and 
George  P.,  born  September  25,  1872.  The  judge's  religious  preferences 
are  with  the  Universalists. 

WILLIAM  SMITH, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  16,  is  a  native  of  Northumberland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  on  the  13th  of  July,  1835,  his 
parents,  John  and  Rachael  A.  Smith,  both  having  been  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  former  was  an  agriculturist,  and  William  passed  his  youth 
on  the  farm,  and  also  worked  at  the  trade  of  blacksmithing.  His  educa- 
tion he  received  in  his  native  state.  In  1856  he  moved  to  Michigan,  for 
one  year  followed  his  trade,  and  then  worked  on  a  farm  until  the  spring 
of  1869,  when  he  came  .to  Missouri,  locating  in  Holt  County.  He  now 
owns  340  acres  of  excellent  land,  with  a  superior  orchard  of  230  apple 
trees,  also  cherries,  plums,  grapes  and  small  fruits  in  abundance.  Mr. 
Smith  is  Republican  in  politics.  On  the  15th  of  March,  i860,  Miss 
Catharine  Shunkweiler,  daughter  of  Henry  Shunkweiler.  became  his  wife. 
Their  family  consists  of  nine  children  :  Lydia  A.,  aged  twenty-one 
years  ;  Mary  E.,  aged  nineteen  ;  Amelia  C,  aged  seventeen  ;  George  H., 
aged  fourteen  ;  William  E.,  aged  eleven  ;  John  W.,  aged  nine  ;  Benjamin 
F.,  aged  five  ;  Charles  Ira,  aged  two,  and  Andrew  T.,  born  December  23, 
1881.  Religiously,  Mr.  Smith's  preferences  are  with  the  Evangelical 
Association. 

ELIAS  SMITH, 

farmer,  section  16;  was  born  on  the  24th  of  December,  1837,  in  Schuyl- 
kill County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Rachel  Smith, 
who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  His  father  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil, 
and  the  early  life  of  Elias  was  passed  on  the  farm,  he  also  attending  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  state.     During  the  war  he  was  in  service 

28 


l 


434  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

for  three  years  in  the  Second  Iowa  Battery,  and  participated  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  the  battles  of  New  Madrid  and  Corinth,  Tennessee, 
and  several  minor  engagements.  February  5,  1879,  ne  came  to  Mis- 
souri and  now  has  a  landed  estate  of  160  acres,  with  150  young  bearing 
apple  trees  and  some  small  fruits.  Mr.  Smith  is  Republican  in  politics. 
He  has  been  twice  married  ;  first,  on  the  15th  of  March,  1866,  to  Eliza- 
beth Shunkweiler,  and  March  2,  1872,  to  Angeline  Shunkweiler,  a  sister 
of  his  first  wife.  Mr.  Smith  has  three  children  :  John  H.,  aged  fifteen 
years  ;  Franklin,  aged  seven,  and  Hattie  E.,  three  years  old.  Relig- 
iously he  worships  with  the  Evangelical  denomination. 

LEWIS  C.  SMITH, 

section  7,  is.  a  native  of  St.  Joseph  County,  Indiana,  where  he  was  born 
December  24,  1845.  His  father,  Michael  Smith,  was  born  in  Germany, 
and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Rhodes,  was  a  native 
of  the  same  country.  Lewis  spent  his  youth  in  Indiana  on  a  farm,  and 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  June,  1865,  he  came  to  Mis- 
souri, locating  in  Holt  County,  and  is  now  the  possessor  of  140  acres  of 
good  land.  His  bearing  orchard  includes  300  apple  and  fifty  peach  trees, 
with  100  grape  vines  and  other  fruit.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
he  belongs  to  the  Latter  Day  Saints.  On  the  12th  of  August,  1871,  Mr. 
Smith  was  married  to  Lucinda  Ross,  daughter  of  R.  K.  Ross,  Esq.,  of 
this  county.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers  of  this  vicinity,  and 
is  successful  in  his  business. 

THOMS  TEAR, 

farmer,  section  24,  was  born  on  the  Isle  of  Man,  on  the  12th  day  of  May,. 
1843,  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Isabella  (Lace)  Tear,  both  having  been 
natives  of  that  place.  The  former  was  a  farmer,  and  young  Tear  was 
raised  at  his  birthplace  on  a  farm,  and  during  life  has  received  a  good 
common  school  education.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  for 
one  year  previous  to  coming  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  he  was  located' 
in  Kansas.  In  August,  1866,  he  settled  in  this  vicinity,  and  now  owns 
eighty  acres  of  land,  with  a  fine  orchard  of  100  apple  and  1,000  peach 
trees,  besides  200  grape  vines.  Mr.  Tear  is  a  member  in  good  standing 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  was  married  on  the  9th  of  November, 
1870,  to  Miss  Caroline  Hogland,  daughter  of  John  Hogland.  By  this 
union  they  have  four  children  :  Eddie  Allen,  born  July  10,  1871  ;  Dellie 
Bell,  born  February  12,  1873  ;  John  Thomas,  born  March  13,  1874,.  and? 
Charles  Oscar,  born  December  15,  1875.  Mr.  Tear's  political  views  are- 
Republican,  and  his  religious  preferences  are  with  the  Methodists. 


LIBERTY   TOWNSHIP.  435 

HENRY  D.  WALKER, 

section  14,  was  born  March  20,  183 1,  in  Germany,  and  was  the  son  of 
John  and  Catherine  (Jacobs)  Walker,  who  were  both  natives  of  that 
country.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  Henry  left  his  native  place  and 
emigrated  to  America,  settling  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  brought  up 
principally  on  a  farm,  obtaining  an  education  such  as  the  common  schools 
•  afforded,  and  in  185 1  he  moved  to  Ohio.  On  leaving  there,  in  1856,  he 
went  to  Iowa,  and  thence  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  in  1859,  coming 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  February,  1866.  His  farm  embraces  190 
acres  of  land,  and  upon  it  are  400  fine  bearing  apple  and  150  peach, 
besides  pear,  cherry  and  plum  trees.  Mr.  Walker  is  a  member  of  the  I. 
O.  O.  F.  fraternity.  He  was  united  in  marriage  July  28,  1863,  with  Miss 
Mary  J.  Mann,  daughter  of  James  Mann,  Esq.  She  was  born  in  High- 
land County,  Ohio,  and  was  reared  in  Ohio  and  Illinois.  Their  family 
consists  of  James  W.,  born  June  14,  1864  ;  John  Henry,  born  September 
27,  1867  ;  Margaret  A.,  born  March  29,  1869;  Flora  E.,  born  December 
25,  1871  ;  Emma  J.,  born  April  25,  1874  ;  Mary  P.,  born  August  6,  1875  ; 
Louisa  M.,  born  November  6,  1878,  and  George  M.,  born  March  15,  1881. 
Mr.  W.  is  independent  in  politics,  but  religiously,  is  a  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian. 

PETER  E.  WHITMER, 

section  10,  is  a  native  of  Miami  County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  on  the  7th 
of  July,  1840,  being  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Barbara  (Brubaker)  Whitmer. 
His  father  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother 
was  also  from  that  state.  The  early  life  of  Peter  was  passed  on  a  farm 
and  for  some  time  he  attended  the  public  schools.  He  also  received  a 
good  education  at  Jaysville  Institute.  In  the  late  war  Mr.  W.  served  for 
two  years  and  four  months  in  Company  B,  Ninety-fourth  Ohio  Infantry, 
and  was  in  several  engagements.  In  politics  he  is  Republican,  and  he  is 
also  a  minister  of  the  German  Baptist  Church,  having  been  ordained  in 
the  fall  of  1881.  His  landed  interests  embrace  160  acres,  with  an  orchard 
of  200  apple,  300  peach,  200  of  which  are  fine  budded  trees,  and  a  few 
cherry,  plum  and  pear  trees,  besides  small  fruits.  He  has  also  1,000 
European  larches  and  200  cedar  trees.  Mr.  W.  was  married  on  the  23d 
of  December,  1870,  to  Miss  Cynthia  Ann  Cable,  daughter  of  Jacob  Cable. 
She  was  born  in  Ohio,  September  26,  1846,  and  was  there  reared.  They 
have  four  children  :  Minnie  Lloyd,  born  November  8,  1871  ;  Bertillie  E., 
born  December  25,  1876  ;  Venilla  May,  born  May  14,  1878;  Warren  F,, 
born  April  22,  1879.     One  child  died  in  1874. 

JONAS  WHITMER, 

farmer,  section  5,  was  born  on  the  15th  of  September,  1842,  and  owes 
his  nativity  to  Miami  County,  Ohio.     His  parents,  S.   B.  and  Elizabeth 


436  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Brubaker,  were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  having  been 
born  in  Lancaster  County.  Jonas  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
state,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  When  the  war  broke  out 
he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Ninety-fourth  Ohio,  as  private,  and  after 
being  in  the  service  for  three  years,  he  was  discharged  as  first  sergeant. 
In  1866  he  removed  to  this  county,  and  for  eleven  years  has  been  located 
on  his  present  farm,  consisting  of  245  acres.  He  has  150  apple  trees,  and 
choice  varieties  of  peaches,  cherries,  etc.  Mr.  Whitmer  has  been  engaged 
in  teaching  in  the  schools  of  Holt  and  Atchison  Counties,  for  several 
years,  and  as  an  instructor  is  very  successful.  Religiously,  he  is  a  Meth- 
odist, and  in  politics  a  Republican.  In  1874  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Jane  Pollock,  daughter  of  Mr.  David  Pollock.  Mr.  W.  is  an  energetic 
and  prominent  agriculturist  of  this  township. 

H.  L.  ZACHARY, 

farmer,  section  7,  is  a  native  of  Pulaski  County,  Kentucky,  and  was 
born  on  December  4,  1854.  His  father,  B.  J.  Zachary,  a  tiller  of  the 
soil,  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  as  was  also  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Nancy  Paschal.  In  1864  H.  L.  Zachary  came  to  Missouri, 
and  one  year  later,  in  1865,  he  located  in  Holt  County.  His  youth  was 
spent  partly  in  Kentucky  and  also  in  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  and 
Nodaway  and  Holt  Counties,  Missouri.  After  living  in  this  county  for 
three  years  he  moved  to  Graham  and  made  his  home  in  Nodaway 
County  for  nine  years,  at  the  close  of  which  period  he  returned  to  Holt 
County  in  1877.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  different  places  of  residence.  Mr.  Zachary  is  the  owner  of  eighty 
acres  of  land.  His  marriage  occurred  April  19,  1881,  when  Miss  C.  C. 
Norick,  daughter  of  Jacob  Norick,  became  his  wife. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

NODAWAY   TOWNSHIP. 

NODAWAY   TOWNSHIP— PHYSICAL   FEATURES— EARLY  SETTLERS-CHURCHES-SCHOOLS— 
MILLS— RICHVILLE-FRUIT-EARLY    PUGILISTS— TIMBER— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

BOUNDARIES. 

The  section  of  country  formerly  known  as  Nodaway  Township,  we 
have  already  described  as  one  of  the  two  original  divisions  of  Holt 
County,  when  the  same  included  all  of  Atchison  County,  and  a  portion 
of  the  State  of  Iowa,  embracing  a  greater  portion  of  the  present  areas 
of  Forbes,  Nodaway,  Hickory  and  Clay  Townships.  By  the  erection  of 
other  municipal  towships,  it  was,  from  time  to  time  reduced,  till  by  the 
organization  of  Hickory  Township,  June  17,  1874,  it  was  circumscribed 
within  its  present  comparatively  insignificant  limits  of  about  five  miles 
square-,  rendering  it  with  the  exception  of  Lincoln,  the  smallest  town- 
ship in  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Hickory  Township ; 
on  the  east  by  Andrew  County,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Noda- 
way River  ;  on  the  south  by  Forbes  Township,  and  on  the  west  by  Lewis 
Township. 

PHYSICAL    FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  the  present  township  of  Nodaway  is  varied.  The 
greater  proportion,  however,  is  either  prairie  or  cleared  timber.  Most 
of  the  timber  is  found  on  the  Nodaway  River  bluffs.  Nickol's  Grove, 
described  as  lying  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Hickory  Township,  extends 
southward  into  Nodaway.  This  grove,  as  before  stated,  was  the  first 
settled  portion  of  this  part  of  the  county. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

The  first  settler  to  locate  there  was  Frank  Nickols,  a  brother  of 
Robert  and  Frank,  who  had  settled  in  that  portion  of  the  grove  which 
lies  in  what  is  now  Hickory  Township.  Robert  Nickols  was  the  pioneer, 
and  through  his  influence,  John  and  Frank  shortly  after  arrived  in  the 
county,  the  latter  locating  in  that  part  of  the  grove  included  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  township  of  Nodaway,  as  above   stated.     Oakley 


43§  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Morris,  who  still  (1882)  resides  in  the  township,  settled  therein  1840  ; 
A.  C.  Bevan,  in  1841,  from  Washington,  District  of  Columbia.  Among 
the  other  early  settlers  of  this  section  of  the  county  were  I.  W.  Jones, 
Elias  Evans,  Townsend  Evans,  Burril  Evans  and  Melvin  Evans,  from 
Indiana  ;  Henry  Patterson,  John  Meyer  and  Gotlieb  Meyer.  David  Tem- 
pleton  and  family,  also  from  Indiana,  were  among  the  very  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Nodaway  Township,  as  was  also  Colonel  John  W.  Kelley,  after- 
wards the  first  attorney  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Holt  County.  David 
Templeton  arrived  in  the  county  with  four  sons.  Monroe  Templeton 
located  near  the  site  of  what  was  afterwards  the  town  of  Richville.  John 
Norvel,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  but  directly  from  Kentucky  to  this  State, 
settled  in  Nodaway  Township  in  1847. 

At  an  early  period  came  Jacob  Kunkel  from  Ohio,  Henry  Marion, 
both  since  dead;  W.  Jones  and  Alexander  Jones,  both  from  Illinois; 
Daniel  Holman,  from  Clay  County,  Missouri  ;  Ephraim  Adams,  Willis 
Brockman,  A.  J.  Hollister,  from  Ohio  ;  Beecham,  Rice,  the  Patricks, 
Bornberger,  Hiram  Shutzer,  Jesse  Carroll  and  others,  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  township,  arriving  some  time  previous  to  the 
coming  of  some  of  the  above  mentioned.  Richard  Barkhurst,  the  first 
Representative  in  the  Legislature  from  Holt  County,  lived  in  1842  on 
the  southeast  quarter  section  23,  township  60,  range  37,  on  a  farm  now 
owned  by  Mrs.  Mclntyre,  in  this  township. 

CHURCHES. 

t 

One  of  the  earliest  religious  organizations  in  Holt  County,  was 
effected  in  Nodaway  Township,  in  1840.  This  was  a  Missionary  Baptist 
Church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Ebo  Tucker  was  first  pastor,  This  church,  at 
the  period  of  its  original  organization,  had  thirteen  male  members, 
beside  their  families.  Among  these  were  John  Norvel,  who  still  resides 
in  the  township,  Willis  Brockman,  Shelton  Arterbury  and  Thomas  Wick- 
ham,  also  Levi  Rhule,  John  Robinson,  Lewis  Jones,  John  McFadden  and 
Preston  Ham.  The  records  of  this  primitive  church  are  lost,  and  it  is 
impossible  to  obtain  much  more  extended  information  of  the  original 
membership.  The  first  meetings  of  this  church  were  in  groves  in  the 
summer  season,  and,  as  the  country  advanced,  in  school  houses,  which 
the  intelligent  pioneers  lost  but  little  time  in  erecting,  after  their  arrival 
in  the  country.  In  i860,  they  built  a  brick  church,  on  land  then  owned 
by  Francis  Nickols,  and  donated  by  him  for  that  purpose.  This  building 
stands  near  the  south  boundary  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  8, 
township  60,  range  37,  west,  on  an  eighty  acre  tract,  now  (1882)  owned  by 
Gotleib  Meyer.  It  was  originally  styled  Nickols'  Grove  Church.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  the  church  was  not  entirely  completed. 
It  was,  however,   occupied   and  used  for  religious  purposes  by  the  one 


NODAWAY   TOWNSHIP.  439 

hundred  and  fifty-two  members,  who  composed  the  organization.  These 
members  were  nearly,  if  not  all,  southern  sympathizers  or  rebels,  and, 
as  a  natural  consequence,  the  church,  by  the  fortune  of  war,  went  down. 
After  the  rebellion,  a  number  of  emigrants,  chiefly  Germans  from  the 
State  of  Ohio,  settled  in  the  neighborhood,  as  the  original  settlers  and 
members  of  the  pioneer  church  moved  away,  or  had  failed  to  return  after 
the  proclamation  of  peace.  The  building  stands  unoccupied  and  verging 
upon  dilapidation,  a  monument  of  the  religious  enterprise  of  the  past. 
The  congregation,  now  (1882)  reduced  to  a  membership  of  fifty-seven, 
meet  in  a  school  house  in  the  hamlet  of  Richville,  a  mile  and  a  half  east 
and  two  miles  and  a  half  south  of  the  site  of  the  old  church.  John  Nor- 
vel  is  deacon  of  this  organization,  which  at  present  is  without  a  regular 
pastor. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Richville,  was  organized  about 
the  year  1840,  shortly  after  the  Baptists.  The  Templetons  and  Evanses 
were  among  the  original  organizers  of  this  church.  The  building,  a 
brick  structure,  40x30  feet,  was  erected  about  1855,  some  five  years 
before  the  village  of  Richville,  in  which  it  now  stands,  was  laid  out.  The 
first  Methodist  preacher  to  exercise  his  calling  in  this  township,  was 
Rev.  James  Baker.  About  1844  the  Methodists  held  a  camp-meeting 
in  section  27,  township  60,  range  27,  on  a  farm  at  that  time  owned  by 
David  Templeton,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  county,  and  the  first 
county  surveyor  appointed. 

The  Church  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  on  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  17,  township  60,  range  37,  near  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  farm  now  (1882)  owned  by  Joseph  Anselment,  was  a  brick  building 
erected  in  1868,  at  a  cost  of  $3,200.  This  structure  was  blown  down  by 
a  hurricane,  in  1879.  A  frame  building  was,  in  the  spring  of  1880,  built 
on  the  old  foundation,  36x46  feet,  at  a  cost  of  $1,500.  The  original 
members  of  this  church,  or  "class,"  were  Adam  Rung,  Ulrich  Bucher, 
Joseph  Anselment,  Daniel  and  Henry  Zachman  and  Henry  Smith  and 
their  wives.  The  present  membership  of  this  church  is  seventy-five. 
The  first  minister  of  the  church,  by  whom  the  original  class  was  first 
formed,  was  the  Rev.  Henry  Hass.  His  successors,  in  regular  order 
have  been  Revs.  John  Worth,  McKessin,  Henry  Mattil,  John  Beck,  E. 
Evans,  S.  J.  Seip,  and  the  present  (1882)  minister,  Rev.  Charles  Linge, 
called  in  1879. 

The  German  Methodists  were  organized  from  the  congregation  in 
Oregon,  in  1858.  In  the  fall  of  1881,  they  built  a  frame  church  44x28 
feet  area,  with  14  feet  ceiling.  This  is  known  as  Emanuel  M.  E.  Church. 
It  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,500.  The  church  edifice  is  about 
two  miles  east  of  the  church  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  and  stands 
on  a  farm  formerly  the  property  of  R.  Davidson,  but  now  owned  by 
Kramer.     The  present  congregation  was  organized  by  Rev.  C.  Herrman, 


44°  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

January,  1880,  with  the  following  members:  John  Hunnaker  and  wife, 
Adam  Smith  and  wife,  Charles  Hilsenbeck,  Martin  Yetter,  John  Planalp, 
George  Hornecker,  Fred  Kramer,  John  Kaltenback,  William  Opal,  John 
Bahler,  C-  Michel,  John  Meyer,  John  Barts,  Ulrich  Burger  and  Fred 
Meister.  The  wives  of  the  above  mentioned  were  also  members  of  this 
organization,  as  was  also  Mrs.  Gottlieb  Meyer. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  Nodaway  Township, 
was  taught  in  1848,  by  James  Scott,  now  (1882)  a  resident  of  the  town  of 
Oregon.  The  building  was  a  hewed  log  house.  It  stood  on  section  10, 
township  60,  range  37,  on  a  farm  then  owned  by  Jacob  Kunkel,  but  now 
the  property  of  John  Honecker. 

MILLS. 

One  of  the  oldest  flouring  mills  in  Holt  County  is  located  within 
the  present  limits  of  Nodaway  Township.  This  is  still  known  as  Hol- 
lister's  Mill,  though  now  (1882)  the  property  of  the  Warner  Bros.  It  is 
recorded  on  page  143  of  the  Session  Acts  of  1843  that  Jacob  Gingery, 
Michael  T.  Sommers  and  Barney  Harper  were  authorized  to  build  a 
dam  for  milling  purposes  on  the  Nodaway  River  where  said  river  passes 
through  section  11,  township  60,  range  37.  This  is  near  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  said  section,  and  is  the  dam  that  was 
erected  to  afford  power  for  the  Hollister  Mill,  which  was  completed  in 
the  spring  of  1847,  and  is  still  recognized  as  an  important  element  of 
the  manufacturing  interests  of  the  county.  The  mill  was  destroyed  by 
fire  before  the  civil  war  but  was  afterwards  rebuilt.  It  is  a  three-run 
mill,  and  first-class  in  all  its  appointments.  It  is  still  operated  by  water 
power.  A.  G.  Hollister,  who  owned  the  mill,  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Legislature  from  1862  to  1866,  and  was  one  of  the  famous  committee  of 
seventy  sent  to  Washington  to  secure  a  more  radical  policy  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  war  in  Missouri.  About  1873  he  moved  to  Santa  Barbara, 
California. 

A  toll  bridge  was  built  by  private  enterprise  at  this  point  about  the 
beginning  of  the  war.  This  was  the  second  bridge  built  on  the  Noda- 
way in  Missouri. 

Ellington's  Ferry,  one  of  the  oldest  crossings  of  the  Nodaway  River, 
was  established  as  early  as  1841,  near  the  northeast  corner  of  section  11, 
township  60,  range  37.  On  the  establishment  of  Hollister's  Mill,  about 
half  a  mile  lower  down,  it  was  moved  to  that  point.  This  was  about 
1843.  It  continued  to  be  operated  until  the  building  of  the  bridge,  above 
mentioned.  The  old  State  road,  surveyed  by  Robison,  of  Andrew 
County,  in  1843,  from  section  36,  on  the  Nodaway  River  to  Oregon,  at 


NODAWAY   TOWNSHIP.  44 1 

first  connected  with  the  old  Shellingbarger  Ferry,  at  that  point.  There 
was,  subsequently,  a  bridge  put  in  there,  at  the  expense  of  the  county. 
It  was  built  by  a  Mormon,  by  the  name  of  Woodnut.  This  bridge,  the 
first  erected  over  the  river,  soon  washed  away.  The  old  State  Ferry  is 
now  at  this  point.  The  rapids  of  the  Nodaway  extend  across,  from  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  24,  township  60,  range  37.  Toole's,  or  Bark- 
hurst's,  Ferry  was  located  there.  The  old  road  from  Savannah  to  Ore- 
gon here  crossed  the  Nodaway.  In  1842  the  river  was  fordable  at  this 
point,  which  was  on  the  farm  then  owned  by  Hon.  Richard  Barkhurst, 
as  above  stated.  This  was  the  first  ferry  established,  by  law,  in  Holt 
County,  and  license  to  keep  it  was  granted  to  Richard  M.  Barkhurst,  by 
the  county  court  at  its  first  session,  March  24,  1841. 

Anselment's  Mill,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  17,  township 
60,  range  37,  Nodaway  Township,  stands  at  the  confluence  of  a  small 
tributary  with  Nickol's  Creek,  which  here  flows  northward  into  Hickory 
Township.  It  is  near  the  center  of  the  north  boundary  line  of  the  quarter 
section  which  is  owned  by  Joseph  Anselment.  The  mill,  when  first  built 
by  Henry  Kunkel,  in  1850,  was  a  water  power  saw  mill.  In  those  days 
water  was  more  abundant  than  it  is  at  present,  and  streams,  which  are 
hardly  worthy  of  the  name  now,  then  afforded  efficient  and  almost  unfail- 
ing power.  In  1872  the  present  grist  mill  was  built,  a  two  story  frame 
structure  on  a  high  stone  basement.  It  is  fitted  up  with  two  run  of 
burrs.  Besides  the  Lefel  turbine  wheel,  which  is  utilized  when  there  is 
sufficient  water  to  afford  the  necessary  power,  this  mill  is  provided  with 
a  twenty-nine  horse  power  steam  engine,  and  does  an  excellent  business. 

The  only  town  within  the  present  limits  of  Nodaway  Township  is 
the  small  hamlet  of 

RICHVILLE. 

Its  site  extends  from  the  southwest  corner  of  the  northwest  quarter 
to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  27,  town- 
ship 60,  range  37.  It  was  laid  out  in  i860,  by  Thomas  Templeton,  a  son 
of  the  pioneer.  A  son-in-law  of  Templeton,  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Gregg,  was  the  first  to  sell  goods  there.  Dresden  succeeded  him.  Dur- 
ing the  war,  Walter  Lloyd  started  a  small  store  in  the  place,  and  sold 
goods  as  late  as  1878. 

The  most  important  building  in  the  village,  or  rather,  in  its  imme- 
diate neighborhood,  is  the  brick  Methodist  Church  above  referred  to. 
In  its  best  days,  Richville  contained  but  five  families,  and  it  never 
enjoyed  the  convenience  of  a  post  office. 

Doctors  Norman,  Thorp  and  Dozier  practiced  in  the  locality  now 
known  as  Nodaway  Township,  from  the  earliest  period  of  the  settlement 
of  the  same,  but  as  late  as  1847,  there  was  no  resident  physician  within 
the  territory  included  in  its  present  limits. 


442  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Henry  Hornecker,  who  was  killed  in  the  civil  war,  and  William  Cook 
were  blacksmithing  there  in  1847. 

Nodaway  Township,  in  point  of  natural  advantages,  as  well  as  of 
added  improvements,  is  inferior  to  no  other  portion  of  the  county. 
Fruit  of  all  kinds,  which  constitutes  so  large  a  portion  of  the  export 
wealth  of  the  county,  is  extensively  grown  in  this  township,  and  some 
•of  the  largest  as  well  as  some  of  the  finest  orchards  in  the  county  are 
located  in  Nodaway  Township.  Of  these  the  largest,  but  by  no  means 
the  best  in  any  sense  of  the  word,  is  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
18,  township  60,  range  37,  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  E.  C.  Nuzum.  The 
farm,  which  includes  840  acres,  was  formerly  the  property  of  Jabez  Beau- 
mont. The  orchard  planted  by  him  in  1865  covered  the  entire  quarter 
section  on  which  it  remains, — no  inconsiderable  relic — still  appears. 
Three  years  after  this  orchard  was  set  out  a  fire  in  tall  grass  communi- 
cated to  the  trees  and  destroyed  eighty-five  acres  of  apple  trees  in  the 
center  of  the  orchard.  This  disaster  occurred  in  1868.  The  destroyed 
trees  were  never  replaced.  Jabez  Beaumont,  who  had  moved  from  the 
State  of  Minnesota  to  this  county,  afterwards  sold  the  840  acre  farm  on 
which  this  orchard  was  planted  to  the  present  proprietor  for  $26,000. 
Mr.  Nuzum  has  always  been  a  resident  of  Kansas,  and  the  farm  has  been 
worked  by  renters.  Though  there  are  still  seventy-five  acres  of  bearing 
apple  trees  on  the  place,  there  are  in  the  county  smaller  orchards  which 
are  equally  as  productive,  if  not  more  so. 

Henry  Zackman,  who  has  a  fine  orchard  in  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  8,  in  Nodaway  Township,  also  manufactures  sorghum.  He 
employs  in  the  working  season  three  hands. 

EARLY   PUGILISTS. 

A  notable  incident  in  the  history  of  the  early  settlement  of  Noda- 
way Township,  was  a  fisticuff  duel  which  occurred  in  1843,  tne  result  of 
a  dispute  growing  out  of  the  conflicting  claims  of  two  parties  to  the 
same  piece  of  land  in  Nickols'  Grove.  These  were  Frank  Nickols  and 
I.  W.  Jones.  Seconds  were  chosen,  a  circle  formed,  and  all  the  formali- 
ties of  the  ring  maintained  in  the  presence  of  about  200  spectators 
who  had  assembled  to  witness  the  contest.  The  combatants  were 
nearly  equally  matched  and  the  victory  long  remained  doubtful.  For- 
tune at  last  decided  in  favor  of  Nickols,  who  took  possession  of  the 
■claim  without  further  dispute. 

TIMBER. 

Nodaway  Township,  with  an  abundant  supply  of  timber  for  all 
necessary  uses,  is  also  excellently  well  watered.  Besides  the  Nodaway 
River  along    its  entire  eastern  boundary,  Nickols   Creek,  before  men- 


NODAWAY   TOWNSHIP.  443 

tioned  flows  in  a  northerly  direction  into  Hickory  Township,  whence  it 
flows  in  an  easterly  course  into  the  Nodaway  River. 

Carroll's  Branch  heads  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township  and 
flows  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  emptying  into  the  Nodaway  near  the 
south  boundary  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  14,  township  60, 
range  37. 

Mill  Creek,  a  considerable  stream  of  the  county,  rises  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Nodaway  Township  and  flows  in  a  southwesterly  course 
into  and  through  Lewis  Township  into  the  Little  Tarkio,  which  it  enters 
two  and  a  half  miles  south  by  east  of  Forest  City. 


He&3MMlH& 


<&^s 


^BIOGRAPHICAL.  •* 


RICHARD  ACTON, 

section.  17,  was  born  January  14,  1828,  and  is  a  native  of  Richland 
County,  Ohio.  His  parents,  Henry  and  Sarah  Acton,  were  both  born  in 
Maryland,  the  former  being  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Richard  passed 
his  earlier  days  in  learning  the  carpenter  and  joiner's  trade.  In  1847, 
he  came  to  Missouri,  and  on  the  14th  of  July  of  that  year,  located  in 
Holt  County,  where  he  now  owns  170  acres  of  land.  Since  living  here, 
he  has  been  a  very  successful  builder,  having  erected  many  of  the  best 
residences  and  barns  in  this  part  of  the  county,  and  has  contributed 
much  towards  the  enterprise  of  the  county.  During  the  war  he  belonged 
to  the  State  Militia,  and  was  a  strong  Union  man.  In  1863,  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  has  continued  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  that  position  very  acceptably.  During  the  fall  and  winter  of  i88i,he 
spent  some  six  months  traveling  through  California,  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington Territory.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  traternity,  and 
politically  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Acton  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Brock- 
man,  of  this  county,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  July  26,  1828.  Her 
father,  Willis  Brockman,  was  born  in  Virginia,  reared  in  Kentucky,  and 
in  1828,  came  to  Monroe  County,  Missouri,  and  to  this  county  in  Octo- 
ber, 1843.  He  married  Harriet  F.  Clemmins,  in  Kentucky,  and  by  this 
union  there  were  nine  children.  Upon  coming  here,  Mr.  B.  settled  on 
section  15,  and  toiled  hard  to  improve  a  farm.  He  died  in  1858,  and  his 
wife  in  1868.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Acton  have  nine  children  living:  David  W., 
John  H.,  Jennie,  George  W.,  Dora  S.,  Bsnjamin  F.,  Emma  P.,  James  W., 
and  Martha  S.     Mrs.  Acton  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


444  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

JOHN  BOWER, 

section  16,  was  born  in  Hessen,  Germany,  on  the  13th  of  August,  1842, 
and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Anna  (Beach)  Bower,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many. John  Jr.,  received  a  common  school  education.  When  he  was  a 
small  boy  his  father  died,  and  the  mother  marrying  again,  he  was  reared 
by  a  shiftless  step-father.  In  185 1,  he  was  brought  to  this  country,  and 
worked  at  home  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  In  1861  he  enlisted 
in  the  Eighty-second  Ohio,  and  in  1864  veteranized,  and  continued  in 
service  until  the  surrender  of  Johnston,  in  1865.  He  was  in  the  battles 
of  Bull  Run,  Chancellorsville  and  the  principal  engagements  until  that 
of  Mission  Ridge.  After  returning  from  the  war  he  was  married  Sep- 
tember 4,  1866,  in  Ohio,  to  Sarah  A.  Anselment,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Anselment,  who  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany.  In  1867  he  came 
to  Missouri,  settling  in  Holt  County,  and  located  on  the  section  where  he 
now  resides.  He  has  made  a  valuable  farm  of  130  acres,  and  has  anl 
orchard  of  five  acres.  In  1881  he  erected  a  commodious  residence,  and 
has  made  many  improvements  upon  his  place.  In  1877  Mr.  Bower  was 
ordained  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  joined  the  Kansas  Conference,  after 
which  he  traveled  for  four  years,  when  he  returned  to  his  farm.  He  is  a 
close  student,  devoting  much  time  to  books,  and  is  well  informed  upon 
leading  topics  of  the  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bower  have  four  children, 
Emma  C,  Henry  Edward,  Claretta  and  Bertha  R.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  belongs  to  the  Evangelical  Association. 

JOHN  BRODBECK,    ' 

deceased,  was  born  in  York  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  December,  18 14. 
His  father,  John  Brodbeck,  was  a  blacksmith  by  occupation,  and  the  son 
also  learned  the  trade  and  worked  with  his  father  until  he  was  25  years 
old.  In  April,  1841,  he  married  Miss  Susan  Linn,  in  Ohio.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Samuel  Linn  of  Baltimore  County,  Maryland,  who  moved  to 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  in  1 840.  Of  this  union  there  are  now  four 
children  living  :  Amelia  B.,  married  Samuel  Nash  ;  Ann  Rebecca,  wife  of 
Josiah  Hershaner  ;  Mary  Alice,  (now  Mrs.  Jacob  Maple,)  and  John  Henry. 
Mr.  B.  first  started  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  and  for 
twelve  years  did  a  large  business.  Desiring  to  move  west,  in  1854  he 
came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  bought  a  large  farm,  which  he 
improved.  He  afterwards  bought  and  sold  land  until  he  had  in  his 
possession  some  400  acres.  He  made  substantial  improvements  upon 
his  place,  erected  a  good  residence,  and  had  everything  around  him 
desirable,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  March  1,  1874.  He 
left  an  affectionate  wife  and  family,  and  a  large  circle  of  friends  to  mourn 
his  loss.     Mr.  B.  was  for  many  years  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  a 


NODAWAY   TOWNSHIP.  445 

peace-maker,  as  a  neighbor  and  friend,  rather  than  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace  by  law.  Since  his  death  Mrs.  B.  has  conducted  the  farm,  which  is 
located  on  section  26. 

MATHEW  GELVIN, 

farmer  and  stock  dealer,  section  19,  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, December  11,  1838.  His  father  was  James  Gelvin,  a  large 
farmer  and  dealer  in  stock  in  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother,  formerly 
Mary  Zimmerman,  was  born  in  Frarjklin  County,  Pennsylvania.  Mathew's 
youth  was  spent  at  school  and  in  assisting  his  father.  When  ten  years 
of  age  he  was  taken  to  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1868 
he  came  to  this  state  and  county,  and  bought  a  farm  where  he  now  lives. 
This  contains  237  acres.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  Presby- 
terian in  his  religious  preferences.  Mr.  G.  married  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth 
Tritt,  December  20,  i860.  She  is  the  daughter  of  George  Tritt,  formerly 
of  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania.  They  have  seven  children  :  Sarah  C, 
James  Tritt,  Elia  May,  Anna  Bell,  George  Edgar,  Mary  Zarilda,  and 
Orrin  Dixon  Garfield.  Mr.  G.  came  here  with  a  small  colony  of  rela- 
tives, from  Pennsylvania.  They  bought  farms,  and  are  among  the  sub- 
stantial farmers  of  the  county.  He  was  taught,  from  early  boyhood,  by 
his  father,  to  buy  stock  and  has  made  it  the  study  of  his  life.  His  repu- 
tation as  a  stockman  is  a  prominent  one,  and  his  counsel  and  advise  is 
often  sought  for  by  those  less  experienced  in  the  business.  He  is  always 
prompt  in  fulfilling  his  contracts,  even  if  sometimes  at  a  great  sacrifice. 
He  takes  a  great  interest  in  educational  matters,  and  is  endeavoring  to 
give  his  children  superior  advantages  for  acquiring  the  same. 

SAMUEL  HARDY, 

farmer  and  fruit  grower,  section  34,  was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Vir- 
ginia, December  27,  183 1.  His  father  afterwards  moved  to  Decatur 
County,  Indiana,  and  settled  on  a  farm  which  he  improved.  In  1854 
Young  Samuel  went  to  Iowa  to  seek  his  fortune,  but  after  remaining  for 
two  years  he  came  to  this  county  and  bought  a  small  place,  to  which  he 
has  added  from  time  to  time  until  now  he  has  a  good  farm  of  184  acres. 
He  has  devoted  much  time  to  his  fruit,  and  has  an  orchard  of  about 
1,000  trees,  of  choice  varieties.  Connected  with  his  fruit  business  is  a 
fine  Zimmerman  Fruit  Dryer,  which  dries  apples  and  peaches  to  perfec- 
tion. His  enterprise  in  this  business  is  quite  commendable,  and  he  is 
succeeding  in  his  undertaking.  Mr.  Hardy  married  Miss  Sarah  Ann 
Castledine,  in  Decatur  County,  Indiana,  February  19,  1852.  They  have 
five  children  living :  Oliver  Perry,  William  Arthur,  John  Torrence, 
Alnora  and  Orlando  Guy.  Oliver  P.  married  Catharine  Comer,  and 
lives  at  home.    Mr.  Hardy  was  a  member  of  the  Ninth  Regiment  Missouri 


446  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

State  Militia  during  the  war,  and  served  faithfully  to  the  close.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

ISAAC  H.  IDDINGS, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Guilford  County,  North  Carolina,  March  2,  1813, 
and  in  1836  moved  to  Indiana.  He  learned  the  wagonmaker  and  also 
the  gunsmith  trades  in  youth,  and  first  opened  a  wagon  shop  near  Peru, 
Indiana,  where  he  worked  until  1843,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Holt  County,  Missouri.  Here  he  bought  a  farm  and  improved  it,  and 
after  six  years  sold  out  and  purchased  the  one  where  he  lived  and  died, 
in  section  27,  consisting  of  261  acres.  He  erected  a  house  and  other- 
wise improved  the  farm,  and  also  worked  more  or  less  at  his  trades. 
He  married  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Burnett,  in  Miami  County,  Indiana,  August 
28,  1838.  There  are  from  this  union  five  children  living:  Mary  Ellen, 
(who  married  Mr.  A.  Louks);  Sarena  Frances,  (wife  of  H.  H.  Liven- 
good);  James  Madison,  Isaac  and  Frank  S.  Four  are  deceased. 
Julian  A.  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Seventh  Kansas  Cavalry,  during  the 
war  and  died  at  Corinth,  Mississippi.  Mr.  Iddings  died  April  16,  1S68. 
He  was  for  several  years  county  judge  and  filled  the  office  ably  and  hon- 
orably. His  advice  and  opinion  were  often  sought  for  and  respected, 
and  he  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
M.  E.  Church,  was  an  active  Republican  and  a  Mason.  He  was  in  the 
Mexican  War  and  proved  himself  to  be  a  valiant  soldier. 

JAMES  KNEALE, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  owner  of  800  acres  of  land,  his  home  being 
on  section  16.  He  was  born  on  the  Isle  of  Man,  April  7,  1824,  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  During  his  youth  he  was  appren- 
ticed for  five  years  to  the  shoemaker's  trade,  but  not  being  able  to  work 
at  that  calling,  was  engaged  in  a  bonded  ware  house  in  Liverpool  for  two 
years.  In  1849  he  emigrated  to  this  country,  and  came  directly  to  Holt 
County.  He  worked  for  four  years  by  the  month,  then  rented  a  farm  in 
Andrew  County  for  several  years,  and  in  i860,  went  to  Brown  County, 
Kansas,  where  he  bought  land,  remaining  in  that  locality  for  five  years. 
Upon  selling  out,  he  bought  160  acres  of  the  farm  where  he  now  lives. 
This  he  improved,  toiled  hard,  and  by  economizing,  has  obtained  one  of 
the  best  farms  in  the  township,  ten  acres  being  devoted  to  an  orchard. 
He  is  active  in  his  business  transactions,  and  very  energetic.  Mr.  Kneale 
married  Miss  Ruth  Ann  Wickham,  in  1853.  Her  father,  Thomas  Wick- 
ham,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  was  brought  up  in  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
K.  have  eleven  children  living,  William,  Edward,  John  J.,  Mary  Ann, 
Sarah  Jane,  Martha  Elizabeth,  Robert,  Frank,  Isabel,  Luella  and  Daniel 


NODAWAY    TOWNSHIP.  447 

Thomas.  William  was  married  to  Clara  Nevens  ;  Edward  married 
Lizzie  Banc  ;  John  married  Anna  Buckston  ;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  John 
Carrol ;  Mary  is  now  Mrs.  William  F.  Driher.  Mr.  K.  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  contributes  toward  the  support  of  the  Methodists.  He  is- 
genial  in  manners  and  has  hosts  of  friends. 

ISAAC  KURTZ, 

farmer,  section  19,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  February  6,  1833,  and 
in  1855  came  to  this  country,  settling  in  Holt  County,  and  in  this  town- 
ship. Soon  after  he  rented  a  farm  for  three  years,  after  which  he  pur- 
chased it,  and  since  that  time  has  made  all  his  extensive  improvements, 
erected  his  fine  residence  and  made  several  additions  to  his  farm,  now 
having  380  acres  of  good  land.  He  has  a  fine  orchard  of  all  varieties  of 
fruit.  Mr.  K.  was  married  in  Holt  County,  to  Miss  Mary  Seamann,  of 
Germany,  in  1857.  They  have  a  family  of  thirteen  industrious  children: 
George  F.,  Jacob,  Fredrick,  William  Henry,  John  Wesley,  Albert, 
Daniel,  Mary  Ellen,  Charles,  Isaac,  Lydia,  Lewis  and  Elliot.  Arriving 
in  the  United  States,  Mr.  K.  had  just  money  enough  to  get  to  St.  Louisa 
and  was  obliged  to  remain  there  and  work  in  order  to  obtain  means  suf- 
ficient to  reach  his  future  home.  He  has  risen  gradually  to  his  present 
enviable  position,  and  is  a  worthy  example  of  what  energy  and  a  deter- 
mined spirit  can  do,  when  coupled  with  ambitious  desires. 

OAKLEY  MORRIS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  10,  was  born  in  Sussex  County,  New 
Jersey,  in  September,  1812.  He  received  a  limited  education,  and  was 
brought  up  to  the  business  of  farming,  which  has  been  his  life  work.  In 
1839  he  came  to  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  worked  in  a  sawmill  on  the 
One  Hundred  and  Two  River,  and  in  1840  was  employed  on  a  farm  in  Holt 
County,  near  where  he  now  lives.  In  1841-2  he  worked  in  a  mill  north- 
east of  St.  Joseph.  The  county  of  Holt  was  organized  in  the  fall  of 
1842,  and  in  the  spring  of  1843  he  moved  on  the  land  where  he  now  lives. 
He  owns  547  acres.  Mr.  Morris  married  Miss  Hannah  Campbell,  April 
6,  1843.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Ezekiel  Campbell,  of  East  Tennessee, 
and  there  Mrs.  M.  was  born.  They  have  eight  children  living  :  William' 
M.,  Mary  Jane,  Robert  F.,  Andrew  H.,  Margaret  Ellen,  James  C,  Martha 
S.,  and  John  W.  Mr.  M.  has  given  his  children  excellent  opportunities 
for  an  education,  at  the  State  University  and  other  noted  places  of 
instruction.  All  but  three  are  and  have  been  very  successful  teachers  ; 
William  M.,  if  possible,  excelled  as  such,  and  gained  for  himself  an- 
enviable  reputation.  He  has  for  several  years  been  the  efficient  county 
surveyor,  filling  the  position  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.     Mr.  Morris  came- 


44§  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

here  poor,  and  his  large  possessions  are  the  products  of  his  hard  labor 
and  industry.  He  has  always  been  prompt  in  his  business  engage- 
ments, and  being  one  of  the  pioneers,  has  seen  the  growth  of  the  county 
from  the  first.  He  sawed  the  lumber  to  cover  the  first  court  house,  which 
is  still  used  as  a  business  house  in  the  city  of  Oregon.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  was  brought  up  a  Presbyterian.  Mrs.  M.  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  E.  Church. 

HENRY  PATTERSON, 

section  32,  was  born  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  June  14,  1814,  and  was 
the  son  of  William  and  Catharine  (Lucas)  Patterson,  both  natives  of 
Ireland.  Henry  passed  his  youth  in  his  native  country,  and  received 
his  education  there.  Immigrating  to  the  United  States,  he,  with  Edwin 
Toole,  located  on  the  present  site  of  Savannah,  in  August,  1837,  when 
it  was  said  that  there  were  but  twelve  actual  settlers  in  the  Platte  Pur- 
chase. He  there  entered  a  claim  within  one  mile  of  the  town,  and  also 
owned  the  land  where  the  depot  now  is,  improving  a  good  farm.  This 
he  sold  in  1858,  and  came  to  this  (Holt)  County,  locating  in  Nodaway 
Township,  where  he  bought  his  present  place.  This  he  has  cultivated 
and  beautified  until  he  now  owns  280  acres  of  land,  with  a  fine  orchard, 
and  a  good  residence.  Mr.  P.  is  a  natural  mechanic,  and  while  in  Savan- 
nah, he  commenced  the  cabinet  business,  doing  a  large  trade  for  many 
years.  He  now  does  his  own  blacksmithing  and  carpenter  work.  He 
is  Democratic  in  politics,  a  Universalist,  and  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. Mr.  Patterson  has  been  twice  married :  First,  in  February, 
1840,  to  Miss  Cinderilla  Ann  Coble,  who  died  in  November,  1863,  leav- 
ing a  family  of:  William  H.,  Robert  L.,  George  T.,  Charles  Albert,  Cin- 
derilla Ann  Williams,  John  C.  and  Emma  J.  His-second  marriage'was 
in  1865,  to  Elizabeth  Mackey,  widow  of  James  Mackey.  She  died  01 
April  3,  1876.  Mr.  Patterson's  son,  Charles  A.,  is  managing  the  fan 
business,  and  taking  charge  of  the  place  in  a  satisfactory  manner.  The 
household  affairs  are  presided  over  by  the  youngest  daughter,  Emma  J., 
who  is  a  capable  young  lady. 

HENRY  B.  YOUNG, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  owns  198  acres  of  land,  his  home  being  in  sec- 
tion 20.  He  was  born  in  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  March  26, 
1833.  He  was  raised  a  farmer  and  remained  in  his  native  state  until  h( 
came  west.  In  November,  i860,  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Jane  Tritt, 
in  Pennsylvania.  They  have  ten  children  living:  Ida  Belle  (who  mar- 
ried William  Derr),  Sarah  Alice,  Isadore  A.,  John  Alfred,  Mary  C. 
Margaretta,  George  Calvin,  Lotta  Myrtle  and  Laura  Ellen  (twins),  anc 
Emma  Mable.     In  April,  1868,  Mr.  Young  came  to  this  county  in  com- 


NODAWAY   TOWNSHIP.  44c/ 

pany  with  his  father,  John  Young,  George  Tritt,  his  wife's  father, 
Mathew  Gelvin,  a  brother-in-law,  and  Thomas  Fry,  all  with  families  and 
relatives.  They  all  bought  farms  except  Mr.  Fry,  who  has  a  meat  mar- 
ket in  Oregon.  Mr.  Young  purchased  some  land,  much  of  it  being 
unimproved,  but  has  obtained  a  desirable  farm  and  home.  He  has 
made  many  improvements,  fixing  over,  and  has  a  fine  residence.  He 
has  set  out  an  orchard  of  500  apple  trees  and  1,000  peach  trees,  with 
pears,  cherries,  etc.  He  has  been  an  industrious,  hard-working  man, 
and  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  the  county.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  religiously  is  Presbyterian.  John  Young,  the  father  of 
Henry  B.,  was  born  in  Adams  County,  Pennsylvania,  April  15,  1809, 
and  was  raised  in  York  County  until  1828,  when  he  moved  to  Cumber- 
land County.  He  learned  the  masons'  trade  in  youth,  which  has  been 
his  life  work.  He  married  Catherine  Baker,  of  Cumberland  County,  in 
1832.  They  have  three  children  living  by  this  union  :  Henry  B.,  Susan 
J.,  (wife  of  James  W.  Green),  and  Kate  M.,  (who  married  Thomas  Fry, 
of  Oregon).  They  lost  three  :  Charles  died  in  1857,  Thad  Stevens  died 
in  1861,  and  Sadie  Ellen  died  in  1873.  Mrs.  Young  died  in  1854.  He 
married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Ellen  Bush  in  1859.  In  ^68  he  came 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  bought  a  farm  near  his  son  Henry.  Mr. 
Y.  has  been  a  contractor  and  builder  for  many  years.  As  a  brick 
mason  his  reputation  stood  very  high,  and  as  a  man  of  integrity  and 
honor  he  is  respected  by  all.  He  is  Republican  in  politics  and  a  Pres- 
byterian in  religious  faith. 


SSfi 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

UNION  TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES -PHYSICAL  FEATURES— EARLY  SETTLERS- "EFUNCT  TOWNS— CHURCHES— 
CRAIG-CHURCHES  AND  SOCIETIES— THE  FLOOD— WHEN  TOWN  WAS  CHARTERED 
BUSINESS     DIRECTORY— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Union  Township  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lincoln  Township,  and 
two  miles  of  Atchison  County  ;  on  the  east  by  Liberty  and  Benton  Town- 
ships ;  on  the  south  by  Bigelow  Township,  and  on  the  west  by  Lincoln 
Township  and  the  State  of  Nebraska,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the 
Missouri  River.     ' 

PHYSICAL   FEATURES. 

In  common  with  other  parts  of  the  county,  Union  Township  is  well 
watered.  The  Big  Tarkio  from  Lincoln  Township,  enters  Union  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  33,  township  63,  range  40,  and  flows  in  a 
generally  southeasterly  course,  passing  wholly  or  in  part  through  four- 
teen sections,  and  making  its  exit  from  section  32,  in  its  southeast  cor- 
ner. John  E.  Hearl  built,  many  years  since,  a  water-power  gristmill  on 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  30,  township  62,  range  39,  just  south  of 
the  section  line.  This  is  at  a  point  called,  from  the  circumstance  of  the 
Little  Tarkio  flowing  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  channel  of  the 
Big  Tarkio,  the  Narrows.  The  water  that  turned  this  mill  was  conveyed 
by  a  race  from  the  Little  Tarkio.  The  fall  here  is  fourteen  and  a  half 
feet.  The  Big  Tarkio,  whence  it  flows  out  of  Union  Township  in  section 
32,  measured,  when  first  surveyed,  136  links  in  width.  Carl  Shults  built 
on  its  site  what  is  now  known  as  Little  Tarkio  grist  mill,  a  water  power 
now  owned  and  operated  by  Mr.  Stumbo.  The  Guilliam's  water  power 
grist  mill,  three  miles  above  Craig,  on  Big  Tarkio,  in  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  34,  township  63,  range  40,  was  in  operation  as  early  as 
1855  or  1856.  It  operates  two  run  of  burrs.  The  Little  Tarkio  enters 
Holt  County  by  two  branches,  one  in  section  19,  and  the  other  in  section 
20  township  63,  range  39,  of  what  is  now  Union  Township,  and  uniting 
in  section  19,  flows  in  a  generally  southerly  course  through  seven  sec- 
tions, then  bends,  at  the  Narrows,  flowing  out  through  section  20,  into 
Benton  Township.  Hogrefe  Lake,  formerly  Shults  and  subsequently 
Wallace  Lake,  extends  from  Lincoln  Township  into  the  northwest  corner 
of  section  17,  township  62,  range  40.  In  1841,  J.  Wallace  and  A.  Martin 
settled  on  its  banks.     They  were  the  first  to  locate  in  that  neighborhood. 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  45  I 

The  bluff  range  entering  Union  Township  in  section  34,  township 
63,  range  40,  extends  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  leaving  its  limits  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  section  17.  Nearly  three-fourths  of  the  area  of 
this  township  is  bottom  land,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  heavy  belt 
two  or  three  miles  wide  of  timber  along  the  river  bank,  is  generally 
prairie.  This  is  all  settled,  and  much  of  it  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  enormously  productive.  Some  excellent  improvements  also 
exist  in  the  upland  districts  to  the  eastward  of  the  bluff  range. 

EARLY   SETTLERS. 

The  first  locality  settled,  in  what  is  now  Union  Township,  is  also 
the  oldest  settlement  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  county.  It  is  known 
as  Sharpe's  Grove,  and  is  a  mile  or  two  north  of  the  present  town  of 
Craig.  The  grove  includes  six  or  seven  square  miles  of  timber,  mostly 
in  the  bluffs,  and,  to  this  day  (1882),  abounds  with  wolves  and  wild  tur- 
keys. The  timber  of  the  grove,  which  has  been  growing  and  spreading 
ever  since  the  first  settlement  of  the  county,  is  an  item  of  considerable 
value  in  the  same. 

The  original  settlers  of  the  grove  were  W.  A.  and  Abraham  Sharpe, 
who  came  from  Bracken  County,  Kentucky,  in  the  fall  of  1841,  and  set- 
tled in  their  present  homes  in  that  locality.  John  Wise  also  came  in  the 
same  year.  Jacob  Rugh  came  from  Pennsylvania,  in  1842,  and  settled 
in  Sharpe's  Grove.  In  the  same  year  came  Joseph  Scott,  Daniel  Hoghan, 
and  J.  Kelso.  Daniel  David,  of  Indiana,  now  a  prominent  citizen  of  the 
town  of  Oregon,  and  Charles  David,  his  son,  a  representative  merchant 
of  Craig,  settled  in  what  is  now  Union  Township,  in  1843.  In  the  same 
year  came  Joseph  Scott,  Samuel  Thompson  and  A.  McDonald,  who  died 
many  years  ago.  They  also  were  among  the  earliest  of  those  who  settled 
in  the  grove. 

Colonel  Hughes  and  his  son-in-law,  Samuel  Russell,  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  in  the  bottom  region  of  the  township.  The  first  farm 
across  Little  Tarkio,  near  the  bluff,  was  improved  by  Abner  Norris,  who' 
was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  county.  Mr.  Norris  afterward 
moved  to  Iowa.  J.  B.  Wright  first  settled  in  the  bottom,  but  subse- 
quently made  his  home  in  Sharpe's  Grove.  L.  Dawson  was  also  a  very 
early  settler.  In  1844  also  came  George  Heir,  A.  Hoppy,  William  Beau- 
camp  and  A.  J.  Williams  ;  C.  M.  Guilliams,  Alfred  C.  Taylor  and  C.  C. 
Cunningham  settled  in  the  township  in  1845. 

DEFUNCT   TOWNS. 

The  earliest  attempt  to  start  a  town  in  the  territory  included  within 
the  present  limits  of  Union  Township,  was  inaugurated  by  the  Lewises. 


45 2  HISTORY    OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

Lewisville  was  laid  out  on  section  19,  township  62,  range  40,  by  Jasper 
G.  and  Elizabeth  Lewis,  March  6,  1850. 

On  the  adjoining  section,  (20),  Marietta  was  laid  out,  four  years  after, 
by  Barlow  Lewis.  S.  C.  Collins  and  David  Templeton  surveyed  the  sites. 
These  towns  never  amounted  to  much  more  than  mere  wood  landings 
for  boats.  The  small  stores  started  at  these  points  proved  failures,  and 
were  early  abandoned.  The  sites  of  these  still  born  enterprises  have 
long  since  crumbled  into  the  insatiable  maw  of  the  turbid  Missouri,  and, 
but  for  the  faithful  chronicles  of  this  history,  would  soon  be  forever  lost 
to  the  memory  of  man. 

A  once  noted  point  in  what  is  now  Union  Township  was  in  the 
southeast  quarter  o)  section  34,  township  63,  range  40,  on  the  main  road 
leading  from  Ellington's  Ferry  to  Council  Bluffs.  This  was  a  station  on 
the  stage  line,  and  as  early  as  1841  a  man  by  the  name  of  Daniel  Durbin, 
a  noted  character  of  those  days,  kept  a  hotel  here.  The  structure  of  his 
hotel  was  a  double  log  house.  He  also  kept  a  ferry  here,  across  the 
Tarkio,  before  the  bridge  was  built.  Durbin  moved  to  California  in  1844, 
and  was  killed  there.     This  ferry  was  also  known  as  Army  Ford. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  church  erected  within  the  present  limits  of  Union  Town- 
ship was  built  by  the  Christians,  in  1877.  It  is  a  frame  building,  40x6c 
feet  in  extent.  It  stands  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  35,  about  four  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Craig,  anc 
within  one-half  mile  of  the  southern  boundary  of  the  township.  It  is 
named,  in  honor  of  Joshua  Kelso,  "  The  Kelso  Church."  The  two  acres  of 
land  attached  to  this  church  was  deeded  to  the  same  by  Calvin  Guil- 
liams.  The  congregation  was  organized  by  Elder  Kelsey.  In  1879  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  was  permitted  to  occupy  the  build- 
ing when  not  required  for  the  services  of  the  owners  of  the  same. 

Three  miles  west  of  Craig,  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  a 
frame  building,  22x36  feet  in  extent,  was  erected  in  1877,  at  a  cost  of 
$400.  The  congregation  was  organized  with  ten  members.  This  now 
(1882)  includes  a  membership  of  twenty-four.  The  first  minister  of  this 
■church  was  Rev.  C.  F.  Scholz.  He  effected  the  organization  and 
remained  in  charge  till  November,  188 1,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  the 
present  (1882)  pastor,  Rev.  C.  H.  Leutsch. 

CRAIG, 

in  point  of  commercial  importance  the  second  place  in  the  county,  is 
also  the  business  center  of  Union  Township.  It  occupies  the  southeast 
corner  of  section  11,  and  the  northeast  corner  of  section  14,  in  township 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  453 

62,  range  40,  on  the  main  line  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council 
Bluffs  Railroad,  which  was  completed  to  this  point  in  the  summer  of 
1868.  The  town  limits  extend  to  the  waters  of  the  Big  Tarkio,  which, 
at  this  point,  is  spanned  by  an  iron  King  bridge,  105  feet  long,  erected 
in  188 1,  at  a  cost  of  four  thousand  dollars,  just  after  the  great  flood  of 
April  of  that  year,  in  which  the  original  structure  was  swept  away.  The 
railroad  bridge,  a  few  hundred  yards  above,  is  also  a  substantial  iron 
structure,  on  massive  stone  piers.  This  was  erected  in  the  same  year 
by  the  Central  Bridge  Company,  of  Wall  Street,  New  York. 

The  site  of  the  town  is  a  dead  level  in  the  Missouri  River  bottom, 
which,  at  this  point  is  eight  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea.  It  is  about  half  a  mile  southwest  of  the  bluff  range,  in  full  view 
of  the  forest  of  Sharpe's  Grove. 

The  town  of  Craig  was  laid  out  early  in  the  fall  of  1868,  by  the 
original  proprietors,  Robert  W.  Frame,  Christ  Shults  and  Samuel  Ens- 
worth.     Its  present  (1882)  population  is  between  600  and  700. 

The  first  to  sell  goods  in  the  place  was  A.  W.  Hawley.  He  began 
in  the  fall  of  1868.  Immediately  after,  Shults  &  Frame,  who  were  selling 
goods  and  keeping  a  post  office,  called  Tarkio,  in  a  house  one  and  three- 
quarter  miles  northeast  of  the  site  of  the  town,  moved  their  stock  to  the 
new  town  and  commenced  business.  This  Tarkio  was  nearly  a  mile 
below  the  noted  watering  place,  one  half  a  mile  east  of  Craig,  and  is  still 
known  as  the  Big  Spring.  It  is  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  and  was  a  regu- 
lar halting  place  on  the  great  route  from  St.  Joseph  over  the  hills  via 
Savannah,  Fillmore  and  Hollister's  Mill,  to  North  Point,  afterwards 
Mound  City,  whence  the  road  followed  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  to  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Little  Tarkio,  where  the  state  road  branched  off  to  Rock  Port. 
The  trading  post  of  Tarkio  remained  at  this  point,  on  the  Little  Tarkio, 
till  the  growing  importance  of  the  new  town  of  Craig  absorbed  its  busi- 
ness. 

The  first  blacksmith  to  open  a  shop  in  Craig,  was  J.  A.  Orange,  who, 
in  September,  1868,  erected  the  first  building  in  the  town  and  opened 
it  as  the  Grant  and  Sherman  House.  This  he  continued  to  keep  till 
1873,  when  he  sold  out.  The  building,  which  has  since  changed  hands, 
several  times,  has  been  considerably  enlarged  and  improved,  since  that 
day,  especially  by  the  present  (1882)  proprietor,  P.  B.  Cook.  It  is  now 
the  Craig  Hotel. 

Shults  &  Frame  opened,  in  the  same  year,  the  first  stock  of  goods 
in  the  town.  They  afterwards  moved  their  building  from  Tarkio  to  the 
town  site. 

A.  P.  Davenport  built,  in  1874,  a  flouring  mill  in  the  town.  It  is  a 
two  run  mill.  The  present  (1882)  proprietors  are  Reece  &  Gibson,  who 
purchased  it  from  Davenport. 


454  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

The  first  physician  to  settle  in  Craig  was  Dr.  John  T.  Shepherd. 
Dr.  B.  Meek  and  Dr.  Hanlin  came  afterward.  April,  1870,  Dr.  J.  L. 
Johnstun  located  in  the  town,  and  the  other  physicians  moved  away. 

C.  Hoblitzell  started  in  February,  1875,  the  first  lumber  yard  in 
Craig.     This  is  now  owned  by  Hoblitzell  Bros. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Johnstun  and  Fred.  Myers,  the  late  popular  collector  of 
Holt  County,  built,  in  1874,  the  first  and  only  elevator  in  the  town.  Its 
capacity  is  ten  thousand  bushels.     The  firm  is  now  Myers  &  Ward. 

The  first  school  in  the  town  of  Craig  was  taught  by  C.  A.  Doughty, 
in  the  original  frame  school  building  on  Frame  Street,  now  owned  by  the 
"  Christians,"  and  occupied  by  them  as  a  church. 

The  elegant  structure  of  the  graded  school  stands  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  same  street.  It  is  a  spacious  two-story  brick  building  with 
four  class  rooms,  halls,  etc.,  affording  accommodation  for  240  scholars. 
The  house  was  completed  in  January,  1882,  at  a  cost  of  over  six  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  present  corps  of  instructors  include  Professor  Bal- 
linger,  Principal ;  Miss  Hubra  and  Mrs.  E.  Welch,  Assistants. 

Dr.  J.  T.  Shepherd  opened  the  first  drug  store  in  the  town. 

In  1869  James  Campbell  started  the  first  livery  stable  in  the  place. 

The  first  railroad  agent  of  Craig  was  Frank  Blood.  He  had  many 
successors.  The  present  (1882)  agent,  Mr.  Hunter,  has  had  charge  of 
the  station  for  the  past  ten  years. 

The  first  postmaster  of  Craig  was  Christian  Shults,  who  was 
appointed  in  1868.  He  was  succeeded  in  1872  by  E.  D.  Richmond.  H. 
S.  Hogue  succeeded  the  latter  in  1875.  The  present  postmaster,  Robert 
Lyons,  has  been  in  office  since  1879,  and  *s  an  efficient  and  highly  popu- 
lar official. 

The  banking  house  of  Bilby  &  Heaton,  the  first  and  only  enterprise 
of  the  kind  established  in  Craig,  is  one  of  the  substantial  institutions 
of  this  county.  The  bank  was  opened  here  in  1877,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued to  enjoy  a  season  of  uninterrupted  prosperity,  doing  as  large  a 
business  as  that  of  any  similar  institution  in  the  county,  and  commands 
the  unqualified  confidence  of  the  community.  The  structure  of  the 
bank  is  a  new  two-story  brick  building,  the  entire  first  floor  of  which  is 
occupied  by  the  bank  and  its  appurtenances,  all  of  which  are  fitted  up 
in  a  style  of  metropolitan  elegance.  William  H.  Heaton,  Esq.,  the 
manager,  is  a  gentleman  of  great  personal  popularity. 

CHURCHES   AND   SOCIETIES. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1870.  Among 
the  original  members  were  :  Abel  Doughty  and  wife,  C.  A.  Doughty 
and  wife,  and  E.  McQuilen  and  wife.  It  present  (1882)  membership  is 
about  forty.  A  Sunday  School,  with  an  average  attendance  of  seventy- 
five  scholars,  is  superintended  by  C.  A.  Doughty. 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  455 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  was  organized  in  1878,  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Bain,  with  the  following  members  :  J.  T.  Sedwick  and  wife, 
William  Price,  S.  Stanfield,  and  Charles  David  and  wife.  The  church  is 
in  a  prosperous  condition,  with  a  good  Sunday  School  superintended  by 
William  Boyer,  Esq. 

By  the  combined  efforts  of  both  these  organizations  the  present 
structure  of  the  Methodist  Church  was  erected  in  the  year  1878,  at  a  cost 
of  $1,500.     It  is  a  neat  gothic  frame  building,  on  Third  Street. 

The  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Craig,  was  organized  in  June,  1878,  by 
the  Rev.  Duncan  Brown,  of  Mound  City,  with  the  following  members  : 
Dr.  S.  S.  Bacon,  W.  B.  Wilson  and  wife,  A.  M  Hunter  and  Mrs.  E.  F. 
Welch.  The  church  edifice,  a  brick  building,  30x55  feet,  was  completed 
in  December,  1878,  at  a  cost  of  $3,200.  It  stands  on  west  Front  Street. 
The  original  trustees  of  this  church  were  W.  B.  Wilson,  S.  S.  Bacon  and 
A.  M.  Hunter.  The  first  pastor  of  the  congregation  was  the  Rev.  Dun- 
can Brown.  He  was  succeeded  in  June,  1880,  by  Rev.  B.  D.  Luther,  the 
present  (1882)  minister.  The  present  membership  is  twenty-five.  A 
Sunday  School  of  sixty  scholars  is  attached  to  this  church,  and  super- 
intended by  J.  Sweetwood. 

The  Christian  Church  of  Craig  was  organized  February  4,  1880,  by 
Elder  G.  B.  Mullis,  with  ten  members.  Of  these,  Samuel  Peters  and 
H.  Laughlin  were  chosen  elders,  and  E.  Davis  and  Moses  Wright  were 
chosen  deacons.  The  other  members  were  Delitha  Laughlin,  Dal. 
Laughlin,  Sarah  J.  Wright,  Victory  Peters,  Rachel  Collins  and  Sallie  A. 
Davis.  Since  the  period  of  the  organization  of  this  church  there  have 
been  added,  under  the  pastorate  of  Elder  W.  P.  Maupin,  their  present 
minister,  fifty  members.  In  the  fall  of  1881  the  congregation  purchased 
the  old  frame  public  school  building  and  fitted  it  up  as  a  house  of  wor- 
ship. This  they  continue  to  use  for  that  purpose.  The  organization  is 
in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  includes  a  membership  of  sixty. 

MASONIC. 

Craig  Lodge,  No.  371,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  was  organized  U.  D.  by 
Hiram  Patterson,  D.  D.  G.  M.,  July  14,  1870,  with  the  following  officers  : 
C.  A.  Doughty,  W.  M.;  William  R.  Nelson,  S.  W.;  Chris.  Shults,  J.  W.; 
Dr.  Berry  Meek,  Treasurer  ;  John  L.  Blair,  Secretary,  and  Frank  Chest- 
nut, Tyler. 

On  the   13th  of  October  following,  it  was  chartered,  with  the  same 
officers.     On  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  the  first  election  was  held 
with  the  following  result  :     C.  A.  Doughty,  W.  M.,  Joshua  Kelso,  S.  W.; 
Christian  Shults,  J.  W.;  Dr.  B.  Meek,  Treasurer  ;  William  H.  Davis,  Sec- 
retary.    These  were  installed  by  the  D.  D.  G.  M. 


456  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

June  24,  1871,  occurred  the  second  annual  election,  with  the  following- 
results  :  C.  A.  Doughty,  W.  M,;  J.  Kelso,  S.  W.;  C.  Shults,  J.  W.;  B. 
Meek,  Treasurer,  and  W.  H.  Davis,  Secretary. 

The  election  of  June  24,  1872,  was  as  follows  :  C.  A.  Doughty,  W. 
M.;  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  S.  W.;  John  Wise,  J.  W.;  Dr.  B.  Meek,  Treas- 
urer ;  D.  M.  Parish,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1873,  the  following  were  chosen  :  Joshua  Kelso,  W.  M.; 
Bruce  Earl,  S.  W.;  I.  L.  Blair,  J.  W.;  C.  A.  Doughty,  Treasurer;  D.  M. 
Parrish,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1874,  the  following  were  elected  :  C.  A.  Doughty,  W.  M. 
Bruce  Earl,  S.  W.;  J.  V.  Wright,  J.  W  ;  J.  H.  Hogrefe,  Sr.,  Treasurer 
D.  M.  Parrish,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1875,  the  election  was  as  follows  :  C.  A.  Doughty,  W.  M.; 
H.  L.  Ward,  S.  W.;  T.  B.  Ward,  J.  W.;  J.  H.  Hogrefe,  Sr.,  Treasurer; 
D.  M.  Parrish,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1876,  the  following  were  elected:  Charles  David,  W.  M.; 
T.  B.  Ward,  S.  W.;  R.  C.  Sedwick,  J.  W.;  J.  H.  Hogrefe,  Sr.,  Treasurer  ; 
and  D.  M.  Parrish,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1877,  the  following  were  elected  :  Charles  David,  W.  M.; 
T.  B.  Ward,  S.  W.;  A.  M.  Hunter,  J.  W.;  J.  H.  Hogrefe,  Treasurer,  and 
H.  L.  Ward,  Secretary. 

June,  1878,  the  election  was  as  follows  :  C.  A.  Doughty,  W.  M.; 
William  Richardson,  S.  W.;  C.  Hoblitzell,  J.  W.;  J.  H.  Hogrefe,  Treas- 
urer ;  H.  L.  Ward,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1879,  tne  following  were  elected  :  C.  Hoblitzell,  W.  M.; 
W.  H.  Heaton,  S.  W.;  R.  W.  Dawson,  J.  W.;  J.  H.  Hogrefe,  Treasurer; 
H.  L.  Ward,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1880,  the  election  was  as  follows  :  T.  B.  Ward,  W.  M.;  W. 
H.  Heaton,  S.  W.;  R.  W.  Dawson,  J.  W.;  J.  H.  Hogrefe,  Treasurer;  J. 
A.  Ward,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1881,  the  following  were  elected  :  Joshua  Kelso,  W.  M.;  A. 
M.  Hunter,  S.  W.;  J.  R.  Sharpe,  J.  W.;  J.  H.  Hogrefe,  Treasurer  ;  R.  C. 
Sedwick,  Secretary. 

I.  O.  O.  F. 

Craig  Lodge  No.  211,  was  chartered  May  20,  1870.  It  includes  a 
membership  of  about  thirty,  and  is  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition. 
The  present  (1882)  officers  are  Fred  Myers,  N.  G.;  T.  B.  Wrenn,  V.  G.; 
J.  W.  Stokes,  Secretary,  and  J.  H.  Kulenkamp,  Treasurer. 

A.  O.  U.  W. 

The  organization  of  this  order  in  the  town  of  Craig,  was  effected 
May  29,  1879,  with  thirteen  members.     The  charter  officers  were  Charles 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  457 

David,  W.  M.;  Levi  Greer,  P.  M.  W.;  J.  W.  Stokes,  O.;  C.  H.  Thayer,  G. 
F.;  J.  S.  Peters,  F.;  W.  H.  Heaton,  Recorder.  The  present  (1882)  mem- 
bership of  this  Lodge  is  thirty-four.  The  officers  are  T.  B.  Wrenn,  M. 
W.;  W.  M.  Boyer,  P.  M.  W.,  J.  H.  Kuhlenkamp,  G.  F. ;  S.  Tingley,  O.;  M. 
F.  Phillips,  Recorder  ;  H.  L.  Caton,  F.,  and  E.  H.  Hathorn,  Recorder. 

THE   FLOOD. 

Craig,  in  common  with  neighboring  towns  along  the  line  of  the 
Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  in  the  Missouri 
River  bottom,  was  a  sufferer,  to  some  extent,  by  the  ever  mem- 
oriable  flood  of  188 1.  On  the  24th  day  of  April,  the  water  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  at  its  nearest  point,  five  miles  distant  from  the  town  site, 
and  which,  some  ten  or  twelve  days  before,  had  burst  from  the  ice  gorge 
below  Yankton,  swept  over  the  town.  By  Wednesday  following  it  had 
reached  its  maximum  height,  two  feet  higher  than  the  water  of  the  great 
flood  of  1844,  and  stood  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  and  a  half  feet  deep 
in  the  streets  and  houses.  The  flood  then  began  to  recede,  and  by  the 
following  Sunday,  had  disappeared,  leaving  behind  a  fearful  wreck  of 
matter  and  crash  of  things.  The  entire  population  of  the  town,  with  a 
few  exceptions,  during  the  period  of  the  high  water,  had  left  for  the 
bluff  country.  So  tremendous  was  the  force  with  which  the  inundation 
approached,  that  railroad  ties  with  rails  attached,  were  in  many  places 
floated  off  the  grade.  Vast  quantities  of  cattle  and  other  animals  were 
drowned,  and  during  the  prevalence  of  the  flood,  those  of  the  citizens 
who  remained  in  the  town,  or  revisited  it,  through  curiosity,  employed 
themselves  in  steering  about  on  rafts  extemporized  from  the  floating 
sidewalks,  and  poling  off  the  carcasses  of  drowned  animals  as  they  floated 
by,  through  the  streets  of  the  town. 

Among  the  incidents  of  the  flood  at  this  point,  it  is  remembered 
that  a  corn  crib  sixty  feet  long,  twelve  feet  wide  and  as  many  "high, 
floated  Irom  its  foundations,  and  was  seen  pursuing  its  rapid  course 
southward  from  the  town.  A  close  inspection  revealed  the  further  cir- 
cumstance that  the  roof  was  tenanted,  not,  however,  with  dispairing  sons 
and  daughters  of  men,  but  with  a  flock  of  domestic  chickens,  in  the  cen- 
ter of  which  stood  a  solitary  skunk,  apparently  brooding,  amid  the  appall- 
ing desolation  of  his  surroundings,  over  the  certainty  of  his  impending 
fate,  and  utterly  oblivious  or  unmindful  of  the  feathered  banquet  within 
his  reach. 

All  traces  of  this  terrible  visitation  have,  however,  disappeared  from 
this  immediate  locality,  and  Craig  has  long  since  recovered  the  even 
tenor  of  her  way  ;  the  only  lasting  result  of  the  overflow  being  to  improve 
the  sanitary  condition  of  the  place  by  cleansing  its  surface  of  the  decom- 
position of  vegetable  matter  in  the  vicinity. 


458  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

One  incident  of  the  flood,  however,  as  evidencing  the  energy  and 
presence  of  mind  of  the  citizens  is  especially  worthy  of  commemoration  : 
In  view  of  the  inevitable  approach  of  the  inundation,  W.  M.  Boyer,  the 
druggist,  Frazer  &  Wilson,  Ward  &  Dawson,  and  A.  P.  Davenport,  gen- 
eral merchants,  hastily  erected  temporary  buildings  at  the  bluffs,  half  aj 
mile  to  the  eastward  of  the  town,  and  thither  moving  their  goods,  con- 
tinued a  brisk  trade  till  the  entire  subsidence  of  the  waters  permitted 
their  return.  The  idea  was  at  one  time  entertained  of  permanently 
abandoning  the  old  town  site,  and  of  founding  a  new  Craig  at  the  foot  of 
the  blufrs.  More  practical  counsels,  however  prevailed,  and  within  the 
space  of  a  few  weeks  after  the  first  appearance  of  the  waters,  the  town 
was  herself  again. 

In  April,  1881,  the  town  of  Craig  was  chartered  as  a  city  of  the 
fourth  class.  The  following  then  composed  the  official  board,  and  are 
still  (February,  1882)  in  office  :  Robert  W.  Dawson,  Mayor  ;  W.  B.  Wil- 
son, A.  M.  Hunter,  Rufus  Guilliams,  J.  H.  Williams  and  William  T.  Red- 
mon,  members  of  the  council. 

BUSINESS   DIRECTORY. 

The  following  list  includes  the  present  (1882)  business  of  Craig  : 

Allen  &  Frazer,  hardware  dealers.  Lewis   &  Bradberry,  carpenters  and 

Bilby  &  Heaton,  bankers.  contractors. 

Boyer,  W.  M.,  druggist.  Lowe,  Mrs.,  mantuamaker. 

Benner,  H.  M.,  carpenter.  Lawrence,  Misses,  milliners. 

Beek,  William,  harnessmaker.  Lewis,  Mark,  shoemaker. 

Cook,  Prof.  P.  B.,  proprietor  Craig  Lyons,    Robert,    postmaster,  dealer 
Hotel.  in  stationery. 

Claiborne,  T.  Nelson,  justice  of  the  Orange,  J.  A.,  blacksmith  and  wagon- 
peace,  maker. 

Davenport,  A.  P.,  general    mer-  Odel,  Jasper,  butcher. 

chant.  Phillips,  M.  F.,  photographer. 

Dawson  &  Caton,  live  stock  dealers.  Porter  &  Hathhorn,  blacksmiths. 

David,  Charles,  general  merchant.  Reece  &  Gibson,  Holt  County  Mills. 

Dawson,  R.  W.  &  Co.,  general  mer-  Randal  &  Redmon,  confectioners. 

chants.  Smith,  Chas.,  shoe    and  bootmaker- 
Davis  Bros.,  general  merchants.  Shipley,  L.  A.,  restaurant,  etc. 

Frazer  &  Wilson  general  merchants.  Saal,  Boje,  barber. 

Huffstetter,  George,  confectioner.  Smirl,  Mrs.  M.,  milliner. 

Hunter  &  Smith,  druggists.  Smith,  George  W.,  saloon. 

Harris,  Mrs.,  mantuamaker.  Sedwick,  Mrs.  J.  T.,  boarding  house. 

Hunt,  Cave  J.,  notary  public.  Thomas,   Henry,   general  merchant.  | 

Hogins,  W.,  livery  stable.  Thayer,  C.  H.,  justice  of  the  peace. 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  459 

Johnstun,    J.    L.,    M.   D.,    notary       Widman,  J.   T.,  butcher. 

public.  Williams,  J.  T.,  boarding  house. 

Waggoner,  George  T.,  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  furniture. 

The  legal  learning  of  Craig  is  represented  by  E.  J.  Kellogg,  Esq., 
formerly  of  Rock  Port,  Missouri,  and  J.  W.  Stokes,  Esq. 

The  medical  profession  at  present  includes  :  Dr.  J.  L.  Johnstun,  estab- 
lished in  the  town  in  1870  ;  Dr.  W.  M.  Parrish,  1876;  Dr.  R.  H.  Smith, 
1877  ;  Dr.  E.  D.  W.  C.  Wing,  1881  ;  Rev.  Dr.  J.  W.  Bain,  1881. 

SHIPPING    INTERESTS. 

Corning  is  an  important  shipping  station,  on  the  line  of  the  Kansas 
City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad.  In  1880  there  was  sent 
by  rail,  from  this  point,  one  thousand  and  ten  car  loads  of  corn,  wheat, 
cattle,  hogs  and  other  products.  In  view  of  the  shortage  of  crops,  con- 
sequent on  the  high  water  and  other  unforseen  causes,  there  was  a  con- 
siderable decrease  in  the  following  year.  It  continues,  however,  to  hold 
its  rank  as  a  shipping  point. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Craig  was  the  Enterprise,  an  inde- 
pendent sheet,  which  made  its  first  appearance  June  14,  1871.  It  was 
started  by  C.  H.  Clark,  who,  after  publishing  the  paper  for  some  time, 
sold  it  October  3,  1878,  to  H.  S.  Hogue,  who  published  it  as  a  Republican 
sheet  till  June  19,  1879,  when  it  suspended. 

The  Craig  Gazette  was  afterward  started,  under  the  auspices  and 
editorial  management  of  G.  A.  Bryant.     It  expired  June,  188 1. 


3SBIOGRAPHICA  L/fe 


ALLEN  &  FRAZER, 

dealers  in  hardware,  tinware,  agricultural  implements,  etc.,  commenced 
business  in  Craig  in  1880,  under  the  firm  name  of  Allen,  Frazer  &  Co. 
In  1882,  it  was  changed,  the  style  then  becoming  Allen  &  Frazer.  They 
have  one  of  the  largest  stocks  of  goods  in  their  line  in  this  county,  and 
are  doing  an  extensive  and  profitable  business.  The  gentlemanly  man- 
ager of  the  concern,  Frank  K.  Allen,  is  a  native  of  Cumberland  County, 


460  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  November  22,  1857.  At  the  age  of  three 
years  he  was  brought  to  Missouri  by  the  family,  who  located  in  this 
county,  where  they  resided  nine  years.  They  then  emigrated  to  Wauke- 
sha County,  Wisconsin,  and  after  a  residence  there  of  one  year,  they 
returned  to  this  county.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  here  reared  to 
manhood  and  received  his  education,  following  in  his  youthful  days  the 
occupation  of  farming.  In  1876,  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at 
Bigelow,  holding  a  clerkship  with  Fleming  &  Frazer,  of  that  city.  He 
remained  in  their  employ  three  years,  after  which  time  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Frazer  in  the  present  business.  Mr.  Allen's  parents, 
James  L.  and  Sarah  (Frazer)  Allen,  now  of  Oregon,  are  old  residents  of 
this  county.  The  former  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  farm- 
ing interests  of  this  district  since  his  early  settlement  here.  Mr.  Frank 
Allen,  although  a  young  man,  is  one  of  the  representative  business  men 
of  this  city,  and  his  principles  of  honesty  and  fair  dealing  have  made 
for  him  the  confidence  and  patronage  of  the  public.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  November  16,  1881,  to  Miss  Ella  McKee,  a  native  of  Missouri. 

JAMES  W.  BAIN, 

physician  and  surgeon.  Among  the  members  of  the  medical  fraternity 
of  this  city,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
notice.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  was  born  September  3,  1832. 
When  only  five  months  old,  he  was  brought  by  the  family  to  America, 
they  settling  in  New  York  City.  There  he  was  reared  to  manhood  and 
received  his  education.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  emigrated  to 
Hannibal,  Missouri,  resided  there  one  year,  then  went  to  Berry,  Illinois, 
where  he  began  the  studies  of  his  chosen  profession,  at  the  same  time 
clerking  in  a  drug  store.  He  continued  his  studies  under  the  tutorship 
of  Drs.  Parker  &  Long,  till  1859,  when  he  attended  a  course  of  lectures 
at  McDowell's  College,  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  he  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Cincinnati  Medical  College.  In  1859  ne  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Pike  County,  Illinois,  and  after  living  there  till  1867,  he 
removed  to  Ray  County,  Missouri.  Dr.  Bain  followed  his  practice  in 
that  locality  till  1878,  when  he  was  ordained  a  Methodist  divine,  and 
giving  up  his  practice,  he  was  assigned  by  the  conference  to  the  Craig 
circuit.  He  labored  in  this  good  cause  for  two  years,  next  being 
appointed  to  the  Fillmore  circuit.  Two  years  later  he  resumed  his  med- 
ical relations,  and  began  practicing  at  Craig,  in  November,  1881. 
Although  a  new  practitioner  in  this  city,  he  is  enjoying  a  very  good 
patronage,  which  is  on  the  increase.  Dr.  Bain  has  been  three  times 
married  ;  first,  to  Miss  Emma  Mason,  1861.  They  had  one  child,  Katie 
L.  Mrs.  B.'s  death  occurred  in  1863,  and  he  was  married  the  second 
time  in  1865,  to  Miss  Rebecca  A.  Foster.     Her  death  occurred  in    1875. 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  461 

The  Dr.  was  again  married  January  25,  188 1,  to  Miss  Hattie  Bradford, 
a  native  of  Missouri.  They  have  one  child,  Julia.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity. 

WILLIAM  BEEK, 

dealer  in  saddles,  harness,  etc.,  is  a  native  of  Allegheny  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  born  March  19,  1840.  When  at  the  age  of  four  yeans 
he  removed,  with  his  family,  to  Victor  County,  Indiana,  where  he  resided 
for  ten  years,  going  from  there  to  Bureau  County,  Illinois.  He  was  a 
resident  of  that  county  for  two  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Indiana, 
where  he  began  the  business  he  now  so  successfully  follows.  Four  years 
later  Iowa  County,  Iowa,  became  his  home  and,  after  a  residence  there 
of  four  years,  he  was  engaged  in  working  at  his  trade  through  the  prin- 
cipal cities  of  Iowa,  for  some  time,  finally  settling  in  Rock  Port,  Atchi- 
son County,  Missouri.  He  remained  for  eight  months  at  this  point  and 
then  came  to  Craig,  and  established  his  present  business,  in  1877.  Here 
he  continued  in  this  business  three  years,  when  he  disposed  of  his  store 
and  engaged  in  farming,  till  1882,  when  he  again  opened  business  in  this 
city.  Mr.  Beek  was  married  April  18,  1877,  to  Miss  Agnes  Davis,  a 
native  of  Missouri.  They  have  one  child,  James.  Mr.  B.  is  a  member  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.  fraternity,  and  also  belongs  to  the  M.  E.  Church.  Dur- 
ing the  late  war,  in  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  First  Missouri  Reg- 
iment, and  served  for  ninety  days. 

BILBY  &  HEATON, 

bankers.  This  prosperous  banking  firm  was  organized  in  1877,  and  since 
that  time  has  done  an  excellent  business.  They  have  lately  removed  to 
their  new  bank  building,  which  is  a  model  of  neatness,  and  we  can  safely 
say  is  in  every  respect  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  any  building  in  the 
county  devoted  to  that  important  business.  William  H.  Heaton,  a  mem- 
ber of  this  firm,  is  a  native  of  Pike  County,  Illinois,  where  he  was  born 
March  16,  1840.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years,  he  was  taken  by  the  family 
to  McDonough  County,  where  he  was  carefully  reared  to  manhood, 
receiving  his  education  from  the  schools  of  that  vicinity.  He  passed 
his  youthful  days  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two, 
he  became  engaged  in  the  book  and  stationery  business  at  Bushnell, 
Illinois,  the  firm  being  known  as  Heaton  &  Cummings.  They  continued 
the  business  for  three  years,  after  which  Mr.  Cummings  retired,  Mr. 
Eakle  then  being  associated  with  Mr.  Heaton,  and  the  business  was  car- 
ried on  under  the  firm  name  of  Heaton  &  Eakle  very  successfully  for  two 
years.  Mr.  Heaton  then  became  sole  proprietor.  He  continued  the 
business  till  1874,,  and  during  four  years  of  the  time  he  was  in  business 
in  that  city,  he  was  its  postmaster.     In  1874,  he  immigrated  to  Missouri, 


462  HISTORY    OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

and  took  charge  of  a  general  stock  of  goods  at  Fairview,  Nodaway 
County,  for  his  present  partner.  There  he  remained  till  1877,  when  he 
became  associated  with  Mr.  Bilby  in  their  present  calling.  Mr.  Heaton 
was  united. in  marriage  November  16,  1865,  to  Miss  Catharine  Eakle,  a 
native  of  Ohio.  They  have  two  children  :  Edwin  and  George.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  belongs  to  Craig  Lodge  No.  374, 
of  this  city,  in  which  he  has  held  the  office  of  senior  warden. 

WILLIAM  M.  BOYER, 

dealer  in  drugs,  medicines,  paints,  oils,  books,  stationery,  etc.  In  1873 
this  gentleman  began  business  in  Craig,  and  since  opening  he  has  had  a 
large  and  increasing  patronage.  He  carries  a  well  assorted  stock  in  his 
line,  and  deserves  his  success.  He  is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  Illinois, 
and  was  born  March  1,  1856.  He  remained  in  that  locality  till  he 
attained  his  twelfth  year,  when  he  was  taken  by  the  family  to  Cham- 
paign County,  Illinois,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood,  and  secured  the 
advantages  of  a  good  common  school  education.  From  his  youth  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  business  which  he  now  so  successfully  follows. 
In  1873  he  came  west  and  settled  in  Craig,  and  embarked  in  his  present 
calling.  Mr.  Boyer  was  united  in  marriage  November  10,  188 r,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Clayborn,  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O. 
U.  W.  order,  of  this  city. 

JAMES  BRADDY, 

section  2,  was  born  in  Rutherford  County,  Tennessee,  December  22, 
1818,  and  was  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Anderson)  Braddy,  the 
former  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  a  Virginian  by  birth. 
Joseph  Braddy  removed  to  Posey  County,  Indiana,  in  1822,  where  he 
lived  for  about  six  years,  then  going  to  White  County,  Illinois,  in  1828. 
The  youth  of  James  was  spent  on  a  farm,  he  receiving  very  limited 
educational  advantages.  When  thirteen  years  old  he  commenced  to 
learn  the  trade  of  wheelwright,  at  which  he  worked  for  five  or  six  years, 
after  which  he  was  engaged  in  carpentering  some  seven  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1850  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary  McKown,  daughter  of  E.  Ran- 
dolph. She  was  born  in  White  County,  Illinois,  in  the  spring  of  182 1. 
In  the  spring  of  185 1  Mr.  B.  moved  to  Iowa,  settling  in  Wapello  County, 
and  for  six  years  was  engaged  in  the  carding  business  at  Eddyville. 
In  April,  1855,  he  located  at  Braddyville,  Page  County,  and  was  the 
founder  of  that  town  now  known  under  the  same  name.  Here  he  was 
occupied  in  the  flouring  and  saw  mill  business  for  about  twelve  years, 
after  which,  upon  selling  out  at  Braddyville,  he  moved  to  Holt  County 
and  settled  in  Union  Township  near  Craig.  He  now  owns  160  acres  of 
land,  about   150  acres  under  fence  and   100  acres  in  cultivation,  a  good 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  463 

orchard  being  upon  the  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Braddy  have  four  children 
living:  America  (wife  of  James  McKinnon),  Marietta  (now  Mrs.  Samuel 
Ecker),  Melvina  (who  married  Oliver  Grooms),  and  John  S.  Braddy. 

KIMBREL  CARLTON, 

section  35,  was  born  on  the  31st  of  May,  1833,  in  Hardin  County,  Ken- 
tucky. His  parents,  John  Carlton,  and  Rachel,  nee  Spellman,  were 
natives  of  that  state.  Kimbrel  passed  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm  in 
his  native  county,  receiving  a  common  subscription  school  education. 
In  March,  1856,  he  removed  westward  to  Illinois,  but  returned  to  Ken- 
tucky in  the  following  fall.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  again  came  to 
Illinois,  and  for  some  time  was  occupied  in  farming  and  carpentering  in 
Coles  County.  He  was  there  married,  October  4,  1869,  to  Miss  Sarah 
L.  Jones,  daughter  of  John  Jones,  Esq.  She  was  born  in  Greene  County, 
East  Tennessee,  May  8,  1846.  In  February,  1871,  Mr.  Carlton  moved 
to  Missouri  and  located  at  Craig,  Holt  County,  where  he  followed  the 
trade  of  carpentering.  He  also  engaged  in  the  drug  business  with  E. 
D.  Richmond,  at  that  place  for  about  three  years.  In  1880  he  moved 
upon  his  farm,  which  consists  of  eighty  acres  of  land,  sixty  acres  being 
under  good  cultivation.  A  fair  house  is  upon  the  place,  and  good 
improvements  surround  it.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carlton  have  four  children  : 
Bertha  M.,  Mattie  E.,  John  W.  and  Minnie  A.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

T.  NELSON  CLAIBORNE, 

justice  of  the  peace.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  Dr.  George 
and  Mary  (Craig)  Claiborne,  both  natives  of  Virginia.  Like  his  fore- 
fathers, he  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was  born  August  23,  1827.  At 
the  age  of  five  years  he  was  taken  by  the  family  to  Richmond,  where  he 
was  reared  to  manhood  and  received  his  education,  following  civil  engi- 
neering as  his  profession.  He  was  at  different  times  engaged  in  that 
capacity  on  the  Richmond  and  Danville  Railroad,  branch  of  South  Side 
Railroad,  Manassas  Gap  Railroad,  also  the  Harper's  Ferry  branch.  In 
1857  Mr.  C.  immigrated  to  Holt  County,  and  settled  in  Oregon,  where 
he  resided  for  eighteen  months.  He  then  became  a  resident  of  Forest 
City,  where  he  was  occupied  in  teaching  till  1859,  when  he  returned  to 
Virginia,  there  remaining  till  1863.  At  that  time  he  again  came  to  For- 
est City.  In  1875  he  came  to  Craig.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  teaching 
in  and  about  the  city,  till  188 1,  when  he  accepted  a  clerkship  with  Mr. 
Boyer,  in  the  drug  business,  which  position  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Clai- 
borne was  married  May  15,  i860,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Sedwick,  a  native  of 
Virginia.     They  have  six  children  :  Mary  E.,  George  T.,  Ella  A.,  Robert 


464  HISTORY    OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

L.,  Guy  H.  and  Hugh  L.  He  is  a  member  of  Forest  City  Lodge,  No. 
214,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  Mr.  C.  held  the  office  of  city  recorder  of  Forest 
City  for  three  years  in  an  acceptable  manner.  He  was  appointed  justice 
of  the  peace  of  this  township  during  the  present  term  and  is  now  filling 
this  position. 

PERIAM  B.  COOK, 

proprietor  of  Craig  Hotel.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  son  of  Anson 
and  Hannah  Cook  nee  Wheeler,  the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
and  his  mother  of  Connecticut.  Mr.  C.  is  a  native  of  Greenwood  Town- 
ship, Steuben  County,  New  York,  and  was  born  June  2,  1833.  At  the 
age  of  four  years,  he  was  taken  by  the  family  to  Monroe  County,  New 
York,  where  they  resided  till  1844,  when  he  emigrated  to  Hillsdale 
County,  Michigan.  Periam  was  here  reared  to  manhood  in  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming,  and  received  a  good  education  from  the  common  schools. 
In  185 1,  he  emigrated  to  California,  remaining  till  1853,  when  he  returned 
to  Michigan,  there  being  occupied  in  teaching.  In  1859,  ne  began  a 
course  of  studies  at  the  Hillsdale  College,  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1863.  During  this  time  he  was  preaching  the  gospel  in 
1859,  and  was  ordained  a  Baptist  minister  in  1861.  He  has  been  engaged 
in  that  good  work  and  teaching,  for  the  most  of  his  time  since  then.  In 
1869,  Mr.  C.  removed  to  Webster  County,  Iowa,  of  which  locality  he  was 
a  resident  till  1879,  when  he  immigrated  to  Missouri,  and  settled  in 
Craig.  On  his  removal  here  he  purchased  the  hotel,  and  after  refurnish- 
ing and  enlarging  it,  he  opened  it  under  its  present  name.  He  remained 
in  the  hotel  business  one  year,  and  then  engaged  in  teaching,  but  again, 
in  1881,  he  took  charge  of  the  hotel.  Mr.  C.  was  united  in  marriage 
November  28,  1855,  to  Miss  Mary  Byron,  a  daughter  of  Elder  Joseph 
Byron,  of  Michigan.  They  have  had  six  children  :  Helen  M.,  Ransom 
A.  (deceased),  Clarence  J.  (deceased),  Elvia  L.,  Edmund  B.  (deceased), 
and  Mabyn  A.  Mr.  C.  was  at  one  time  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Hillsdale  County,  Michigan.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

JOHN  J.  CREWS 

was  born  in  Monroe  County,  West  Virginia,  July  25,  1835.  Thomas  D. 
Crews,  his  father,  was  born  near  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Eveline  Alderson,  was  a  native  of  Monroe 
County,  West  Virginia.  John  J.  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm  at  his  birth- 
place, his  opportunities  for  acquiring  an  education  being  very  limited. 
During  the  war  he  enlisted,  in  1862,  and  served  till  the  close,  in  Clark's 
Battalion  of  Sharpshooters.  He  participated  in  some  important  engage- 
ments, among  which  were  the  battles  of  New  Market,  Spottsylvania,  Cold 
Harbor,  Winchester,   Cedar   Creek,  Fisher  Hill  and  others.     After  the 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  465 

close  of  that  conflict  he  returned  to  Monroe  County,  Virginia.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1866,  Mr.  C.  was  married,  in  Monroe  County,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Bal- 
lard, daughter  of  William  Ballard.  Mrs.  Crews  was  born  in  Monroe 
County,  Virginia.  After  this  event  he  lived  some  two  years  in  Monroe 
County,  engaged  in  farming.  In  the  fall  of  1868  he  located  in  Buchanan 
County,  Missouri,  but  moved  to  Andrew  County  the  following  spring, 
living  there  some  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1870  Mr.  Crews  came  to  Holt 
County  and  settled  in  Union  Township,  moving  on  his  present  farm  in 
1871.  He  has  120  acres  of  land,  all  fenced,  with  fair  improvements,  and 
a  young  bearing  orchard.  Mr.  Crews  has  a  family  of  three  children  liv- 
ing, William  Thomas,  Archie  A.  and  Henry  Ballard  Crews.  One  is 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crews  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He 
resides  on  section  8. 

CHARLES   A.  DOUGHTY, 

business  manager  of  Hoblitzell  Bros.'  lumber  yard  at  Craig.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  Steuben  County,  New  York,  and  was 
born  April  22,  1838.  He  was  there  reared  to  manhood,  receiving  his 
education  from  the  Genesee  College,  of  Lima,  that  state.  In  1858  he, 
with  the  family,  emigrated  to  Kansas,  where  he  resided  for  two  months, 
and  in  July  of  that  year  he  came  to  Holt  County  and  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, following  that  profession  with  great  success  for  two  years.  In  1S61 
he  removed  to  Richardson  County,  Nebraska,  where  he  was  occupied  in 
freighting  for  three  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  this  county  and 
engaged  in  farming,  which  he  still  continues.  December  6,  1881,  he 
accepted  his  present  position.  He  has  a  fine  farm  of  150  acres  near 
Craig,  and  is  one  of  our  most  prosperous  farmers  and  is  well  and  favor- 
ably known  in  this  district  as  an  honest,  enterprising  business  man. 
Mr.  D.  was  married  in  January,  1866,  to  Miss  Harriet  S.  Price,  a  native 
of  Virginia.  They  have  four  children  :  Fannie  B.,  Vena  B.,  Zua  H.,  and 
Cora  A.  They  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Mr.  Doughty  is  a 
member  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  371,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  its  first  mas- 
ter. He  was  justice  of  the  peace  of  this  township  six  years  and  is  now 
a  notary  public.  He  was  president  of  the  school  board  of  the  district 
four  years.  He  is  the  superintendent  of  the  M.  E.  Sunday  School  and 
was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  first  church  erected  in  Craig. 


it>- 


CHARLES  DAVID. 

Prominent  among  the  pioneer  merchants  of  Craig,  and  men  who 
have  been  identified  with  the  development  and  prosperity  of  the  county, 
may  be  mentioned  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  is  a  son  of  Daniel 
and  Rhoda  (Cook)  David,  who  are  old  pioneers  of  this  county,  and  who 
now  live  near  Oregon.    Charles  is  a  native  of  Switzerland  County,  Indiana, 


3U 


466  •  ISTORY   OF    HOLT  COUNTY. 

and  was  born  July  i,  1831.  When  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  with  the 
family  he  emigrated  to  Holt  County,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood, 
and  received  his  education,  following  the  occupation  of  farming.  In 
1865,  and  for  two  years  thereafter,  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits, 
and  after  that  time  he  resumed  farming,  at  which  he  worked  seven  years. 
Mr.  David  then  exchanged  his  place,  one  mile  east  of  Oregon,  for  a  farm 
near  this  city,  working  the  latter  place  one  year.  He  then  traded  for  a 
stock  of  goods  in  Craig,  and  did  a  large  business,  for  six  years,  when  he 
took  a  trip  to  Colorado,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  for  one  year.  Upon 
returning  to  this  city,  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1881,  when  he 
removed  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  where  he  was  occupied  in  farm- 
ing for  six  months.  He  then  again  came  here  and  opened  his  present 
store.  Mr.  David  was  united  in  marriage  August  7,  1850,  to  Miss  Harriet 
Kelso,  a  native  of  Indiana.  They  have  six  children  :  Victoria  L., 
Artinsia,  Laura,  Coleman,  Lou  and  Mollie.  Mr.  D.  is  a  member  of  Craig 
Lodge,  No.  371,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  also  of  Oregon  Lodge,  No.  54,  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  and  the  Encampment  of  that  city.  He  has  held  all  the  elective 
offices  of  these  lodges.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Mr.  D. 
has  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  this  city,  it  being  splendidly  furnished 
and  its  surroundings  are  fully  in  keeping  with  it. 

ALFRED  F.    DAVENPORT, 

dealer  in  dry  goods,  clothing,  boots,  shoes,  hats,  caps,  and  gents  fur- 
nishing goods.  In  1868  Mr.  Davenport  established  himself  in  his  present 
business.  He  has  a  very  large  and  complete  stock  of  goods,  and  is 
doing  the  leading  business  of  his  line  in  this  city.  He  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  in  which  state  he  was  born,  November  5,  1832.  When  one  year 
old  he  was  taken  by  the  family  to  Michigan,  where  he  resided  for  five 
years,  after  which  time  he  immigrated,  with  them,  to  La  Harpe,  Illinois. 
After  living  there  for  seven  years  they  removed  to  Mills  County,  Iowa, 
where  his  father,  James,  was  an  old  settler,  and  a  man  who  was  closely 
identified  with  the  interests  of  that  locality  from  an  early  date.  Here 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to  manhood,  receiving  the  advan- 
tages of  a  good  common  school  education.  He  followed  farming  as  an 
occupation  till  1866,  when  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  in  Bart- 
lett,  there  doing  a  general  business  for  two  years.  Not  being  satisfied 
with  such  comparatively  small  prospects,  he  sold  out  and  went  in  search 
of  a  larger  field  of  action  more  suited,  to  his  ambition  and  energetic 
nature.  He  finally  chose  this  city  as  a  place  of  settlement,  and  in  1868 
engaged  in  his  present  extensive  business.  In  1874  he  built  the  large 
and  spacious  mills  at  this  point,  known  as  the  "  Holt  County  Mills,"  and 
operated  the  same  with  success  till  1878,  when  he  sold  to  the  present 
firm.     Mr.   D.,   as  a  business  man,  is  well  and  favorably  known  in  this 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  467 

and  neighboring  counties,  and  in  private  life  is  a  genial  gentleman,  and 
social  to  all.  It  is  to  such  men  that  Holt  County  owes  much  of  its 
enviable  reputation.  He  was  united  in  marriage  November  18,  1858, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Fiester,  a  native  of  Missouri.  They  have  been  blessed 
with  eight  children  :  Mary  J.,  Almira  A.,  Jeremiah,  Sarah,  Martha,  Dora, 
James  M.,  and  Lena.  Mr.  D.  is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  211, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  this  city,  and  has  held  all  the  offices  within  the  gift  of  the 
lodge. 

M.  F.  DAWSON, 

farmer,  section  31,  was  born  February  4,  1844,  in  Buchanan  County,  Mis- 
souri, and  is  a  son  of  L.  H.  and  Jane  (Morrow)  Dawson,  both  natives  of 
Ohio.  The  former  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and,  in  185  1,  young  Daw- 
son was  taken  to  Mills  County,  Iowa.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  on  a 
farm  and,  after  living  in  the  State  of  Iowa  for  sixteen  years,  he  returned 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1869.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
common  schools.  Mr.  Dawson -now  has  a  farm  of  180  acres  of  land,  in 
Union  Township,  and  upon  his  place  is  a  young  bearing  orchard  of  100 
apple,  and  a  few  peach,  cherry  and  plum  trees.  He  is  Democratic  in 
politics.  January  3,  1864,  he  was  married  to  Martha  E.  Simpson 
daughter  of  Thomas  Simpson.  She  was  born  December  13,  1848,  in 
Buchanan  County,  Missouri.  Their  family  consists  of  :  Elizabeth,  born 
August  12,  1866;  Charles,  born  March  4,  1868  ;  Lucas  H.,  born  March 
12,  1869;  George  W.,  born  January  3,  1879.  Religiously  Mr.  D.  is  a 
Cumberland  Presbyterian. 

R.  W.  DAWSON  &  CO., 

dealers  in  dry  goods,  groceries,  clothing,  boots,  shoes,  hats,  caps,  gents' 
furnishing  goods,  etc.  In  1878  R.  W.  Dawson  became  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  this  firm.  They  have  a  large  and  choice  stock  of  goods  in  their 
line,  and  are  enjoying  a  liberal  patronage.  Besides  being  connected 
with  this  house,  Mr.  D.  is  interested  in  the  firm  of  Caton  &  Dawson,  who 
do  a  large  business  as  stock  and  grain  buyers,  and  he  is  largely  engaged 
in  mining  claims  in  the  Needles  Mountains.  Robert  W.  Dawson  is  a 
native  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  was  born  April  26,  1S49.  At  the 
age  of  three  years  he  accompanied  the  family  to  Mills  County,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  reared  to  manhood  and  received  his  education.  In  1867, 
he  returned  to  this  county,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  till  1874,  when 
he  embarked  in  the  drug  business,  which  he  continued  one  year.  After 
this  time  he  entered  into  the  stock  business,  and  in  1878  he  became  con- 
nected with  Mr.  Ward,  in  their  present  business.  Mr.  D.  was  married 
May  28,  1872,  to  Miss  Minerva  Wise,  also  a  native  of  this  county.  They 
have  had  three  children,  one  of  whom  is  now  living,  Humboldt.     Mr.  D. 


468  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge  No.  371,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  this  city.  He 
is  the  present  mayor  of  Craig,  and  fills  his  position  in  a  highly  satisfac- 
tory manner. 

GEORGE  W.  GASKILL, 

section  7,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Union  Township,  was  born  in 
Greene  County,  Ohio,  February  17,  1834.  Nehemiah  Gaskill,  his  father, 
was  born  in  New  Jersey,  as  was  also  his  mother,  formerly  Charlotta 
Branson.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  in  Montgomery  County, 
Ohio,  on  a  farm,  obtaining  common  school  advantages.  In  1850,  he 
went  to  Indiana,  and  located  in  Whitley  County,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  During  the  war,  in  September,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  Forty- 
seventh  Indiana  Infantry,  and  served  for  three  years,  participating  in  the 
battles  of  Fort  Gibson,  Champion's  Hill,  and  Vicksburg,  and  other  smaller 
engagements.  After  he  was  discharged  he  returned  home  and  engaged 
in  farming.  Mr.  Gaskill  was  married  October  25,  1866,  to  Miss  S.  A. 
Fast,  daughter  of  F.  J.  and  M.  K.  Fast.  She  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  Ohio.  Mr.  Gaskill  subsequently  moved  to  Missouri,  locating  in 
Union  Township  in  the  spring  of  1869.  He  has  '220  acres  of  land  in  his 
home  place,  all  fenced,  with  fair  improvements,  two  bearing  orchards, 
and  an  abundance  of  small  fruits.  He  also  makes  a  business  of  feeding 
and  handling  stock.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gaskill  have  two  children  :  F.  J.,  born 
May  3,  1870,  and  George  W.,  born  May  27,  1874.  They  have  lost  one 
child,  Charley,  born  in  September,  1867,  and  died  March  5,  1870.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  G.  are  members  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church. 

ADRIAN  HOBLITZELL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  North- 
western Missouri,  and  is  the  father  of  the  members  of  the  well  known 
firm  ot  Hoblitzell  Brothers.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Cary) 
Hoblitzell,  and  is  of  French-German  descent.  Mr.  H.  was  born  June  27, 
1809,  in  Alleghany  County,  Maryland.  He  was  there  reared  to  man- 
hood, and  received  his  education,  also  learning  the  trade  of  tailoring. 
At  the  age  of  21  years  he  emigrated  to  Huron  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
resided  till  1840,  when  he  removed  to  Platte  County,  Missouri.  After 
remaining  there  till  1844,  he  came  to  this  county,  and  was  engaged  in 
various  branches  of  business,  among  them  being  farming,  tailoring,  and 
merchandising.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Nemaha  County,  Nebraska, 
where  he  lived  till  i860,  then  returning  to  this  county,  and  in  1876  he 
became  interested  with  his  sons  in  their  extensive  business.  Although 
quite  an  old  gentleman,  Mr.  H.  is  yet  actively  engaged  in  business,  and 
would,  by  his  energy  and  sprightliness  be  taken  for  a  much  younger 
man.     He  was  married  August  30,    1830,   to  Miss  Elizabeth  Darland,  a 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  469 

native  of  Pennsylvania.  They  have  had  seven  children,  four  of  whom 
are  now  living  :  Julia  A.  (deceased),  William,  Christenia,  Eunice 
(deceased),  Cornelius,  Joseph  and  James  (deceased).  They  are  members 
of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Mr.  H.  was  one  of  the  original  members  and 
trustees  of  the  first  church  of  that  denomination  built  in  Oregon.  He 
was  at  one  time  constable  of  Lewis  Township,  and  was  county  judge  of 
Nemaha  County,  Nebraska,  for  one  term. 

ALEXANDER  M.  HUNTER 

is  agent  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hunter  &  Smith,  druggists.  Foremost 
among  the  representative  men  of  this  vicinity,  and  those  who  have  been 
identified  with  the  commercial  interests  of  this  city,  for  the  last  few 
years,  may  be  mentioned  A.  M.  Hunter.  He  is  a  native  of  Aberdeen, 
Scotland,  and  was  born  August  6,  1839.  He  was  there  reared  to  man- 
hood and  received  his  education,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  he 
accepted  a  clerkship  in  a  dry  goods  house  at  his  native  city.  In  this  he 
remained  till  his  twenty-first  year,  at  which  age  he  emigrated  to  this 
country,  and  settled  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  residing  there  till  the  breaking 
out  of  the  late  war.  In  October,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  First  Michigan 
Artillery  and  served  four  years  and  six  days,  and  was  a  participant  in 
the  well  known  battles  of  Island  No.  10,  siege  of  Corinth,  Mississippi, 
Iuka,  battle  of  Corinth,  Town  Creek,  Fort  Pillow,  and  many  others  of 
lesser  note.  At  the  last  named  engagement  he  was  taken  prisoner,  and 
remained  as  a  prisoner  of  war  for  one  year,  during  which  time  he  was  a 
prisoner  in  fifteen  southern  prisons,  prominent  among  them  being  Macon, 
Andersonville  and  Savannah,  Georgia ;  Charleston,  South  Carolina  ; 
Columbia  and  Charlottsville,  North  Carolina  ;  Danville  and  Libby,  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  paroled  from  this  latter  mentioned  prison  April  2,  1865. 
During  his  confinement  he  escaped  five  times  from  the  prison,  each  time 
being  recaptured,  and  had  the  thrilling  experience  of  being  tracked  by 
blood  hounds.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  mustered  out  a  lieutenant 
of  his  battery.  Mr.  Hunter  then  returned  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  where 
he  resumed  his  chosen  calling  for  two  years,  and  in  1868  he  removed  to 
Holt,  Clay  County,  Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in  the  railroad  business. 
He  remained  at  this  point  for  six  months,  and  from  there  went  to  New 
Cambria,  Missouri,  and  accepted  the  position  of  telegraph  operator. 
After  about  six  weeks,  he  was  stationed  at  Breckenridge,  Missouri,  in  a 
like  capacity,  for  three  weeks.  -  Thence  to  Lathrop,  and  after  two  weeks 
there,  he  went  to  Bigelow,  Missouri,  taking  charge  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany's interests  at  that  point.  He  resided  here  five  months,  and  then 
was  located  at  Bartlett,  Iowa,  going  from  this  place  in  two  months  to 
Amazonia,  and  three  months  later  he  returned  to  Bartlett,  and  after  one 


470  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

and  one-half  years,  he  went  to  Hopkins,  Missouri,  being  the  first  railroad 
agent  at  that  point.  In  1872,  he  came  to  Craig  and  accepted  his  present 
position.  In  1877,  he  became  associated  with  Mr.  Smith  in  the  drug 
business  at  this  point.  They  have  a  large  and  varied  stock,  and  are 
doing  a  remunerative  business.  Mr.  Hunter  was  united  in  marriage 
November  14,  187 1,  to  Miss  Delia  Gillett,  a  native  of  New  York.  He  is 
a  member  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  371,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOHN  L.  JOHNSTUN, 

physician  and  surgeon,  Craig,  is  a  prominent  leader  among  the  most 
successful  practitioners  of  this  vicinity.  He  is  a  native  of  Hamilton 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  May  18,  18 18.  His  father  was  Robert 
Johnstun,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  White.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Jacob  White,  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  The 
subject  of  this  biography  was  reared  to  manhood  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  native  state.  In  1841,  he  began  the  study  of 
his  chosen  profession  under  Doctors  Alexander  Duncan  and  John  B. 
Slemon.  He  continued  under  their  instructions  till  1844,  when  he 
removed  to  Greene  County,  Indiana,  and  soon  settled  in  Fair  Play, 
where  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  there  resided  till 
1849,  when  he  located  in  Knox  County,  Indiana,  and  after  remaining 
till  1850,  he  returned  to  Greene  County,  near  his  former  residence. 
He  resided  at  this  point  six  years,  after  which  time  he  immigrated 
to  Carlisle,  Indiana,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In 
i860,  he  went  to  Mattoon,  Coles  County,  Illinois,  and  lived  in  that  city 
till  1867,  when  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Atchison  County. 
He  was  a  resident  of  that  locality  till  1870,  when  he  came  to  this  city, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  commercial  as  well  as  the  professional  interests  of  this 
county,  having  been  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Myers  &  John- 
stun,  grain  buyers,  and  also  Johnstun  &  Myers,  druggists.  He  is  now  of 
the  firm  of  Johnstun  &  Wing,  physicians.  They  command  a  very  large 
practice  in  their  profession,  and  enjoy  the  esteem  of  the  public.  Dr.  J. 
has  ever  proved  himself  an  active  and  energetic  worker  in  the  interests 
of  his  state,  and  has  devoted  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  his  valuable 
time  to  the  development  of  the  resources  of  Holt  County,  where  he  is 
universally  regarded  as  an  enterprising  and  progressive  citizen,  and  an 
upright  man.  He  is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge  No.  211,  and  has  held  all 
the  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  lodge.  He  is  a  notary  public,  and  has 
been  such  for  the  past  ten  years.  The  doctor  is  a  staunch  Greenbacker 
and  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  influential  leaders  of  the  same.  He 
was  one  of  the  electors  that  nominated  General  Weaver  in  1881. 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  471 

EDGAR  J.  KELLOGG, 

lawyer.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  second  son  of  Alonzo  and 
Nannie  (Burt)  Kellogg,  the  latter  a  native  of  Maryland  and  the  former 
of  New  York.  Edgar  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Kentucky,  Sep- 
tember 16,  1851.  When  he  was  at  the  age  of  nine  years  the  family 
emigrated  to  Linn  County,  Iowa,  where  he  resided,  attending  the  Cor- 
nell College,  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa,  till  1866,  when  he  became  a  student 
of  the  Southern  University,  at  Carbondale,  Illinois.  H^  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1869,  after  which  he  returned  home,  remaining  only 
one  month.  He  then  removed  to  Kansas  and  accepted  a  position  with 
the  United  States  Survey  Department,  in  whose  employ  he  continued 
three  months,  next  going  to  Osage  County,  Kansas.  There  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching  till  June,  1870,  when  he  removed  to  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  where  he  was  occupied  in  the  study  of  his  profession.  After 
residing  there  four  months  he  located  in  Marysville  and  continued  his 
studies  under  Fred  D.  Snyder  till  1872,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  In  November,  of  that  year,  Mr.  Kellogg  began  his  practice  at 
Rock  Port,  Atchison  County,  but  in  1879  he  came  to  Craig.  Since  h>s 
arrival  here  he  has  had  a  good  practice  and  is  deserving  of  his  success. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Carrie  D.  Bond,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, September  5,  1877.     They  have  one  child,  Edgar  A. 

DENNIS  LOWER 

was  bcrn  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  January  1,  1836.  John  Lower, 
his  father,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Anna  Firestone,  was  from  Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  Dennis 
spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  in  attending  the  common  schools.  He 
was  married  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  October  8,  1857,  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Shaffer,  daughter  of  Peter  Shaffer.  She  was  born  in  the  same  county 
as  her  husband,  November  18,  1837.  After  he  \vas  married  Mr.  L. 
located  in  that  vicinity,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  some  two  years. 
In  1859  ne  moved  to  Indiana  and  settled  in  Kosciusko  County,  where  he 
resided  about  nine  years.  In  1868  he  moved  to  Missouri,  locating  in 
Holt,  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  this  county.  In  June,  1881,  he 
moved  on  his  present  farm,  which  consists  of  160  acres  of  land,  all 
fenced,  with  good  improvements,  and  an  excellent  young  orchard  of  300 
apple,  also,  peach,  cherry,  plum  and  pear  trees,  besides  some  small 
fruits.  This  place  is  located  in  section  32,  township  62,  range  39.  Mr. 
Lower  has  a  family  of  six  children  :  Solomon  F.,  Marion  W.,  Sidney  E., 
Peter  L.,  Dennis  and  Galen.  Mrs.  Lower  and  daughter  are  members  of 
the  Missionary  Baptist  Church. 


472  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

ROBERT   LYONS, 

postmaster,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  was  born  December  26,  1841.  At 
the  age  often  years  he,  with  the  family,  immigrated  to  America,  settling 
in  Summit  County,  Ohio.  There  he  was  reared  to  manhood  and  edu- 
cated, and,  in  January,  1862,  he  became  engaged  in  the  trade  of  shoe- 
making,  which  he  continued  till  1875.  Mr.  L.  then  removed  to  Missouri 
and  located  in  Craig,  following  his  trade  till  1879,  when  he  became 
assistant  postmaster,  and,  in  1880,  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  which 
position  he  now  holds,  discharging  his  duties  with  credit.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  Craig  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  is  its  treasurer.  He  is  also  treasurer  and  secretary  of  the 
Sunday  School.  Mr.  Lyons  is  a  member  of  Howard  Lodge,  No.  62,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio. 

FRED.  MYERS, 

of  the  firm  of  Myers  &  Ward,  grain  and  stock  dealers,  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  was  born  September  12,  1840*  When  he  was  seven  years 
of  age  the  family  emigrated  to  America,  and  settled  in  Cook  County, 
Illinois,  where  Fred,  was  reared  to  manhood.  He  there  received  his 
education,  spending  his  youthful  days  on  a  farm.  In  1858  he  removed 
to  Porter  County,  Indiana,  of  which  locality  he  was  a  resident  till  1861,- 
when  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Seventy-third  Indiana  regiment,  and 
served  four  years.  He  participated  in  the  well  known  battles  of  Rich- 
mond, Kentucky,  Perryville,  Stone  River,  and  many  others  of  lesser 
note.  He  was  one  of  the  members  of  Colonel  Streight's  expedition, 
which  was  captured  near  Rome,  Georgia,  was  in  prison  at  Belle  Island 
and  Libby  Prisons  for  three  months,  and  was  then  released  on  parole. 
In  1865  Mr.  M.  returned  to  Indiana,  but  after  remaining  there  only  two 
months,  he  again  went  to  Illinois,  residing  there  two  months.  He  then 
came  west,  settling  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  November  12,  1865.  He 
made  his  home  in  that  city  till  1868,  when  he  came  to  Craig,  which  has 
since  been  his  home.  Mr.  M.  is  one  of  the  best  known  men  of  our  county. 
He  was  collector  of  this  county  for  the  term  of  1879-80,  and  filled  that 
office  with  honor  to  himself  and  credit  to  all  interested,  and  in  all  the 
relations  of  life  he  has  been  an  honest  and  enterprising  business  man,  a 
good  citizen  and  a  genial  gentleman  He  was  united  in  marriage  April 
9,  1872,  to  Miss  Annie  Lawrence,  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  have  one  child, 
Carrie.  He  is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge  No.  211,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  this  city, 
and  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  that  lodge.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Oregon  Encampment,  and  belongs  to  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of  Oregon,  Mis- 
souri. 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  473 

JACOB  R.  NAUMAN. 

a  native  of  Page  County,  Virginia,  was  born  June  29,  1850.  Reuben 
Nauman,  his  father,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Dovel,  were  both  born  in  Virginia.  The  youth  of  Jacob  R.  was  spent  in 
Page  County,  on  a  farm  and  attending  the  common  schools.  He  was 
married  in  that  county  March  ?8,  1871,  to  Miss  Lena  J.  Long,  daughter 
of  A.  J.  Long.  Mr.  N.  moved  west,  in  1872,  and  located  in  Cedar  County, 
Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  some  five  years.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1877,  he  moved  to  Missouri  and  settled  on  his  farm  in  Holt  County. 
His  estate  is  located  in  section  29,  and  consists  of  320  acres  of  good 
land,  lying  partly  in  Union  and  partly  in  Liberty  Townships.  This  land 
Mr.  Nauman  has  improved  himself  and  has  it  all  fenced,  some  280  acres 
being  in  cultivation.  Mr.  Nauman  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  and 
feeding  stock.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  have  six  children  living  :  Mary  E.r 
William,  Oscar,  Thomas,  Estella  and  Baby  Nauman.  One  is  deceased. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nauman  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church. 

JAMES  A.  ORANGE, 

wagon  maker  and  blacksmith,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  on  the  26th 
day  of  April,  1826.  When  at  the  age  of  four  years,  he  with  the  family, 
emigrated  to  McLean  County,  111.,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood,  and 
received  his  education,  there  learning  the  trade  he  now  follows.  In  1850 
he  removed  to  Indianola,  Warren  County,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  two 
years  and  a  half,  then  going  to  Greene  County,  Iowa,  making  his  home 
in  that  locality  till  1861.  At  the  commencement  of  the  war,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  E,  Thirty-ninth  Iowa  Volunteers,  and  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Cape  Girardeau,  Springfield,  Missouri,  Bird's  Point,  Pilot 
Knob,  Fort  Donelson,  Pittsburg  Landing  and  Corinth,  Mississippi.  In 
1864,  he  was  captured  near  Bloomington,  Virginia,  while  on  his  way  to 
Washington,  and  was  paroled.  After  being  exchanged,  he  was  assigned 
to  Company  E,  Eleventh  Virginia  Cavalry,  and  was  on  duty  in  several 
places  as  guard  of  government  property,  till  October,  1865,  when  he 
obtained  his  discharge.  He  arose  from  the  ranks  to  the  position  ot 
sergeant  major  of  his  company.  In  1865,  Mr.  Orange  returned  to  Iowa, 
where  he  resided  till  1867.  He  then  came  to  this  county  and  built  the 
hotel  now  known  as  the  Craig  Hotel,  which  has  since  been  enlarged,  and 
was  its  genial  host  for  some  time.  He  was  also  at  that  time  engaged  in 
his  present  business.  In  1873  he  went  to  Jule  County,  Kansas,  from 
whence,  after  remaining  three  years,  he  returned  to  this  county.  Mr.  O. 
was  married  December  3,  1847,  to  Miss  Minerva  J.  Smith,  a  native  of 
North  Carolina.  They  had  one  child,  William  J.  Mrs.  O.'s  death  occur- 
red February  22,  i860.     He  was  again  married   September   15,  1866,  to 


474  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Crumley,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  They  have  one 
child,  Martha  W.  Mr.  O.  is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  371,  A.  F. 
and  A.  M.,  also  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  92,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  held  all  of 
the  elective  chairs.  In  1868  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Craig,  and  served 
for  two  terms. 

WILLIAM  M.  PARRISH, 

physician  and  surgeon.  The  subject  of  this  narative  is  the  fourth  son  of 
Abel  and  Bersheba  Parrish,  nee  Rush,  who  were  both  natives  of  North 
Carolina.  Dr.  P.  is  a  native  of  Putnam  County,  Indiana,  and  was  born 
December  17,  1844.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  was  taken,  by  the  family, 
to  Clarke  County,  Iowa,  where  he  was  brought  up  and  received  his  edu- 
cation, following,  in  early  life,  the  occupations  of  farming  and  milling. 
In  1867  he  began  the  study  of  his  profession,  under  the  tutorship  of  Dr. 
Sherrick,  of  Osceola.  After  studying  for  one  year  he  removed  to  Holt 
County,  and  further  prosecuted  his  studies,  under  Dr.  Goslin,  of  Oregon, 
for  one  year.  Dr.  P.  then  spent  one  term  at  the  Keokuk  Medical  Col- 
lege, after  which  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  New  Point, 
this  county,  where  he  resided  till  September,  1874,  when  he  attended  the 
Hospital  Medical  College,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  From  this  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  the  following  year,  after  which  he  returned  to  this 
county  and  began  practice  in  Craig.  He  now  has  a  good  business  and 
is  a  popular  man,  both  professionally  and  socially.  Dr.  Parrish  was  mar- 
ried September  6,  1877,  to  Miss  Alice  L.  Patterson,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
They  have  one  child,  Chloe  O.  He  is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  371, 
A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to  Craig  Lodge,  No.  90,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Lodge  of  this  city.  In  the  Odd  Fellows'  order  he 
has  held  all  the  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  lodge.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church. 

GEORGE   W.  SMITH, 

proprietor  of  billiard  hall  and  saloon.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the 
youngest  son  of  Sheldon  and  Sarah  (Courier)  Smith,  who  are  natives  of 
Ohio.  George  is  a  native  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  was  born  Sep- 
tember 22,  1861.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  this  county,  and 
received  his  education  from  the  schools  of  this  vicinity,  following  in 
youth  the  occupation  of  farming.  At  an  early  age  he  became  engaged 
in  the  saloon  business  and  in  1880  he  came  to  Craig  and  embarked  in 
his  present  calling.  He  now  has  one  of  the  best  fitted  places  in  this 
county  and  is  keeping  an  exceptionally  orderly  house.  Mr.  Smith  was 
united  in  marriage  July  3,  1881,  to  Miss  Sophronia  S.  McCoy,  a  native 
of  Illinois.. 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  475 

ANDREW  P.  STEELE, 

one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  northern  part  of  Holt  County,  was  born  in 
Orange  County,  Indiana,  January  10,  1 83 1 .  His  father,  Samuel  Steele, 
was  born  in  Virginia,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Sarah  Stanfield, 
was  from  Tennessee.  In  1839, the  family  moved  to  Owen  County,  Indi- 
ana. The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  with  very 
limited  chances  for  schooling.  He  went  to  Illinois  in  1854,  and  located 
in  Edgar  County,  and  was  long  engaged  in  farming.  There  he  resided 
until  he  moved  to  his  present  farm  in  this  township,  in  March,  1865. 
He  has  160  acres  of*  land,  with  a  good  house  and  fair  improvements,  and 
a  young  bearing  orchard,  his  place  being  located  in  section  7,  township 
62,  range  39.  Mr.  Steele  makes  a  business  also  of  feeding  stock  for  the 
market.  He  was  married  February  2,  1854,  in  Edgar  County,  Illinois,  to 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Bandy,  a  native  of  Illlinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Ambrose 
Bandy,  Esq.  They  have  a  family  of  six  children  :  Mary  Jane,  wife  of 
Lewis  Woods  ;  Elizabeth  A.,  wife  of  Joseph  Newlon  ;  W.  A.,  Andrew  F., 
Albert  G.,  and  Elmira  E.  They  have  lost  one  child.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Steele  are  members  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church. 

JOHN  W.  STOKES, 

attorney  at  law.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  Caroline 
County,  Maryland,  and  was  born  June  25,  1839.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years 
he  with  the  family  emigrated  to  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
brought  up  and  received  his  education.  In  1858  he  began  the  study  of 
his  profession  under  I.  Ketchum  and  J.  M.  McConnell.  In  1859  he 
removed  to  Colorado  and  was  engaged  in  keeping  a  ranche.  After 
residing  there  six  months  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  was  elected  con- 
stable,  and  while  acting  in  that  capacity  was  also  occupied  in  the  study 
of  the  law.  In  1862  he  was  in  the  service  of  the  government  as  detect- 
ive, for  a  season,  after  which  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Twenty-eighth 
Illinois  Regiment,  and  served  till  April,  1866,  being  mustered  out  as 
captain  of  his  company.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Mor- 
gan, Forts  Gaines  and  Blakeley  and  Spanish  Fort.  After  his  discharge 
Mr.  S.  returned  home,  and  in  1867  he  removed  to  St.  Louis  County, 
Missouri,  where  he  embarked  in  the  stock  business.  In  1869  he  came  to 
this  county  and  interested  himself  in  farming,  which  he  continued  till 
1872.  He  then  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Craig.  Mr# 
Stokes  as  a  man  is  well  and  favorably  known  in  this  county  and  has  a 
host  of  friends  and  patrons.  He  was  married  June  27,  i860,  to  Miss 
Sarah  H.  Parker,  a  native  of  Morgan  County,  Illinois.  They  have  six 
children  :  Fannie,  Emma,  Albert  B.,  James  H.,  Stella,  and  Lathrop  C. 
He  is  a  member  of  Craig  Lodge,  No.  211,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  has  passed  all 


476  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  elective  chairs.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Oregon  Encampment. 
He  belongs  to  the  Christian  Church  and  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Craig  schools. 

JOHN  STROUGH, 

one  ol  the  leading  farmers  of  Union  Township,  was  a  native  of  Henry 
County,  Indiana,  born  January  28,  [842.  John  Strough,  Sr.,  his  father, 
and  also  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Miller,  were  born 
in  Rockingham  County,  Virginia.  The  youth  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  spent  on  a  farm  and  in  attending  the  common  schools  of 
Henry  County.  He  was  there  married,  January  3,  1867,  to  Miss  Sarah 
A.  Bowers,  who  was  born  in  Henry  County.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  S. 
lived  in  his  native  county  for  two  years,  engaged  in  farming.  He  came 
west  in  the  fall  of  1869,  and  settled  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  came 
to  Union  Township  the  following  April,  locating  on  his  present  farm  in 
September,  1870.  He  has  160  acres  of  land  in  his  home  place,  all  fenced, 
and  with  fair  improvements,  a  good  new  residence  and  a  young,  bearing 
orchard,  located  in  section  32,  township  63,  range  39.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S. 
have  five  children  :  Laura  Alice,  George  W.,  Mary  Belle,  Joseph  L.,  and 
Dora  E.     They  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

JUDGE  DANIEL  VAN  WORMER, 

one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Holt  County,  was  born  in  Allegany 
County,  New  York,  July  29,  1829.  His  father,  Aaron  Van  Wormer,  and 
also  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Phileta  Wagoner,  were  born  in 
the  same  county.  In  the  fall  of  1846,  the  family  moved  to  Miami  County, 
Indiana.  The  youth  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  passed  on  a  farm, 
he  receiving  a  common  school  education.  He  was  married  in  Miami 
County,  Indiana,  April  14,  1853,  to  Miss  Martha  Hetzel,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Hetzel.  After  his  marriage,  Mr.  W.  moved  to  Missouri,  and  set- 
tled in  Jackson  County  in  the  fall  of  1853,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
He  resided  there  until  the  fall  of  1862.  From  this  date  he  was  unsettled 
for  three  years,  and  was  during  that  time  again  a  resident  of  both  Ohio 
and  Indiana.  In  1865,  he  returned  to  his  farm,  on  which  he  remained 
three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1869,  he  moved  to  Holt  County,  and  set- 
tled in  Union  Township,  on  his  present  place.  He  has  185  acres  of  land, 
all  in  cultivation,  with  fair  improvements,  and  a  young,  bearing  orchard. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  and  feeding  stock.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Van  Wormer  have  seven  children  :  William,  Albert,  Phileta,  India,  Jennie, 
Eunice  and  Martha.  Mr.  Van  Wormer  is  Republican  in  politics,  and  at 
the  general  election  of  1874,  he  was  nominated  and  elected  by  his  party 
as  one  of  the  judges  of  Holt  County,  and  served  in  this  capacity  four 
years.     He  resides  on  section  17,  township  62,  range  39.     They  are  mem- 


UNION   TOWNSHIP.  477 

bers  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church,  and  Mr.  Van  Wormer  belongs  to 
the  Odd  Fellows'  order. 

GEORGE  T.  WAGGONER, 

dealer  in  and  manufacturer  of  furniture,  coffins,  etc.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  son  of  Martin  and  Jane  (Davis)  Waggoner,  who  were  both 
natives  of  Virginia.  George  is  a  native  of  Barren  County,  Kentucky, 
and  was  born  July  23,  1849.  At  the  age  of  four  years  he  was  taken  by 
the  family  to  Missouri,  they  settling  in  this  county.  He  resided  here 
till  he  was  thirteen  years  old,  when  they  emigrated  to  Falls  City, 
Nebraska.  Mr.  Waggoner  lived  there  for  seven  years,  and  after  an 
extended  tour  over  the  west  he  returned  to  this  county,  in  1876,  and  set- 
tled in  Craig.  He  soon  became  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business,  and, 
although  starting  with  very  little,  he  worked  his  way  up,  step  by  step, 
till,  in  1880,  he  embarked  in  his  present  business.  Mr.  W.  was  married 
August  20,  1872,  to  Ellen  DeLong,  a  native  of  Iowa.  They  have  two 
children,  Martin  R.  and  Lulu. 

ASHLEY  J.  WILLIAMS, 

one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  county,  was  born  in  Clay  County,  Missouri, 
June  9,  1832.  S.  Williams,  his  father,  and  also  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Elizabeth  Ramsey,  were  born  in  Bedford  County,  Virginia. 
The  former  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Clay  County,  having  located 
there  in  1824,  and  he  it  was  who  laid  out  the  town  where  Missouri  City 
is  now  located.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools  ;  he  also  afterward  spent  one  year  at 
Chapel  Hill  College.  In  1850  he  went  overland  to  California,  and  was 
there  some  four  years,  engaged  mostly  at  mining.  He  returned  to 
Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1854,  and  settled  in  Holt  County,  and  has 
since  been  a  resident  of  Union  Township.  In  1865  he  moved  to  his 
present  farm,  which  consists  of  240  acres  of  land,  with  160  acres  fenced, 
with  fair  improvements,  and  a  young  bearing  orchard  of  apple,  peach, 
cherry  and  pear  trees.  This  place  is  located  in  section  5,  township  62, 
range  39.  Mr.  Williams  makes  a  business  of  handling  and  feeding 
stock.  He  was  married  in  Holt  County,  January  7,  1855,  to  Mrs.  Eliza 
J.  Dodge,  daughter  of  G.  W.  Taylor,  of  Holt  County.  Mrs.  W.  was  born 
in  Alabama,  in  1832.  They  have  six  children  living  :  George,  Philip, 
Nancy  E.,  (wife  of  James  Shew),  Haley,  Jeremiah  and  Fannie  E.  Two 
are  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  are  members  of  the  Missionary 
Baptist  Church,  and  Mr.  W.  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellow  and  Masonic 
Orders. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

PUBLIC  BUILDINGS  AND   IMPROVEMENTS. 

FIRST  COURT    HOUSE-SECOND    COURT    HOUSE-THIRD   AND    PRESENT   COURT   HOUSE- 
JAILS— PUBLIC  SQUARE-COUNTY  POOR  FARM. 

FIRST   COURT    HOUSE. 

Notwithstanding  the   fact    that   a   large   number   of  the   people  in 
every  county  have   very  little   practical   experience  in  the  courts,  and 
although  they  have  the  legal  capacity  to  sue  and  be  sued,  never  improve 
their  opportunities,  and  never  appear  in  court  unless  it  be  on  compul- 
sion as   witnesses  or  jurors.,  yet  as  the  one  great  conservator  of  peace 
and  as  the  final  arbiter  in  the  case  of  individual  or  neighborhood  dis- 
putes, the  court  is  distinguished  above  and  apart  from  all  and  every 
other  institution  of  the  land,  and  not  only  the  proceedings  of  the  court, 
but  the  place  of  holding  court  is  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  average 
reader.     Not  only  so,  but  in  many  counties  the  court  house  was  the  first 
and  usually  the  only  public  building  in  the  county.     These  first  court 
houses   were    not   very  elaborate   buildings,   to    be   sure,   but    they  are 
enshrined  in  memories  that  the   present   never  can   know.     Their    uses 
were  general,  rather  than  special,  and  so  constantly  were  they  in  use  day 
and  night  when  court  was  in  session,  and,  when  it  was  not  in  session,  for 
judicial,   educational,   religious   and  social    purposes,  that    the  doors  of 
those  court  houses,  like  the  gates  of  gospel  peace,  stood  open  night  and 
day,  and  the  small  amount  invested  in  those  old  logs  returned  a  much 
better  rate  of  interest  on   the  investment  than  do  those  stately  piles  of 
brick  or  granite  which  have  taken  their  places.     The  memorable  court 
house  of  early  times  was  a  house  adapted  to  a  variety  of  uses,  and  had  a 
career  of  great  usefulness.     School  was  taught,  the  gospel  preached  and 
justice  dispensed  within  its  substantial  old   walls.     Then  it  served  fre- 
quently  as   a  resting   place   for   weary   travelers,  and   indeed   its  doors 
always  swung  on  easy  hinges.     In  the  old  court  house  were  located  the 
several  county  offices.     In  it  met  that  assemblage  known  as  the  district 
court,  where  the  vocal,  and  not  unfrequently  muscular  pioneer  attorneys 
had  full  scope  for  the  employment  of  their  varied  powers,  both  physical 
and  intellectual.    But  not  only  as  a  court  room  was  the  old  building  used. 
If  the  old  settlers   are  to  be  believed,  this  rude  structure    often  rang 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS    AND   IMPROVEMENTS.  479 

on  the  pioneer  Sabbath,  with  a  more  stirring  eloquence  than  enlivens 
the  pulpits  of  the  present  time.  Many  of  the  earliest  ministers  have 
officiated  within  its  walls,  and  if  those  old  walls  could  speak,  they  would 
tell  many  a  strange  tale  of  pioneer  religion,  that  is  now  lost  forever.  To 
that  old  court  house  ministers  came  of  different  faiths,  but  all  eager  to 
expound  the  simple  truths  of  a  sublime  and  beautiful  religion,  and  point 
out  for  comparison  the  thorny  path  of  duty,  and  the  primrose  path  of 
dalliance.  Often  have  those  old  walls  given  back  the  echoes  of  those 
who  sang  the  songs  of  Zion,  and  many  an  erring  wanderer  has  had  his 
heart  moved  to  repentance  thereby,  more  strongly  than  ever,  by  the 
strains  of  homely  eloquence. 

With  Monday  morning  the  old  building  changed  its  character,  and 
men  came  there  seeking  not  the  mercy  of  God,  but  the  justice  of  man. 
The  scales  were  held  with  an  even  hand.  Fine  points  of  law  were  often 
ignored,  but  those  who  presided  knew  every  man  in  the  county,  and  they 
dealt  out  substantial  justice,  and  the  broad  principles  of  natural  equity 
prevailed.  Children  came  there  to  school,  and  sat  at  the  feet  of  teachers 
who  knew  but  little  more  than  themselves  ;  but,  however  humble  the 
teacher's  acquirements,  he  was  hailed  as  a  wise  man  and  a  benefactor, 
and  his  lessons  were  heeded  with  attention.  There  the  people  of  the 
county  went  to  discuss  their  own  affairs,  and  learn  the  news  so  far  away 
to  the  eastward.  In  addition  to  the  orderly  assemblies  which  formally 
gathered  there,  other  meetings  no  less  notable  occurred.  It  was  a  sort 
of  forum,  whither  all  classes  of  people  went  for  the  purpose  of  loafing 
and  gossiping,  and  telling  and  hearing  something  new. 

As  a  general  thing  the  first  court  house,  after  having  served  the  pur- 
pose of  its  erection,  was  torn  down  and  conveyed  to  the  rear  of  some 
remote  lot,  and  thereafter  was  made  to  serve  the  purpose  of  an  obscure 
cow  stable,  in  some  dark  alley.  There  is  little  of  the  poetic  and  roman- 
tic in  the  makeup  of  western  society,  and  the  old  court,  after  it  was 
superceded  by  a  more  elaborate  and  showy  structure,  ceased  to  be 
regarded  with  reverence  and  awe.  It  was  then  looked  upon  as  only  the 
aggregation  of  so  many  hickory  or  oak  logs,  and  the  practical  eye  of  the 
modern  citizen  could  see  nothing  in  it,  but  the  aforesaid  logs,  and,  in 
his  estimate  of  its  value,  nothing  but  calculation  relative  to  the  number 
of  horses,  hogs,  or  number  of  bushels  of  grain,  which  these  reconstructed 
logs  would  accommodate,  were  the  only  conditions  bearing  on  those 
estimates. 

In  a  new  country,  where  every  energy  of  the  people  is  necessarily 
employed  in  the  practical  work  of  earning  a  living,  and  the  always  urgent 
and  ever  present  question  of  bread  and  butter  is  up  for  solution,  people 
cannot  be  expected  to  devote  much  time  to  the  poetic  and  ideal.  It 
therefore  followed  that  nothing  was  retained,  as  a  useless  relic,  which 
could  be  turned  to  some  useful  account,  but  it  is  a  shame  that  people  of 


4#0  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

modern  times  have  such  little  reverence  for  the  relics  of  former  days. 
After  these  houses  ceased  to  be  available  for  business  purposes,  and  their 
removal  was  determined  on,  they  should  have  been  taken  to  some  other 
part  of  the  town  or  city,  and  located  on  some  lot,  purchased  by  public 
subscription,  where  they  might  have  remained  to  have  at  least  witnessed 
the  semi-centennial  of  the  country's  history.  It  is  sad,  in  their  haste  to 
grow  rich,  so  few  have  care,  even  for  the  early  work  of  their  own  hands. 
How  many  of  the  early  settlers  have  preserved  their  first  habitations  ? 
The  sight  of  that  humble  cabin  would  be  a  source  of  much  consolation 
in  old  age,  as  it  reminded  the  owner  of  the  trials  and  triumphs  of  other 
times,  and  its  presence  would  go  far  toward  reconciling  the  coming  gen- 
eration with  theirs,  when  comparing  its  humble  appearance  with  the 
modern  residences,  whose  extensive  apartments  are  beginning  to  be  too 
unpretentious  for  the   enterprising  and  irrepressible    young  American. 

FIRST   COURT    HOUSE. 

At  the  November  term  of  the  county  court  the  following  was  issued  : 

"  Ordered    that  R.  M.   Barkhurst  be    appointed  superintendent  for 

building  a  court  house  in  the  town  of  Oregon,  and  that  he  let  the  same 

to  the  lowest  bidder,  on  the  13th  day  of  the  present  month,  at  the  house 

of  G.  Ray." 

At  the  December  term,  1841 ,  held  at  the  house  of  G.  Ray,  it  was 
■"  Ordered,  as  the  order  passed  at  the  last  term  of  said  court  was  not 
entered  of  record,  it  is  now  ordered  to  wit  :  Ordered  that  a  court  house 
be  built  in  the  town  of  Oregon,  in  Holt  County,  of  the  following  descrip- 
tion and  dimensions  :  A  frame  house,  20x26  feet,  two  stories  high,  to 
be  set  in  a  rock  wall  eighteen  inches  thick  and  thirty  inches  high,  eigh- 
teen inches  thereof  under  ground,  and  that  above  ground  to  be  laid  in 
lime  mortar  ;  the  sills  to  be  8x10  inches  square,  the  posts  to  be  eight 
inches  square,  rabbitted.  The  first  story  nine  feet  high  in  the  clear, 
with  three  windows,  two  of  which  to  contain  fifteen  lights  each,  and  one 
of  twelve  lights,  the  glass  of  all  to  be  10x12  inches.  One  outside  door, 
to  be  folding  panel  of  three  feet  eight  inches  wide,  qne  and  one-half 
•  inch  thick,  a  transom  sash  over  it  with  four  lights,  the  glass  10x12.  One 
flight  of  winding  stairs,  neatly  cased  up,  and  stair  door  paneled.  The 
weather-boarding  to  be  of  walnut  plank,  five-eighths  of  an  inch  thick, 
jointed.  The  second  story  to  be  seven  feet  in. the  clear,  with  three 
windows  of  twelve  lights  each,  10x12  inches  ;  with  two  rooms  in  the 
upper  story,  with  a  ledge  door  leading  from  head  of  the  stairs  into  each 
of  the  other  rooms  ;  all  the  doors  to  be  neatly  cased  up,  etc.,  with  suf- 
fHcient  locks  to  each  door  ;  the  roof  to  be  of  walnut  shingles  ;  a  trap 
door  in  the  ceiling  leading  to  the  garret  ;  the  floors  to  be  of  oak  plank, 
•one  inch  thick,  well  seamed,  etc. ;  the  whole  house  to  be  lathed  and  plas- 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS   AND    IMPROVEMENTS.  48 1 

tered  inside,  two  coats  and  a  whitewash  ;  the  entire  building  to  be  com- 
pleted by  June  10,  1842,  and  to  be  set  up  on  lot  5,  in  block  7,  in  the  town 
of  Oregon,  fronting  twenty  feet  on  Nodaway  Street  and  twenty-six  on 
Washington  Street." 

At  the  same  time  it  was  ordered  that  the  sum  of  $659  dollars  be 
appropriated  for  the  building  of  said  court  house,  to  be  paid  out  of  any 
money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated,  arising  out  of  the 
sale  of  lots  in  the  town  of  Oregon. 

The  contract  for  building  this  house  was  let  to  Jesse  Carroll.  The 
appliances  for  facilitating  labor  in  those  days,  were  few,  and  anything 
but  readily  attainable  in  this  primitive  condition  of  things  in  the  country, 
and  the  contractor  was  under  the  necessity  of  asking  an  extension  of 
time,  wherein  to  complete  the  house,  which  extension  was  granted  by 
the  court.  We  also  find  by  an  order  issued  July  6,  1842,  that  the  con- 
tractor of  the  court  house  was  authorized  to  make  an  additional  door 
and  five  windows,  and  to  make  moulding  to  the  doors  and  windows,  to 
make  shutters  to  the  windows,  etc.,  for  all  which  said  work,  he  was  "  to 
charge  a  reasonable  price." 

On  the  3rd  day  of  October,  1842,  R.  M.  Barkhurst,  superintendent 
of  the  building  of  the  court  house,  in  the  town  of  Oregon,  reported  to 
the  county  court,  that  having  examined  the  work  done  by  Jesse  Carroll, 
the  contractor,  he  finds  the  same  done  according  to  contract,  except  a 
coat  of  whitewash,  which  said  contractor  agreed  to  have  done  imme- 
diately.    Whereupon,  the  court  ordered  that  the  building  be  received. 

SECOND    COURT   HOUSE. 

Before  the  lapse  of  the  first  decade  in  the  county's  history,  its  pro- 
gress and  growing  importance  seemed  to  warrant  the  erection  of  a 
temple  of  justice  more  in  harmony  with  its  advancing  fortunes,  and,  in 
October,  1850,  a  second  court  house  was  determined  on.  Accordingly, 
on  the  first  day  of  the  November  term,  1850,  the  contract  for  a  brick 
building  forty-four  feet  square  and  two  stories  high,  was  let  to  H.  Wat- 
son, for  $4,995.  Judges  Watson,  Gibson  and  Dozier,  then  occupied  the 
county  bench.  The  building  was  a  plain  but  neat  structure,  with  hip 
roof,  and  stood  in  the  center  of  the  beautiful  public  square  for  which 
the  town  of  Oregon  is  justly  and  widely  celebrated.  Further  appropri- 
ations to  properly  complete  the  structure,  raised  the  entire  cost  to  about 
$6,000.  The  foundation  for  this  court  house  was  surveyed  by  S.  C. 
Collins. 

THE   THIRD   COURT   HOUSE. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1881,  it  was  determined  by  the  county  court, 

in  obedience  to  the  wish  of  a  large   majority  of  the  tax-payers,  to  erect 

31 


482  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

a  new  court  house,  or  rather,  to  remodel  and  reconstruct  the  old  building 
which  had  stood,  for  thirty  years,  no  discreditable  monument  of  the 
enterprise  and  progressive  spirit  of  the  day  and  generation  in  which  it 
was  built.  Accordingly  at  the  May  term,  1881,  the  contract  was  let  to 
Moses  Bennett,  "  for  the  erection  of  three  new  additions  and  the  remod- 
eling of  the  court  house  of  the  city  of  Oregon,"  for  the  sum  of  $8,500. 
Subsequently  a  further  sum  of  eleven  hundred  dollars  was  appropriated 
to  properly  complete  the  structure.  The  work  of  taking  down  the  old 
building  was  commenced  early  in  June,  and  the  business  of  reconstruct- 
ing immediately  followed,  under  the  direction  of  Levi  Zook,  architect 
and  superintendent.  By  the  13th  of  December,  188 1,  the  edifice  was 
completed,  received  by  the  court,  and  occupied.  With  the  exception  of 
the  foundation  and  a  portion  of  the  brick  wall  of  the  first  story,  the  build- 
ing is  entirely  new,  and  no  vestige  of  the  original  house  is  recognizable 
in  the  elegant  structure  whose  faultless  proportions  grace  the  site  of  the 
comparatively  homely  building  which  till  recently  stood  on  its  founda- 
tions. 

At  first  glance,  the  new  court  house  suggests  the  idea  of  a  Greek 
cross,  so  nearly  equibrachial  is  its  .ground  plan.  Careful  observation, 
however,  reveals  the  fact  that  such  is  not  the  case.  The  main  building 
is  forty-five  feet  square.  In  the  center  of  the  north  front,  the  area  of 
the  base  of  the  tower,  which  rises  to  an  altitude  of  about  seventy-five 
feet  to  the  head  of  the  eagle  which  crowns  its  summit,  is  fifteen  feet 
square.  Near  the  middle  of  the  east,  and  also  of  the  west  side  of  the 
building,  is  a  projection  fifteen  feet  by  twenty-two,  extending  to  and 
taking  in  the  second  and  mansard  stories.  In  the  center  of  the  south 
side,  which  is  the  rear  of  the  building,  is  another  extension  fifteen  feet 
in  length,  and  projecting  nine  feet.  Approaching  the  building  by  the 
front,  or  north  entrance,  the  fifteen  by  fifteen  foot  vestibule,  which  con- 
stitutes the  ground  floor  of  the  tower,  and  is  paved  with  stone  slabs^ 
reveals  .the  presence  of  a  massive  and  elegant  double  staircase  leading 
on  either  hand  to  the  upper  stories.  The  bannister  and  newels  of  this 
staircase  are  of  black  walnut,  elegant  in  design  and  massive  in  construc- 
tion. A  hall  ten  feet  wide  runs  from  the  north  to  the  south  vestibule. 
On  the  west  side  of  this  hall,  with  windows  looking  north  and  west,  is 
the  circuit  clerk's  office,  a  room  twenty-six  by  sixteen  feet.  South  of 
this,  on  the  same  side  of  the  hall,  is  the  probate  court  room,  sixteen  feet 
square,  with  a  window  looking  southward  and  another  westward.  Both 
these  rooms  open  into  the  extension  above  described,  fifteen  by  twenty 
feet,  which  is  a  fire  proof  room  designed  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
vault  and  safes  of  the  two  offices.  The  rooms  on  the  east,  or  opposite 
side  of  the  hall,  are  of  corresponding  size  and  similar  proportions  and 
appointments,  and  accommodate  respectively,  the  larger  the  county 
clerk's  office,  and   the  smaller,  the  county  collector's  office.     Like  their 


n 

o 

H 

X 

o 
c 

> 
H 

O 

w 
o 
o 
2; 

re 
o 
r 

H 

n 

o 

-z, 


PUBLIC   BUILDINGS   AND     IMPROVEMENTS.  4^3 

neighbors  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall,  both  these  rooms  open  into  a 
fire  proof  vault,  fifteen  by  twenty- two  feet  in  dimensions,  located  in  the 
east  extension. 

The  ceiling  of  the  ground  floor  is  ten  feet  in  the  clear.  Ascending 
to  the  second  floor,  a  double  swinging  folding  door,  of  handsome  design, 
opens  from  the  stair  landing  into  the  circuit  court  room,  a  spacious 
apartment,  forty-five  feet  square,  with  fourteen  and  a  half  foot  ceiling. 
In  the  center  of  the  rear  end  of  the  room  is  an  alcove  nine  feet  deep 
and  fifteen  long,  directly  over  the  south  or  rear  vestibule,  of  correspond- 
ing size.  Two  lateral  apartments,  one  on  the  east  and  another  on  the 
west  side  of  the  room,  accommodate  themselves  to  the  proportions  of 
the  vault  or  safe  rooms  below. 

The  third  or  mansard  story,  from  the  nature  of  its  design,  is  some- 
what smaller  than  the  area  of  the  lower  floors.  Its  dimensions  are 
thirty-nine  feet  square,  and  the  lateral  rooms  or  recesses  of  the  same  are 
of  correspondingly  reduced  proportions. 

The  external  appearance  of  the  building  is  no  less  attractive,  in  the 
harmony  of  its  proportions,  than  are  the  internal  construction  and 
appointments  of  the  same,  while  the  faultless  taste  displayed  in  the  light, 
relieved  by  dark  drab  coloring,  with  which  the  walls  are  painted,  and 
fanciful  coloring  of  the  mansard  roof,  render  the  building  not  only 
striking  in  appearance,  but  sufficiently  up  to  the  standard  of  correct  taste 
to  meet  the  approval  of  the  most  fastidious  critic.  Near  the  summit  of 
the  tower  are  four  circular  dial  spaces,  four  and  a  half  feet  diameter,  and 
facing  the  cardinal  points.  A  clock  is  soon  to  be  placed  in  the  tower, 
when  these  dials  will  subserve  their  proper  purpose.  The  handsome 
weather  cock  which  crowns  the  summit  of  this  clock  tower,  is  not 
unworthy  of  a  passing  notice.  The  design  is  an  elaborately  gilt  eagle, 
with  extended  wings,  measuring  four  feet  from  tip  to  tip.  It  was  pur- 
chased in  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  placed  in  position  at  an  expense  of 
about  fifty  dollars. 

Though  there  are  many  court  houses  in  the  country  which  are  much 
larger,  and  which  perhaps  have  cost  many  times  the  expense  ot  erecting 
this  building,  Holt  enjoys  the  satisfaction  of  possessing  not  only  the 
cheapest  structure  of  the  kind  in  the  state,  considering  its  actual  value, 
but  one  which  compares  in  point  of  external  appearance  with  the  best 
in  the  land. 

The  records  of  the  adjourned  term  of  the  county  court,  under  date 
of  December  13,  1881,  set  forth  the  following  in  reference  to  the  new 
court  house  : 

"Said   Levi  Zook  not  having  made  any  charge  for  his  services  as; 
superintendent  of  the  improvements  on  said  court  house,   the  county 
court  hereby  tender  to  the  said  Levi  Zook  their  sincere  thanks  for  his, 
faithful  and  attentive  supervision  of  said  improvements." 


4^4  HISTORY    OF    HOI.T   COUNTY. 

TAILS. 

The  first  jail  in  the  county  was  a  log  structure  at  the  county  seat. 
It  stood  in  block  eight,  one  block  from  the  northeast  corner  of  the  court 
house  square,  and  was  put  up  by  Jesse  Carroll  shortly  after  the  comple- 
tion of  the  first  court  house. 

The  second  jail  was  built  in  1859,  of  stone,  and  in  1876  it  was 
remodeled  with  brick,  the  building  being  enlarged  and  otherwise 
improved  in  light  and  ventilation.  The  architect  in  each  instance  was 
Jesse  Carroll.  The  jail  occupies  the  southeast  corner  of  the  public 
square,  is  two  stories  high  and  contains  six  rooms,  two  of  which  are 
cells  for  prisoners.     The  jailer  and  his  family  reside  in  the  building. 

PUBLIC    SQUARE. 

One  of  the  most  attractive  features  of  the  town  of  Oregon  is  the 
public  square  of  two  and  a  half  acres,  in  the  center  of  which  the  neat 
and  substantial  structure  of  the  present  court  house  rears  its  elegant 
proportions. 

In  an  early  day  E.  Van  Buskirk,  Esq.,  was  appointed  court  yard 
commissioner,  and  under  his  instructions  the  ground  was  plowed  up 
and  set  in  blue  grass.  The  county,  however,  made  no  appropriation  for 
further  improvement  than  building  in  1852  a  fence  around  its  limits. 

The  presence  of  the  beautiful  grove  which  envelops  the  entire  area 
of  the  park  in  a  dense  shade  when  the  trees  are  clothed  with  foliage  is 
due  to  the  voluntary  and  individual  enterprise  of  the  citizens  of  the 
town.  In  [856  at  the  instance  chiefly  of  William  Zook  the  square  was 
■set  in  Cottonwoods.  In  the  dry  season  of  that  year  most  of  these  per- 
ished, only  a  few,  indeed,  surviving.  In  the  following  year  the  citizens, 
headed  by  J.  Levy — now  (1882)  a  resident  of  Omaha,  and,  at  that  time, 
bookkeeper  for  Peter  &  Ovelman,  merchants  of  Oregon — turned  out  and 
determined  that  their  court  yard  should  be  planted  with  at  least  one 
specimen  of  every  tree  indigenous  to  the  county.  This  idea  was 
promptly  acted  upon  and  enlarged.  Not  only  are  there  native  tiees, 
but  several  foreign  varieties  are  growing  in  this  charming  enclosure.  A 
few  varieties  have  died  and  some  of  the  larger  Cottonwoods  have  been 
culled  out.  The  whole  number  now  (1882)  growing  amounts  to  about 
two  hundred  and  forty.  These  include  the  White  Maple  or  Acer  dasy- 
■carpum,  the  Water  Beach,  Sugar  Maple — Acer  saccharinum,  Box  Elder 
— Negundo  aceroides,  Silver  Poplar — Populus  alba,  Lombardy  Poplar — 
Populus  dilatata,  Balm  of  Gilead — P.  Candicus,  American  Aspen  — 
Populus  tremuloides,  Cottonwood — P.  monilfera,  Honey  Locust — G. 
triacanthus,  Common  Locust — R.  plendacacia,  Black  Walnut — Juglans 
nigra,  Hackberry — Ceitis  occidentalis,  American   Elm — U.  Americana, 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS  AND    IMPROVEMENTS.  48$ 

Slippery  Elm  —  Ulmas  Fulva,  Gray  Ash — F.  Americana,  Blue  Ash — F, 
quadrangulata,  Black  Willow — Calix  nigra,  Ironwood — Ostrya  vir- 
ginica,  Sycamore — Platanus  occidentalis,  Coffee  Bean — Faba  vulgaris, 
Wahoo — E.  atropurpureus,  Redbud — Cercis  Canadensis,  Crab  Apple — 
Pyrus  coronaria,  Mountain  Ash  —  Pyrus  Americana,  Apple  —  Pyrus 
mains,  Chokecherry — Cerasus  Virginiana,  Dogwood — Comus  stridor, 
Murello  Cherry — Cerasus  vulgaris,  European  Larch— Ztfrz'.?  Europaea, 
Scotch  Pine — Pinus,  Norway  Spruce — Albies  excelsa,  Larch — Larix 
Amencana,  Abor  Vitae — Thuja  occidentalis,  Catalpa — C.  bignonioides, 
Horse  Chestnut  —  A.  hippocastanum.  Many  of  these  trees  have 
attained  an  altitude  of  from  forty  to  fifty  feet,  and  the  whole,  in  the 
summer  season,  affords  a  shade  so  dense  as  almost  to  entirely  obscure 
the  view  of  the  building  from  the  surrounding  streets.  The  old  plank 
fence  built  around  the  park  by  the  county  in  1852  gave  place  in  the 
spring  of  1877  to  an  elegant  balustrade  enclosing  the  entire  area  and 
protected  by  an  external  chain.  This  was  erected  chiefly  by  the  liber- 
ality of  the  citizens  of  the  town,  and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $1,200. 
The  elevation  of  the  site  of  this  court  house  is  1,113  above  the  sea  level. 

HOLT   COUNTY   POOR   FARM. 

In  the  spring  of  1873  a  tract  of  145  acres  in  Lewis  Township,  one 
mile  northwest  of  Oregon,  was  purchased  from  Jeptha  Martin,  and  a 
spacious  and  comfortable  two-story  brick  house  erected  thereon,  for  the 
purpose  of  affording  a  retreat  for  the  poor  and  afflicted  of  the  county, 
who  were  unable  to  maintain  themselves.  The  entire  cost  of  the  farm 
and  improvements  was  $10,077.  It  is  claimed  that  no  county  has  had 
better  success  in  securing  faithful  and  efficient  managers.  The  first 
superintendent  appointed  was  J.  G.  Cottrell.  He  served  till  1S77,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  D.  Ware,  who  continued  to  manage  the  institution 
till  1879,  when  the  present  (1882)  superintendent,  Philip  Kollmer,  was 
appointed. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

HOLT  COUNTY  BENCH  AND  BAR. 

HON  HENRY  S  KELLEY-DANIEL  ZOOK,  ESQ.-E.  VANBUSKIRK-HON  T.  C.  DUNGAN— 
HON.  THOM  \S  H.  PARR1SH-HON.  JAME-.  LIMBIRD— CHARLES  W.  THOMAS,  ESQ.— 
L  R.  KNOWLES,  ESQ —LEIGH  H.  IRVINE— SAMUEL  F.  O'FALLON— EARLY  MEMBERS 
OF  TrfE  BAR. 

Below  will  be  found  short  sketches  of  the  men  who  constitute  the 
present  members  of  the  bench  and  bar  of  Holt  County.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  chapter  the  names  of  a  number  of  the  pioneer  attorneys  and 
many  of  their  successors,  will  be  given  without  any  reference  to  chrono- 
logical arrangement : 

HON.    HENRY   S.    KELLEY, 

present  circuit  judge,  was  born  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  near  Cincin- 
nati, on  the  18th  day  of  December,  1832.  His  father,  Sarauel  Kelley, 
was  born  in  Ohio,  and  was  a  merchant  and  farmer.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Mary  Holder,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  county.  He  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  Marion,  Indiana,  in  1853.  From  1854  to  1856  he  was  prose- 
cuting attorney  of  a  district  in  Indiana,  and  from  1856  to  i860  was  judge 
of  the  common  pleas  court,  embracing  the  counties  of  Grant,  Blackford 
and  Delaware.  In  1861,  September,  he  moved  to  Dakota  Territory,  and 
in  1863,  he  removed,  going  to  Iowa.  In  1866  he  came  to  Andrew  County, 
Missouri,  locating  at  Savannah,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  continuing  therein  until  April,  1872,  when  he  was  elected  judge 
of  the  Twentieth  Judicial  Circuit.  He  was  again  re-elected  judge  in  1874 
and  in  1880,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  that  office. 

Judge  Kelley  is  the  author  of  "  Kelley's  Treatise  for  Justices  and 
Constables  in  the  State  of  Missouri,"  published  in  1869,  a  book  contain- 
ing 800  pages,  and  revised  in  1881.  He  is  also  the  author  of  "  Criminal 
Law  and  Practice,"  published  in  1876,  700  pages,  and  author  of  the  "  Pro- 
bate Guide,"  published  in  1872. 

Since  1872  he  has,  at  stated  times,  lectured  on  Criminal  Law  and 
Practice  in  Missouri,  at  the  State  University.  He  lectures  also  on  Med- 
ical Jurisprudence,  in  the  St.  Joseph  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
and  is  a  contributor  to  the  Central  Law  Journal,  St.  Louis. 


BENCH    AND    BAR.  487 

He  married  Miss  Adelia  Harlan,  in  1855,  at  Sturgis,  Michigan,  who 
was  the  daughter  of  Andrew  J.  Harlan,  of  Marion,  Indiana.  They  have 
seven  children,  five  boys  and  two  girls,  the  eldest  being  twenty-two  years 
of  age. 

Judge  Kelley  was  a  Democrat  until  the  organization  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  ;  since  then  he  has  been  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  but  has  no  religious  preferences. 
He  is  a  good  lawyer  and  an  able  jurist. 

DANIEL   ZOOK. 

With  perhaps  one  exception,  Mr.  Zook  may  be  considered  the 
pioneer  member  of  the  Holt  County  bar.  His  parents  were  of  German 
extraction,  and  were  natives  of  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania.  His 
father's  name  was  Daniel,  and  his  mother  was  Anna  Forney.  At  an  early 
period  they  moved  to  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born,  in  September,  183 1,  and  in  the  spring  of  1842,  came  to 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  located  three  miles  south  of  Oregon,  in  East 
Lewis  Township.  Mr.  Zook  obtained  his  education,  partly  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  but  the  greater  part  of  it  through  a  private  instructor,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Raney,  a  Presbyterian  minister  at  Oregon,  a  man  of  scholarly 
attainments.  He  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  1846,  with  Colonel 
John  W.  Kelly  and  James  Foster,  the  two  members  who  then  composed 
the  Holt  County  bar,  and  was  admitted  to  the  practice  at  Oregon,  in 
1848. 

He  resided  in  Oregon  till  the  fall  of  1857,  when  he  removed  to  Forest 
City,  where  he  resided  till  the  fall  of  1863,  when  he  returned  to  Oregon, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  He  was  married  in  1852,  to  Cordelia  Dozier, 
of  Holt  County.  Her  death  occurred  in  August,  1874.  By  this  union 
they  had  seven  children.  All  are  dead  except  Willie  Lee  and  Daniel 
Roy,  the  former  now  nearly  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  the  latter  seven. 
Mr.  Zook  was  again  married  in  1877,  to  Miss  Annie  B.  Henning.  No 
children  by  this  marriage.  Politically,  Mr.  Zook  is  a  Democrat.  During 
the  years  of  1863-64,  he  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  Holt  County. 
In  1865  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  E.  VanBuskirk,  which  con- 
tinued till  the  spring  of  1874,  when  he  became  the  partner  of  Thomas  H. 
Parrish.  This  partnership  was  dissolved  after  some  two  or  three  years, 
since  which  time  Mr.  Zook  has  been  alone  in  the  practice.  During  his 
long  and  uninterrupted  residence  in  the  county,  he  has  been  intimately 
and  honorably  identified  with  its  interests. 

E.    VAN   BUSKIRK. 

The  ancestors  of  Mr.  Van  Buskirk  were  from  Holland.  His  grand- 
father moved  from  Maryland  to  Pennsylvania,  and  from  the  latter  state 


488  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

his  father,  Lawrence  Van  Buskirk,  emigrated  to  Ohio.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  on  the  25th  of  February, 
1822,  and  continued  to  reside  in  that  state  until  nineteen  years  of  age. 
He  laid  the  foundation  for  a  substantial  English  education,  at  the  old 
log  school  house  in  his  native  county.  When  in  the  20th  year  of  his  age, 
he  accompanied  his  uncle,  Daniel  Van  Buskirk,  to  Andrew  County,  Mis- 
souri. Here  he  worked  on  a  farm  and  also  at  the  printer's  business. 
He  was  connected  with  the  first  newspaper  published  at  Savannah — the 
Savannah  Western  Empire — which  he  established  for  L.  D.  Nash,  the 
publisher.  After  a  brief  stay  in  Savannah,  he  went  to  Platte  County, 
Missouri,  where  he  began  the  publication  of  the  Weston  Empire  at  Wes- 
ton. In  1848  he  returned  to  Savannah  and  became  the  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Western  Empire,  which  he  continued  to  publish  till   1849. 

In  the  spring  of  1852,  he  came  to  Holt  County,  and  in  1853,  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  circuit  court.  This  position  he  held  for  a  term  of 
six  years,  and  was  then  re-elected,  remaining  clerk  until  May,  1865. 
While  in  this  office,  he  prosecuted  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1865.  For  nine  years  he  was  a  partner  of  Daniel  Zook,  but 
since  the  spring  of  1874,  he  has  been  alone  in  the  practice. 

Previous  to  the  war,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party,  and 
is  still  a  Democrat.  He  was  an  unconditional  Union  man  during  the 
war,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Convention,  which 
convened  in  1861,  "  to  consider  the  existing  relations  between  the  United 
States,  the  people  and  government  of  the  different  states,  and  the  gov- 
ernment and  people  of  the  State  of  Missouri,"  and  to  consider  what 
steps  should  be  taken  by  Missouri.  This  convention  held  Missouri  in 
the  Union,  and  voted  down  the  ordinance  of  secession,  to  which  action 
Mr.  Van  Buskirk  gave  his  hearty  support.  He  was  married  in  December, 
1844,  to  Eliza  J.  Hart,  of  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  by  whom  he  has  had 
six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living. 

He  is  well  and  favorably  known  throughout  Holt  County  as  a  good 
citizen,  an  able  lawyer,  and  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity. 

HON.    T.    C.    DUNGAN. 

Hon.  T.  C.  Dungan  was  born  in  Colerain,  Belmont  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  3d  day  of  April,  1840.  His  father's  name  was  B.  Ellis  Dungan. 
His  mother's  name  was  Sarah  S.  Fox,  the  daughter  of  Josiah  Fox,  an 
Englishman,  who  emigrated  to  America,  and  was  for  a  time  naval  con- 
structor at  Washington.  Both  his  father  and  mother  were  of  Quaker 
descent. 

Mr.  Dungan  was  raised  to  manhood  in  his  native  county,  where  he 
attended  the  common  schools.  He  afterwards  attended  Vermillion 
Institute,  Ohio,   where  he  remained  until  the  institution  was  closed  on 


BENCH   AND    BAR.  489 

account  of  the  civil  war.  He  then  taught  school  a  short  time  in  Bel- 
mont County,  finally  joining  an  Ohio  regiment,  where  he  served  in 
behalf  of  the  Union  cause.  In  1865  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with 
Hon.  William  S.  Kennon,  of  St.  Clairsville,  Ohio,  a  member  of  Congress 
and  judge  in  that  judicial  district.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  on  the 
12th  of  September,  1866,  and  within  a  few  days  came  west,  locating  at 
Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri.  Here  he  formed  a  law  partnership 
with  Thomas  H.  Parrish  and  Thomas  J.  Hawthorne.  This  partnership 
terminated  in  the  spring  of  1867.  In  July,  1869,  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  William  R.  Kelly,  which  continued  till  July,  1871,  from  which  time 
he  has  continued  to  practice  alone.  He  was  appointed  county  attorney 
in  1868,  and  on  the  formation  of  the  Twenty-ninth  Judicial  Circuit  he 
was  chosen  circuit  attorney  at  a  special  election  held  in  April,  1871,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  till  January,  1872,  when  he  entered  upon  a  two 
years  term  as  prosecuting  attorney.  Politically,  he  has  always  been  a 
Republican.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1880,  in  which  posi- 
tion he  served  his  constituents  with  fidelity  and  ability. 

On  the  13th  day  of  May,  1879,  he  married  Miss  Fannie  I.  Soper. 
By  this  union  they  have  had  one  child,  Estella  F.,  now  two  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Dungan  applies  himself  closely  to  his  profession,  and  as  a  law- 
yer he  ranks  among  the  best  in  Northwest  Missouri. 
* 

HON.    THOMAS    H.    PARRISH. 

Confessedly  one  of  the  best  criminal  lawyers  in  Northwest  Missouri, 
is  he  whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  Mr.  Parrish  is  a  native  of  Putnam 
County,  Indiana,  where  he  was  born  July  22,  1838.  His  father's  name 
was  Abel  Parrish,  and  his  mother's  name  was  Berthsheba  Rush.  Mr. 
Parrish  while  quite  young  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county,  where  he  successfully  laid  the  foundation  for  a  good  English 
education.  In  i860,  he  entered  the  law  school  at  Greencastle,  Indiana, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1862,  having  previously  read  law  with 
Hon.  P.  J.  Goss,  at  Osceola,  Iowa.  After  leaving  school,  he  came  back  to 
Iowa,  and  stayed  in  Adams  County,  till  1864,  when  he  left,  with  the 
intention  of  locating  in  Kansas  City.  Reaching  Oregon,  Holt  County* 
Missouri,  he  concluded  to  remain,  and  began  the  practice  of  law  with 
George  W.  Crow.  This  partnership  continued  for  about  three  months, 
when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  T.  W.  Collins,  which  lasted  about 
one  year.  He  then  became  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Dungan,  Haw- 
thorn &  Parrish,  opening  an  office  in  Oregon,  and  at  Rock  Port,  Atchi- 
son County.  After  one  year  this  firm  dissolved  by  mutual  consent, 
since  which  time  Mr.  Parrish  has  prosecuted  his  profession  alone. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  in  1876,  serving  in 
that  body  till  1880.     While  in  the  Senate  he  was  placed  on  the  Revising 


49°  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Committee,  and  ably  assisted  in   collating  and  revising  the  Statutes  of 
of  the  State. 

In  1858  he  married  Miss  Anna  Parrish,  daughter  of  Edward  Parrish, 
of  Indiana.  By  this  union  they  have  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  are 
dead,  excepting  Lou  Nettie  and  Nettie  Winter. 

Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  ever  affiliated  with  that  party. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  ranks  high  in  his  profession,  having  been  retained, 
either  in  the  prosecution  or  defense  of  every  important  civil  or  criminal 
case  that  has  been  tried  in  the  courts  of  his  county.  Possessing  a  fine 
physique,  and  being  in  robust  health,  his  labors  in  behalf  of  his  clients 
are  unremitting. 

HON.    JAMES    LIMBIRD. 

Mr.  Limbird  is  a  native  of  England,  born  at  Bicker,  Lincolnshire, 
on  the  24th  day  of  July,  1843.  He  came,  with  his  fafher,  to  America,  in 
1853,  tne  family  settling  in  Allen  County,  Ohio.  His  parents  dying  when 
he  was  still  a  mere  youth  he  was  left,  at  an  early  age,  to  commence  for 
himself  the  battle  of  life.  His  chances  to  obtain  an  education  were  lim- 
ited, receiving  but  a  few  months  schooling  before  leaving  England.  After 
reaching  Ohio  he  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  enlisted  as  a  private,  in  1861,  in  the  Twenty-seventh  Ohio 
Infantry.  He  was  disabled  at  Corinth,  and,  as  a  veteran,  went  into 
McLaughlin's  squadron  of  cavalry,  in  which  he  served  till  November, 
1865.  From  April  till  November,  1865,  he  was  chief  clerk  in  the  Adjutant 
General's  office  of  North  Carolina.  He  participated  in  twenty-four  bat- 
tles, besides  taking  part  in  the  three  months  campaign  around  Atlanta. 
Returning  to  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1865,  and,  teaching  school  the  follow- 
ing winter,  he  came  to  Carroll  County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1866, 
where  he  again  taught  school,  as  he  did  also  in  Mercer  County,  where, 
in  March,  1867,  he  married  Miss  Josie  Arbuckle,  a  native  of  Ohio.  He 
returned  to  Carroll  County  in  the  spring  of  1869  and,  in  1870,  began  the 
study  of  law.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  July,  1872,  at  Carrollton, 
and  began  practice  at  Norborne,  in  that  county.  He  came  to  Oregon, 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1874,  and  resumed  his  profession.  In  1874  he 
was  chosen  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  county  and,  in  1876,  was  re-elected 
to  the  same  position.  Mr.  Limbird  is  a  Republican.  While  county 
attorney  he  was  engaged  in  prosecuting  some  of  the  most  important 
criminal  cases  ever  tried  in  Holt  County,  and  attended  to  the  duties  of 
his  office  with  great  fidelity.  He  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the 
State  Legislature,  in  1880,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  that  office. 

CHARLES    W.    THOMAS. 

Charles  W.  Thomas  is  the  son  of  George  W.  and  Dorathy  M. 
Thomas,  of  German  and  Scotch  extraction.     He  is  a  native  of  Lewis 


BENCH    AND    BAR.  49I 

County,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  born  on  the  29th  day  of  October,  1852. 
His  parents  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1858,  and  located  in  what 
is  known  as  the  Kentucky  settlement,  six  miles  north  of  the  county  seat. 

Mr.  Thomas  attended  the  common  schools  for  two  years,  and  in 
1870  entered  the  Kirksville  normal  school,  where  he  was  finally  graduated 
in  1875.  Having  completed  his  collegiate  course,  he  began  the  study  of 
the  law  a!one,  purchasing  such  books  as  he  needed  from  time  to  time, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Holt  County,  in  May,  1879,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  duties  of  his  profession. 

In  1879,  ne  married  Miss  Serelda  Gilstrap,  who  is  a  native  of  Macon 
County,  Missouri.     They  have  no  children. 

Mr.  Thomas  is  very  studious  and  energetic,  and  by  his  strict  atten- 
tion to  business  and  his  upright  integrity,  he  is  gradually  winning  the 
confidence  of  the  people,  increasing  his  business  and  widening  the  sphere 
of  his  usefulness. 

L.    R.    KNOWLES. 

Mr.  Knowles,  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  where  he  was  born  about  1847.- 
His  education  was  mainly  received  in  the  public  schools,  and  after  reach- 
ing the  years  of  maturity,  he  engaged  in  teaching.  He  came  to  Andrew 
County,  Missouri  in  187-,  and  located  at  Savannah.  He  continued  his 
vocation  as  a  teacher,  for  some  little  time  in  Andrew  County.  Finally 
choosing  the  law  as  a  profession,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge  H. 
S.  Kelley,  at  Savannah,  and  was  later  admitted  to  practice.  He  then 
came  to  Holt  County  and  established  himself  in  the  practice,  which 
he  has  since  pursued,  with'wgreat  dilligence.  He  was  elected  prosecuting 
attorney  for  Holt  County  in  18 — ,  and  is  now  the  present  incumbent  of 
that  office.  Mr.  Knowles  attends  closely  to  his  business,  and  as  a  prose- 
cutor, has  been  very  successful..  His  genial  disposition  and  sterling 
worth  have  secured  him  a  host  of  friends. 

W  LEIGH    H.    IRVINE. 

Mr.  Irvine  is  the  youngest  member  of  the  Holt  County  bar.  He  is 
the  son  ol  Clark  Irvine,  and  was  born  at  Oregon,  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  on  the  28th  day  of  November,  i860.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  he  entered  the  law  office  of  T.  C.  Dungan,  where  he  continued  his 
study  of  the  law  until  1880,  when  he  attended  the  Law  University  of 
Missouri,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1881.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Holt  County,  on  diploma,  after  making  a  test  case  before  the  Supreme 
Court,  in  1881.  In  May,  1881,  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Samuel 
F.  O'Fallon,  which  continues  to  exist  at  this  time. 

Mr.  Irvine  is  young,  ambitious,  studious  and  fond  of  literature,  and 
is  destined  at  no  very  distant  day  to  take  his  place  with  the  most  prom- 
inent lawyers  of  Northwest  Missouri. 


492 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


SAMUEL    F.    OFALLON. 

Samuel  F.  O'Fallon,  another  one  of  the  younger  members  of  the 
Holt  County  bar,  was  born  in  Scott  County,  Minnesota,  in  1858.  He  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  O'Fallon,  and  moved  to  Oregon,  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  in  1879.  Soon  after  his  coming,  he  entered  the  normal 
school  at  Oregon,  and  graduated  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  He  then 
entered  the  law  office  of  Charles  W.  Thomas,  Esq.,  and  applied  himself 
closely  to  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1880.  He 
afterward  formed  a  partnership,  in  May,  1881,  with  L.  H.  Irvine,  Esq., 
which  still  continues  to  exist.  Having  a  high  regard  for  the  profession 
he  has  chosen,  and  possessing  an  abundance  of  pluck,  he  is  destined  to 
occupy  a  front  rank  among  his  contemporaries  at  the  bar. 

EARLY   MEMBERS   OF   THE    BAR. 


Peter  H.  Burnett, 
Benjamin  Hays, 
Solomon  L.  Leonard, 
James  Baldwin, 
Elias  P.  West, 
James  Foster, 
John  C.  Morris, 
Robert  Wilson, 
Henry  M.  Vories. 


Prince  L.  Hudgens, 
Edwin  Toole, 
Sandford  M.  Hastings, 
John  M.  Young, 
Theodore^D.  Wheaton, 
James  Craig, 
Frank  Warmcastle, 
W.  P.  Hall, 


James  B.  Gardenhire, 
James  S.  Thomas, 
Frederick  Greenough, 
Christopher  P.  Brown, 
John  W.  Kelly, 
George  W.  Crow, 
Alex.  W.  Doniphan, 
Benjamin  Loan, 


CHAPTER    XX. 

CRIMES. 

TRIAL    OF    JOHN     LAWRENCE-SIMERO    TRAGEDY— KILLING    OF    JOHN    TAYLOR. 

TRIAL    OF    JOHN     LAWRENCE,    CHARGED    WITH    THE    KILLING    OF    HIS 

FATHER. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  trials  for  murder  that  ever  took  place 
in  Holt  County,  was  that  of  John  Lawrence,  for  killing  his  own  father,  in 
January,  1876.  The  brutal  character  of  the  murder  gave  it  wide  circu- 
lation when  it  happened,  and  aroused  public  feeling  and  indignation 
againsed  the  unknown  perpetrator  to  a  degree,  seldom,  if  ever  known  in 
the  history  of  Holt  County.  * 

Hiram  Lawrence  was  a  wifeless  farmer,  who  owned  a  farm  about 
three  miles  southeast  of  the  town  of  Craig,  on  the  Council  Bluffs  road  in 
Holt  County.  He  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  some  twenty  years  pre- 
vious to  his  demise,  settled  in  this  county.  During  the  war  he  disposed 
of  his  property  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county,  and  bought  and 
moved  on  the  farm  where  he  was  killed.  He  had  a  son — John  Lawrence 
who  was  born  in  Indiana  and  came  west  with  his  father,  with  whom  he 
resided  from  boyhood  until  the  time  of  the  tragedy. 

A  separation  had  taken  place  between  Mr.  Lawrence  and  his  wife 
several  years  before  the  paracide.  Since  that  time  he  had  remained 
single.  His  mother,  an  aged  woman,  had  for  some  years  been  his  house- 
keeper. The  three,  Mr.  Lawrence,  his  son  and  mother,  constituted  the 
family.  On  the  evening  of  Sunday,  the  9th  day  of  January,  1876,  Hiram 
Lawrence  left  his  home,  near  sunset,  or  soon  after.  He  left  no  word 
that  he  would  remain  late,  or  that  unusual  business  called  him  out.  His 
son  John  had  gone  from  home  some  time  in  the  afternoon,  or  some  time 
earlier  than  his  father.  The  mother  -  retired  before  Hiram  Lawrence 
returned.  In  the  morning,  the  fact  that  he  had  not  returned  caused  Mrs- 
Lawrence  to  be  much  alarmed,  and  the  neighbors  were  immediately 
informed. 

A  suspicion  of  foul  play  was  immediately  raised,  and  the  neighbors 
proceeded  to  search  the  neighborhood  for  evidences  of  his  whereabouts. 
No  one  had  seen  him  since  his   leaving  the  house.     An  unfriendly  state 


494  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

of  feeling  was  known  to  have  existed  between  the  father  and  son,  and 
this  fact,  with  the  lack  of  interest  the  son  seemed  to  manifest  in  the 
search  for  his  father,  directed  suspicion  against  him.  He  joined  in  the 
search,  however,  and  no  expression  of  the  suspicion  was  made.  No 
traces  of  the  missing  man  were  found  on  Monday.  On  Tuesday,  the 
parties  renewed  their  efforts,  and  during  the  forenoon  of  that  day,  the 
body  of  Hiram  Lawrence  was  found  on  a  hillside,  in  the  brush,  about  a 
half  a  mile  south  of  his  residence.  When  discovered,  the  face  was  down, 
and  the  appearances  indicated  that  a  most  brutal  murder  had  been  com- 
mitted. His  hat  was  lying  by  the  body,  and  in  it  were  three  bullet  holes. 
There  were  three  bullet  marks  on  the  body,  one  directly  in  the  back  of 
the  head,  one  in  the  left  cheek,  and  one  on  the  right  side  of  the  neck.' 
Bullets  were  extracted  from  the  face  and  neck,  but  the  doctor  failed  to 
obtain  the  one  from  the  head.  By  the  side  of  the  body  lay  a  large  club, 
a  white  oak  sapling,  some  eight  feet  long  and  three  inches  thick  at  the 
butt,  with  which  the  back  of  the  skull  had  been  beaten  until  it  was 
totally  crushed  in.     The  head  presented  the  most  sickening  aspect. 

The  party  with  which  John  Lawrence  was  hunting  was  in  another 
direction  when  the  bodv  was  found,  and  when  the  news  came  of  the 
finding  of  the  body,  instead  of  going  to  the  spot,  John  went  home  and 
waited  until  it  was  brought  in.  The  body  was  taken  home.  Suspicion 
pointed  so  strongly  against  young  Lawrence  that  a  warrant  was  issued, 
and  he  was  placed  under  arrest.  In  the  afternoon  an  inquest  was  held  and 
a  large  amount  of  testimony  taken,  the  jury  bringing  in  a  verdict  of  mur- 
der, and  giving  it  as  their  opinion  that  John  Lawrence  did  the  deed.  A 
pair  of  John's  boots,  which  he  acknowledged  to  have  worn  on  the  even- 
ing of  his  father's  disappearance,  were  taken  and  compared  with  tracks 
found  leading  to  where  the  body  lay,  and  ascertained  to  fit  them 
exactly.  The  bullets  taken  from  the  face  and  neck  were  found  to  fit  a 
revolver  in  the  house,  which  John  had  been  using,  and  also  a  pair  of 
molds,  with  which  they  had  been  made.  A  coat  of  his,  which  he 
acknowledged  to  have  worn  on  the  fatal  night,  was  stained  with  blood, 
which  corresponded  in  appearance  to  that  on  the  body.  Young  Law- 
rence was  placed  in  jail  at  Oregon,  and  some  time  in  February,  1876, 
had  a  preliminary  examination  before  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  was 
bound  over. 

At  the  April  term  of  the  Holt  Circuit  Court,  the  grand  jury  returned 
an  indictment  for  murder  against  him.  His  trial  was  continued  to  the 
May  term.  Messrs.  T.  H.  Parrish  and  J.  W.  Stokes,  of  Oregon,  were 
retained  as  his  attorneys,  and  at  the  May  term  they  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing another  continuation.  Soon  after  a  change  of  venue  from  Holt  to 
the  Buchanan  circuit  was  obtained,  where  the  trial  took  place  in  July, 
1876. 


CRIMES.  495 

At  the  time  of  the  trial  young  Lawrence  was  about  twenty-six  years 
of  age,  almost  six  feet  high  and  something  of  a  giant  in  appearance. 
Though  not  particularly  fleshy,  he  weighed  over  two  hundred  pounds,  and 
possessed  a  splendid  form.  His  face  was  muscular  looking  and  some- 
what phlegmatic  ;  light  complexion,  brown  hair,  dark  mustache  and  life- 
less gray  eyes,  except  when  kindled  by  some  outward  scene  or  internal 
thought.  He  had  been  married,  but  his  wife  and  one  child  had  been 
dead  some  years. 

The  jury  which  had  been  selected  from  the  pannel  to  try  the  case 
were  Samuel  Juda,  James  P.  Pettigrew,  M.  M.  Claggett,  William  B.  Van 
Bibber,  Calvin  Wyatt,  J.  M.  Johnson,  Edward  Robidoux,  P.  B.  Allison,  J. 
J.  Johnson  and  Jonathan  B.  Smith.  The  prosecution  was  represented  by 
James  Limbird,  Esq.,  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Holt  County,  E.  Van 
Buskirk,  Esq.,  of  Oregon,  and  John  D.  Strong,  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri. 
The  defense  was  represented  by  Captain  T.  H.  Parrish  and  J.  W.  Stokes, 
Esq.,  of  Oregon.  Mr.  Van  Buskirk  examined  for  the  state,  and  Mr. 
Parrish  cross-examined  for  the  defense. 

The  trial  of  the  case  continued  through  many  days  and  the  evi- 
dence being  voluminous,  we  have  room  only  for  that  portion  of  it  which 
shows  the  guilt  of  the  accused  and  the  atrocity  of  the  deed,  which, 
taken  all  in  all,  has  hardly  a  parallel  in  the  criminal  record  of  Northwest 
Missouri. 

T.  C.  Simpson  was  the  first  witness  called  by  the  state.  He  testified 
as  follows:  "  I  was  acquainted  with  Hiram  Lawrence,  the  deceased,  and 
have  been  acquainted  with  John  Lawrence,  his  son.  I  last  saw  Hiram  Law- 
rence alive  about  the  9th  of  January  last  (1876).  I  assisted  in  the  search 
for  his  body  ;  the  search  was  continued  over  Monday  and  part  of  Tuesday. 
His  body  was  found  about  half  a  mile  away  from  the  house  ;  I  saw  it 
while  it  lay  on  the  ground  ;  one  of  his  pockets  was  open,  as  though  it  had 
been  robbed.  Hiram  Lawrence  had  on  a  blouse  and  a  pair  of  overalls  ; 
the  left  pants  pocket  was  open  ;  his  hat  Was  lying  a  foot  or  so  from  the 
body  ;  his  face  was  all  mashed  into  the  ground  ;  the  back  of  his  head  was 
mashed  in,  so  that  his  ears  were  standing  above  it  ;  the  back  of  his  head 
was  covered  with  wounds  ;  several  large  cuts  ran  across  it  ;  there  were 
three  holes  in  the  hat  ;  a  large  white  oak  club  was  lying  near  the  body ; 
it  was  bloody  towards  the  lower  end  and  had  hair  on  it  that  looked  like 
the  old  man's  hair.  We  took  the  body  to  the  house  in  a  spring  wagon  ; 
we  found  some  tracks  leading  to  the  body  ;  I  examined  them  ;  one  was 
made  with  a  coarse  boot  with  a  wide  heel.  We  took  the  boots  of  John 
Lawrence  and  tried  them  in  the  tracks  we  found  and  they  fit  them 
precisely;  I  followed  the  tracks  from  the  body  sixty  or  eighty  yards, 
leading  to  a  ravine,  from  where  the  tracks  ascended.  About  this  dis- 
tance I  covered  up  two  tracks  with  leaves,  so  they  would  not  be  dis- 
turbed, and  I  went  and  fitted  the  boots  in  them  ;  the  right  boot  fitted  it 


496  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

exactly,  the  small  heel  and  runover  counter  just  matching  it.  William 
Drury  and  others  assisted  me  in  measuring  the  tracks.  The  place  where 
the  body  was  found  was  nearly  southwest,  I  think,  from  the  house. 
John  Lawrence  was  at  the  inquest  ;  when  we  were  trying  to  fit  the  balls 
we  had  taken  from  the  old  man's  head  in  a  pair  of  revolver  molds  he 
said  :  '  If  you  want  to  get  the  molds  that  bullet  was  run  in  get  Doud 
Browning's  bullet  molds.'  I  saw  the  ball  taken  from  his  neck.  John  said 
he  borrowed  the  revolver  from  Ben  Shunk  ;  Shunk  said  it  was  his  pistol  ; 
he  said  so  after  the  body  was  found  ;  John  Lawrence  said  he  borrowed 
it  to  kill  some  cats  with  ;  he  said  it  would  shoot  three  barrels  at  a  time. 
(A  coat  being  shown  the  witness,  he  said  :)  This  is  John  Lawrence's 
coat  ;  he  said  it  was  his  after  the  murder  ;  John  Lawrence  was  with  my 
company  when  the  body  was  found  ;  John  asked  us  if  we  had  hunted  in 
the  woods  ;  we  passed  by  not  far  from  where  the  body  was  afterwards 
found  ;  he  did  not  go  with  us  to  the  body  ;  he  went  back  to  the  house, 
and  looked  confused  when  the  body  was  found.  John  was  there  when 
we  reached  the  house." 

Ridley  Shaw  examined  :  "I  assisted  in  the  hunt  for  the  body,  and 
was  near  by  when  it  was  found  ;  he  seemed  to  be  terribly  mangled  ;  I 
took  his  boots  off,  I  believe,  myself;  I  saw  a  couple  of  tracks,  I  suppose, 
forty  or  fifty  yards  east  of  Lawrence's  house  ;  one  track  seemed  to  have 
a  narrow  heel,  the  other  a  wide  heel  ;  I  traced  those  tracks  probably  a 
half  a  mile  from  the  house — distant  within  sixty  or  seventy  yards  of  the 
body ;  the  tracks  appeared  to  be  coming  from  the  direction  of  Mr.  Schultz's 
residence  ;  I  measured  several  tracks  then,  but  did  not  fit  any  boots  in 
them  ;  I  measured  the  boots  John  Lawrence  said  were  his,  and  which  he 
had  on  that  night  ;  the  measure  corresponded  with  the  boots  very  well ; 
I  believe  that  the  right  boot  was  a  little  bit  run  down  ;  there  was  a  small 
indentation  on  the  sole,  that  had  left  an  impression  on  the  ground  ;  the 
impression  in  the  ground  seemed  to  correspond  with  the  indentation  in 
the  boot  very  well  ;  I  think  it  was  the  heel  of  the  left  boot  that  was  run 
down  ;  I  noticed  in  the  track  coming  from  Schultz's,  where  a  club  had 
been  cut ;  it  was  a  burr  oak  club,  seven  or  eight  feet  in  length,  and  prob- 
ably two  and  one-half  inches  through  in  the  largest  part  ;  it  was  about 
fifty  or  sixty  steps  from  where  the  body  was  found  ;  when  we  found  the 
club,  it  was  lying  very  close  to  the  body,  probably  within  three  or  four 
feet  ;  the  hair  on  the  club  compared  with  the  hairs  of  the  deceased  very 
well  ;  the  body  was  lying  on  its  breast  ;  I  think  there  was  a  glove  on  the 
left  hand  ;  his  head  was  lying  north  ;  his  face  was  partly  sunk  in  the 
ground  ;  was  present  when  they  made  the  post  mortem  examination  ; 
did  not  hear  John  Lawrence  make  any  statement ;  do  not  know  what  kind 
of  an  animal  John  rode  to  Mound  City  on  Monday  ;  I  do  not  know 
whether  John  had  any  means  to  subsist  on  ;  the  circumstances  of  the  old 
man  were  very  good ;  he  was  worth  probably  six  or  seven  thousand  dol- 


CRIMES.  497 

lars;  he  had  some  land,  some  hogs,  catfle  and  mules.  I  do  not  know  of 
a  reputed  marriage  between  one  Jane  Shunk  and  the  deceased.  (The 
witness  here  identified  the  coat  and  hat  of  the  deceased.)  The  relations 
between  John  and  his  father  always  seemed  to  me  to  be  agreeable  ;  I 
examined  the  boots,  and  found  a  little  blood  on  them  ;  I  also  found  a 
little  blood  on  the  sleeve  of  the  coat. 

John  Sales  examined  :  "  I  was  present  in  the  search  for  the  deceased. 
I  saw  John  Lawrence,  and  remained  over  night  on  Monday  with  him. 
I  was  not  present  when  the  body  was  found  ;  I  first  heard  of  Lawrence's 
absence  about  1:30  P.  M.,  Monday  ;  about  10  o'clock  Mr.  Browning  came 
up  and  informed  me  that  Hiram  Lawrence  had  stepped  out  after  work 
the  night  previous,  and  that  they  did  not  know  where  he  was  ;  his 
mother  wanted  Mr.  Browning  to  go  and  hunt  for  him  ;  he  said  he  did 
not  like  to  go  ;  I  told  him  I  would  get  some  one  to  go  with  him  and 
hunt  ;  we  hunted,  but  found  nothing  of  him  ;  I  told  him,  we  had  better 
raise  the  neighbors  ;  I  went  with  William  Lawrence,  a  brother  of  John's. 
They  talked  of  arresting  John  on  suspicion  ;  I  told  them  to  wait,  that  I 
"would  stay  with  him;  the  night  I  remained  with  Lawrence  we  got  up  before 
daylight  ;  I  asked  him  what  he  thought  was  the  matter  with  his  father, 
and  he  said  he  hardly  knew  what  to  think  ;  he  asked  us  where  we  had 
looked,  and  I  told  him  ;  he  straightened  up  and  pointed  in  the  direction 
where  the  body  was  found  and  asked  me  if  we  had  searched  there  ;  I  said 
we  had  not ;  I  said  'John,  do  you  think  your  father  would  become 
deranged  and  kill  himself?'  'I  do  not  expect  to  see  him  alive,  again,' 
he  said,  '  I  don't  expect  I  will.'  " 

Benjamin  Shunk's  testimony:  "This  is  my  revolver;  I  loaned  it  to 
John  Lawrence  sometime  before  the  murder  of  Hiram  Lawrence  ;  he 
never  returned  it  to  me;  it  is  a  peculiar  pistol;  three  chambers  go  off 
at  once,  that  is,  when  one  is  fired,  the  shot  sends  off  two  more  ;  it  was 
fixed  when  I  loaned  it  to  John — it  was  in  good  condition  then  ;  it  never 
shot  three  barrels  at  once  while  I  had  it." 

Dr.  J.  K.  P.  Jackson  examined  :  "He  examined  the  body  of  Hiram 
Lawrence  at  the  house  the  day  it  was  found  ;  he  took  the  bullet  from 
the  neck  ;  did  not  take  the  one  from  the  face  ;  testified  to  finding  the 
bullet  hole  in  the  back  of  the  head,  entering  the  base  of  the  brain,  and 
to  finding  a  hole  through  the  scalp,  but  not  through  the  skull,  a  few 
inches  above  the  first ;  testified  also  to  the  crushed  condition  of  the 
skull;  the  ball  passing  into  the  brain,  by  the  hole  in  the  back  part  of  the 
head,  would  have  caused  instant  death." 

George  Palmer  examined  :  "I  lived  one  mile  southwest  from  the 
direction  of  John  Lawrence.  I  was  at  home  on  the  9th  of  January,  1876. 
I  live  about  a  half  a  mile  from  the  place  where  the  body  was  found. 
Between  the  hours  of  seven  and  eight  o'clock,  I  was  at  home,  standing 
on  the  outside  of  the  house,  between  the  house  and  where  Lawrence  was 


498  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

killed.  I  heard  the  report  of  a'  pistol  or  gun  in  that  direction  ;  in  the 
direction  where  the  body  was  found.     I  heard  but  one  report." 

Hugh  Hill  examined  :  I  lived  at  Mound  City,  Holt  County,  in  Jan- 
uary last,  and  was  slightly  acquainted  with  John  Lawrence.  I  am  a 
barber.  I  saw  John  on  the  ioth  of  January,  on  Monday.  I  heard  of  the 
murder  the  day  John  was  in  my  shop;  he  was  in  about  noon  on  Monday. 
I  heard  of  it  that  evening  after  he  had  gone.  I  cut  his  hair  that  day.  I 
saw  him  have  three  five  dollar  bills  and  a  ten  dollar  bill.  That  was  in 
his  pocket.  I  saw  that  the  ten  dollar  bill  was  folded  up  ;  I  saw  the  figure 
'  10'  on  it. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lawrence,  the  aged  and  decrepit  mother  of  the  mur- 
dered man,  and  the  grandmother  of  the  defendant  was  then  called.  Mrs- 
Lawrence  was  at  the  time  eighty-two  years  of  age,  was  slightly  built, 
and  could  not  walk  without  the  aid  of  a  crutch.  A  short  time  before 
being  called  into  the  court  room,  she  was  carried  in  a  chair  from  the  res- 
idence of  Mrs.  C.  M.  Thompson,  opposite  the  court  house,  to  the  sheriff's 
room.  When  the  court  was  ready,  she  was  carried  into  the  court  room 
in  a  circular  office  chair.  On  approaching  the  place  where  the  wit- 
nesses sat,  surrounded  by  the  jury,  the  judge,  the  lawyers,  the  spectators 
and  the  defendant,  whom  she  had  not  seen  since  the  preliminary  exam- 
ination, she  was  very  much  affected,  and  covering  her  face  with  her 
handkerchief,  wept  silently  for  some  minutes.  As  soon  as  she  recovered 
herself,  she  gave  the  following  testimony  : 

"  She  would  be  eighty-two,  the  9th  day  of  November  next  ;  lived 
with  Hiram  Lawrence  previous  to  his  death  ;  no  one  else  lived  with  them 
but  John  ;  Hiram  had  no  other  sons;  he  had  a  wife,  but  separated  from 
her  years  ago  ;  had  not  lived  with  any  woman  since  John  was  four  years 
old  ;  came  with  him  from  Indiana  ;  I  was  so  old,  I  did  not  know  much 
about  his  business  ;  I  believe  his  farm  contained  160  acres  ;  he  had  cattle 
and  hogs  and  two  work  creatures  ;  don't  know  much  about  his  debts  ; 
he  never  owed  much  ;  I  think  a  $150  debt  was  all  he  owed,  unless  some 
small  matters  ;  remember  when  he  borrowed  it  ;  did  not  know  that  he 
owed  much  to  any  other  person  ;  was  always  an  industrious  man  ;  John 
has  always  made  my  son's  house  his  home  ;  John's  habits  were  not  very 
good  ;  he  was  never  an  industrious  boy  ;  when  he  worked,  he  worked 
well,  and  when  he  did  not  want  to  work,  he  would  not  ;  John  and  his 
father  never  quarreled  much  in  my  presence  ;  they  kept  these  things  away 
from  me  ;  John  was  not  very  kind  to  his  father  ;  often  would  not  do  things 
his  father  wanted  him  to  do  ;  he  used  a  good  deal  of  abusive  and  profane 
language  towards  his  father.  Last  fall  his  father  had  trouble,  because 
John  would  not  work  ;  I  told  him  he  ought  to  work  and  earn  something 
for  himself ;  about  six  weeks  before  his  father's  death,  I  was  talking  to 
him  about  it;  I  said  to  him,  he  ought  to  try  and  earn  a  support  for  him- 
self;  he  said  he  expected  to  have  some  time,  as   much  as   any  body  ;  I 


crimes.  499 

said  I  was  afraid  I  would  never  see  that  day  ;  he   said   he   would   have  a 
good  farm,  well  stocked,  as  good  as  anybody ;  I  said  I  would  never  live 
to  see  it ;  he  said  I  might  live  to  see  it.     John  always  had  a  bad  temper  ; 
he  would  show  it  pretty  badly  sometimes;    when    he   became  angry,  he 
would  shake  his  fists  and  stamp  around  and  rave  ;  he  knew  he  could  over- 
power his  father ;  his  father  was  a  strong  man,   but  was   growing  old; 
John  was  a  disobedient  boy,  and  was  disobedient  from  the  age  of  six- 
teen ;  about  ten  years  ago,  one  time,  he  was  making  some  bullets  to   go 
hunting  with  some  boys,  and  his  father  wanted  him   to  do  something 
else  ;  John  refused  and  they  had  trouble  ;   his  father  that  time  got  very 
angry  and  said  something  about  hitting  him  with  a  chair ;  John  got  very 
angry,  and  it  was  over  ;  he  said  he  would  kill  his  father  ;   I   was  at  home 
on  Sunday  night,  the  9th  of  January  ;  don't  know  that  John  made  any 
bullets  about  that  time  ;  Hiram  and  John  were  at  home  all  day  ;    John 
went  out  sometime  about  as  night  was  setting  in,  about  twilight  as  near 
as  I  can  recollect ;  he  said  he  was  going  to  Mr.  Schultz's  ;  he  was  pleas- 
anter  than  he  had  been  for  a  long  time  ;  I  did  not  hear  much  between  he 
and  his  father  that  day ;  Hiram   had   some   money  that  day;   he  had  a 
hundred  dollars  ;  two  fifty  dollar  bills  ;  he  got  it  from  me  ;   he  got   it   to 
pay  Porter  the  interest  on  that  $500;  am  not  certain  John  knew  I    had 
given  him  the  money  ;  he  knew  Hiram  was  going  to  pay  the  interest  to 
Porter  ;  I  remember  that  he  wanted  his  father  to  postpone  going  to  Por- 
ter's ;  he  said  to  him,  'there  was  no  use  in  paying  Porter  to-day,  you  can  do 
it  just  as  well  to-morrow  ;'  did  not  hear  any  conversation  between  Jacob 
Garber,  Hiram  and  John  about  the  interest,  by  which  I  knew  John  knew 
about  the  money ;  they  all  had  some  talk  about  some  nickles  ;    Garber 
liked  his  dram,  and   Hiram  was  joking  him   about  it,   and    he  (Hiram) 
opened  his  pocketbook  and  took  out  some  nickles,  eight  or  ten,  and  told 
Garber  in  fun,  he  would  give  them  to  him  ;  Garber  did  not  take  them,  of 
course  ;  I  think  John  went  away  about  midnight  ;  the  pocket  book  was 
open,  but  I  did  not  see  any  of  the  paper  money  ;  I  could  not  see  into  it  very 
well,  from  where  I  sat ;  I  think  it  was  about  dusk  when  John  went  away  ; 
it  was  about    bedtime  when    Hiram  left  the  house,  and  time  for  John  to 
be  at  home  ;  John  came  in,  it  seemed  to  me,  about  10  o'clock,  or  later  ; 
I  was  in  bed,  had  got  tired  of  waiting  ;  when  he  came  in  he   said,  'Where 
is  pap  ? '  I  said  I  did  not  know,  maybe  he  had  gone  out  for  some  apples. 
He  said,    '  Oh,  he  may  be   at  Shunk's  .'     The  outside  door  opened  into 
the  room  where  we  slept ;  three  beds  were  in  the  room  ;  we  all  slept  in 
the  room  ;  Hiram  slept  in  the  room   because  often    I    could   not  sleep 
alone  :  John    generally  slept  with  his  father  in  cold  weather  ;  John  did 
not  appear  to  be  concerned  about  his  father  being  away  ;  I  don't   think 
I    closed  my    eyes    that    night ;  in  the   morning  I    was  up  as  soon   as 
John    made    the    fire  ;    it    was    between    daylight  and  sun    up  ;  John 
was    pleasanter    to    than    ever    before  ;    he    said,    '  Tell    pap    he    had 


500  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

fed  everything,  but  had  not  milked,  that  pap  could  do  that  when 
he  came  home.'  He  got  ready  and  went  to  Mound  City  ;  said  he  was 
going  to  get  a  pair  of  boots  ;  said  he  would  be  back  at  night  ;  he  came 
home  in  the  evening  ;  he  brought  some  shirts,  but  I  did  not  see  any 
boots.  [Here  she  identified  John's  boots  and  coat.]  This  was  the  coat 
John  went  away  with  Sunday  night  ;  this  is  the  hat  Hiram  had  on  when 
he  left ;  John  had  a  pistol  some  time  before  that  ;  don't  know  that  I  ever 
saw  it  ;  he  shot  a  cat  with  it  ;  he  kept  it  in  the  back  room,  and  some- 
times under  the  bed  ;  did  not  see  John  mold  any  bullets  at  our  house  ; 
he  took  some  he  had  that  were  too  large  to  Brownings  to  make  over,  a 
short  time  before  the  occurrence  ;  Jane  Shunk  lived  about  a-half  a  mile 
away  ;  she  helped  me  wash  frequently  ;  never  heard  Hiram  say  any- 
thing about  marrying  her  ;  when  she  first  began  coming  John  plagued 
his  father  about  her,  but  his  tune  was  soon  changed,  and  he  was  angry 
when  she  would  come  ;  John  never  had  any  money  ;  did  not  have  any 
about  him  at  that  time  ;  Hiram  paid  him  all  he  worked  for  ;  John  could 
never  get  enough  ;  was  mad  when  he  could  not  get  it  ;  John  was  mar- 
ried ;  wife  been  dead  two  years  ;  child  died  at  same  time  ;  John  said 
he  was  going  to  Schultz's  to  cut  cordwood  ;  do'  not  remember  of  his 
saying  anything  about  buying  clothes  with  the  money.  [Here  the  old 
lady's  feelings  overcame  her,  and  she  broke  down  with  emotion,  saying, 
"  My  God,  I  never  thought  I  would  be  brought  down  to  this  in  my  old 
days."]  Monday  night  John  stayed  at  home  ;  don't  think  I  said  much 
to  him  ;  Mr.  Sales  staid  with  him  ;  we  slept  in  the  same  beds  as  before  ; 
in  the  morning  John  went  out  with  the  rest." 

This  finished  the  examination  of  Mrs.  Lawrence,  and  as  she  was 
helped  to  her  feet  to  leave  the  room,  the  attorneys  informed  the  judge 
that  she  wished  to  speak  with  the  prisoner  a  moment.  No  objections 
was  interposed  and  the  aged  lady  hobbled  up  to  the  prisoner's  chair. 
The  prisoner  arose  and  took  her  hand,  and,  covering  his  face  with  his 
handkerchief,  wept  freely.  The  old  lady  leaned  on  his  hand,  and,  with 
her  head  bowed,  sobbed  and  prayed  aloud,  saying  she  never  expected  to 
see  him  again,  and  telling  him  to  repent  and  be  a  Christian.  The  spec- 
tators and  judge  were  visibly  effected,  and  many  an  eye  was  shaded  to 
hide  coming  tears.  Presently  the  judge  said  he  thought  the  feeble  con- 
dition of  the  witness  would  not  allow  such  extreme  emotion  and  she 
permitted  herself  to  be  led  from  the  room. 

John  Lawrence  was  found  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree. 
On  account,  however,  of  a  flaw  in  the  indictment,  which  did  not  state 
the  prisoner's  full  name  as  it  should  have  done,  he  was  granted  a  new 
trial.  The  verdict  was  the  same  as  in  the  former  trial — "  Murder  in  the 
first  degree."  He  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  but  through  the  efforts 
of  his  counsel  and  others  his  sentence  was  finally  commuted  by  the 
governor  to  imprisonment  for  life. 


CRIMES.  501 

THE   SIMERO   TRAGEDY. 

* 

On  the  23d  day  of  February,  1877,  the  town  of  Oregon  was  the  scene 
of  one  of  the  most  exciting  and  fatal  tragedies  that  had  occurred  in  its 
history.  Between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock  of  that  day,  the  announce- 
ment was  made  that  John  F.  Simero  had  committed  the  double  crime  of 
killing  his  wife  and  himself.  Citizens  at  once  flocked  to  Simero's  resi- 
dence, where  they  found  the  report  was  only  too  true. 

Simero  was  about  fifty-four  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  fifty-two. 
They  were  married  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  in  1856.  He  was  a 
Russian  by  birth,  and  his  right  name  was  John  F.  Simeradski.  He  was 
married,  however,  under  the  name  of  Radski,  as  shown  by  his  marriage 
certificate.  In  explanation  of  this  change  of  name,  it  had  been  stated 
by  his  wife,  that  he  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  United  States  Army  (regu- 
lar service),  but  had  twice  deserted  and  re-enlisted,  each  time  changing 
his  name,  in  order  to  conceal  his  identity.  During  the  civil  war,  he  was 
a  member  of  Captain  Roecker's  company,  and  was  considered  a  wild  and 
reckless  man.  Since  the  war,  he  had  lived  in  Oregon,  pursuing  his  trade 
as  a  carpenter.  He  was  subject  to  sprees  of  drunkenness,  and  some 
/•ears  previous  to  the  tragedy,  he  was  shot  and  slightly  wounded  by 
fames  T.  Howell,  when  he  was  bound  over  to  keep  the  peace.  He  and 
his  wife  had  lived  unhappily  for  many  years,  and  on  the  day  before  the 
occurrence,  she  had  applied  to  Mr.  Limbird  for  a  divorce  from  her  hus- 
band.    This  was  supposed  to  be  the  incentive  for  the  deed  which  followed. 

During  the  forenoon  of  that  day,  Simero  was  up  in  town  drinking, 
but  not  intoxicated.  About  ten  o'clock  he  returned  home  and  sent  one 
of  his  sons  after  wine  and  another  to  hang  up  some  meat.  The  latter 
soon  afterwards  heard  loud  words  in  the  house,  and,  immediately  after, 
the  sound  of  a  gun-shot.  He  at  once  started  up  town  to  give  the 
alarm,  and  on  his  way  met  the  city  marshal,  Foster,  who  hurried  to  the 
scene  of  the  difficulty.  When  he  arrived  there,  Simero  had  come  out  of 
the  house  and  gone  into  the  stable.  In  a  moment  afterwards  Foster 
heard  a  report  like  the  snapping  of  a  gun-cap,  and  then  the  report  of 
a  gun. 

In  the  meantime  a  large  body  of  citizens  had  assembled  at  the 
house,  and,  upon  going  in,  found  Mrs.  Simero  lying  on  the  floor,  breathing 
hard,  having  five  shot  wounds  in  the  face  and  eye.  Two  of  the  bullets 
had  entered  the  right  eye,  penetrating  the  brain.  Another  shot  entered 
the  corner  of  the  eye,  and  two  the  mouth.  Two  heavy  blows  had  been 
received  on  the  top  of  the  head,  from  which  it  was  supposed  he  had 
knocked  her  down  before  shooting:  her.  She  was  unconscious  and  sank 
rapidly  until  about  one  o'clock,  when  she  breathed  her  last. 

Marshal  Foster  kept  an  eye  on  the  stable,  which  contained  the 
murderer,  and  upon  the  arrival  of  Levi  Oren  and  others,  they  went  in 


502  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

and  found  that  Simero  had  climbed  up  on  the  haymow  and  had  shot 
himself  in  the  temple,  producing  instant  death.  The  weapon  used  was 
a  double-barreled  shot-gun.  After  shooting  his  wife,  he  pulled  oft  one 
of  his  boots  and  went  to  the  stable,  where  he  took  off  the  other,  and 
then  discharged  the  gun  with  his  toes. 

At  the  inquest  the  following  letter,  writen  in  German,  was  read  and 
translated  by  Mr.  Adam  Klippel  : 

OREGON,  Missouri,  February  15,  1877. 

"  These  are  the  last  few  lines  I  shall  write  in  my  life.  The  blame 
will  all  be  heaped  on  me  concerning  the  strife  between  me  and  my  wife, 
but  all  who  will  read  these  few  lines  will  be  so  good  as  not  to  condemn 
me.  The  last  four  weeks  I  have  been  constantly  sick.  I  did  not  go  out, 
and  did  not  get  drunk  ;  I  have  tried  every  way  to  deal  kindly  with  my 
wife,  but  that  did  no  good  ;  she  became  from  day  to  day  more  unruly,  and 
did  not  come  home  ;  she  called  me,  in  the  presence  of  my  children,  a 
drunken  hog.  This  has  been  the  cause  of  my  anger.  I  dared  not  give 
her  an  unkind  word  ;  if  I  did,  she  would  run  to  the  neighbors'  houses 
and  tell  tales.  Naturally  they  believed  her,  and  this  enraged  her  and 
made  her  more  perverse.  With  this,  the  fire  began  to  rage.  I  would 
exhort  people  not  to  mix  in  a  contest  between  a  man  and  his  wife,  for 
there  are  people  who  find  pleasure  in  this  ;  but  they  do  not  consider 
what  a  terrible  end  it  will  result  in  ;  for  every  one  may  take  a  lesson 
from  this.  I  know  some  people,  I  will  not  mention  their  names,  but 
I  hope  after  this  catastrophe  they  will  change,  for  there  are  times  when 
they  will  have  compunctions  of  conscience.  This,  dear  friends,  I  write 
with  a  sober  and  clear  understanding.  When  you  read  this  it  will  be 
over.  In  the  twenty  years  that  I  have  lived  here  in  Oregon,  I  have  paid 
what  I  owed,  but  at  this  period  I  may  owe  some  parties,  but  I  cannot 
help  it,  for  the  winter  always  makes  some  debts.  The  cause  of  this  is 
that  she  (my  wife)  wants  to  be  divorced,  and  is  trying  to  drive  me  from 
my  house  in  my  old  days.  She  wants  to  sell.  My  idea  is  that  I  will  go 
away,  and  that  the  house  will  not  be  sold,  but  she  will  not  agree,  and 
therefore  I  make  an  end  of  us  both,  and  the  quarreling  and  strife  will  be 
at  an  end.  I  would  not  have  taken  this  step,  because  we  are  both  pretty 
old  and  have  not  long  to  live,  but  to  be  divorced  and  to  leave  my  home, 
for  which  I  have  worked  very  hard,  is  too  much  for  me." 

"Respectfully,  JOHN  F.  SIMERO." 

Mrs.  Simero's  name  before  marriage  was  Frederike  Schwenk,  and 
she  was  born  near  the  city  of  Tubingen,  Kingdom  of  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many, on  the  4th  of  April,  1825.  She  came  to  America  in  1845.  By 
her  marriage  with  Simero  she  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  were 
living  at  the  time  of  the  tragedy. 

JOHN   TAYLOR. 

On  the  19th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1880,  a  young  man  about  twenty- 
eight  years  old,  dark  hair,  blue  eyes,  fine  looking,  arrived  in  the  town  of 
Corning,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  search  of  labor.     He  had  but  recently 


CRIMES.  503 

left  his  home  in  Mohawk  County,  New  York,  where  his  widowed  mother 
resided.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  place,  he  met  one  John  Taylor,  a 
farmer  residing  a  few  miles  from  this  place  in  Atchison  County.  Taylor 
was  a  man  about  thirty-five  years  old,  large  and  strongly  built  ;  was  a 
drinking  man,  and  quarrelsome  while  under  the  influence  of  liquor.  The 
two  drank  together  until  both  become  partially  intoxicated.  Cards  were 
introduced,  and  they  played  together,  first  for  amusement  and  then  for 
money.  A  quarrel  ensued  over  the  result  of  the  game,  Moore  accusing 
Taylor  of  cheating  ;  friends  interposed  and  they  made  up  and  drank 
together.  Finally  the  quarrel  was  renewed,  and  the  saloon  keeper  put 
Moore  out  of  the  saloon,  and  told  him  not  to  return.  Moore  went  to  the 
first  store  (Earls  Brothers)  and  asked  for  a  revolver,  and  was  informed 
that  they  did  not  deal  in  revolvers.  He  then  asked  for  a  knife,  at  the 
same  time  breathing  threats  against  Taylor.  Young  Earl  informed  him 
that  he  would  not  sell  him  a  knife  that  night  ;  it  would  get  him  into 
trouble,  but  to  call  in  the  morning  and  he  would  sell  him  one.  He  left 
the  store  with  an  oath  that  he  would  go  where  he  could  buy  one.  Passing 
up  the  street  until  he  came  to  the  store  of  Sedwick,  Walter  &  Co.,  he 
stepped  in,  bought  a  two-bladed  common  pocket  knife,  put  it  into  his 
pocket  and  returned  to  the  saloon.  The  saloon  keeper  pushed  him 
back  out  of  the  house.  At  this  moment,  Taylor,  who  was  in  the  saloon, 
rushed  out  at  Moore,  striking  and  kicking  at  him.  Moore  backed  off 
some  forty  feet  ;  Taylor  followed,  when  Moore  drew  the  knife  and  struck 
in  the  abdomen,  cutting  through  the  walls  and  making  a  wound  eight 
and  one-fourth  inches  in  length  and  two  inches  deep,  from  which  his 
intestines  protruded.  Taylor  was  taken  to  the  Henderson  House,  and 
his  wife  notified  of  the  sad  affair.  She  arrived  in  a  few  hours  and 
remained  with  him  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  forty-two  hours 
after  his  injury.     Drs.  Noel  and  Daily  attended  him. 

Moore,  after  inflicting  the  fatal  blow,  ran,  brandishing  his  bloody 
knife,  followed  by  an  excited  crowd,  who  threw  sticks,  bricks  and  mis- 
siles at  him.  He  was  so  hotly  pursued  that  he  ran  into  the  house  of  Mr. 
Snow,  going  up  stairs  into  a  room  where  a  young  lady  was  dressing,  and 
begged  her  to  protect  him  from  the  mob.  She  ran  down  stairs,  fright- 
ened nearly  out  of  her  wits.  He  was  finally  taken  in  charge  by  the  offi- 
cers and  conveyed  to  jail.  His  trial  took  place  in  June,  188 1,  and  he  was 
convicted  of  murder  in  the  second  degree  and  sentenced  to  ten  years  in 
the  penitentiary.  Messrs.  Osborne  and  Miles,  of  Rock  Port,  two  young 
attorneys,  defended  him,  and  L.  R.  Knowles,  prosecuting  attorney  of  Holt 
County,  prosecuted. 

There  have  been  other  cases  of  some  note  in  the  county,  among 
which  was  that  of  the  State  vs.  Jason  S.  Bumps,  who  was  tried,  charged 
with  having  produced  an  abortion  on  Mary  Dannehar,  but,  tor  want  of 
space,  we  cannot  mention  them. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

AGRICULTURAL  INTERESTS. 

CEREAL  PRODUCTION  —  STOCK-FRUIT  —  NURSERIES  —  VINEYARDS  —SORGHUM— FAIRS- 
HOLT  COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  AND  MECHANICAL  SOCIETY— SWAMP  LANDS-PEO- 
PLE. 

Holt  County,  like  all  sections  of  the  country,  has,  to  some  extent, 
suffered  from  drouths,  but  these  have,  perhaps,  been  no  more  severe  here 
than  elsewhere.  The  soil  is  of  such  a  character  that  it  retains  moisture 
with  a  remarkable  tenacity,  and  the  natural  drainage  has  been  so  admi- 
rably adjusted  in  the  economy  of  nature  that  but  little,  if  any,  of  the 
cultivated  lands  are  ever  damaged  by  standing  water.  Notwithstanding 
the  drouth  of  1881,  which  prevailed  to  an  almost  unparalleled  extent 
over  the  entire  Union,  the  crops  of  Holt  County  averaged  fully  one- 
half,  the  grass  being  as  abundant  and  nutritious  as  in  any  preceding 
year.  No  county  in  the  State  has,  perhaps,  a  greater  number  of  pure, 
living  streams  ot  water  than  Holt  ;  veining  its  surface  in  every  direc- 
tion, they  afford  an  abundance  of  water  to  both  man  and  beast,  conve- 
nient to  almost  every  quarter  section.  Good  well  water  can  be  obtained 
at  an  average  depth  of  twenty-five  feet. 

Besides  the  terrible  back  set  suffered  by  Holt,  in  common  with  other 
counties  of  the  state  from  the  effects  of  the  civil  war,  the  county  was 
ravaged  to  a  certain  extent  by  the  grasshopper  scourges  of  1866,  1874 
1875.  Confident,  however,  in  the  power  of  her  grand  resources,  and  ever 
hopeful  of  better  days,  her  people  scorned,  in  the  hour  of  their  calamity, 
to  solicit  the  aid  of  their  more  fortunate  neighbors,  and  ultimately  tri- 
umphed over  the  ills  which  were  poured  upon  her  by  malignant  fortune. 
Phcenix-like,  she  has  risen  from  the  wreck  of  every  calamity,  more  beau- 
tiful and  enduring  than  before,  and  to-day,  she  presents  to  the  world  a 
spectacle  of  solid  growth  and  substantial  wealth,  of  which  many  an  older 
and  more  fortunate  country  might  be  justly  proud. 

CEREAL   PRODUCTIONS. 

Holt,  although  not  claiming  to  be  the  banner  county  in  the  state  in 
the  production  of  the  cereals,  yet,  according  to  the  last  census  report  of 
the  United  States,  for  the  year  1880,  the  showing  for  the  county  therein 
made,  is  one  of  which  her  citizens  need  not  be  ashamed,  especially  of  her 
standing  as  a  corn  producing  district. 


AGRICULTURAL   INTERESTS.  50$ 

CORN. 

There  are  but  fourteen  counties  in  the  state  that  produce  more  corn 
than  Holt.  When  we  remember,  however,  that  the  state  is  divided  into 
one  hundred  and  fourteen  counties  it  will  be  seen  that  Holt  County  occu- 
pies, in  the  list,  no  insignificant  position,  ranking,  as  it  does,  the  fifteenth 
in  the  production  of  this  cereal.  In  other  words  there  are  ninety-nine 
counties  in  the  state  that  produce,  each,  a  less  number  of  bushels  than 
Holt.  Of  the  fourteen  counties,  each  had  a  greater  number  of  acres  in 
corn  than  did  Holt,  but  the  average  number  of  bushels  per  acre  was 
greater  in  Holt  than  in  any  other  county  in  the  state,  excepting  Atchi- 
son, the  average  in  Holt  being  a  little  more  than  forty-three  and  three- 
fourths  bushels  per  acre,  and  the  average  in  Atchison  County  being  a 
little  less  than  forty-four  bushels.  Holt  County  had  in  corn  (1880) 
75,614  acres,  which  yielded  3,308,326  bushels. 

BARLEY. 

Holt  County  produced  more  barley  in  1880,  than  any  county  in  the 
state,  except  Atchison.  This  crop  is  cultivated  to  a  limited  extent  iri 
the  state,  but  the  result  showed  that  this  county  is  as  well  adapted  to  its- 
growth  as  any  other  county,  and  that  if  the  market  and  prices  demanded,, 
it  could  be  made  one  of  the  prolific  crops  of  the  county. 

WHEAT. 

The  wheat  crop  of  Holt  County  for  1880,  was  297,967  bushels,  or  a 
fraction  over  twelve  bushels  per  acre.  This  is  a  greater  yield  per  acre, 
than  that  of  many  of  the  counties  of  the  state,  eighty-four  counties,  each 
producing  a  less  number  of  bushels  than  Holt,  St.  Charles  being  the 
banner  county,  having  produced  1,124,518  bushels. 

OATS. 

The  oat  crop  of  the  county  for  1880,  was  174,108  bushels.  While 
the  yield,  or  number  of  acres  was  not  very  large,  the  average  number  of 
bushels  per  acre  compared  favorably  with  other  counties  of  the  state. 

CATTLE   AND    HOGS. 

There  are  ten  counties  in  the  state  which  raise  more  cattle  each, 
than  Holt,  and  seventeen  counties  which  produce  a  greater  number  of 
hogs. 

SHEEP. 

The  farmers  have  not  turned  their  attention  to  sheep-raising,  in 
any  special  manner.  The  number  for  1881  was  4,413.  This  number 
can  be  easily  increased  to  30,000  within  a  few  years,  provided  an  effort 


506  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

is  made  in  this  direction.  The  climate  is  as  well  adapted  to  their  rais- 
ing and  healthful  growth  as  the  counties  contiguous  to  Holt,  where  sheep- 
raising  is  much  more  extensive,  and  where  it  has  been  made  a  success. 

FRUIT. 

The  shipment  of  fruits  of  different  varieties  from  Forbes  Township, 
during  average  seasons,  is  very  great.  The  summer  of  1880,  was  one  of 
unusual  abundance  in  the  yield  of  both  native  and  cultivated  fruits. 

There  is,  in  the  bluffs,  at  the  base  of  which  the  town  of  Forbes  stands, 
a  strip  of  country  about  ten  miles  long  by  three  wide.  The  hills  and 
hollows  of  this  remarkable  locality  abound,  in  ordinary  seasons,  with  a 
superior  variety  of  the  wild  blackberry.  These  constitute  a  valuable 
item  of  local  export,  and  the  amount  gathered  and  shipped  annually  is 
almost  incredible.  In  the  summer  of  1880,  Ross  &  Meyer  alone  shipped 
from  Forbes  station  upwards  of  25,000  quarts  ;  Weston  Young  shipped 
7,500  quarts ;  G.  W.  Ryan  about  4,000  quarts,  besides  what  were  shipped 
by  others,  aggregating,  in  berries  shipped  by  express  alone,  not  far  from 
37,000  quarts. 

Great  as  this  amount  may  appear  it  is  comparatively  small  when 
contrasted  with  the  vast  quantities  hauled  away  by  the  wagon  load.  In 
the  height  of  the  season  as  many  as  forty  two-horse  wagons  have  passed, 
in  a  single  day,  through  the  streets  of  Forbes,  laden  with  blackberries, 
gathered  in  the  neighboring  hills  and  hollows. 

In  that  same  season  there  were  also  shipped  from  this  station,  by 
Weston  Young,  one  thousand  two  hundred  boxes,  each  containing  one- 
third  of  a  bushel  of  superior  budded  peaches  ;  Shirley  and  Taylor  shipped 
one  thousand  boxes  ;  Ross  and  Meyer,  two  thousand  one  hundred  boxes, 
and  Murray  Brothers,  the  champion  peach  raisers  of  this  section,  proba- 
bly double  this  latter  amount.  Hundreds  of  boxes  of  tame  plums  and 
pears  were  also  shipped. 

Among  the  many  successful  fruit  raisers  of  this  section,  George 
Meyer,  to  whose  location  on  the  oldest  settled  farm  in  the  county  we 
have  already  referred,  has  been  especially  prominent.  The  orchards  of 
his  two  adjoining  farms  aggregate  not  less  than  thirty  acres  of  apples, 
peaches,  plums,  pears,  etc.  Of  apples,  alone,  he  has,  growing  on  these 
farms,  not  less  than  one  hundred  varieties.  At  the  St.  Joseph  Exposi- 
tion of  1873,  at  which  was  the  finest  display  of  fruit  ever  offered  for 
exhibition  in  the  state,  outside  of  St.  Louis,  Mr.  Meyer  had  on  exhibi- 
tion not  less  than  two  hundred  varieties  of  apples.  For  this  display  he 
was  awarded  the  sum  of  $200,  the  highest  premium  offered  at  the  fair. 
His  principal  orchard  is  on  the  farm  of  175  acres,  which  lies  in  section  7, 
township  59,  range  37.  The  other  orchard  is  on  a  270  acre  farm,  in  sec- 
tion  8,  adjoining.     When  he  began  to  plant,  in   1854,  there  were  but 


AGRICULTURAL   INTERESTS.  *  507 

thirty-five  apple  trees  growing  on  the  farm.  These  were  growing  in 
185 1,  when  he  purchased  and  moved  to  the  place.  He  has  continued  to 
reside  here  ever  since,  and,  besides  the  rare  and  productive  orchards  he 
has  planted,  he  has  effected  other  permanent  and  valuable  improvements. 
Besides  his  spacious  and  comfortable  residence  he  has,  on  the  same 
farm,  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  complete,  as  well  as  substantially- 
constructed  barns  in  the  county.  The  building,  which  rests  on  a  mas- 
sive stone  basement,  in  which  there  is  accommodation  for  twenty  horses, 
is  forty  by  sixty  feet  in  extent,  with  a  lofty  shed,  extending  from  one 
end,  fourteen  by  forty  feet.  The  whole  is  framed  of  burr  oak.  On  one 
of  the  farms  are  forty  acres  and  on  the  other  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  excellent  timber.  The  whole  is  well  watered.  One  thousand  eight 
hundred  bushels  of  apples  have  been  sold  in  a  single  season  from  the 
orchards  of  this  place. 

There  is  perhaps  no  section  of  the  State  north  of  the  Missouri 
River  so  admirably  adapted  to  the  culture  of  the  peach  as  the  southern 
part  of  Holt  County,  and  especially  the  seemingly  barren  hills  and  bluffs 
of  the  timbered  region. 

The  champion  raiser  of  this  fruit  is  N.  F.  Murray,  whose  place  is 
located  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  9,  township  59,  range  37  of 
Forbes  Township,  about  three  and  a  half  miles  north  by  east  of  the 
town  of  Forbes,  where  he  has  forty  acres  in  orchard,  nursery  and  fruit 
garden.  About  1868  or  1869,  he  began  on  this  place,  by  planting  five 
hundred  choice  peach  trees.  He  has  continued  planting  each  succeed- 
ing year,  till  his  orchard  contains  three  thousand  peach  trees,  of  fifty 
choice  varieties,  all  bearing  ;  eight  hundred  apple  trees,  including  over 
forty  of  the  best  varieties,  all  bearing  ;  one  hundred  bearing  plum  trees, 
mostly  of  the  wild  goose  variety  ;  one  hundred  bearing  cherry  trees, 
twenty-five  pear  trees,  besides  apricot,  nectarine  and  quince  trees  ;  also 
one  hundred  bearing  grape  vines  and  two  acres  of  small  fruits.  The 
total  receipts  for  fruit  sold  from  the  first  five  hundred  peach  trees,  aver- 
aged $50  per  acre  for  each  year  since  the  trees  were  planted,  and  fifty 
per  cent,  net  profit  over  ten  per  cent,  interest  on  the  investment.  The 
best  crop  produced  from  a  single  tree  was  six  bushels.  These  sold  for 
$15.  The  largest  peach  tree  on  the  place  now  (1882)  measures  fifty-one 
inches  in  circumference.  The  style  of  the  firm  operating  this  extensive 
fruit  interest,  is  Murray  Brothers.  In  the  opinion  of  Mr.  N.  F.  Murray, 
who  has  had  twenty-five  years'  experience  in  the  business,  this  region  of 
Forbes  Township  possesses  certain  natural  advantages  for  fruit  culture 
unsurpassed  any  where  in  these  latitudes.  The  peculiar  elements  of  the 
soil,  admirable  natural  drainage  and  absence  of  excessive  humidity  in 
the  atmosphere,  combined  with  other  natural  causes,  render  this  one  of 
the  finest  fruit  countries  an  the  continent.  While  the  neighborhood  of 
Forbes,  of  Oregon,  in  the  adjoining  township,  and  other  of  the  older  and 


508  I  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

more  densely  populated  districts  of  the  bluff  formation  are  identical  in 
native  characteristics  and  general  appearance,  with  the  exception  of 
orchards  attached  to  farms  as  they  are  settled  in  almost  every  part  of 
the  county,  there  is,  outside  of  Forbes  Township,  and  of  the  town  of 
Oregon,  which  may  be  said  to  be  one  continuous  orchard  of  the  finest 
varieties  of  pomological  products,  no  special  fruit  district  of  this  county. 

Holt  County  contains  not  less  than  25,000  acres  of  the  admirable 
fruit  lands  we  have  described,  and  much  of  this  is  unfit  for  the  produc- 
tion of  any  other  remunerative  yield.  This  land  is  now  (1882)  in  the 
market  at  prices  ranging  from  $3  to  $30  per  acre,  and  if  devoted  to  the 
culture  of  the  peach,  would  accommodate  an  orchard  of  four  million 
trees.  It  would  afford  steady  employment  to  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred hands,  and  during  the  season  of  fruit  gathering  would  require  ten 
thousand  persons  to  take  in  the  crop.  In  less  than  twelve  years,  at  the 
rate  of  income  accruing  from  the  orchards  of  Murray  Brothers,  the  peach 
yield  would  bring  to  the  county  a  return  of  $17,000,000. 

With  the  rapid  development  of  the  West  and  Northwest,  vast 
mining  regions,  where  fruit  can  never  be  produced,  and  the  consequent 
growing  demand  in  those  localities  for  this  fruit,  there  seems  to  be  no 
reasonable  possibility  of  the  market  being  glutted  by  the  most  exuberant 
yield  of  which  this  country  is  susceptible,  and  every  indication  points 
to  the  conclusion  that  there  will  always  be  a  large  demand  for  Holt 
County  fruit,  at  remunerative  prices.  There  are  now,  in  Forbes  Town- 
ship alone,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  Murray  Brothers,  not 
less  than  ten  thousand  peach  trees,  and  from  the  interest  developed  in 
this  branch  of  enterprise  in  the  county,  it  is  confidently  believed  by 
those  in  position  to  judge,  that  the  period  of  ten  years  from  the  present 
will  see  not  less  than  one  hundred  thousand  peach  trees  alone  growing 
in  Forbes  Township. 

Murray  Brothers  are  also  largely  engaged  in  the  nursery  business, 
and  have  for  sale  this  (1882)  season  between  forty  and  fifty  thousand 
fruit  and  ornamental  trees.  Their  nursery  is  next  to  that  of  George  P. 
Luckhardt's,  adjoining  the  town  of  Oregon,  the  most  extensive  in  the 
county. 

NURSERIES. 

Holt  County,  now  widely  known  for  the  vast  quantities  and  superior 
excellence  of  fruit  raised  within  her  limits,  is  no  less  noted  for  the 
superiority  of  her  leading  nursery. 

The  first  enterprise  in  this  direction  was  inaugurated  in  the  spring 
of  1853,  by  the  late  Josiah  Springer,  father  of  the  present  (1882)  clerk  of 
the  circuit  court  of  Holt  County.  This  was  a  seedling  nursery,  and  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  apple  trees  which,  instead  of  grafting,  he  budded  where 
the  first  branches  started  from  the  stem.     This  nursery  was  located  three 


AGRICULTURAL  INTERESTS.  509 

miles  southeast  of  Oregon,  on  section  6,  township  59,  range  37,  in  Forbes 
township.  The  quarter  adjoins  Lewis  Township.  The  nursery  was 
operated  up  to  the  period  of  the  death  of  the  proprietor,  which  occurred 
in  1858.  Hugh  Pennel  budded  his  trees  in  the  same  way,  and  sold  a  few 
on  his  place,  one  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Oregon.  This  nursery,  which 
was  on  a  small  scale,  was  started  in   1855. 

The  first  trees  imported  into  the  county  were  purchased  by  Dr.  H. 
W.  Peter,  now  (1882)  a  leading  physician  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  They 
were  brought  from  the  nursery  of  Ellwanger  &  Barry,  of  Rochester,  New 
York,  in  1858.  In  the  spring  of  1859,  Dr.  H.  W.  Peter  and  George  P. 
Luckhardt  associated  themselves  in  business  under  the  style  of  Peter  & 
Luckhardt,  and  imported  from  the  nursery  of  Ellwanger  &  Barry,  a  large 
lot  of  trees.  In  the  fall  of  1859,  Dr.  Peter,  Ira  Peter  and  E.  H.  Burches 
entered  into  partnership,  and  purchased  160  acres  of  land  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  town  of  Oregon,  and  planted  the  entire  tract  in  nur- 
sery stock.  They  also  built  a  green  house.  This  enterprise  prospered 
till  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  in  1861,  when,  in  common  with 
many  other  kindred  interests  it  was  forced  to  succumb  to  the  inevitable 
consequences  of  those  disastrous  times. 

In  1866,  George  P.  Luckhardt  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  adjoin- 
ing the  northwest  corner  of  the  town  site  of  Oregon,  and  embarked 
extensively  in  the  nursery  business,  in  which  he  has  since  been  continu- 
ously engaged,  planting  rarely  less  than  seventy-five  thousand  apple 
grafts  a  year.  In  the  spring  of  1873,  he  had  planted  one  hundred  and 
seventy  thousand  apple  grafts,  seventeen  and  a-half  bushels  of  peach 
seed,  four  bushels  of  apple  seed,  one  bushel  of  apricot  seed,  one  bushel 
of  Maccard  cherry  seed,  and  one-half  bushel  of  Mahalleb  cherry  seed. 
All  this,  with  the  promise  of  splendid  results,  was  up  and  growing  lux- 
uriantly until  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  May,  when  a 
cloud  of  grasshoppers  descending,  a  besom  of  destruction,  swept  from 
the  face  of  the  earth  the  entire  growth.  By  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  same  day,  this  beautiful  picture  of  regular  and  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion had  entirely  disappeared,  naught  but  the  barkless  twigs  and  sprouts 
remaining  on  the  bare  ground  to  mark  the  recent  presence  of  the  sud- 
denly obliterated  verdure.  The  damage  occasioned  by  this  terrible 
visitation  extended,  besides,  to  sixty  thousand  two  year  old  apple  trees, 
eighty  thousand  yearlings,  and  about  twenty  thousand  three  year  olds, 
the  entire  loss  thus  sustained  by  Mr.  Luckhardt  amounting  to  an  equiv- 
alent of  not  less  than  ten  thousand  dollars.  Though  terrible  beyond 
expression,  the  scourge  failed  to  prove,  in  this  instance,  at  least,  perma- 
nent in  its  results,  and  Luckhardt's  nursery  ere  long  revived  to  achieve 
the  reputation  it  has  since  continued  uninterruptedly  to  enjoy. 

On  the  eighty  acre  tract,  on  which  is  this  nursery,  is  also  an  orchard 
of  thirty-five  acres,  containing  between   three   and   four  thousand   fruit 


5IO  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

trees,  most  of  which  are  bearing.  Beside  apple  trees,  which  compose 
the  bulk  of  the  orchard,  are  peaches,  apricots,  cherries  and  plums.  Mr. 
Luckhardt  has  here,  besides,  a  vineyard  of  two  and  a  half  acres  of  Con- 
cord grapes.  He,  however,  makes  no  wine.  On  the  lawn,  in  front  of  his 
substantial  brick  residence,  is  a  stately  grove,  containing  nearly  every 
variety  of  evergreen  grown  in  this  latitude.  The  most  remarkable  speci- 
men of  this  beautiful  collection  is  the  Mencii  (Abies  Fulgens).  This 
evergeen,  between  twenty  and  twenty-five  feet  in  heighth,  is  said  to  be 
the  largest  cultivated  tree  of  that  variety  in  the  United  States.  Its 
faultless  symmetry  presents  the  appearance  of  a  perfect  cone.  A  rare 
peculiarity  of  this  tree  is  presented  in  the  variety  of  its  foliage,  which,  in 
the  month  of  May,  affords  three  distinct  colors,  the  new  growth  being 
almost  white,  that  of  the  previous  year  a  light  blue,  and  the  old  growth 
a  bright  green. 

In  1868,  Samuel  Murray  and  his  son,  N.  J.  Murray,  started  a  nursery 
eight  miles  southeast  of  Oregon.  The  death  of  the  senior  partner  of  this 
firm  occurred  in  1874. 

In  1852,  the  late  Felix  Fraley,  afterwards  the  owner  of  a  vineyard 
of  about  one-fourth  of  an  acre,  from  which  with  grapes  which  he  pur- 
chased elsewhere,  he  manufactured  yearly  about  eight  barrels  of  wine, 
started  in  1852,  a  small  nursery  at  the  north  end  of  Oregon.  This  con- 
tinued to  be  operated  till  the  year  1864,  when  the  proprietor  turned  his 
attention  to  wine  growing. 

In  1878,  William  Gaunt  commenced  near  the  town  of  Craig,  a 
nursery,  to  which  reference  will  be  found  in  our  chapter  on  that  locality. 

The  apple  trees  with  which  the  first  orchards  in  Holt  County  were 
originally  supplied,  were  brought  from  the  Burns  nursery,  in  Andrew 
County.  It  was  located  three  miles  north  of  the  town  of  Savannah,  but 
has  long  ceased  to  exist. 

VINEYARDS. 

While  the  entire  town  of  Oregon  presents  the  appearance,  to  a 
considerable  extent,  of  a  vast  and  continuous  orchard  of  the  finest  varie- 
ties of  fruit  trees,  thickly  studded  with  the  habitations  of  men,  the 
suburbs  are  no  less  remarkable  for  the  number,  quality  and  productive- 
ness of  their  vineyards,  the  yield  of  which  produces  a  quality  of  Concord 
wine  that  is  widely  known  for  its  superior  excellence.  Nearly  all  these 
vineyards  adjoin  the  town  site,  and  some  of  them  are  within  the  corpor- 
ate limits  of  Oregon.  Among  the  most  important  of  these  is  that  of 
Michael  Spoerle,  just  outside  the  town  limits.  From  the  two  acres  of 
grapes  which  comprise  this  vineyard,  fifty  barrels  of  Concord  wine  are 
annually  produced. 

Felix  Fraley,  who  died  in  1879,  manufactured  not  only  the  yield  of 
his  own  vineyard  of  about  a  rood,  but  also  made  a  considerable  amount 


AGRICULTURAL   INTERESTS.  511 

of  wine  from  grapes  which  he  purchased  from  growers  who  did  not 
manufacture.  John  Hurst  manufactures  ten  or  twelve  barrels  a  year. 
The  vineyard  of  John  Hauswirth,  also  within  the  town  limits,  yields  on 
an  average  twenty  barrels  of  Concord  wine.  Samuel  Stuckey  has  in 
the  town  a  small  vineyard.  Colonel  Clarke  Irvine  has  about  two  acres  in 
grapes.  Dr.  A.  Goslin  also  has  a  small  vineyard,  as  has  also  C.  Hob- 
litzell.     None  of  these  latter  make  wine. 

To  George  P.  Luckhardt's  vineyard  reference  has  already  been 
made.  Captain  Albert  Roecker,  of  the  firm  of  Montgomery  &  Roecker, 
bankers,  has  just  outside  of  the  town  a  vineyard  from  which  he  makes 
four  or  five  barrels  of  wine  every  year.  A.  Gemeker,  in  the  northwest 
corner  of  town,  raises  grapes  and  manufactures  extensively.  Captain 
Kaucher  has  a  fine  vineyard  of  select  varieties.  Though  Oregon  and 
environs  constitute  the  wine  producing  center  of  the  county,  the  indus- 
try is  not  entirely  confined  to  that  locality.  James  L.  Allen,  one  mile 
north  ;  and  William  Brodbeck,  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  town  ;  S. 
and  J.  Lehmer,  one  mile  and  a  half  northeast  ;  Abraham  Zuck,  near 
site  of  old  fair  ground  ;  Robert  Trumble,  near  Richville,  five  or  six 
miles  east  of  Oregon,  and  others  in  different  parts  of  the  county,  grow 
grapes,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  manufacture  wine.  Samuel  Whitmer, 
near  the  northern  limits  of  the  town,  has  a  small  vineyard.  He  is  a 
large  producer  of  sorghum  molasses,  manufactured  from  cane  of  his  own 
raising,  an  interest  noticed  under  the  head  of  Oregon. 

SORGHUM. 

The  manufacture  of  sorghum  promises  to  become  an  important 
element  in  the  enterprise  of  Holt  County.  Samuel  H.  Whitmer  started 
in  the  town  of  Oregon,  in  1866,  the  pioneer  industry  in  this  line,  at  first 
on  a  very  small  scale.  The  enterprise,  however,  met  with  fair  encour- 
agement, and  has  steadily  progressed.  In  the  fall  of  1879  the  product 
of  his  factory  was  four  thousand  six  hundred  gallons  of  syrup,  of  superior 
quality.  This  is  the  largest  amount  so  far  made  here  in  one  season.  By 
the  two  successive  failures  of  the  crops  in  the  seasons  following,  this 
yield  was  considerably  reduced.  Though  the  manufacturer  raises  a 
small  amount  of  grain,  he  depends  almost  wholly  on  the  farmers  for  his 
supply  of  raw  material.  During  the  season  of  1879  tne  cane  yield  of  as 
many  as  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  different  farms  was  worked  up 
in  this  factory.     The  farmers  cut  and  delivered  the  cane  at  the  works. 

Out  of  a  variety  of  cane  growing  in  the  county,  and  known  as  the 
Early  Amber,  an  excellent  quality  of  sugar  has  been  manufactured  here, 
and  arrangements  are  on  foot  to  largely  increase  the  yield  of  the  latter 
product. 

There  is,  besides  the  above,  another  sorghum  factory  in  the  county. 
This  is  owned  and  operated  by  Henry  Zachman.,  aided  by  three  hands. 


512  HISTORY   OF    HOLT  COUNTY. 

A  special    reference   to    this  interest  will  be  found  under  the  head    of 
Hickory  Township. 

FAIRS. 

The  first  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Association  of  Holt  County, 
was  held  at  a  point  northeast  of  and  adjoining  the  corporate  limits  of  the 
town  of  Forest  City. 

These  annual  exhibitions,  which  were  creditably  conducted,  and 
largely  attended,  occurred  successively  in  1858,  1859  and  i860,  when  the 
breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  put  an  end  to  the  enterprise.  The  late 
William  Zook  was,  during  the  three  years  of  its  continuance,  president 
of  the  association,  and  R.  E.  Turner,  now  (1882)  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
secretary.  Any  records  from  which  might  have  been  gleaned  special 
information  of  these  fairs,  have  long  passed  out  of  existence,  and  there 
only  remains  the  memory  that,  in  their  day,  they  were  regarded  a  com- 
plete success. 

A  period  of  eight  years  elapsed  before  a  similar  enterprise  was 
inaugurated  in  the  establishment  of  the 

HOLT   COUNTY   AGRICULTURAL  AND  MECHANICAL  SOCIETY. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  1868,  the  following  named  persons  assembled 
in  the  court  house  in  the  town  of  Oregon,  and  organized  the  above  men- 
tioned society  :  E.  Van  Buskirk,  Samuel  Watson,  R.  C  Watson,  I.  H, 
Iddings,  J.  G.  Cowan,  T.  K.  Slaughter,  H.  Watson,  Isaac  L.  Way,  Charles 
W.  Bowman,  Bennett  King,  George  Cummins,  Ephraim  Oren,  Watson 
Baker,  Samuel  Stuckey,  John  Marsh,  M.  Saville,  Peter  Price,  William 
Kaucher,  John  Kyle,  W.  B.  Davis,  E.  L.  Allen,  Henry  Meyer,  R.  H. 
Russell,  W.  M.  Patterson,  Quincy  A.  Gordon,  William  Baker,  T.  C. 
Dungan,  Horace  Cooper,  Solomon  Loffer,  Allen  T.  Bloomer,  F.  M.  Caison, 
F.  S.  Howard,  Joseph  Polly,  J.  H.  C.  Curtis  and  M.  Spoerly.  E.  Van 
Buskirk  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  William  Kaucher  appointed  secretary. 

On  motion  it  was  ordered  that  the  society  proceed  to  the  election 
of  a  board  of  directors,  which  election  resulted  as  follows  :  From  the 
eastern  district  of  Lewis  Township,  E.  Van  Buskirk  and  Bennett  King; 
from  the  western  district  of  Lewis  Township,  W.  A.  McCoy  ;  Nodaway 
Township,  John  G.  Cowan  and  I.  H.  Iddings  ;  Clay  Township,  W.  M. 
Patterson  ;  Benton  Township,  H.  S.  Buejick  ;  Union  Township,  George 
P.  Skeels,  of  Benton  ;  Dallas  Township,  T.  K.  Slaughter. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  society  held  at  the  office  of  Zook  & 
VanBuskirk,  in  the  town  of  Oregon,  the  following  were  elected  officers 
of  the  society:  John  G.  Cowan,  President;  Charles  W.  Bowman,  Sec- 
retary ;  William  A.  McCoy,  Treasurer,  and  Bennett  King,  Collector. 

At  the  third  meeting  held,  pursuant  to  adjournment,  April  20,  1868, 
.a  vacancy  in  the  board  was  reported,  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Isaac 


AGRICULTURAL   INTERESTS.  513 

H.  Iddings.  To  supply  this  vacancy,  George  Meyer  was  elected.  At 
this  meeting  a  constitution  and  by-laws  were  adopted.  E.  VanBuskirk 
was  elected  Vice  President,  and  William  Kaucher  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary. The  treasurer  was  required  to  give  bond  in  the  sum  of  $2,000  for 
the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty.  At  a  meeting  held  April  29,  1868, 
Bennett  King,  E.  VanBuskirk  and  W.  A.  McCoy  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  purchase  grounds  for  the  use  of  the  society,  and,  at  a  subse- 
quent meeting,  George  Meyer  was  added  to  the  committee. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  the  town  of  Oregon,  May  28,  1868,  the  committee 
on  grounds  reported  that  they  had  negotiated  with  R.  H.  Russel,  for  the 
purchase  of  a  piece  of  ground  adjoining  the  corporation  of  the  city  of 
Oregon,  at  the  cost  of  $120  per  acre,  he  reserving  the  largest  timber. 
The  report  was  accepted,  and  the  committee  authorized  to  have  the 
ground  surveyed.     The  tract  purchased  proved  to  include  ten  acres. 

At  a  meeting  held  July  31,  1868,  it  was  determined  that  the  time 
for  holding  the  first  annual  fair  should  be  fixed  for  the  14th,  15th  and 
16th  days  of  October  following.  August  22,  1868,  J.  G.  Cowan,  E.  Van- 
Buskirk and  W.  A.  McCoy  were  appointed  a  committee  to  fence  and 
otherwise  improve  the  grounds.  At  the  next  meeting,  in  the  succeed- 
ing month,  R.  H.  Russel  was  added  to  this  committee.  At  the  meeting 
held  September  25,  1868,  the  following  general  programme  for  the  fair 
was  adopted  : 

First  Day — Class  E,  jacks  and  jennets  ;  class  F,  mules  ;  all  articles 
other  than  live  stock  competing  for  premiums  to  remain  on  exhibition 
during  the  entire  fair. 

Second  Day — Class  A,  cattle  ;  D,  horses  ;  G,  sheep  ;  H,  hogs  ;  eques- 
trian display  by  gentlemen. 

Third  Day — Class  B,  stallions  and  mares  ;  C,  geldings  ;  R,  walk- 
ing, trotting  and  pacing  matches;  W,  display  of  horses,  mules,  cattle, 
hogs  and  poultry  ;  equestrian  display  by  ladies  ;  slow  mule  race — no 
rider  to  ride  his  own  mule.     Premium  for  slowest  mule,  $5. 

Two  premiums  were  offered  for  millinery — Class  P. 

The  following  appointments  of  officers  were  made  :  Marshal,  Samuel 
Stuckey  ;  Assistants,  S.  W.  Thornton,  Robert  Markland,  A.  D.  Stephens 
and  D.  P.  Kyle  ;  Gate-keepers,  George  Colvin  and  John  Masters. 

It  appears  that  in  consequence  of  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  on 
the  14th  of  October,  the  initial  day  of  the  fair  was  deferred  till  the  fol- 
lowing day,  and  ordered  to  continue  until  the  close  of  the  18th,  instead 
of  the  17th,  as  originally  determined.  The  fair  was  largely  attended, 
and  proved  a  success. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  1868,  occurred  the  second  election  of 
officers,  with  the  following  results  :  J.  G.  Cowan,  President  ;  Charles  W. 
Bowman,  Recording  Secretary  ;  William  Kaucher,  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary ;  Bennett    King,   Vice    President  ;  James   Scott,    Treasurer,   and 

33 


514  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

Samuel  Stuckey,  Collector.  John  D.  Cowan,  E.  Van  Buskirk  and  B. 
King  donated  to  the  society  the  amount  due  them  as  premiums,  less 
the  entry  fees. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors,  October  31,  1868,  the  follow- 
ing report  of  the  treasurer  was  rendered  and  approved  : 

Society  Fund — 

Receipts $    772  80 

Expenditures 735   81 

Balance  on  hand  Society  Fund    $      36  99 

Joint  Stock  Fund — 

Receipts  from  stock $  1 ,946  00 

Expenditures 1.773  32 

Balance  on  hand $     172  68 

September  n,  1869,  J.  G.  Cowan,  I.  R.  Welch,  William  Kaucher,  G. 
Anderson,  F.  W.  Walter,  Henry  Watson,  George  Meyer,  E.  Van  Bus- 
kirk and  Bennett  King  were  elected  directors. 

On  the  1 8th  of  the  same  month  the  board  elected  the  following 
officers:  John  G.  Cowan,  President;  Bennett  King,  Vice-President; 
George  W.  Cummins,  Recording  Secretary  ;  T.  C.  Dungan,  Correspond- 
ing Secretary  ;  James  Scott,  Treasurer,  and  Samuel  Stuckey,  Collector. 
Previous  to  this,  on  the  27th  of  February,  1869,  A.  N.  Ruley  was  chosen 
to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  C.  W.  Bowman. 
Ruley  held  the  office  till  July,  1869,  when  he  resigned  and  was  suc- 
ceeded .by  G.  W.  Cummins,  who  continued  to  hold  the  office  uninter- 
ruptedly till  the  dissolution  of  the  society  in  1875. 

The  second  fair  occurred  on  Wednesday,  Thursday  and  Friday, 
the  15th,  16th  and  17th  of  September,  1869.  The  following  is  the 
report  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Holt  County  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  Society  for  the  year  1869,  rendered  January  1,  1870,  and 
affords  an  interesting  exhibit  of  the  resources  of  the  county  at  that 
period  of  its  history  : 

"At  the  close  of  the  second  annual  fair  of  this  society,  the  mem- 
bership numbers  one  hundred  and  eighteen  of  the  most  substantial  citi- 
zens of  the  county  and  representatives  of  almost  every  class  of  indus- 
try, men  who  promptly  came  forward  and  gave  of  their  means  to  aid  in 
the  permanent  establishment  of  the  society. 

With  the  means  thus  obtained,  ten  acres  of  elevated  ground  adjoin- 
ing the  southwestern  portion  of  the  city  of  Oregon,  were  purchased  by 
the  society  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1868,  which  is  now  worth,  exclu- 
sive of  the  improvements  thereon,  two  thousand  dollars.  The  improve- 
ments consist  of  a  fence  seven  feet  in  height,  and  constructed  at  a  cost 
of  one  thousand  dollars  ;  a  floral  hall,  built  at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  six 
hundred  dollars  ;  a  good  well,  costing  one  hundred  dollars  ;  seats,  stalls 
and  other  improvements  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred  more,  making 


AGRICULTURAL    INTERESTS.  5  I  5 

the  total  value  of  grounds  and  improvements  five  thousand  dollars. 
Aeainst  this  there  is  a  total  indebtedness  of  one  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars.  To  meet  this,  there  is  still  an  outstanding  stock  subscription, 
payable  January  I,  1870,  amounting  to  five  hundred  dollars,  still  leaving' 
a  balance  of  indebtedness,  amounting  to  one  thousand  dollars.  The 
principal  improvements  necessary  for  properly  conducting  the  annual 
fairs  having  been  made,  no  difficulty  is  apprehended  of  the  ability  of  the 
society  to  meet  its  obligations  promptly. 

At  the  second  annual  fair  of  the  society  held  at  their  fair  grounds, 
September  15,  16  and  17,  1869,  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  premiums  were 
awarded,  amounting,  in  the  aggregate  to  one  thousand  dollars.  The  live 
stock  on  exhibition  included  many  fine  specimens  of  horses,  mules,  jacks, 
jennets,  cows,  bulls,  sheep,  hogs,  etc.,  and  numbered  in  all,  one  hundred 
and  thirty.  The  industrial  department  contained  one  hundred  speci- 
mens, representing  many  of  the  most  useful  and  ornamental  articles  of 
home  production. 

Forty-six  agricultural  and  horticultural  entries  were  made,  embrac- 
ing wheat,  corn,  potatoes,  apples,  pears,  peaches,  plums,  etc.,  of  the  best 
quality. 

The  floral  and  fine  art  departments  were  well  represented,  but  might 
have  been  more  complete.  An  effort  will  be  made  at  the  next  annual 
fair  to  give  greater  encouragement  to  these  departments. 

The  present  year,  despite  the  ravages  of  the  grasshoppers  in  the 
spring  and  early  part  of  the  summer,  and  the  extraordinary  fall  of  rain, 
has  been  one  of  unusual  prosperity  to  our  county.  Many  new  citizens 
have  been  added  to  our  population  ;  towns  have  sprung  into  existence 
as  by  magic,  and  thousands  of  acres  of  lands  have  been  fenced  and  culti- 
vated. The  staple  products  of  the  country  have  increased,  in  many 
instances,  more  than  one  hundred  fold.  Fully  one  million  bushels  of 
good  corn  have  been  produced.  Of  this,  the  average  price  will  not  be 
less  than  forty  cents  per  bushel.  The  product  of  wheat,  rye,  oats  and 
barley,  although  injured  by  the  grasshoppers,  will  not  fall  far  short  of 
two  hundred  thousand  bushels.  The  number  of  bushels  of  apples  for 
the  year  is  estimated  to  exceed  fifty  thousand.  Fifteen  years  ago,  the 
product  was  less  than  two  thousand  five  hundred  bushels — very  little 
more  than  is  now  produced  by  the  city  of  Oregon,  alone.  The  number 
of  bushels  of  pears  will  exceed  two  thousand,  the  average  price  of  which 
will  be  at  least  three  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  bushel.  Of  other  fruits, 
including  grapes,  cherries,  plums,  etc.,  our  farmers  have  produced  large 
quantities,  of  the  very  best  quality.  ♦ 

The  clip  of  wool  is  estimated  to  reach  thirty  thousand  pounds 
annually.  Of  this  a  considerable  portion  is  manufactured  in  cloth,  etc., 
in  the  county. 

At  the  close  of  the  season  not  less  than  thirty  thousand  head  of 
hogs  will  have  been  marketed.  These  netting  an  average  per  head  of 
at  least  $16,  will  amount  to  an  aggregate  of  $480,000.  Add  to  this  the 
cattle,  sheep,  mules  and  other  stock  sold  during  the  year,  and  we  have 
a  total  of  sales  of  live  stock  for  the  year  1869  largely  exceeding  a  half 
million  dollars.  To  this  may  be  added  the  surplus  fruit,  grain,  firewood, 
saw  logs,  etc.,  and  we  find  that  our  sales  for  the  year  amount  to  more 
than  a  million  dollars. 

Attest:  G.  W.  CUMMINS,  Recording  Secretary." 


5l6  HISTORY    OF    HOLT    COUNTY. 

The  third  fair  occurred  in  September,  1870,  and  was  also  a  success. 
Directors  and  officers  the  same  as  previous  year. 

The  fourth  annual  fair  occurred  on  the  13th,  14th  and  15th  days  of 
September,  1871.  The  following  named  officers  for  the  ensuing  year 
were  then  elected  :  G.  Anderson,  President  ;  William  Kaucher,  Vice 
President ;  G.  W.  Cummins,  Recording  Secretary  ;  T.  C.  Dungan,  Cor- 1 
responding  Secretary  ;  James  Scott,  Treaurer,  and  Samuel  Stuckey, 
Collector  and   Marshal. 

The  fair  of  1872  occurred  at  the  usual  time  in  September.  At  its 
close  the  following  were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  year  :  G.  Ander- 
son, President  ;  William  Kaucher,  Vice  President  ;  G.  W.  Cummins, 
RecordingSecretary  ;  T.  C.  Dungan,  Corresponding  Secretary  ;  James 
Scott,  Treasurer,  and  Samuel  Stuckey,  Collector. 

The  sixth  (1873)  annual  fair  occurred  at  the  usual  time  in  Septem 
ber.     On  the  10th  of  October,  1873,  the  following  were  elected  directors 
Ed.  Gillis,  I.  L.   Allen,  George  Meyer,  C.  Schlotzhauer,  Allen  Bloom, 
Thomas    Cottier,    Freeman  Libby,  S.   B.    Lukens,   and  Stephen   Lucas 
Eight  days  after  the  following  officers  were,  elected  :     G.    Meyer,   Presi- 
dent ;  I.  L.  Allen,  Vice  President  ;  G.  W.  Cummins,  Recording  Secretary 
T.    C.    Dungan,  Corresponding    Secretary  ;  G.  Cummins,  Treasurer  ; 
Stuckey,  Collector  ;   Levi  Oren,  Marshal  ;   William  Kaucher,  Librarian 
This  is  the  first  occasion  on  which  the  latter  office  is  mentioned,  and  it 
is  probable  that  the  fair  library  was  at  that  time  originated. 

The  seventh  annual  fair  began  on  Tuesday,  September  1,  1874,  and 
continued  three  days.  To  the  society,  this  year,  twenty-eight  citizens 
of  the  town  of  Oregon  contributed,  in  different  sums,  the  aggregate  of 
one  hundred  and  forty-eight  dollars.  The  regular  premiums  awarded  at 
this  fair  amounted  in  value  to  less  than  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  Besides 
these,  special  premiums  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  and  seven  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  were  offered  and  awarded.  Notwithstanding  the  above 
referred  to  expression  of  sympathy  on  the  part  of  those  who  contributed 
to  the  maintenance  of  the  association,  the  same  visibly  declined  and  the 
amount  offered  in  premiums  at  this,  the  last  exhibition,  was  less  than  one 
half  the  sum  of  the  awards  at  some  previous  periods  of  the  organization. 
This  was  the  last  fair  held  in  the  county. 

The  last  election  for  officers  of  the  "  society  "  occurred  March  20, 
1875.  This  election  resulted  as  follows:  John  G.  Cowan,  President ; 
George  Meyer,  Vice  President  ;  R.  Montgomery,  Treasurer  ;  G.  W.  Cum- 
mins, Recording  Secretary  ;  T.  C.  Dungan,  Corresponding  Secretary  ; 
Samuel  Stuckey,  Collector ;  Levi  Oren,  Marshal  ;  William  Kaucher, 
Librarian. 

The  society  then  adjourned  to  meet  March  27,  1875.  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  record  of  any  such  meeting  having  occurred.  Shortly  after  John 
G.  Cowan  assumed  the  indebtedness  resting  on  the  fair  ground,  securing 


AGRICULTURAL   INTERESTS.  5  17 

himself  by  a  deed  of  trust  on  the  same.  There  being  no  prospect  of  the 
society  becoming  enabled  to  meet  its  obligations,  Cowan  foreclosed  the 
mortgage  and  sold  the  property  to   Mr.  May,  the   present  (1882)  owner. 

SWAMP    LANDS. 

Holt  County  has  but  little  land  that  cannot  be  cultivated.  By  act 
of  congress,  approved  September  28,  1850,  all  swamp  and  overflowed 
lands  unfit  for  cultivation  then  unsold,  were  granted  to  the  state  in 
which  they  were  situated.  By  this  grant  Holt  County  received  from  the 
state  25,702  acres.  About  all  of  this  has  been  disposed  of  to  enterpris- 
ing farmers,  who,  by  a  system  of  drainage,  have  placed  it  under  culti- 
vation. The  soil  of  the  swamp  lands  is  exceedingly  rich  and  productive. 
The  Forty-third  Congress  added  3,000  acres  to  the  swamp  lands,  in 
Little  Tarkio  Lake.  About  three-fourths  of  the  swamp  lands  lie  in  the 
Missouri  bottom,  and  the  greater  part  is  prairie. 


PEOPLE. 


The  people  of  Holt  County  are  large-hearted,  genial  and  ever 
ready  to  assist  in  any  enterprise  that  tends  to  their  future  well  being 
and  the  material  prosperity  of  the  county.  The  original  settlers,  a  few 
of  whom  still  survive,  were  from  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Indiana.  The 
jopulation,  however,  to-day  represents  all  the  leading  western  and  mid- 
dle states,  as  well  as  some  of  the  nationalities  of  the  old  world,  among 
whom  are  settlements  of  Germans  and  Irish,  constituting  a  people  suf- 
kiently  homegenious  in  habits,  thoughts  and  modes  of  life,  not  only  to 
cause  them  to  be  proud  of  their  county,  but  to  cause  them  to  labor 
unitedly  for  their  common  interest  and  their  common  welfare. 


1^— jp^* 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

RAILROADS,  SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES. 


PLATTE  COUNTRY  RAILROAD-KANSAS  CITY,  ST.  JOSEPH  AND  COUNCIL  BLUFFS  RAIL- 
ROAD—NODAWAY  VALLEY  BRANCH— TARK.IO  VALLEY  BRANCH— SHIPMENTS  FOR 
i83i— RAILROAD  MEETING  AT  OREGON— PUBLIC  SCHOOLS— PIONEER  SCHOOL  HOUSE 
-NUMBER  OF  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  COUNTY— ENUMERATION  FOR  1881-AVERAGE 
NUMBER  ATIEND1NG-NUMBER  OF  MALE  AND  FEMALE  TEACHERS -ANNUAL  DIS- 
TRIBUTION—PRINCIPAL  OF  THE  VARIOUS  SCHOOL  FUNDS-FINES  AND  PENALTIES 
—  WAGES  TO  TEACHERS-EXPENSES— SCHOOL  COMMISSIONERS— CHURCHES— EARLY 
MINISTERS -BISHOP  MARVIN'S  LETTER— FIRST  SUNDAY  SCHOOL. 

RAILROADS. 

The  people  of  Holt  County  early  recognized  the  importance  of  rail- 
roads, and  manifested  their  interest  in  an  enterprise  of  this  character, 
even  in  ante-bellum  days. 

PLATTE    COUNTRY    RAILROAD. 

The  first  railroad  commenced  in  the  county,  was  what  was  known 
as  the  Platte  Country  Railroad.  It  had  been  constructed  as  far  as  Savan- 
nah, in  Andrew  County,  when  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  caused  a  sus- 
pension of  further  operations.  The  grading  and  masonry  were  about 
completed  through  the  southern  part  of  the  county  to  Forest  City,  but 
the  road  was  never  finished.  Holt  County  subscribed  seventy-five  thous- 
and dollars  towards  the  building  of  this  road,  and  issued  bonds  for  half 
that  amount.  These  bonds  were  promptly  paid  after  the  war,  but,  as 
before  stated,  the  road  was  never  completed. 

KANSAS    CITY,  ST.  JOSEPH  AND  COUNCIL  BLUFFS    RAILROAD. 

The  next  enterprise  in  the  way  of  railroads,  was  inaugurated  by  the 
Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  Company.  This 
road  was  projected  and  completed  through  the  county,  at  the  expense  of 
the  company,  in  1869.  It  enters  the  county  at  its  southeast  extremity, 
and  winds  its  way  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  to  a  point  four  miles  above 
Forest  City.  .  It  here  diverges  into  the  bottom  and  makes  but  one  devi- 
ation from  a  straight  line,  for  a  distance  of  nearly  thirty  miles,  when  it 
reaches  a  point  two  miles  below  Phelps,  in  Atchison  County. 


RAILROADS,  SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES.  5  19 

NODAWAY   VALLEY   BRANCH. 

This  is  a  branch  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs 
Railroad,  and  was  completed  in  1879.  It  enters  the  county  at  section 
21,  near  the  town  of  Maitland,  in  Clay  Township,  and  intercepts  the 
main  line  at  Bigelow. 

TARKIO  VALLEY  BRANCH. 

This  is  also  a  branch  of  the  main  line  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph 
and  Council  Bluffs  road,  and  enters  the  county  at  section  30,  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Holt  County.     This  branch  was  finished  in  188 1 . 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  the  railroad  facilities  of  Holt 
County  are  good,  and  that  all  the  townships  in  the  county,  excepting 
three,  possess  the  advantages  which  may  accrue  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent  from  their  passage  within  their  borders.  There  are  seven  stations 
in  the  county,  located  at  the  following  places  :  Forbes,  Forest  City, 
Bigelow,  Craig,  Maitland,  Mound  City  and  Corning. 

The  total  number  of  miles  of  railroad  in  the  county,  is  52.48,  as  fol- 
lows :     Main  line,  38.01  ;  Nodaway  Valley,  18.58  ;  Tarkio  Valley,  1.85. 

SHIPMENTS  FOR  l88l   BY  THE  DIFFERENT  RAILROADS. 

Below  we  present  a  complete  showing  of  the  shipment  of  grain, 
stock,  etc.,  by  car  loads,  from  Holt  County  in  1881,  excepting  from  the 
station  at  Corning  : 

Forbes — Wood,  945  cars  ;  walnut  logs,  33  cars  ;  native  lumber,  15 
cars  ;  hogs,  21  cars  ;  cattle,  3  cars  ;  corn,  20  cars  ;  wheat,  15  cars  ;  saw 
dust,  4  cars;  hoop  poles,  1  car.  Total,  1,057  cars.  Of  the  23  cars  stock, 
M.  Gelvin  shipped  14  cars.  J.  A.  Ross  was  the  heaviest  shipper,  as  his 
shipments  amounted  to  nearly  500  cars. 

Forest  City — Cattle,  120  cars  ;  hogs,  422  cars  ;  corn,  163  cars  ;  wheat, 
93  cars  ;  wood,  280  cars.  Total,  1,078  cars.  Number  of  local  tickets 
sold,  12,987. 

Bigelow — Cattle,  21  cars  ;  hogs,  24  cars  ;  wheat,  7  cars  ;  corn,  4  cars  ; 
native  lumber,  3  cars  ;  walnut  logs,  18  cars  ;  wood,  5  cars.     Total,  82  cars. 

Craig — Grain,  49  cars  ;  corn,  236  cars  ;  cattle,  85  cars  ;  hogs,  155  cars  ; 
horses,  1  car  ;  sheep,  1  car ;  flour,  6  cars  ;  walnut  logs,  1 1  cars  ;  wood,  3 
cars  ;  sundries,  9  cars.     Total,  556  cars. 

Maitland — Grain,  273  cars;  stock,  482  cars.  Total,  755.  cars. 
Received,  129  cars  lumber. 

Mound  City — Wheat,  132  cars  ;  corn,  149  cars  ;  cattle,  402  cars  ;  hogs, 
260  cars  ;  hay,  9  cars.     Total,  952  cars. 

Recapitulation — Grain,  1,157  cars  ;  stock,  2,001  cars  ;  wood,  1,233 
cars  ;  lumber  and  logs,  80  cars;  sundries,  9  cars.     Total,  4,480  cars. 


520  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

We  can  safely  estimate  that  Corning  shipped  250  cars,  or  a  total  of 
4,730  cars  of  grain,  stock,  etc.,  shipped  from  Holt  County  in  1881. 

RAILROAD    MEETING. 

Nearly  all  the  towns  in  the  county  have  railroad  facilities,  excepting 
Oregon,  the  county  seat,  which  is  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Forest  City, 
the  nearest  point  to  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Rail- 
road. The  citizens  of  Oregon,  realizing  the  need  of  the  town  in  this 
respect,  and  with  this  object  in  view,  met  at  the  court  house  on  the  20th 
of  December,  1881,  to  inaugurate  a  preliminary  movement,  looking  to 
this  end.  The  County  Paper*  speaking  of  that  event,  says  :  "  The  rail- 
road meeting  at  the  court  house  Tuesday  evening  was  largely  attended, 
and  a  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  G.  A.  Fiegenbaum,  George  Ander- 
son, E.  VanBuskirk,  James  Limbird,  J.  T.  Thatcher,  Clarke  Irvine  and  T. 
H.  Parrish,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  look  after  the  railroad  inter- 
ests of  our  city.  T.  H.  Parrish  was  chairman  of  the  evening  and  James 
Limbird  secretary." 

It  is  intended,  at  an  early  a  day  as  practicable,  to  build  a  branch 
road  from  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Road,  com- 
mencing at  a  point  where  the  starch  factory  of  James  B.  Payne  is  located, 
a  distance  of  two  and  a  half  miles,  to  Oregon.  The  probable  cost  of  its 
construction  will  be  $50,000  or  $75,000. 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

The  difference  between  the  pioneer  and  modern  school  house  is 
very  great. 

THE     PIONEER   SCHOOL    HOUSE 

was  built  of  round  logs,  the  space  between  them  chinked,  and  then 
daubed  with  mud.  About  five  feet  from  the  west  wall,  on  the  inside, 
and  several  feet  high,  another  log  was  placed  and  run  across  the 
building.  Puncheons  were  fixed  on  this  log  and  in  the  west  wall,  on 
which  the  chimney  was  built.  Fuel  could  then  be  used  of  any  length 
not  greater  than  the  width  of  the  building,  and,  when  it  was  burned 
through  in  the  middle,  the  ends  were  crowded  together ;  in  this  manner 
was  avoided  the  necessity  of  so  much  wood-chopping.  There  was  no 
danger  of  burning  the  floor,  as  there  was  none.  The  seats  were  made 
of  stools  or  benches,  constructed  by  splitting  a  log,  hewing  off  the 
splinters  from  the  flat  side,  and  then  putting  four  pegs  into  it  from  the 
round  side  for  legs.  The  door  was  made  of  clapboards.  On  either  side, 
a  piece  of  one  log  was  cut  out  and  over  the  aperture  was  pasted 
greased  paper,  which  answered  for  a  window.  Wooden  pins  were 
driven  into  the  log  running  lengthwise  immediately  beneath  the  win- 
dows, upon  which  laid  a  board,  and  this  constituted  the  writing  desks. 


RAILROADS,  SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES.  521 

In  those  days  there  were  no  public  school  funds,  and  but  little  pri- 
vate funds,  the  teacher  taking  his  pay  in  almost  anything,  such  as  potaT 
toes,  corn,  rails,  pigs,  chickens,  etc.  The  article  of  agreement  was 
something  like  the  following  : 

"Article  of  agreement  made  and  entered  into  this  9th  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1842,  between  John  Doe  and  the  undersigned  :  Witnesseth,  that 
the  said  Doe  agrees  to  teach  a  common  school  for  the  term  of  three 
months,  viz  :  spelling,  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic. 

"  The  undersigned  citizens  of  the  county  agree  to  pay  said  Doe, 
$1.50  per  scholar  ;  also,  to  furnish  a  suitable  house  and  firewood,  and 
board  said  Doe.  The  above  amount  may  be  paid  in  rails,  at  the  cus- 
tomary price  ;  one  third  to  be  paid  on  or  before  the  expiration  of  each 
month.     School  to  commence  when  twenty  scholars  are  signed." 

The  old  subscription  schools,  as  well  as  the  log-cabin  school  house, 
in  Holt  County,  are  now  numbered  with  the  things  of  the  past.  There 
are  now  (1882)  seventy-six  school  houses  within  the  limits  of  the  county 
— neat,  frame  edifices,  constructed  with  special  reference  to  the  wants 
and  demands  of  the  present  age.  Among  these  modern  requisites,  are 
light  and  ventilation,  which  are  so  necessary  to  the  health  of  the  pupils. 
Beside  these,  we  have  the  convenient  seat,  desk,  blackboard,  maps,  and 
a  number  of  other  helps,  which  are  considered  indispensably  necessary 
to  the  proper  training  and  instruction  of  the  youth,  and  above  all,  we 
have  the  teacher,  who,  while  he  may  not  be  superior  in  some  branches 
of  learning  to  the  pioneer  teacher,  he  has  had  a  wider  experience,  and 
has  the  advantage  of  imparting  in  a  more  easy,  practical  and  speedy 
manner,  the  routine  of  lessons  and  studies  which  are  now  taught. 

The  schools  in  operation  in  the  county,  number  eighty,  seventy-eight 
white  and  two  colored.  These  are  all  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  are 
as  well  attended  as  the  public  schools  of  any  county  in  the  state  in  pro- 
portion to  population. 

ENUMERATION   FOR    l88l. 

According  to  the  county  clerk's  report  for  the  last  year  (1881)  the 
enumeration  was  as  follows  : 

Males.  Females.  Total. 
No.  of  white  persons  in  the  county  between 

the  ages  of  six  and  twenty  years 2,881           2,655  5,536 

No.  of  colored  persons 43               43  86 


Total 2,954          2,698  5,652 

The  average  number  attending  each  day  in  summer 822 

The  average  number  attending  each  day  in  winter 2,348 

The  number  of  male  teachers  employed 68 

The  number  of  female  teachers  employed 49 


522  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

The  average  salary  paid  to  male  teachers,  per  month $38  00 

The  average  salary  paid  to  female  teachers,  per  month 30  00 

ANNUAL    DISTRIBUTION, 

Cash  on  hand  at  settlement  with  county  treasurer,  April,  1880.  $13,384  35 

Amount  of  revenue  received  from  state  fund  by  auditor's  war- 
rant of  1880 3,948  61 

Amount  of  revenue  received  from  county  funds  in  1880  (inter- 
est on  notes  and  bonds) 6,78 1   76 

Amount   of  revenue   received   from    township    fund    in    1880 

(interest  on  notes  and  bonds) 1,837  7^ 

Amount  received  from  district  tax  in  1880,  as  per  settlement 

with  collector,  March,  1881 23,350  64 

Amount  received  from  all  other  sources,  railroad  and  telegraph     1,698  97 

Total  amount  expended,  as  shown  by  settlement  with  county 

treasurer,  in  April,  1881 3 1,757   *4 

Cash  on  hand 19,244  95 

PRINCIPAL   OF   THE    VARIOUS    SCHOOL    FUNDS. 

* 

Amount  of  township  school  funds $  1 2,804  9° 

Amount  of  county  public  school  funds 66,323  61 

Other  special  funds 7,436  68 


Total $86,565    19 

Amount  received  during  the  year  for  fines  and  penalties 1,018  81 

This  has  been  disposed  of  by  loaning  it  out  on  approved  bonds  and 
mortgages. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  the  total  township,  county  and 
special  fund  amounts  to  the  sum  of  $86,565.10.  There  are  but  nine 
counties  in  the  state  which  make  a  better  showing  than  Holt.  These 
are:  Atchison,  which  has  a  total  of  $133,470.44;  Bates,  $90,385.46 ; 
Chariton,  $1 1 1,066.54  ;  Jackson,  $101,092.50  ;  Jasper,  $240,387.21  ;  Liv- 
ingston, $125,542  ;  Monroe,  $106,644.01  ;  Saline,  $132,967.08  ;  Nodaway, 
$943,352.88  ;  value  of  school  property  in  the  county,  $85,000.  In  this 
respect  Holt  surpasses  her  neighboring  counties.  The  value  of  school 
property  in  Andrew  and  Atchison  Counties  is  not  so  great.  The  wages 
paid  to  teachers  in  1880,  $18,849.31  ;  amount  paid  for  fuel,  $738.83  ;  inci- 
dental expenses,  $3,466.56  ;  past  indebtedness,  $4,290.35  ;  expended  in 
erection  of  houses,  $536.  The  number  of  institutes  held  are  twelve,  and 
they  are  held  one  day  in  each  month  at  different  places.  These  insti- 
tutes are  generally  well  attended,  there  being  present  from  twenty-five 
to  fifty  teachers. 


RAILROADS,  SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES.  523 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  article  that  the  fund  arising  from  the  sale  of 
swamp  lands  is  now  the  sum  of  $66,323.61,  as  mentioned  under  the  head 
of  "  Principal  of  the  Various  School  Funds."  The  interest  on  this  fund 
is  annually  collected  and  divided  pro  rata  among  the  schools  of  the 
county.  The  office  of  school  commissioner  was  made  a  separate  office 
in  1865.  Since  that  time  the  following  persons  have  filled  the  office  : 
Edgar  L.  Allen,  from  1865  to  1866;  Stephen  Blanchard,  1866  to  1870; 
Frank  Gordon,  1870  to  1872  ;  Erastus  Eyerly,  1872  to  1875  ;  Edward 
Anibal,  1875  to  1879  I  John  Anderson,  1879  to  1881  ;  John  Anderson, 
re-elected  in  1881. 

EARLY    CHURCHES   AND    MINISTERS. 

'■  You  raised  these  hallowed  walls,  the  desert  smiled, 
And  Paradise  was  opened  in  the  wild  " 

The  settlement  of  the  county  and  the  organization  of  the  first 
churches  were  almost  contemporaneous.  The  plow  had  scarcely  begun 
to  turn  the  sod,  when  the  pioneer  preachers  commenced  to  labor  in  the 
new  field.  In  the  Western  country,  as  well  as  in  the  Orient  and  the 
isles  of  the  sea,  marched  the  representatives  of  the  Christian  religion  in 
the  front  ranks  of  civilization.  Throughout  the  centuries  which  com- 
prise this  era,  have  the  Christian  missionaries  been  taught  and  trained 
to  accompany  the  first  advance  of  civilization,  and  such  was  their 
advent  in  Holt  County.  In  the  rude  cabins  and  huts  of  the  pioneers, 
they  proclaimed  the  same  gospel  that  is  preached  in  the  gorgeous 
palaces  that,  under  the  name  of  churches,   decorate  the  great  cities. 

It  was  the  same  gospel,  but  the  surroundings  made  it  appear  differ- 
ent, in  the  effect  it  produced  at  least.  The  Christian  religion  had  its 
rise,  and  the  days  of  its  purest  practice,  among  an  humble  minded  peo- 
ple, and  it  is  among  similar  surroundings  in  modern  times,  that  it  seems 
to  approach  the  purity  of  its  source.  This  is  best  shown  in  the  days  of 
pioneer  life.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  in  succeeding  times,  the  church 
has  attained  greater  wealth  and  practices  a  wider  benevolence.  Fur- 
ther, it  may  be  admitted  that  it  has  gained  a  firmer  discipline  and 
wields  a  more  general  influence  on  society,  but  it  remains  true,  in  pio- 
neer times,  we  find  a  manifestation  of  Christianity  that  we  seek  in  vain 
at  a  later  period  and  under  contrasted  circumstances.  The  meek  and 
the  lowly  spirit  of  the  Christian  faith — the  placing  of  spiritual  things 
above  vain  pomp  and  show — appear  more  earnest  amid  the  simple  life 
and  toil  of  a  pioneer  people,  than  it  can  when  surrounded  with  the 
splendors  of  wealth  and  fashion. 

But  we  may  take  a  comparison  less  wide,  and  instead  of  contrast- 
ing the  Christian  appearances  of  a  great  city  with  that  of  the  pioneers, 
we  may  compare  that  of  forty  years   ago  here  in  the  West  with  that  in 


524  HISTORY    OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  present  time  of  moderately  developed  wealth  and  taste  for  display, 
and  we  find  much  of  the  same  result. 

The  comparison  is  perhaps  superficial  to  some  extent,  and  does  not 
fully  weigh  the  elements  involved,  nor  analyze  them  properly.  We  sim- 
ply take  the  broad  fact  not  to  decry  the  present,  but  to  illustrate  the 
past.  So  looking  back  to  the  early  religious  meetings  in  the  log  cabins 
we  may  say  :  "  Here  was  a  faith,  earnest  and  simple,  like  that  of  the 
early  Christians." 

It  is  not  our  purpose,  at  this  place,  to  give  a  full  account  of  the 
organization  of  all  the  churches  of  the  county.  Such  matters  of  detail 
have  been  given  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  towns  and  town- 
ships. It  it  our  purpose  here  to  speak  only  of  the  early  churches  and 
ministers,  of  those  Christian  ministers  who  first  proclaimed  the  gospel 
of  Our  Saviour  in  Holt  County,  and  of  some  of  the  organizations  effected 
by  them,  and  of  the  trials  and  privations  which  they  suffered  in  common 
with  the  old  settlers  among  whom  they  labored. 

The  first  preacher  in  Holt  County  was  the  Rev.  G.  B.  Thorp,  a 
Hard-Shell  Baptist.  He  officiated  in  the  first  meeting  house  that  was 
built  in  the  county.  It  stood  on  section  36,  township  60,  range  38,  on 
Mill  Creek,  and  was  erected  in  1843.  The  building  has  long  since  dis- 
appeared. This  church  is  mentioned  more  fully  in  our  chapter  on  Lewis 
Township.  The  first  church  erected  in  Oregon  was  put  up  by  the  Bap- 
tists and  Christians. 

One  of  the  first  ministers,  to  officiate  as  such,  among  the  pioneers 
of  the  county,  was  Bishop  Marvin,  who  spent  the  early  years  of  his  min- 
istry in  Northwest  Missouri.  The  Bishop  was  then  a  young  man,  with 
headquarters  at  Oregon,  Holt  County,  and  laboring  in  behalf  of  the  M. 
E.  Church.  He  held  services  about  the  years  1842  and  1843,  in  the 
house  first  used  as  a  court  house,  now  occupying  the  corner  where 
William  H.  Sterrett's  store  stands.  When  in  Oregon  he  put  up  at  the 
house  of  William  Zook.  But  we  will  let  the  Bishop  tell  of  those  days 
when  he  labored  in  this  section  of  the  country.  In  1874  the  old  settlers 
of  the  Platte  Purchase  held  a  reunion  at  St.  Joseph.  Bishop  Marvin  had 
been  invited  to  be  present  upon  that  occasion,  but  owing  to  his  minis- 
terial duties,  which  called  him  elsewhere  at  that  time,  he  could  not 
attend.  He,  however,  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Col.  James  N.  Burnes, 
the  President  of  the  Old  Settler's  Reunion,  which  will  doubtless  be  read 
with  great  interest  by  all  who  knew  the  Bishop  and  who  are  familiar 
with  the  incidents  of  that  early  day  : 

2719  Lucas  Avenue,  St.  Louis,  September  3,  1874. 

James  N.  Burnes,  Esq.: 

Dear  Sir  and  Brother  :  I  have  just  returned  from  a  tour,  and  find 
yours  of  August  27th,  inviting  me  to  participate   in  the   reunion   of  the 


RAILROADS,  SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES.  525 

"  old  settlers  "  of  the  Platte  Purchase.  I  regret  that  I  did  not  know 
of  the  reunion  a  month  earlier.  In  that  case  I  could  have  arranged 
my  appointments  so  as  to  enable  me  to  be  present.  As  it  is,  I  have  an 
engagement  in  Dent  County,  which,  for  special  reasons,  it  is  necessary 
to  meet.  You  may  assure  your  board  that  no  circumstances  of  a  trivial 
character  would  prevent  my  acceptance  of  their  invitation. 

For  the  early  settlers  of  Northwest  Missouri  I  feel  a  regard  that 
amounts  to  enthusiasm,  and  increases  with  time. 

The  early  years  of  my  ministry  were  spent  in  that  part  of  the  state. 
In  1842,  I  passed  the  present  site  of  St.  Joseph,  on  the  way  to  a  field  of 
labor  quite  on  the  frontier.  It  embraced  all  the  country  west  of  Noda- 
way River.  You  will  remember  at  that  time  there  was  no  St.  Joseph. 
In  subsequent  years  I  labored  in  Clay,  Platte  and  Buchanan  Counties. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  uncalculating,  unbounded  hospitality  of  the  "old 
settlers."  Many  of  them  were  in  their  first  rude  cabins,  but  those  cabins 
had  the  rarest  capacity  for  entertaining  both  friend  and  stranger  of  any 
houses  of  their  size  I  ever  saw.  I  often  saw  them,  crowded,  but  to  the 
best  of  my  recollection  I  never  saw  one  of  them  full  ;  there  was  always 
room  for  a  fresh  comer.  I  recollect  once  in  the  Platte  Purchase,  I  was 
wedging  myself  into  a  bed  already  occupied  by  five  children,  when  one 
of  them  waked  sufficiently  to  exclaim,  "  Mamma,  mamma,  he's  a  scrougin 
me  !" 

You  will  yourself  remember  that  I  was  more  than  once  a  guest  at 
the  house  of  your  honored  father.  Bear  with  me  when  I  say  I  can  never 
forget  the  model  Christian  mother,  mistress  and  hostess,  who  presided 
over  the  domestic  scene  there. 

At  that  time  I  knew  many  men  who  did  not  know  me,  for  I  was  a 
mere  youth.  I  knew  they  were  great  as  compared  with  other  men 
I  knew,  but  I  had  a  fancy  that  the  great  men  were  in  the  east.  But  after 
many  years  of  extended  observation  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
I  heard  as  fine  a  specimen  of  political  speaking  in  Liberty,  in  1844,  by 
Colonel  Doniphan,  as  I  have  ever  heard  since,  and  that  the  country 
would  be  happy  if  the  balances  were  everywhere  held  by  hands  as  intel- 
ligent and  firm  as  those  of  the  pioneer  jurist,  David  R.  Atchison. 

Among  my  own  class  there  was  the  laborious  Redman,  the  scholarly 
Tutt,  the  impetuous  and  saintly  Roberts,  and  many  others,  now  dead. 
Nor  can  I  omit  the  name  of  the  incorruptible  and  courageous  Roberson. 
Some  are  still  living :  Holmes,  Perry,  Ruble,  Jordan,  Rush,  Spencer, 
Barker  and  others. 

There  was  a  man,  a  minister  of  Christ,  a  large  portion  of  whose  pub- 
lic career  belongs  to  the  Platte  Purchase,  of  whom  I  must  say,  he  was  in 
some  respects  the  most  remarkable  man  I  ever  saw.  I  refer  to  W.  G. 
Caples.  He  was  another  "  Agamemnon,  King  of  Men."  .  He  was  a  first- 
class  wit,  a  man  of  the  finest  social  feelings,  having  positive  ideas,  and  a 
great  end  to  accomplish.  That  end  was  the  extension  of  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  and  the  salvation  of  men.  In  his  view,  a  high  standard  of 
popular  education  would  contribute  to  this.  He  did  much  for  Northwest 
Missouri  in  establishing  schools  under  Christian  auspices,  and  although 
they  did  not  survive  the  war,  they  did  much  to  elevate  public  sentiment, 
and  have  left  an  influence  behind  them  that  must  be  permanent. 

Now  I  proceed  to  say  that  the  old  settlers  of  Platte  have  heard  as 
great   preaching  as  any  other  people  on  the  American  continent,  and 


526  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

from  the  lips  of  the  man,  Caples.  I  have  heard  more  scholarly  men, 
men  whose  sermons  evinced  higher  cultivation  and  a  better  classical 
finish  ;  but  for  power  of  argumentation,  for  philosophical  breadth  and 
sweep,  for  grandeur  of  conception,  for  greatness  of  imagination,  for  force, 
and  pungency  of  popular  appeal,  for  originality,  variety  and  opulence  of 
thought,  and  for  pathos,  my  conviction  is  his  superior  has  not  appeared 
in  the  American  pulpit. 

I  make  no  doubt  that  the  ministry  and  church  have  done  more  to 
quicken  thought  and  create  a  thirst  for  knowledge  in  the  west,  than  is 
generally  understood.  Ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  new  communities, 
being  above  the  average  of  people  in  culture,  and  dealing  in  truths  of  a 
character  to  elevate  the  mind  and  provoke  inquiry,  have,  as  an  incident 
of  their  calling,  toned  up  the  popular  mind,  encouraged  a  taste  for  read- 
ing and  created  a  demand  for  schools.  Such  a  man  as  Caples  cannot 
mingle  with  people  without  elevating  them. 

But  pardon  me.  I  had  no  thought  of  becoming  so  garrulous.  I  am 
getting  to  be  almost  an  old  man,  and  thoughts  of  the  old  times  have 
awakened  the  talking  mood  in  me,  until  it  seems  a  real  hardship  and 
self-denial  not  to  be  with  you  at  the  reunion.  It  is  thirty  years  since  I 
heard  Doniphan.  How  I  would  like  to  listen  to  his  utterances  on  this 
occasion,  when  old  memories  will  mellow  his  voice,  and  since,  as  I  doubt 
not,  Christian  sentiments  will  exalt  and  irradiate  his  conception. 

Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  present  to  the  "  old  settlers  "  my  pro- 
found regard,  and  express  to  them  my  deep  regret  that  I  cannot  greet 
them  on  this  pleasant  occasion,  for  there  are  many  whom  I  shall  never 
meet  again.  As  ever, 

E.  M.  MARVIN. 

Bishop  Marvin  died  in  1878. 

During  his  pastorate  in  one  of  the  St.  Louis  churches,  he  delivered 
his  famous  lectures  on  Catholicism,  which  have  ever  since  been  accepted 
as  a  standard  defense  of  the  Protestant  faith.  In  1876  he  sailed  as  one 
of  the  missionaries  of  his  church  to  visit  the  missions  in  foreign  fields, 
and  reurned  in  1877.  While  on  his  death-bed  he  finished  his  book,  the 
most  important  of  his  writings,  entitled  "  To  the  East  by  Way  of  the 
West,"  which  gives  an  account  of  his  voyage  around  the  world,  and 
describing  the  field  of  labor  in  heathen  lands.  About  the  same  time 
that  Bishop  Marvin  came  to  Holt  County,  or  soon  after,  another 
minister  of  the  gospel,  the  Rev.  W.  G.  Caples,  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  did 
missionary  work  in  Northwest  Missouri,  extending  the  field  of  his  labor 
to  Holt  County.  Mr.  Caples  was  an  earnest,  sincere  and  eloquent 
preacher,  and  did  much  for  the  cause  of  Christianity.  Bishop  Marvin 
speaks  of  him  in  laudatory  terms  in  the  above  letter.  Mr.  Caples  went 
to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  in  1852,  and  took  charge  of  the  M.  E.  Church 
South,  where  he  remained  for  several  years. 

Among  other  ministers  who  officiated  at  an  early  day  in  the 
county,  was  the  Rev.  Alexander  Spencer,  who  was  also  of  the  M.  E. 
Church. 


RAILROADS,  SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES. 


527 


The  Rev.  E.  A.  Carson  was  the  first  Presbyterian  clergyman  to  con- 
duct services  in  the  county.  Mr.  Carson  is  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  now 
resides  at  Savannah,  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty  years. 

The  first  Sunday  School  was  organized  by  the  Methodists.  Mrs. 
Sarah  Hill  raised  the  sum  of  $33  by  subscription,  to  buy  a  library  for 
this  school. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


FINANCIAL  AND  POLITICAL. 


Below  will  be  found  the  valuation   of  real  estate,  personal  property 
and  total  tax  each  year,  for  the  last  twenty-seven  years  : 


Years. 

Val.  Per.  Prop. 

Value  Real  Est. 

Total  Value. 

Total  Tax. 

1853.  ■• 

$139794 

$  147,200 

$  286.904 

$  1,084  5° 

1854.. 

212,275 

172,821 

385,196 

1,346  30 

1856. . . 

159,803 

460,892 

620,196 

1,767  98 

i860. . . 

263,120 

1,360,993 

1,624,113 

1862. . . 

253,260 

813.665 

1,067,935 

12,457  06 

1863.. 

142,065 

721,630 

863,605 

6,105   21 

1864. . . 

204,375 

804,000 

1,008,375 

20,371  86 

1865. . 

299,045 

867,610 

1,166,665 

1866. . 

376,625 

900, 1 1 5 

1,276,740 

25,376  68 

1867. . 

917,550 

1,665,580 

2,582,139 

28,597  36 

1868. . 

9°3>66o 

2,002,271 

2,905,931 

35,355  95 

1869. . 

1,021,185 

2,460,491 

3.5H,376 

52,235  86 

1870. . 

1,247.305 

2,789,419 

4,056,724 

85,446  29 

1871. . 

1,411,410 

2,616,889 

4,028,299 

75,753  36 

1872.  .  . 

1,325.203 

2,225,425 

3,850,628 

40,857  85 

1873.. 

1,746,821 

2,524,105 

3,824,985 

51,131  83 

1874.. 

1,291,541 

2,509,310 

3,890.851 

54,199  68 

1875.. 

1,253,108 

2,324,168 

3,567,276 

43.758  58 

1876. . 

1,421.915 

2,320,135 

3,742,050 

39,586  04 

1877.. 

1,572,660 

3,069,998 

4,642,658 

47,405  97 

1878.  . 

1,706,295 

3,060,440 

4,766,735 

43,129  09 

1881.  . 

1,664,766 

3,039,066 

4,713,832 

41,729  08 

1882.  . 

1,821,485 

2,734,170 

4.555,655 

COUNTY    REVENUE    FUND,  l88l. 


Amount  paid  Treasurer, $22,472  52 

Disbursements — 

By  warrants  drawn  on  fund, $1 1,965  31 

By  transfers  to  road  and  bridge  fund, 4,086  65 

By  transfer  to  poor  fund, t      1,11509 

By  grand  and  petit   jurors  and  grand  jury 

witnesses, 1,377  25 


FINANCIAL   AND    POLITICAL.  529 

ROAD   AND    BRIDGE   FUND. 

Amount  paid    Treasurer, $  9,807  59 

By  warrants  drawn  on  fund, $14,444  22 

PAUPERS'    FUND. 

Amount  paid  Treasurer, $  3,030  10 

By  warrants  drawn  on  fund, $  2,268  31 

Amount  of  principal  swamp  land  fund, 66,323  61 

Amount  of  principal  township  59,  range  37, .  . .  ,  742  20 

Amount  of  principal  township  60,  range  37, ...  .  948  32 

Amount  of  principal  township  61,  range  37, ...  .  1,035   l& 

Amount  of  principal  township  62,  range  37, ...  .  1,571   33 

Amount  of  principal  township  59,  range  38, .  . .  .  -    747  25 

Amount  of  principal  township  60,  range  38, .  . .  .  1,261  65 

Amount  of  principal  township  61,  range  38, ...  .  1,083  29 

Amount  of  principal  township  62,  range  38, ...  .  752   19 

Amount  of  principal  township  60,  range  39, ...  .  848  00 

Amount  of  principal  township  61,  range  39, .  . .  .  1,188  00 

Amount  of  principal  township  62,  range  39, ...  .  1,092  5 1 

Amount  of  principal  township  60,  range  40, ....  526  00 

Amount  of  principal  township  61,  range  40, .  .  .  .  503  00 

Amount  of  principal  township62,  range  40, .  . .  .  506  00   — $12,804  90 

School  fund  arising  from  fines  and  forfeitures,.  .  7,436  68 

Road  and  canal  fund, 775  66 

Internal  improvement    fund, 2.751  97 

Town  fund, 142  08 

The  amount  of  outstanding  warrants  in  the  county  amount  to  about 
$20,000.  J.  H.  C.  CURTIS,  Clerk. 

By  W.  H.  Richards,  Deputy  Clerk. 

An  abstract  of  the  assessor's  books  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  for  the 
year  1882.  L.  P.  GRAHAM,  Assessor. 

LAND     BOOK. 

Number  of  acres  of  land    277,457.45 

Number  of  town  lots 3.950 

Number  of  tracts,  land 4,400  value  $2,401,280 

Number  of  town  lots 3,95o  value       332,890 


Total 8,350  $2,734,170 

PERSONAL    BOOK. 

Number.  Value. 

Horses 6,147  $    241,645 

Asses .- 16  .          1,025 

Mules 1,727  84,825 

Cattle.....* 21,922  303,700 

Sheep 4,413  5,225 

34 


530  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

Number.  Value. 

Hogs 37,95 1  1 18,840 

Money,  notes,  bonds,  &c    654,805 

Bankers,  capital  stock 65,000 

All  other  personal  property 346,420 

Total  personal  book $1,821,485 

Total  land  book,  brought  down •  2,734,170 

Land  and  personal $4,555,655 

The  valuation  of  the  real  estate  in  the  different  towns  is  as  follows  : 

Oregon,  $98,975  ;  Mound  City,  $80,980;  Forest  City,  $45,945  ;  Craig, 
$43,180;  Corning,  $19,445  ;  Forbes,  $3,165  ;  Bigelow,  $10,550;  Maitland, 
$29,655  ;  Richville,  $720  ;  Whig  Valley,  $250  ;  Marietta,  $25. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  statement  that  Holt  County,  finan- 
cially, is  in  a  good  condition.  Her  debt  consists  of  county  warrants, 
which  will  be  paid  during  the  next  two  years.  These  amount  to  about 
twenty  thousand  dollars.  The  county  owes  no  other  debts  and  is 
entirely  free  from  bonded  indebtedness  to  railroad  or  foreign  corpora- 
tions. 

POLITICAL. 

• 

In  the  beginning  there  was  but  one  party  in  Holt  County — the 
Democratic.  The  distinction  of  Benton  and  anti-Benton  grew  up  later. 
There  were  a  few  old  Whigs  in  the  county,  but  hardly  enough  to  justify 
a  party  organization  until,  perhaps,  1850.  The  great  Benton  had  long 
foreseen  that  the  direction  in  which  the  ultra  pro-slavery  wing  of  the 
Democratic  party  led  was  without  the  pale  of  all  compromise.  Their 
cry  was  :  "  Slavery  is  national  ;  liberty  is  sectional,"  meaning  thereby 
that  the  condition  of  slavery  was,  under  the  National  Constitution,  such 
that  the  slaveholder  could  safely  convey  his  slaves  to  any  state  in  the 
Union,  under  that  clause  which  declares  "'  the  citizens  of  each  state 
shall  have  all  the  privileges  and  immunities  of  citizens  in  the  several 
states."  Benton  knew  that  this  must  lead  to  secession  and  war.  He 
had  a  very  large  following  in  Holt  County.  Indeed,  as  most  of  the 
early  settlers  were  from  the  border  states  of  both  sections,  their  sym- 
pathies were  with  him.  Gradually,  as  the  slave  interest  grew  stronger, 
the  anti-Benton  wing  became  of  greater  weight. 

As  no  newspaper  was  published  in  Holt  County  before  1857,  it  is 
difficult  to  get  at  the  facts  as  to  politics  in  Holt  County  prior  to  that 
date  to  ascertain  who  ran  for  offices  and  how  candidates  were  nomi- 
nated. In  truth,  the  geographical  position  of  Holt  County,  as  well  as 
the  character  of  its  population,  made  that  system  of  compromising 
called  by  the  radicals  of  all  parties,  "  carrying  water  on  bdth  shoulders," 
and  despised    by  them,  an    indispensable   condition    to    success.     The 


FINANCIAL   AND    POLITICAL.  53 1 

lighter  and  more  easily  a  man's  principles  sat  upon  him  the  more  prob- 
able his  success.  One  may  imagine  the  position  a  candidate  is  in 
between  two  factions  diametrically  opposed,  warring  against  each  other 
to  the  knife,  "  the  knife  to  the  hilt,"  and  whose  votes  he  must  have. 
What  they  want  is  "  principle."  What  he  wants  is  "  votes."  They  sus- 
pect him  for  a  rogue.  He  knows  them  for  fools,  or  thinks  he  knows  it. 
Such,  doubtless,  was  the  situation  and  opinions  on  one  occasion,  when 
the  war  between  Benton  and  anti-Benton  factions  raged  in  Holt  County 
at  its  highest  and  a  congressional  canvass  was  taking  place.  A  candi- 
date had  called  a  meeting  at  Oregon  to  discuss  the  situation.  A  certain 
overcoat  was  fashionable  at  that  time,  as  our  elder  readers  may  remem- 
ber, which  was  so  made  that  the  wearer  could  turn  it  inside  out  or 
outside  in.  When  he  desired  to  present  a  rough,  hairy  exterior  to  the 
people  or  weather  he  turned  the  soft,  smooth,  delicate  surface  inside. 
Buttons  all  arranged  to  suit.  The  candidate  wore  one  of  these  over- 
coats. When  he  rose  to  address  the  assembled  sovereigns  he  took  it  off 
and  requested  a  friend  among  the  expectant  hearers  to  hold  it.  Having 
spoken  with  his  usual  success  and  pleased  the  crowd  with  innumerable 
jokes,  he  subsided.  What  was  his  astonishment  when  he  saw  the 
"friend"  who  had  been  holding  his  two-sided  overcoat  raise  it  up  before 
J:he  crowd,  and,  explaining  to  them  the  style  of  garment,  remarked  : 
"Feller  Citizens  :  I  think  as  how  its  jist  about  this  way  with  the  Gin- 
era-1,  when  he  gits  with  a  Benton  man  he  wears  his  coat  th's  side  out  ; 
and  when  he  gits  with  an  anti-Bentonite  he  turns  it  tother  side  out,'' 
turning  the  coat  to  explain  his  meaning.  The  roar  that  followed  may 
be  imagined. 

The  first  election  of  a  general  character  ever  held  in  Holt  County, 
was  in  the  fall  of  1844.  The  order  of  the  county  court  provides  judges 
of  elections  for  three  or  four  townships.  A  congressman  and  some 
county  officers  were  to  be  voted  for.  In  1846,  July  6,  the  court  made 
provision  for  another  election  of  congressman  and  county  officers,  elec- 
tion to  be  held  at  Nodaway  Township,  at  Lewis,  Benton  and  Dallas 
Townships.  In  the  list  of  officials  the  officers  elected  will  be  found. 
The  county  court  regularly  made  provision  for  elections,  and  appointed 
judges  for  each  election  from  the  day  they  first  assembled.  The 
political  history  has  little  or  no  interest  until  we  approach  the  days  just 
preceding  the  rebellion.  General  James  Craig,  who  was  a  pioneer  set- 
tler of  Holt  County,  and  removed  to  St.  Joseph,  became  congressman 
from  the  district,  and  served  one  or  two  terms,  being  succeeded  by  Judge 
E.  H.  Norton,  of  Platte  County. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1857,  the  Holt  County  Neivs  was  established, 
and  to  its  files,  and  those  of  its  successor,  the  Sentinel,  to  as  late  as  1875, 
now  owned  by  Adam  Klippel,  of  Portland,  Oregon,  we  are  indebted  for 
much  of  the  following  information.     The  News  for  July  31,  1857,  informs 


532  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

the  people  that  there  is  to  be  an  election  held  for  governor,  supreme 
judge  and  a  circuit  judge,  and  "  that  the  election  will  be  held  on  one  day 
only."  We  learn  from' it  that  Colonel  Stewart  and  Major  Rollins  were 
the  two  candidates  for  governor,  Stewart,  anti-Benton,  Rollins,  Opposi- 
tion Independent.  The  contest  seems  to  have  been  hot  and  heavy.  The 
News  says  "  the  two  candidates  for  governor  came  to  blows,  over  at 
Gallatin,  last  week." 

The  official  vote  of  Holt  County,  as  published  a  few  numbers  later, 
was  as  follows  : 

Stewart.  Rollins. 

Lewis  Township 104  158 

Nodaway  Township ■ 11  6 

Benton  Township 74  14 

Dallas  Township 20  14 

Clay  Township 10  8 

For  Supreme  Judges — Gardenhire,  233;  Scott,  162;  Ryland,  330; 
Napton,  9  ;  Richardson,  313  ;  Adams  5  and  Noel  53  votes. 

For  Circuit  Judge,  Norton  received  397  votes,  there  being  no  oppos- 
ing candidate. 

The  population  of  Holt  County  is  given  as  follows  in  an  issue  of  the 
paper  in  the  fall  of  1857:  Males,  2,693;  females,  2,432  ;  slaves,  279; 
free,  2. 

The  returns  for  the  election  last  held  are  given  and  show  that 
Colonel  Stewart  was  elected  by  334  majority.  It  will  be  seen  from  the 
votes  that  the  anti-Benton  party  was  growing  to  be  the  stronger  wing. 
During  the  succeeding  year  there  was  the  usual  lull  in  political  matters 
that  follows  elections.  As  the  summer  of  1859  approached,  some  interest 
began  to  grow  up  concerning  the  coming  contest,  but  it  was  entirely  of 
a  local  nature.  At  this  time  the  Forest  City  Monitor  was  published  by 
J.  R.  Vanatta.  The  war  waged  during  the  summer  of  1859,  between  the 
two  papers,  the  sharpness  of  the  contest  turning  almost  entirely  on  the 
circuit  clerkship.  Mr.  Ellzey  VanBuskirk  was  the  incumbent  of  that 
office,  having  held  it  with  ability  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people  for 
several  years.  He  was  again  a  candidate,  and  his  cause  was  strongly 
espoused  by  the  News,  as  representing  its  own  and  the  Oregon  interests. 
The  Forest  City  interests,  or  rather,  the  newspaper  interests  on  the 
other  hand,  of  the  Monitor,  supported  Mr.  C.  C.  Hawkins.  It  was  sought 
to  get  up  some  political  feeling,  but  it  would  seem  from  the  newspapers 
that  the  matter  was  almost  entirely  local  and  personal.  This  was,  per- 
haps, the  sharpest  and  most  bitter  election  contest  that  ever  raged  in 
Holt  County.  The  other  offices  to  be  filled  were  supreme  judge  and 
county  clerk  and  surveyor,  but  the  whole  life  and  spirit  of  the  contro- 
versy was  around  the  circuit  clerkship.  A  thousand  things  were  said 
and  done,  as  usual  in  such  cases,  which  men  ought  to  laugh  at  afterwards, 


FINANCIAL   AND    POLITICAL.  533 

besides  learning  the  lesson  how  utterly  foolish  it  is  to  abuse  each  other, 
during  a  canvass  for  office,  before  the  people.  Let  all  other  things  be 
equal  and  it  is  certain  the  "  best  abused"  man  is  sure  to  be  elected. 
Moreover,  it  would  seem  to  be  the  fact  that  public  opinion  espouses  the 
old  legal  maxim,  "the  greater  the  truth  the  greater  the  libel."  Popular 
sympathy  grows  stronger  with  the  one  most  abused. 

The  result  of  the  election  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  August,  1859, 
was  that  W.  A.  Hall  received  in  Holt  County,  a  majority  of  750  votes 
over  all  his  competitors,  who  were  Ewingand  Adams.  For  circuit  clerk, 
VanBuskirk  got  a  majority  of  443  over  Hawkins.  For  county  clerk, 
James  Scott  received  a  majority  of  46  votes  over  the  other  two  candi- 
dates, George  E.  Glass  and  Daniel  David.  S.  C.  Collins  was  elected  sur- 
veyor without  opposition.  A  very  important  question  had  been  before 
the  people  at  this  time,  and  was  voted  on  at  this  election  :  "  Shall  the 
county  court  take  stock  in  the  Platte  Country  Railroad,  as  per  their 
order?"  The  exact  vote  on  this  question  seems  to  have  been  undeter- 
mined, nor  do  we  find  it  reported  in  the  papers  ;  but  from  subsequent 
proceedings  we  infer  that  it  was  not  carried.  The  whole  number  of 
votes  cast  at  this  election,  was   1,085. 

The  railroad  question  seems  to  have  been  warmly  agitated,  and 
many  meetings  were  held.  Men  without  any  property  to  be  taxed  spoke 
wildly  at  them  as  to  how  much  the  county  could  give.  Some  spoke  of 
donating  from  two  to  three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  As  the  popula- 
tion of  Holt  County  was  then  barely  five  thousand  souls,  of  whom  not 
over. four  hundred  paid  taxes  to  any  amount  worth  speaking  of,  this  was 
a  liberal  appropriation  of  other  people's  money.  The  Nezvs,  of  November 
20,  1859,  says:  "Twice  the  people  have  voted  on  the  question, 
'without  points,'  and  twice  defeated  it."  It  says,  "Let  the  points  be 
named,  sc  we  may  know  what  we  vote  for.  Three  points,  Oregon,  For- 
est City  and  Mound  City.  Our  motto  is  three  points  and  the  tax." 
During  the  whole  autumn  of  1859,  there  is  little  else  of  public  interest 
agitated  but  this  projected  railway,  to  go  through  the  Platte  Country  or 
Purchase,  as  it  was  originally  called.  On  the  17th  of  February,  it  was 
announced  that  the  stock  subscribed  by  the  county  court  was  to  be 
accepted,  and  operations  were  soon  to  commence,  and  on  February  24, 
the  News  says  :  "  The  stock  has  been  taken,  and  we  have  only  to  sub- 
mit and  trust  to  the  honor  of  our  county  court  to  protect  us."  The 
judges  of  the  county  court  at  that  time  were  Judges  Williams,  Canon 
and  Gordon.  The  subsequent  history  of  this  railroad  matter  was  brief, 
so  far  as  the  road  was  concerned  ;  long,  as  to  the  payment  of  the  bonds 
given.     The  outbreak  of  the  war  prevented  its  completion. 

It  is  rather  amusing  to  read  in  the  Holt  County  News,  of  March, 
i860,  an  editorial  like  the  following  :  "The  Hon.  Abel  Lincoln  has  been 
speaking  in  New  England  ;  fishing  for  a  nomination.     Being   uncertain 


534  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

as  to  success,  he  has  charged  from  $50  to  $200  for  every  speech."  So 
generally  unknown  was  that  man,  at  that  time,  whose  name  ere  twelve 
months  had  passed,  was  familiar  to  the  people  of  the  whole  civilized 
world. 

To  write  a  political  history  of  Holt  and  leave  out  the  once  forbidden 
topic  of  slavery,  would  be,  indeed,  to  play  Hamlet  and  leave  out  the 
character  of  Hamlet.  The  southern  people  habitually  boasted  of  their 
attachment  to  the  states  of  their  birth.  It  was  common  to  hear  men 
declare  with  enthusiam  that  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Missouri  were  there 
native  states  ;  but  rarely,  if  ever,  did  a  man  from  the  north,  when  asked 
as  to  his  nativity,  say  more  than  the  name  of  his  state. 

A  little  incident  will  illustrate  the  condition  of  feeling  between  the 
men  of  the  two  sections.  A  southern  man,  in  denouncing  a  certain  citi- 
zen through  the  paper,  had  ended  by  boasting  that  he  "  was  a  native  of 
the  glorious  State  of  Missouri,  and  had  there  been  educated.".  His  oppo- 
nent responded  :  "  The  Rev.  gentleman  boasts  he  was  born  in  the  State 
of  Missouri  and  educated  in  the  State  of  Missouri.  I  reply  that  I  was 
born  in  the  United  States,  and  that  I  learned  to  read  and  write  in  the 
United  States,  and  if  it  is  not  quite  so  large  as  Missouri,  it  is  just  as  good 
a  place." 

We  may  be  perfectly  safe  in  assuming  that  the  author  of  the  latter 
was  a  northern  man,  and  possibly  "  tainted  with  the  heresy  of  anti- 
slavery,"  as  it  was  then  styled.  Such  facts  and  one  we  shall  relate,  will 
show  the  undercurrent  of  feeling,  perhaps,  better  than  a  volume  of  dis- 
quisitions. While  high  above  and  all  outside,  every  appearance  indicated 
a  people  unanimous  for  what  was  called  "  the  South,"  a  deep  undercurrent 
had  set  in  that  was  sure  to  ally  Missouri  with  the  other  cause. 

The  autumn  of  the  year  1854  saw  Kansas  and  Nebraska  opened  up 
for  settlement.  Our  people,  owing  to  proximity,  were  more  interested 
in  Kansas.  Some  few,  however,  made  ventures  in  Nebraska,  promi- 
nently Mr.  Dick  Brown,  who  gave  the  name  to  the  very  important  town 
of  Brownville.  Some  few  engaged  in  the  so-called  "Border  Ruffian 
raids."  These  raiders  were  not  regarded  with  a  friendly  eye  by  the 
Benton  men,  and  were  but  few  in  number.  But  from  that  time  on  the 
differences  between  the  two  wings  of  the  party  in  Holt  County  grew  in 
number  and  intensity.  Meanwhile  there  grew  up  very  slowly  a  senti- 
ment hostile  to  slavery.  This  was  confined  to  new  comers  from  the 
eastern  states,  who  had  arrived  here  after  the  year  1855 -  No  party  was 
formed,  but  the  quiet  feeling  kept  growing.  Not  more  than  two  or 
three  persons  had  openly  avowed  their  anti-slavery  views.  An  incident 
that  occurred  will  illustrate  the  condition  of  the  feelings  and  the 
guarded  manner  in  which  the  Free  State  men  expressed  themselves. 
The  Southern  Methodists  were  represented  by  a  minister  of  most  ultra 
views  on  the  great  political  question.     He  was  eloquent  and  loud  in  his 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  535 

denunciations  of  the  Free  Soilers,  and  had  frequently  used  the  expres- 
sion then  in  common  use  :  "  If  those  people  do  not  like  our  institutions, 
let  them  leave  the  state.  They  are  not  obliged  to  stay  here,  but  are 
bound  to  submit  to  the  laws."  This  man  happened  to  be  a  strong  tem- 
perance man.  Moreover,  the  dram  shops  began  to  be  looked  upon  with 
an  evil  eye  by  the  most  radical  pro-slavery  men,  because  they  were  the 
only  places  where  people  did  freely  express  their  sentiments,  and  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  advocates  of  Free  State  "doctrines  very  often 
were  heard  talking  quite  openly  there,  and  some  of  them,  perhaps  for 
that  very  reason*  were  more  liberal  patrons  of  the  dram  shops.  This 
preacher  was  therefore  strongly  encouraged  by  the  other  class  to 
denounce  intemperance..  He  had  succeeded  in  getting  up  quite  a  tem- 
perance revival,  when  there  appeared  in  the  Holt  County  News  of  March 
10,  1859,  the  only  paper  then  published  at  Oregon,  the  following  com- 
munication • 
% 

Mr.  Editor  :  I  have  hitherto  hoped  that  we  of  Missouri  would  be 
left  free  from  the  fell  spirit  of  fanaticism  which  rages  so  much  in  the 
North,  especially  in  New  England,  but  I  very  much  fear  the  foul  conta- 
gion is  spreading.  On  a  Sunday  night,  lately,  I  attended  a  meeting  and 
was  astonished,  yes  indignant,  at  hearing  the  minister  pour  forth  the 
vials  of  his  wrath  against  one  of  the  most  important  and  peculiar  insti- 
tutions of  the  State.  I  mean  the  manufacturing,  wholesaling,  retailing 
and  drinking  of  intoxicating  liquors.  (I  never  did  like  to  see  a  preacher 
meddle  in  politics.)  Let  me  tell  the  reverend  gentleman  that  the 
selling  and  drinking  of  intoxicants  by  the  dram  is  licensed  by  the  laws 
of  Missouri  ;  that  these  high-toned  and  ardent  spirited  gentlemen 
engaged  in  the  traffic  pay  for  the  privilege  to  the  State,  and  let  me 
reiterate  that  the  dramshops  are  "  peculiar  institutions"  of  Missouri,  very 
peculiar  indeed,  as  not  over  four  or  five  States  thus  establish  them  by 
law,  and  being  peculiar  institutions,  are  they  not  therefore  sacred  ?  Let 
me  tell  him  that  not  less  than  one  hundred  million  dollars  are  invested 
in  the  liquor  business,  in  all  its  ramifications,  in  the  State.  Let  me  also 
tell  him  that  not  less  than  fifty  thousand  persons  in  the  State  are  engaged 
in  the  business,  or  deriving  subsistence  through  it.  Let  me  tell  him, 
and  he  may  wince  under  the  information,  that  this  peculiar  species  of 
property,  and  the  traffic  in  it  that  makes  him  so  indignant,  unlike  another 
kind  of  property  that  is  the  object  of  like  fanatical  assaults,  are  rapidly 
increasing  in  the  State,  thanks  to  the  encouragement  of  law.  What 
would  the  gentleman  have  ?  What  is  the  object  of  such  attacks  on 
tt»e  rights  and  property  of  so  many  persons  ?  Does  he  design  to  incite 
rebellion  or  insurrection  ?  Such  has  been  the  result  of  this  so-called 
temperance  agitation  wherever  allowed.  Perhaps  he  only  wishes  to 
reform  the  people,  but  let  him  beware  lest  he  is  attacking  rights  to 
property,  for  the  men  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  vending  of  spirits 
ardent,  vinous  and  malt,  have  largely  invested  their  capital  therein,  and 
if,  by  his  agitation,  the  demand  is  diminished,  the  value  of  their  property 
is  lessened.  Would  he  take  bread  out  of  their  mouths  ?  His  Bible  teaches 
him  more  charity.  I  do  not  uphold  the  abuse  of  liquor,  but  do  say  the 
use  of  it  is  favored  by  Scripture,  as  are  also  many  things  the  infidel,  fanat- 


536  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

icism  and  abolitionism  of  the  present  age  are  against.  Woe  to  the  land 
of  the  Puritans  for  its  heresies  ! 

It  is  a  pity  this  loud  talk  against  our  interests  is  apparently  allowed 
by  the  Constitution  of  Missouri,  an  unfortunate  section  of  which  guar- 
antees freedom  of  speech.  Its  framers  never  intended  that  section 
should  be  so  construed  as  to  allow  attacks  upon  vested  interests  or  law- 
ful trade. 

If  the  gentlemen  don't  like  the  laws  of  Missouri,  why  do  they  stay 
here  ?  Why  not  go  to*  Kansas,  or  some  other  wretched  land  where  fanat- 
icism has  full  sway,  and  the  ears  of  conservatives  are  deafened  by  the 
loud  tongues  of  women's  rights,  abolition,  temperance,  free  love,  freedom 
shriekers  ?  If  I  do  not  like  our  laws,  I  am  not  obliged  t*o  stay  here,  am 
I  ?  I  am  no  advocate  of  lynch  law,  but  I  do  say  that  unless  these  assaults 
on  lawful  traffic  and  property  be  nipped  in  the  bud,  there  is  no  telling 
where  the  spirit  of  fanaticism  may  lead  such  gentlemen.  The  next  thing 
we  shall  hear  of  some  political  preacher  denouncing  traffic  in  human 
beings — in  mothers  and  babes.  PRO-WHISKY. 

1 
So  unfamiliar  with  the  spirit  of  irony  were  the  people  against  whom 

this  missive  was  directed,  that  for  some  little  time  they  really  believed 
the  writer  was  earnestly  giving  his  sentiments.  Like  the  men  Sidney 
Smith  spoke  of,  it  "required  a  surgical  operation  to  get  a  joke  into  their 
heads."  Moreover,  it  was  word  for  word  in  the  very  language  custom- 
arily used  in  defending  slavery.  But  gradually  their  attention  was  so 
called  to  it,  that  it  began  to  operate  upon  them  as  doubtless  designed. 
Of  course,  it  delighted  those  whose  feelings  were  enlisted  on  the  other 
side.  They  from  the  very  first  had  understood  it,  and  for  some  time 
were  accustomed  to  call  themselves  "  Pro-Whisky "  men,  when  ques- 
tioned as  to  their  politics. 

The  attack  by  John  Brown  on  Virginia  had  the  effect  to  excite  ter- 
ribly the  pro-slavery  element,  and  to  place  the  moderate  men  at  a  great 
disadvantage  in  all  the  Border  States.  In  fact,  from  that  time  till  after 
the  war  began,  the  ultra  pro-slavery  men  had  all  the  advantage,  owing 
to  that  very  wild,  insane  act  of  Brown.  It  so  thoroughly  intimidated  the 
men  who  were  firmly  opposing  slavery  in  the  Border  States,  but  who 
knew  of  no  other  mode  of  action  than  that  by  and  through  the  laws  of 
the  land.  Men  dreaded  to  even  have  it  falsely  alleged  of  them  that  they 
were  incendiaries,  insurrectionists,  and,  under  the  laws  of  the  land,  mur- 
derers, or  that  they  were  even  suspected  of  sympathising  with  such  meiij 

Early  in  the  spring  of  i860,  the  Democratic  party  of  Holt  appeared 
to  be  unanimously  in  favor  of  Claiborne  F.  Jackson  for  governor,  and  its 
organ  declared  that  "  he  was  the  man  to  plant  the  flag  of  Democracy  in 
triumph  on  the  capital  walls  of  Jefferson  City."  The  paper  said  it  was 
a  dark  time,  and  the  outlook  for  'our  institutions'  was  most  gloomy." 
The  word  "institutions"  invariably  meant  slavery.  One  would  suppose 
that  all  the  interest  and  hopes  of  the  five  thousand  people  of  Holt 
County,  were  involved  in  the  status  of  two  or  three  hundred  black  men, 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  537 

women  and  children,  as  slaves.  Nevertheless,  the  party  that  so  absolutely- 
ruled  Holt  at  this  time,  expressed  itself  on  all  occasions  as  strongly 
devoted  to  the  Union,  proclaiming  it  was  their  "sole  hope  for  maintain- 
ance  and  continuance  of  our  institutions." 

On  the  14th  of  May,  the  Democracy  of  the  district  met  in  convention 
at  Plattsburg,  and  resolved  emphatically  :  "  The  Union  !  It  must  and 
shall  be  preserved,"  in  approval  and  confirmation  of  the  resolutions  and 
proceedings  of  the  Democratic  Convention  at  Jefferson  City,  held  April 
9th,  nominating  Judge  E.  H.  Norton  for  Congress.  Jackson  and  Rey- 
nolds and  the  whole  state  ticket  were  to  all  appearance  about  to  be 
unanimously  supported  by  that  party  in  Holt.  The  organ  of  the  party 
published  the  celebrated  letter  of  Yancy,  which  contained  the  expres- 
sion :  "Fire  the  southern  heart,"  that  became  a  proverb.  "  If  we  could 
do  as  our  father's  did — organize  committees  of  public  safety  all  over  the 
cotton  growing  states,  we  shall  fire  the  southern  heart,  instruct  the  south- 
ern mind,  give  courage  to  each  other,  and,  at  the  proper  moment,  by 
one  organized,  concentrated  effort,  we  can  precipitate  the  cotton  states 
into  a  revolution."  Such  were  the  concluding  words  of  this  missive,  and 
the  News  asks  the  people  of  Holt  if  they  are  "  willing  to  follow  these 
seceders."     It  strongly  denounces  the  position  taken  by  those  men. 

By  June,  the  various  parties  were  preparing  to  hold  their  conven- 
tions to  nominate  candidates  for  the  presidency,  and  the  anxiety  in  Holt 
was  most  profound — too  great  for  much  outward  show  of  excitement. 
The  Moderators,  that  remnant  of  the  old  Whig  party,  and  all  those  who 
would  not  vote  with  the  Democrats  on  any  terms,  of  whom,  by  this  time, 
quite  a  number  were  in  the  county,  were  delighted  to  learn  of  Bell  and 
Everett's  nomination  and  acceptance.  By  this  time,  the  Baltimore  con- 
vention was  in  session,  and  it  was  evident  had  Douglas  been  nominated 
with  any  kind  of  approach  towards  harmony,  he  would  have  been  cor- 
dially supported  by  the  Democracy  of  North  West  Missouri. 

The  News  of  June  29,  however,  which  had  shown  a  disposition  to 
sustain  him,  announces  the  disruption  of  the  Baltimore  convention,  and 
bitterly  blames  the  Douglas  delegates  as  the  cause  of  it.  It  says  "their 
assumptions  were  too  great  for  vassals  to  bear,  much  less  for  delegates 
equal  to  themselves.  They  had  the  might,  not  the  right,  to  bring  about 
the  result  which  they  sought,  as  they  were  from  states  that  rarely,  if 
ever,  cast  a  Democratic  vote  in  the  Electoral  CoUege.  We  now  have 
two  sets  of  candidates  in  the  field,  Douglas  and  Fitzpatrick  :  Brecken- 
ridge  and  Lane."  From  that  day  on  the  News  pursued  a  course  better 
suited  to  the  latitude  of  Alabama  than  of  North  Missouri.  In  a  few  days 
it  tore  down  the  names  of  Claiborne  F.  Jackson  and  of  the  others  on  the 
state  ticket,  denouncing  them  as  traitors  to  the  cause  of  Democracy. 
On  the  24th  of  June  Judge  Norton,  candidate  for  Congress,  and  Silas 
Woodson,  for  Circuit  Judge,  spoke  at  Oregon.     Col.  Branch,  who  ran  as 


53^  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

a  Republican  for  Congress,  was  "  sick  and  could  not  appear."  This  is  the 
first  inkling  we  had  that  any  one  had  ever  ventured  to  run  as  a  Repub- 
lican for  any  office  before  the  people  of  Holt.  But  the  bitter  hostility  of 
the  ultra  pro-slavery  Democrats  towards  the  Douglas  men  made  it  quite 
safe.  The  Bell  and  Everett  men  were,  on  all  occasions,  warmly  com- 
plimented by  the  Breckenridge  party,  while  even  the  Black  Republicans 
were  regarded  with  some  complacency  by  them,  as  contrasted  with  the 
advocates  of  "  Squatter  Sovereignty."  "  Anything  to  beat  Douglas." 
At  this  time  there  occurred  an  incident  that  might  have  caused  even 
bloodshed,  but  for  the  intense  anxiety  as  to  the  result  of  the  coming  elec- 
tion. A  colored  man,  named  Williams,  who  for  many  years  had  lived 
at  Council  Bluffs,  and  was  known  to  be  a  free  man,  was  kidnapped  and 
brought  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  escaped  and  was  soon  after  arrested  and 
confined  in  the  jail  at  Oregon  "  for  being  found  in  the  state  without  a 
permit."  While  there  confined,  previous  to  such  time  as  he  might  be 
sold,  under  the  statute  provided  in  such  cases,  Dr.  Blanchard  and  a  Mr. 
Gaston,  of  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  came  to  procure  his  discharge.  He 
was  taken,  by  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  before  Judge  Frazer.  The  two  wit- 
nesses, Blanchard  and  Gaston,  both  known  to  be  men  of  the  highest 
respectability  in  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  and  as  such  known  to  many  of 
our  citizens,  testified  as  to  their  knowledge  of  the  status  of  the  man,  but 
could  not  swear  as  to  the  place  of  his  birth  or  that  his  mother  was  a  free 
woman  when  he  was  born. 

The  court,  although  no  witnesses  appeared  against  the  man, 
remanded  the  poor  fellow  back  to  his  prison.  Great  excitement  arose 
at  Council  Bluffs.  Fortunately  the  congressman  for  this  district,  Gen. 
James  Craig,  a  man  well  and  favorably  known  to  every  man,  woman 
and  child  in  Holt  County,  where  he  had  formerly  resided  and  practiced 
law  at  the  county  seat,  had  a  brother  who  was  then  the  sheriff  of  Potta- 
wottomie  County,  in  which  county  Council  Bluffs  is  located.  This  man 
was  sent  by  the  people  of  that  town,  provided  with  authority  and  ample 
funds  to  act.  He  appeared,  procured  an  attorney  to  assist,  got  an  order 
from  Judge  John  F.  Williams,  who  resided  above  Mound  City,  to  bring 
the  prisoner  before  him.  Night  was  the  time  chosen  to  act.  The  jailor 
was  served  with  the  writ,  and  the  man  was  carried  before  the  judge,  sur- 
rounded by  a  guard  sufficient  to  overawe  any  attempt  to  take  him  off  by 
force.  The  judge,  in  five  minutes,  ordered  his  release,  and  he,  with 
sheriff  Craig,  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 

In  a  few  days  the  News  announced  that  Messrs.  Gaston  and  Blanch- 
ard, of  Iowa,  who  had  been  after  the  kidnappers,  passed  through  on  their 
return  home,  "with  the  scoundrels  in  irons"  who  had  been  guilty  of  the 
crime.  Justice  requires  us  to  add  that  it  rejoiced  over  their  capture, 
and    that   the    Southern  men  of  Southern  blood   and  politics   were  the 


FINANCIAL    AND   POLITICAL.  539 

most  indignant  and  enraged  ajt  this  daring  assault  upon  the  peace,  the 
laws  and  sacred  rights  of  man. 

The  excitement  of  this  political  contest  culminated  on  the  occasion 
of  the  meeting  at  Oregon,  on  Monday,  July  22,  when  nearly  all  the 
county  candidates  were  present.  There  were  Messrs.  Galen  Crow  and 
Samuel  R.  Young,  who  ran  for  representative.  Mr.  Young  had  held 
the  position  during  the  last  term,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people, 
was  well  known  as  a  Democrat  of  the  most  reliable  type,  but  did  not 
suit  the  new  school  now  dominating  the  South,  so  those  of  them  in  Holt 
County  invited  Mr.  Crowto  run.  There  were  the  candidates  for  several 
other  offices  present,  among  whom  were  Capt.  Williams,  of  Forest  City, 
and  Harris  and  Judge  Andrew  Meyer,  who  were  running  for  the  county 
court  judgeship.  There  also  was  Mr.  George  Lehmer,  a  merchant  of 
Oregon  and  a  Free  State  man  in  sentiment — personally  very  popular — 
who  was  a  candidate  for  sheriff.  These  all  spoke,  as  did  several  others. 
The  county  had  been  exhaustively  canvassed  by  this  time  ;  meetings 
had  been  held  at  every  important  point,  and  this  was  the  final  winding 
up.  It  was  very  largely  attended,  and,  to  the  surprise  of  some,  all  went 
off  quietly  and  with  good  humor.  On  Monday,  August  6th,  the  State 
election  was  held.  The  feeling  in  the  county  may  be  gathered  from  the 
vote  : 

For  Governor — C.  F.  Jackson,  (Douglas  Democrat,)  received  5°4 
votes  ;  H.  Jackson,  (Breckenridge  Democrat),  received  192  votes  ;  Sam- 
ple Orr,  (Bell  and  Everett),  received  258  votes  ;  Gardenhire,  (Repub- 
lican), received  173  votes. 

Congressman — E.  H.  Norton,  (Douglas  Democrat),  received  838 
votes  ;  Scott,  (Opposition),  received  364  votes  ;  Branch,  (Independent 
Republican),  26  votes. 

Circuit  Judge — Silas  Woodson  received  1,018  votes  ;  Pitt  received 
83  votes  ;  Wilson  received  104  votes. 

Sheriff — Emerson  received  425  votes  ;  Lehmer  received  348  votes  ; 
Poindexter  received  319  votes  ;  Harrol  received  176  votes. 

For  Representative — Hon.  S.  R.  Young  received  524  votes  ;  Galen 
Crow,  759  votes. 

Frazer,  Williams  and  Harris  were  elected  as  county  judges  ;  Chad- 
dock,  county  treasurer,  and  Collins,  assessor. 

Here  was  a  result  to  astound  men  who  up  to  this  time  thought  that 
they  represented  the  sentiments  of  a  great  majority  of  the  people  in 
Holt  County.  Out  of  nearly  twelve  hundred  voters,  they  could  poll  with 
all  their  efforts,  only  less  than  two  hundred.  Why,  the  despised  Black 
Republicans  polled  almost  as  many,  and  if  the  vote  of  Lehmer,  for  sher- 
iff, was  any  indication,  he  being  notoriously  a  Free  Soiler,  they  could 
even  beat  them.  This  would  have  served  as  a  quietus  to  any  but  men 
frenzied  by  fanaticism  ;  would  have  satisfied  them  that  their  politics  were 


54-0  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

utterly  unsuited  to  Holt  County.  They  called  a  great  Breckenridge 
Democratic  Convention,  for  September  ist,  to  meet  at  Oregon.  Their 
report  shows  that  the  attendance  was  very  slim,  but  that  "  they  expected 
no  more,  and  that  all  was  done  with  firmness  and  in  order."  The  most 
active  members  were  James  Foster,  J.  L.  Reynolds,  Dr.  Howard,  G.  IB- 
Thorp  and  James  B  Campbell.  A  club  was  organized.  The  Bell  and 
Everett  party  also  organized  a  club,  in  which  George  W.  Crow  and  a  Mr. 
Southall  figured.  The  Douglas  men  organized  also,  and  the  Hon.  S.  R. 
Young,  E.  VanBuskirk,  Levi  Zook,  Samuel  Word,  John  F.  Williams, 
Hiram  Patterson,  T.  W.  Collins  and  Dr.  William  L.  Gordon  figured  as 
active  members,  as  by  the  News  report. 

The  Courier,  of  Forest  City,  edited  by  A.  R.  Conklin,  was  a  Doug- 
las Democrat  organ,  and  boldly  maintained  its  views  in  spite  of  threats 
from  some  of  the  Breckenridge  men.  Later  in  the  progress  of  events, 
after  the  war  began,  Mr.  Conklin  was  set  upon  by  assassins,  who  fired 
upon  and  seriously  wounded  him.  These  assailants  were  moved  entirely 
by  their  hatred  of  his  course  as  a  "Union  saver." 

An  incident  worth  relating  for  its  novelty  and  daring,  is  the  fact  of 
a  Republican  meeting  having  been  held  at  the  court  house,  in  Oregon, 
on  September  28,  i860.  This  was  the  first  one  ever  held  in  Holt  County 
by  that  party.  The  speakers  were  announced  to  be  Dr.  Landon,  Repub- 
lican elector  of  Buchanan  County,  and  James  T.  Boynton,  editor  of  the 
Free  Democrat,  a  Republican  paper  of  St.  Joseph.  Mr.  Boynton  only 
spoke.  The  meeting  was  quite  well  attended,  and  especially  by  leading 
pro-slavery  men,  who  were  curious  to  hear  what  any  one  could  possibly 
say  in  favor  of  "  Black  Republicanism,"  as  they  invariably  called  it.  Mr. 
Boynton,  a  youth  of  about  twenty-three  years,  of  handsome  and  very 
prepossessing  appearance,  exhibited  wisdom  and  sagacity  far  beyond 
his  years.  Bold,  firm  and  clear  in  the  enunciation  of  his  views,  modest 
and  polite  before  so  many  enemies,  he  won  their  good  will  from  the  start, 
and  it  is  quite  certain  they  would  have  protected  him  had  any  one  ven- 
tured to  disturb  him  after  the  first  few  minutes.  The  Republicans  were 
delighted  at  his  manly  exposition  of  just  what  was  their  meaning  and 
designs.  The  young  man,  who  soon  after  left  this  country,  carried  the 
best  wishes  of  all  who  heard  him  on  that  occasion.  Of  his  subsequent 
career  little  or  nothing  is  known  to  us.  On  the  24th  of  September  Mr. 
T.  P.  Akers  made  a  memorable  speech  in  the  court  house.  He  was  an 
elector  on  the  Bell  and  Everett  side.  The  Breckenridge  men  glorified 
greatly  over  it  as  such  "a  flattener  of  Douglas  Squatter  Sovereignty  as 
would  injure  that  cause  in  Holt  County."  At  this  time  there  were 
scarcely  any  persons  in  Holt  County  who  were  avowed  adherents  of 
Lincoln's  cause.  Clarke  Irvine  and  the  Rev.  Stephen  Blanchard  had  long 
been  notoriously  open  and  avowed  Free  Soilers,  and  perhaps  had  the 
other  parties  been  asked  how  many  such  were  in  Holt  County  before 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  541 

the  recent  state  election,  they  would  have  responded  by  naming  only 
those  two. 

By  October  5,  the  Nezvs  gave  it  up  that  Lincoln  would  be  elected, 
and  advised  submission  to  him  until  his  first  overt  act  to  infringe  on  "our 
rights."  Soon  after,  Mr.  A.  R.  Conklin  took  hold  of  the  News  and  pub- 
lished it  for  a  short  time,  at  the  same  time  conducting  the  Cotirier,  of 
Forest  City.  As  early  as  December  1st,  we  find  the  two  papers  denounc- 
ing James  Buchanan  for  his  fatal  quiescence  while  secession  was  organ- 
izing, boldly,  its  plans  right  before  him.  A  rather  pertinent  question  is 
asked  by  the  editor  :  "What  will  Lincoln  do  ?"  We  give  the  reply  in 
Lincoln's  own  language,  because  of  its  very  striking  matter-of-fact 
expression,  its  terseness  and  fitness.  The  News  says  Lincoln  is  known 
to  be  a  very  firm  man  where  he  has  once  determined,  and  here  is  his 
reply  to  the  question  :  "  What  will  we  do  ?  Old  John  Brown  has  been 
hung  for  treason  against  one  state.  Though  slavery  is  wrong  and  he 
thought  he  was  right,  we  cannot  object,  for  he  was  guilty  of  bloodshed 
and  treason  against  a  state.  So  if  you  try  to  destroy  this  union,  it  will 
be  our  duty  to  deal  with  you  as  Old  John  Brown  was  dealt  with  by  the 
state  of  Virginia." 

By  December  15  the  thirty-seven  thousand  dollars  of  railroad 
bonds  had  been  thrown  upon  the  market,  the  company  realizing  but 
fifty  per  cent,  owing  to  the  secession  attitude,  and  half  the  working 
force  was  withdrawn. 

On  the  2d  of  February  the  News  had  again  changed.  A  Dr.  J. 
Robinson,  a  native  of  Maine,  but  an  old  citizen  and  a  rousing  secession- 
ist became  editor.  He  was  a  man  of  some  literary  attainments,  but 
seemed  overruning  with  bitterness  against  the  section  of  his  birth,  and 
indeed  it  had  been  a  fact  noted  for  years  that  the  most  intemperate 
proceedings  of  the  pro-slavery  party  were  instituted  and  conducted  by 
northern  men.  The  infamous  Slavery  Code  of  Kansas  that  made  it 
death  to  utter  certain  anti-slavery  sentiments,  or  to  aid  in  any  way  a 
slave  to  escape,  was  the  work  of  an  Ohio  man  ;  and  we  ought  never  to 
forget  that  millions  of  people  of  the  north  of  all  the  old  parties,  Whig, 
Democratic,  Knownothing,  native  American,  and  even  some  Abolition- 
ists gave  all  the  aid  and  comfort  they  could  by  words  to  the  secession- 
ists of  the  south.  These  are  facts  ot  history  well  for  us  to  bear  in  mind 
when  we  are  disposed  to  bitterly  inveigh  against  our  brethren  of  the 
south.  It  is  very  evident  that  the  secessionists  of  Holt  County  had 
determined,  in  spite  of  their  small  numbers,  to  have  things  their  own 
way,  trusting  to  the  greater  secession  element  throughout  the  state  to 
compel  the  lesser  to  gravitate  towards  it. 

A  state  convention  having  been  called  to  meet  on  February  18, 
1861,  it  was  announced  that  Messrs.  Singleton,  of  Andrew  County; 
Griffith,  of  Nodaway  County,   and   Baxter   and  Van  Buskirk,   of  Holt 


542 


HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 


County,  were  candidates  for  the  position  of  delegates  to  it.  The  News 
remarked  that  Mr.  Prince  L.  Hudgens  had  consented  to  run.  This  man 
and  Baxter  were  the  prime  favorites  of  the  secessionists.  Both  were 
ministers  of  the  gospel  and  eloquent  speakers,  Hudgens  being  a  man  of 
some  celebrity  as  such.  He  also  practiced  law  on  occasions,  uniting  the 
two  occupations  somewhat  as  did  the  more  famous  H.  Clay  Dean.  The 
declaration  of  the  secessionists  was  that  they  "were  not  in  favor  of 
secession,  but  that,  after  exhausting  all  means  of  compromise  of  pend- 
ing difficulties,  then,  in  case  of  failure,  if  the  other  border  states  go 
south  and  the  question  is  north  or  south,  with  the  south  we  will  go."  As 
several  of  the  states  had  put  themselves  out  of  the  Union,  as  they  said, 
and  perhaps  as  their  people  thought,  and  the  only  question  that  could 
come  up  was  that  of  compulsion  or  letting  them  go,  this  was  a  very 
plain  declaration  as  to  where  these  men  intended  to  carry  Missouri. 
The  bitter  contest  resulted  in  the  election  of  Van  Buskirk,  of  Holt 
County,  and  Wilson,  of  Andrew  County,  who  had  also  become  a  candi- 
date. 

The  News,  of  February  23,  announces  this  result,  and  adds  that  it  is 
uncertain  whether  Hudgens  or  Baxter  be  the  successful  one.  Hudgens, 
however,  was  chosen,  as  the  result  showed. 

The  sentiment  of  the  Douglas  men  was  well  explained  by  the  Cour- 
ier at  this  time,  which  said  that  "  if  Lincoln  discharges  his  duties  under 
the  constitution  so  far  as  our  institutions  are  concerned,  that  is  all  we 
ask."  Van  Buskirk,  the  delegate  to  the  convention,  was  an  outspoken 
Douglas  man,  and  the  secessionists  had  no  confidence  or  hope  in  him. 

We  find  that  at-  the  presidential  election  the  vote  of  Holt  was  thus  : 
For  Douglas,  453  votes  ;  for  Bell,  384  votes  ;  for  Lincoln,  202  votes,  and 
for  Breckenridge,  only  171  votes.  If  at  the  state  election  the  secession- 
ists were  astounded,  at  this  result  they  were  mortified.  However,  they 
could  count  on  two-thirds  of  the  Bell  men  in  their  later  efforts.  This 
gave  them  courage.  An  incident  at  Oregon,  just  after  the  news  of 
Lincoln's  election  enraged  them.  About  sunset  loud  guns  were  fired 
from  several  blacksmith  shops,  the  detonations  following  and  answering 
each  other  like  echoes.  "  What  means  this  ?"  they  asked.  They  were 
told  that  the  brawny  iron-armed  sons  of  the  anvil  were  rejoicing  at  Lin- 
coln's election  !  "It  was  time,  indeed,"  they  began  to  think,  "to  take 
some  measures  to  stay  the  progress  of  abolitionism,  lest  the  institutions 
of  Missouri  crumble." 

The  convention  which  had  met  immediately,  almost,  after  the  elec- 
tion, held  a  short  session  and  adjourned  in  March  to  meet  in  December 
at  Jefferson  City.  Its  proceedings  were  violently  denounced  by  the 
secessionists  of  Holt  County.  The  sentiment  of  that  body  was,  at  this 
date,  expressed  by  certain  resolutions,  that  declared  that  it  was  opposed 
to  any  step  being  taken  by  Missouri  looking  to  her  withdrawal  from  the 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  543 

Union,  and  opposed  to  "  coercion  by  force  of  arms."  Looking  back  on 
this  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  convention  felt  its  great  responsibility  and 
sought  to  preserve  the  peace  by  thus  seeking  to  placate  both  parties. 
But  see  how  rapidly  revolutions  educate  people  in  the  way  they  are  tend- 
ing. This  resolution  expressed  what  the  secessionists  of  Holt  County 
declared  was  their  intention  at  the  time  of  the  election  of  delegates,  but 
now  nothing  was  more  unsatisfactory.  At  the  same  time  the  Union 
men  were  just  as  rapidly  being  prepared  to  sacrifice  every  consideration 
in  favor  of  the  Union.  The  fight  in  the  convention  came  up  as  an 
amendment  to  the  resolutions  "  refusing  to  furnish  men  and  money  to 
aid  the  government  in  coercing  a  Confederate  state."  By  the  position 
men  took  on  this  it  was  clearly  seen  who  were  the  real  Union  men  and 
who  were  not  to  be  depended  on  in  that  great  crisis  now  approaching 
with  fearful  strides. 

Willard  P.  Hall  and  John  B.  Henderson  put  themselves  most  prom- 
inently before  the  people  as  opposed  to  that  amendment,  while  Prince 
L.  Hudgens  became  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  all  its  friends. 

Circuit  court  was  to  meet  Monday,  April  15,  at  Oregon.  We  know 
now  that  the  secessionists  secretly  and  very  quietly  prepared  what  is 
called  by  diplomatists  a  grand  Coup  d'  Etat.  Monday  was  to  be  for 
them  as  the  gathering  of  the  clans.  Everything  was  prepared  by  them 
for  such  an  exhibition  as  must  intimidate  the  enemy  by  its  moral  weight. 
Success  in  this  depended  entirely  on  the  impression  to  be  made  that  it 
was  impromptu — a  manifestation  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  from  the 
overcharged  hearts  of  an  almost  unanimous  people.  Of  all  this  no  Union 
man  had  even  a  suspicion. 

So,  when  court  met,  all  the  leaders  of  the  movement  were  there 
with  their  followers.  After  dinner,  when  it  was  time  for  court  to  reas- 
semble, it  was  suggested  to  the  judge  that  he  allow  the  room  to  be  occu- 
pied an  hour  or  so  for  political  purposes,  agreeably  to  an  old  custom. 
The  usual  number  of  suitors,  jurors,  witnesses  and  lawyers  were  in 
attendance  and,  on  that  first  day,  it  was  always  quite  large.  Besides 
the  local  attorneys  at  that  time,  Holt  County  being  connected  with 
Buchanan,  there  were  commonly  a  large  number  of  the  St.  Joseph  bar 
here.  On  this  day  there  were  present  very  many  lawyers  from  the  other 
counties  and  from  St.  Joseph.  The  complaisant  judge,  Norton,  gave  the 
opportunity,  as  requested. 

Mr.  Prince  L.  Hudgens  was  soon  upon  the  stand,  and  in  the  full 
flow  of  his  eloquence.  It  was  suggested  that  the  crowd  was  too  great 
for  the  room  ;  hundreds  could  not  get  in.  There  was  an  adjournment 
to  the  court  house  yard,  which  then  contained  a  thrifty  growth  of  young 
trees,  and  several  large  locusts  among  the  number,  sufficient  for  a  com- 
fortable shade  on  that  very  pleasant  afternoon,  where  the  orator  for 
hours  intoned  the  litany  and  creed  of  secessionism  before  hundreds   of 


544  HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

his  admirers  and  a  few  mere  lookers-on.  Hon.  Willard  P.  Hall,  of  St. 
Joseph,  was  present.  This  gentleman  was  known  as  one  of  the  foremost 
lawyers  in  the  State,  and  had  been  ever  most  highly  esteemed  by  all 
parties,  and  especially  by  those  with  whom  he  now  disagreed  so  strongly. 
Circumstances  were  pointing  to  him  as  likely  to  be  the  chief  of  the  Union 
men  of  Missouri.  His  course  in  the  convention  had  embittered  the 
Secessionists  against  him.  There  he  sat,  a  conspicuous  mark  for  the 
shafts  aimed  at  him  by  the  orator.  When  Hudgens  ended,  fair  play 
entitled  him  to  a  hearing.  Perhaps  it  had  been  pre-arranged  that  he 
should  be  put  upon  the  stand  to  be  insulted  unless  he  receded  from  his 
position.  He  spoke  with  extreme  moderation  ;  too  much  so,  for  the  days 
that  were  hastening  on.  But  of  all  things  to  be  dreaded  by  men  like 
him  at  that  time  was  the  least  suspicion  of  having  any  sympathy  with 
the  hated  and  unfashionable  "  Black  Republicans."  To  be  in  the  society 
of  one  of  them  was  intolerable.  Mildly  as  he  expressed  himself,  his 
arguments  were  too  strong  for  the  endurance  of  the  excited  Secessionists. 
Some  men,  who  had  heretofore  always  conducted  themselves  as  gentlemen, 
howled  and  hooted  at  him,  threatening  violence  against  the  "Union  saver."* 
He  showed  them  that  they  were  about  to  destroy  the  sole  protection 
slavery  had  in  all  the  civilized  world,  to  wit,  "  the  Union  under  the  Consti- 
tution," and  were  moving  the  Canada  line  towards  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
But  they  would  not  tolerate  even  that  talk.  Unionists  and  Abolition- 
ists were  to  them  the  same  thing,  and  he  was  obliged  to  desist.  It  will 
be  seen  that  in  a  few  days  these  men  were  loudest  in  their  denunciation 
of  the  slightest  restriction  on  free  speech,  when  the  tables  were  turned 
and  duly  organized  force  was  brought  to  bear  upon  them.  Thus  closed 
this  memorable  day  for  Holt  County.  Ere  another  session  of  court  was 
held  he  who  would  have  spoken  as  Mr.  Hudgens  did,  on  that  day,  would 
have  done  so  at  the  imminent  risk  of  his  life  ;  the  bold,  proud  leaders  of 
Secession  were  fugitives,  or  with  the  rebel  army  ;  the  few  who  held  the 
peculiar  property  comprehended  under  the  term  "  institution,"  were 
exiles,  their  slaves  virtually  free,  while  of  that  great  howling  mob,  whose 
maniiestations  so  delighted  the  active  intellects  who  created  the  dem- 
onstration, of  that  mob  two-thirds  were  armed  and  equipped  to  des- 
troy rebels  by  the  great  power  that  held  the  purse  and  sword  of  Govern- 
ment, and  ever  will  do  so,  namely  :  the  authorities  that  hold  the  offices 
in  due  course.  The  News  came  out  in  great  staring  capitals,  headed 
"  Glory  Enough  for  One  Day  !  "  "P.  L.  Hudgens  Speaks  !  "  ''Southern 
Rights  Triumphant  !  "  "  The  People  Speak  !  "  It  expressed  great  pity 
for  Mr.  Hall,  and  was  grieved  as  well  as  surprised  that  he  should  place 
himself  in  such  a  position. 

By  the  27th  of  April,  grim   visaged   war  was   indeed  visible.     The 
attack  on   Fort   Sumpter  and   the  call  for  75,odo  men  and  the  almost 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  545 

unanimous  uprising  of  the  whole  north,  showed  the  time  at  hand  when 
there  could  no  longer  be  any  shuffling  or  prevarication  by  any  person. 

The  busiest  man  in  our  district  was  the  Reverend  P.  L.  Hudgens, 
and  Dr.  Robinson  with  the  Rev.  Baxter,  were  most  active  in  the  county. 
The  grand  object  was  to  "  organize  military  companies  to  defend  our 
institutions — merely  to  act  on  the  defensive."  At  this  time  the  expres- 
sion, "Armed  Neutrality,"  was  much  heard  in  the  land. 

The  News  informs  us  that  '''  Whisky  Bob  Stewart  is  trying  to  hand 
Missouri  over  to  the  black  Republicans."  It  declares  that  "  we  of  Holt 
are  too  indifferent  in  this  work  of  forming  military  companies." 

In  May  (19th)  the  Netvs  admits  the  situation  is  considered  dangerous. 
Shortly  afterwards  the  paper  was  seized  by  Colonel  E.  Peabody,  and  a 
note  on  a  bit  of  brown  paper,  in  place  of  a  regular  issue,  mentions  that 
fact,  and  that  it  was  returned  to  James  Foster  July  24,  1861.  A  few  more 
issues,  under  secession  control,  inform  us  that  home  guards  are  organized 
at  Nickols'  Grove,  Mound  City,  and  other  points.  The  Harney  manifesto 
and  the  Price-Harney  treaty  are  commented  on  by  the  last  of  May.  The 
editor  raves  that  "  clanking  chains  are  around  him — fetters  are  on  our 
limbs — gags  in  our  mouths.  In  this  land  of  liberty  there  is  '  free 
speech '  no  longer."  By  the  22d  of  June,  all  pretense  of  even  neutrality 
was  thrown  off.  The  secessionists  of  Holt  cried,  as  did  they  all  in  other 
counties  :  "  Come  to  the  rescue — our  sacred  soil  is  invaded  by  the  armed 
minions  of  Lincolnism."  "  Vile  mercenaries  surround  us."  "  Citizens 
of  Holt !  Have  you  indeed  the  blood  of  freemen  in  your  veins  ?"  Gov- 
ernor Jackson  had  called  for  fifty  thousand  men,  and  the  state  authori- 
ties were  at  open  war  with  the  government  of  the  Union.  A  strong 
federal  force  was  at  Kansas  City,  and  Jackson  was  at  Arrow  Rock  with 
two  thousand  men.  The  state  convention  had  been  called  to  meet  on 
Monday,  July  23d.  It  would  seem  that  the  loyal  people  of  the  north- 
western counties  had  become  nerved  up.  The  News  of  July  20th  says  : 
"Among  the  persons  taken  at  Maryville  by  the  Lincoln  mob,  were  the 
sheriff,  and  county  and  circuit  clerks.  So  it  seems  that  the  Lincoln 
minions  are  assailing  county,  as  well  as  state  authorities  ?"  This  issue  is 
presumably  the  last.  J.  W.  Biggers  is  proclaimed  as  the  editor,  and  his 
career  was  like  that  of  the  rocket. 

From  this  time  on,  the  condition  of  society  in  Holt  County  was  by 

no  means  pleasant.     The  men  who  had   insisted   on  bringing  affairs  to 

this  crisis,  who,  from  destroying  free  speech,  and  even  thought  on  one 

subject,  had  come  to  the  most  absolute  intolerance  on  all  questions  that 

displeased  them,  were  now  in  turn  silenced.     Then  came  the  role  of  the 

assassin.     Foolish,  ignorant  men  !     Every  bed  they  prepared  for  others, 

.they  had  to  lie  upon  themselves.     A  few  men  of  education,  some  culture 

and  ability,  taught  doctrines  that  demoralized  the  masses  ;  set  examples 

that  recoiled  terribly  on  their  own  heads.     It  should  be  a  lesson  forever 

35 


546  HISTORY   OF    HOLT    COUNTY. 

of  the  feartul  responsibility  resting  on  men  who  are  looked  up  to  as  lead- 
ers in  society.  . 

For  a  short  time  the  most  prominent  men  of  either  party  had  to 
take  their  departure  alternately,  according  as  the  power  of  the  one  or 
the  other  preponderated,  till  finally  the  secessionists  had  to  leave  entirely, 
and  even  those  suspected  of  the  least  sympathy  were  not  safe.  Perhaps 
the  occasion  that  did  most  to  open  their  eyes  to  the  possibilities  they 
seem  never  to  have  dreamed  of,  was  the  visit  of  Colonel  Peabody  with 
some  United  States  troops,  at  Oregon.  A  sentinel  was  quietly  at  night 
placed  at  the  doors  of  each  disloyal  man.  In  the  morning  they  found 
themselves  prisoners. 

The  attempted  assassination  of  Mr.  Conklin,  editor  of  the  Forest 
City  Courier,  and  the  killing  of  a  Mr.  Smith,  east  of  Oregon,  were  fearful 
examples  set  by  those  whom  we  must  now  call  rebels.  By  the  autumn, 
nearly  all  the  men  in  Holt  County  capable  of  bearing  arms,  were  either 
gone  from  home  in  the  Union  or  rebel  service,  or  were  organized  into 
active  militia  at  home.  The  government  of  the  state  was  soon  in  the 
hands  of  Union  men.  The  Provisional  Militia  and  six  months'  men  did 
splendid  service  in  preserving  order,  and  holding  Missouri  fast  to  the 
Union.  When  their  time  expired  the  Missouri  State  Militia  was  organ- 
ized for  the  war,  armed  and  equipped  and  paid  by  the  general  govern- 
ment. Holt  County  contributed  far  more  than  her  quota  to  the  Union 
service,  as  her  military  history  will  show.  Her  political  condition  was 
one  of  extreme  quiescence.  She  was  entirely  under  control  of  the  fed- 
eral power.  Disloyalists  in  sentiment  had  great  hope  until  after  the 
battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  by  which,  though  at  first  encouraged,  they 
came  finally  to  be  cast  down.  There  was  literally  no  political  agitation 
in  Holt  County  for  a  long  time. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1862,  the  Missouri  State  Militia  had  been 
organized,  and  a  large  number  of  the  most  active  men  in  the  county, 
among  those  left,  entered  Companies  B  and  F,  of  the  Fourth  Missouri 
State  Militia  Cavalry  Volunteers,  W.  S.  Canon  being  Captain  of  Company 
B,  and  Alfred  Walters,  of  Company  F.  George  W.  Kelly,  son  of  the 
Colonel  Kelly,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Holt  County,  was 
major  of  the  regiment,  and  George  Hall,  brother  of  Willard  P.  Hall,  was 
Colonel.  Large  numbers  entered  other  companies.  Later  Company  C, 
of  the  Ninth  Missouri  State  Militia,  was  organized,  and  composed  almost 
entirely  of  Holt  County  men,  Lieutenant  Samuel  Patterson  acting  as 
captain. 

Throughout  the  county  the  slave  property  became  demoralized 
almost  in  the  very  beginning  and  passed  into  Kansas.  Bands  of  men 
called  "  Jayhawkers  "  visited  Holt  County  from  Kansas  or  Nebraska, 
with  some  citizens  of  the  county  to  guide  and  instruct  them.  This  was 
the   opportunity  of  a  bold  and   reckless  class  and  they  were  quick  to 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  547 

seize  upon  it.     Horses,  mules  and  money  were  the  real  object,  punish- 
ment of  rebels   and   freedom  of  the  slaves  the   pretext.     It   would    be 
curious   to  know  what   must   have   been   the   reflections  of  these  men, 
especially  the  largest  slaveholders,  on  the  condition  during  the  winter 
and  spring  of  1861-2.     It  is  not,  possible  that  their  wildest  suppositions 
ever  proposed    the   sudden,  overwhelming   revolution   in    their  affairs. 
Those  who  created  the  demonstration  in  the  Court  House  Park  on  that 
memorable  Monday  in  April  were  now  fugitives  or  exiles,  their  property 
scattered  to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth.     In  June,  1861,  rejoicing  as 
over  permanent  triumph  at  such  petty  affairs  as  the  invasion  by  Pace  of 
Oregon,  capture  of  the   court  house  and  raising  of  a  rebel  flag  there- 
upon, a  fact  that  consolidated  the  Union  element  of  the  county  ;    in 
July  astounded  unspeakably  at   the  sight  of  United  States  troops   in 
their  midst  and  bewailing  the  loss  of  their  liberties.     Still  they  could 
assemble  at  various  parts  of  the  county,  make  plans  and  give  each  other 
counsel.     Accustomed  to  ride  on  horseback,  many  of  them  passed  much 
time  in  that  way.     But  all  this  was  ended  after  the  jayhawkers  visits. 
Thenceforth  they  had  to  go  on  foot.     This  stroke  secured  the  peace  of 
the  county.     After  that  there  was  no  more  danger  of  collisions  between 
bands  of  Union  and  rebel  men.     Later,  the  encouragement  given  to  the 
class  of  men  engaged  in  plundering  reacted,  and  the  time  came  when  the 
owner  of  good  horses  and  mules  was  denounced  as  a  rebel  and  robbed, 
regardless  of  his  real  status.     Some  men,  as  late  as   1865-6,  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  that  peace  had  returned,  and  regarded  those  who  differed 
from  them  as  without  the  protection  of  law.     A    notorious    person,  who 
had  been  indicted  for  robberies  and  murderous  assaults  perhaps  twenty 
times  during  the  war  and    the  year  following,   and  had   escaped  by  the 
confusion  of  the  times,  was   finally  punished  by  imprisonment  for  some 
smaller  offense,    and  broke  jail.     It  is   almost  amusing  to  read  that  as 
late  as  the  spring  of  1867  some  county  officials,  a  militia  major  and  other 
prominent  citizens  of  an  adjoining  county,  in  another  State  whither  he 
had  fled,  issued  a  certificate  to  the  good  people  of  Holt  that  they  "  knew 
him  to  have  been  a  'truly  loyal'  man  during  the  war,  to  be  a  good  cit- 
izen and  a  man  of  good  character,  and  that  his  prosecution  is  malicious, 
and  his  sentence  should  be    remitted."     It  is  well  to  note,  too,  that  the 
very  radical  newspaper,  of  the  most  ultra  radical  Republican  county  of 
the   State,  the  Holt  County  Sentinel,  publishing  this,  replied  :     "  Cer- 
tificates of  loyalty  during  a  rebellion  some  years  ago  are  no  excuse  for 
crime  to-day,  and  this  man  of  good  character  is  a  fugitive  from  justice." 
This  affair  is  at  once   a  proof  how  far  demoralization   had  gone,  and  of 
an  early,  happy  convalescence. 

Politically,  of  course,  new  men  had  come  to  the  fore — men  who,  in 
the  former  state  of  things,  never  could  have  had  an  opportunity  of  recog- 
nition.    At  such  times  it  is  always  the  radical  element  that  rules,     The 


54§  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

county  officers  were  entirely  changed.  Then  might  be  witnessed  the 
growth  of  a  sentiment  that  should  compel  the  abolition  of  slavery.  At 
this  point  began  the  divergence  between  conservative  unionism  and 
radicalism.  Here  began  the  basis  of  the  two  parties  that  were  to  con- 
tend for  several  years  over  the  conduct  of  the  war  and  reconstruction 
after  peace.  Among  a  people  so  homogeneous  as  ours,  what  takes  place 
in  each  county,  illustrates  the  general  spirit.  One  very  striking  fact  is 
that  some  men  who  had  been  known  in  the  state  as  most  unrelenting, 
slaughter-breathing  secessionists,  became  in  a  few  days  the  very  incar- 
nation of  hate  towards  the  rebel  cause.  Charles  D.  Drake  is  an  illustra- 
tion of  this,  as  in  another  state  is  General  Logan.  Mr.  Drake  had  most 
to  do  with  shaping  the  course  of  events  for  a  few  years  in  Missouri. 
Strange  to  say,  those  who  had  been  noted  as  anti-slavery  men  and  sup- 
porters of  Lincoln,  such  men  as  Blair,  Brown  and  Gardenhire  became 
the  representatives  of  a  milder  sentiment.  The  efforts  of  the  adminis- 
tration to  hold  the  border  states  and  the  need  of  conciliating  and  court- 
ing the  representatives  of  those  opposed  to  it,  to  the  neglect  of  those 
who  stood  bound  and  pledged  to  that  administration,  may  account  for 
this. 

Mr.  B.  F.  Loan  was  elected  to  Congress  from  this  district  as  a  Rad- 
ical Republican,  and  the  successor  of  Judge  Norton.  He  represented  it 
two  terms  and  figured  among  the  most  extreme  of  the  fiery  Radicals. 
Those  who  pursued  a  conservative  course  in  the  convention  and  else- 
where, became  so  unpopular  that  their  moderation  which  had  preserved 
Missouri  to  the  Union  was  forgotten  or  disregarded  by  that  element  that 
succeeded  those  who  by  direct  felo  de  se  had  left  the  places  of  power 
vacant.     Mr.  A.  G.  Hollister  was  chosen  as  representative. 

The  examples  of  violence  and  outrage  set  by  the  defunct  faction 
were  unhappily  followed  and  improved  upon,  if  such  a  word  may  be  used 
in  this  connection.  In  1863,  a  large  number  of  those  who  had  been 
misled  into  rebellion,  as  well  as  some  few  who  had  misled  them,  desired 
to  return  "home" — to  that  place  to  which  in  all  times  of  despair  the 
human  heart  is  sure  to  turn.  But  for  them  it  was  home  no  longer.  It 
was  the  fortress  of  enemies.  Only  by  entering  the  Union  service  and 
donning  the  blue  uniform,  could  their  persons  be  made  safe.  Many  did 
so.  A  few  who  did  not,  but  ventured  to  remain,  were  driven  out  or 
'assassinated.  The  Union  men  were  alarmed  at  the  idea  of  these  men 
returning.  They  feared  that  they  might  influence  many  doubtful  per- 
sons through  the  county  to  join  with  them  in  resisting  the  government, 
little  knowing  how  entirely  broken  in  spirit  and  changed  these  people 
were.  During  1863-64,  a  lawless  spirit  was  rampant.  Martial  law  pre- 
vailed. Property  was  destroyed  and  lives  taken  in  some  cases,  at  some 
places  within  the  county  and  along  its  borders.  In  the  autumn  of  1862,  an 
order  had  been  issued  by  the  military  authority  controling  the  district, 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  549 

General  Loan  commanding,  which  was  very  generally  directed  to  the 
loyal  men,  requesting  them  to  meet,  organize  and  disarm  every  suspected 
person  and  house.  This  was  literally  and  thoroughly  obeyed.  There- 
after the  people  known  as  sympathizers  had  no  arms,  and  were  liable  to 
be  abused  by  whoever  might  do  so.  They  were  completely  at  the  mercy 
of  ruffians,  and  often  indebted  for  safety  to  those  whom,  in  their  days  of 
pride  and  power,  they  most  despised.  Men  found  generous  friends  or 
mean,  treacherous  enemies  often  where  they  least  expected. 

After  the  expiration  of  the  Provisional  Militia  service  the  whole 
ablebodied  force  of  the  state  was  organized  into  the  Enrolled  Missouri 
Militia.  Holt  County  had  several  companies.  On  occasions  men  from 
these  companies  were  detailed  to  go  on  duty  at  various  points  within  the 
state.  The  Gamble  government,  that  had  succeed  d  upon  the  anarchy 
left  by  the  Jackson  rule,  was  deemed  conservative.  This  was  a  loyal 
government,  true  to  the  Union  and  the  Constitution  to  the  death.  But 
there  was  slavery,  the  everlasting  bone  of  contention,  even  when  no 
slaves  were  left.  Now  there  were  Union  men  and  Union  men — one  class 
for  the  extirpation  of  slavery,  the  other  "  for  the  Union  as  it  was." 
"  What,"  exclaimed  the  former,  "  the  Union  as  it  was  !  Rebels  back  in 
power!  Slavery  reinstated  !  Never!  From  this  height  to  which  they  have 
driven  us,  through  fire  and  blood,  we  have  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  prom- 
ised land,  and,  by  all  the  powers  of  heaven  and  earth  and,  if  it  need  be, 
hell,  to  that  glorious  land  shall  we  carry  this  people."  The  others 
regarded  these  as  "  impracticables — insane."  Yet  who  does  not  see  now 
that  had  the  Union  been  restored  at  any  time  after  "  Bull  Run,"  ere 
three  months  the  whole  South  must  have  been  overrun  by  vast  armies 
of  men,  with  fire  and  sword,  and  the  whole  land,  perhaps,  drenched  in 
the  blood  of  civil  war.  Bull  Run  rang  the  death  knell  of  slavery,  and 
thenceforth  the  war,  sectional  in  character,  pursued  its  course.  The  lead- 
ing Union  men  of  Holt  County  were,  almost  to  a  man,  Radical.  Oregon 
was  the  center  of  Radicalism.  When  the  next  presidential  election  came 
round,  Lincoln  and  McClellan,  the  opposing  candidates,  such  was  the 
condition  that  it  was  as  much  as  a  man's  life  was  worth  to  openly  declare 
himself  for  McClellan,  at  Oregon.  At  Forest  City  a  different  temper 
was  manifest.  The  vote  stood  as  follows,  and  is  a  perfect  indication  of 
the  great  changes  wrought,  the  condition  of  sentiment  prevailing  at  the 
different  precincts  and  the  general  feeling.  The  whole  vote  of  the  county 
stood  as  follows:  Lincoln  received  673  votes,  and  McClellan  received  81 
votes. 

By  an  order  of  the  new  convention,  all  offices  of  the  county  were 
vacated  about  May,  1865.  The  places  of  the  incumbents  were  filled  by 
appointment  by  the  governor.  Radicalism  had  triumphed  in  the  State. 
Conservatism,  which  no  doubt  had  held  the  state  for  the  Union,  was  now 
hated  by  the  dominating  spirit  which  was  born  and   nurtured   through 


550  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

and  by  hatred  of  slavery.     Each  spirit  in  its  turn  had  served  the  cause 
of  the  Union,  and  been  necessary  to  it. 

During  the  winter  of  1863-4,  and  summer  and  fall  of  1864,  there  was 
often  a  very  riotous  and  reckless  feeling  manifested  by  some  militia  men, 
and   returned  or  furloughed  soldiers,  encouraged   by  some  excessively 
loyal  men,  who  had  remained  at  home.     The  Gamble  Government  being 
conservative,  had  retained  or  enlisted   as  much  of  the  Missouri  State 
Militia  as  possible,  with  sentiments  akin  to  its  own.     The  more  violent 
regiments  or  companies  it  sought  to  disband.     It  kept  the  Missouri  State 
Militia  under  control  of  the  more  conservative  officers  as  much  as  possi- 
ble.    One  regiment  (Penick's)  had  been  disbanded.     New  regiments,  or 
whole  companies,  of  old  ones,  had  been  enlisted  from  those  people  called 
"  paw-paws  " — people  who  being  southern,  but  not  secessionists,  or  former 
sympathizers,  or  deserters,  or  discharged  from  the  Confederate  service, 
had  been  driven  from  their  poor  homes,  and  had  subsisted  on  paw-paws 
in  their  retreats.     The  conduct  of  some  of  the  Enrolled  Missouri  Militia 
companies  was  such  that  complaints  were  frequent.     Inebriety,  rioting, 
violence  of  every  description,  were  the  usual  condition  at  some  points 
where  they  were  stationed.     A  common  occurrence  was  for  some  of 
these  men  to  assail  some  harmless  sympathizer,  abuse  him,  and  only 
release  him  on  his  treating  them.     Old  men  and  cripples  were  often  the 
victims  of  these  "braves."     Such  things  were  common  in  Holt  County. 
Warned   in  vain   repeatedly,  that   the   government  would  disarm   them 
unless    they    preserved  order,   and    proved    more  subordinate   to   their 
officers,  the  state  authorities  finally  compelled  them  to  surrender  their 
arms  to  the  Paw-paw  Militia.     This  created  a  bitter  and  vindictive  hate, 
that  gratified  itself  in  blood.     Captain  Markwell,  who  had  been  commis- 
sioned as  captain  of  one  of  the  companies   that  had   been   recruited  in 
place  of  a  disbanded  one,  was  murdered  in  cold  blood  by  a  few  men  who 
met   him  a  few  miles  north  of  Oregon.     He  was  deliberately  shot  down 
by  the  hand  of  murderers  as  ruthless  as  any  that  ever  dogged  the  life 
from  man  ;  murdered  as  a  sympathizer  with  rebellion  by  men  who  them- 
selves were  in  open,  flagrant   rebellion    against   their   own   constituted 
authorities.     Captain    Markwell    had    very  early  seen   the   futility  and 
hopelessness  of  the  rebel  movement,  and  had  so   entirely  changed  his 
views,  that  he  was  now  enthusiastically  sustaining   Lincoln's  Emancipa- 
tion Proclamation.     On  the  very  day  of  the  disarming  of  the  insubordi- 
nates,  he  had  halted  his  command  just  before  it  left  town,  and  requested 
them  to  give  three  cheers  for  the  Union.     It  was  heartily  given.     "  Now 
three  cheers  for  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation,"  and  the  response 
was  three  hearty  cheers.     This  man  was  loyal,  with  a  high  loyalty  his 
murderers   could    never  understand.     When  the  report  of  his   murder 
became  known  in  Oregon,  no  darker  hour,  dark  with  horror  and  appre- 
hension, ever  rested  over  its  people. 


FINANCIAL    AND   POLITICAL.  55 1 

It  became  so  certain  that  the  war  must  end  with  the  Union  saved, 
as  early  as  1864,  that  the  people  of  Holt  soon  began  to  find  affairs  set- 
tling down  into  the  regular  order.  Population  began  to  come  in  and 
people  began  to  breathe  freely.  Militia  business  became  at  a  discount, 
and  men  of  great  military  (militia)  genius,  disappeared  reluctantly  from 
the  public  gaze.  One  of  the  first  evidences  that  peace  was  returning, 
was  the  efforts  made  to  establish  a  newspaper.  In  June,  1865,  (30th  day) 
appeared  the  first  number  of  the  Holt  County  Sentinel,  under  the  man- 
agement of  Charles  W.  Bowman,  a  Holt  County  boy,  who  had  been 
connected  with  the  News  in  old  days.  A  remark  in  his  introduction 
will  show  how  matters  were  :  "  There  is  a  fine  line  drawn  between  radical 
union  men  in  Holt,  severing  them  in  twain — a  line  so  fine  we  can  not 
tell  where  it  begins  and  where  it  ends.  We  ought  not  to  be  able  to  draw 
such  a  line  between  loyal  men,  on  the  question  of  loyalty.  On  this 
there  is  one  question  only— a  man  is  a  patriot  or  a  traitor.  There  is  no 
neutral  ground.  If  a  man  wishes  to  be  thought  loyal,  he  will  act  with 
radical  Republicans.  If  he  is  a  rebel  outright  or  a  sympathizer,  mark 
if  he  does  not  identify  himself  with  the  Conservatives."  This  latter  part 
is  inconsistent  with  the  former.  The  iron  clad  oath,  we  are  told  by  the 
Sentinel,  must  be  taken  within  sixty  days  after  the  4th  of  July,  1865,  by 
all  voters,  attorneys,  bishops,  priests,  deacons — all  officers,  trustees, 
directors,  etc.  This  oath  was  such  that  no  one  who  ever  sympathized 
could  take  it.  Moreover,  it  provided  for  punishing  any  such  that  might 
take  it.  An  innocent  suspect  dare  not,  for  he  was  sure  to  be  indicted. 
The  constitution  and  oath  were  the  work  of  Drake.  Nothing  but  great 
public  danger  could  have  justified  such,  an  oath.  The  danger  was  over 
and  here  it  was.  It  was  the  law  until  it  might  be  declared  unconstitu- 
tional. No  hope  for  the  disfranchised  until  the  party  in  power  should 
fall  in  two  from  its  very  magnitude.  Blank  oaths  of  loyalty  were  adver- 
tised and  being  sworn  was  the  order  of  the  day.  Many  farms  at  this 
time  were  advertised  for  sale  that  were  owned  by  men  who  dare  not 
return  home,  or  felt  it  was  unsafe  to  stay  here.  Land  never  was  so  cheap. 
The  main  political  question  was  whether  we  should  grant  the  ballot  to 
the  negro.     On  this,  the  radicals  of  Holt  were  almost  a  unit  in  its  favor. 

Over  500  men  had  left  Holt  County  to  enlist  under  the  Union  ban- 
ner, and  about  one-half  of  our  citizens  had  gone  into  the  rebel  service, 
and  the  population  was  quite  small.  Though  the  war  was  ended,  yet 
our  soldiers  had  not  all  been  discharged.  We  notice  that  Governor 
Fletcher,  of  Missouri,  at  that  time  threatened  to  "  sternly  enforce  the 
law  as  to  the  oaths  of  preachers  and  teachers  !"  So  says  the  Sentinel. 

Railroad  talk  revived  and,  in  September,  1865,  it  was  announced 
that  Phelps  proposed  to  take  the  contract  to  build  from  Council  Bluffs 
to  St.  Joseph.  Questions  of  some  political  interest  in  connection  there- 
with came  up  later. 


552  HISTORY  OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

Rumors  were  thick  as  to  brigands  and  robbers,  during  the  fall  of 
1865  and  for  a  year  later.  Men  banded  together  and  visited  those  obnox- 
ious to  them,  ordering  them  to  leave  the  country  and  robbing  them  of 
such  valuables  as  they  could  find.  Men  of  southern  proclivities,  who 
had  served  in  Union  armies  and  returned  home  with  honorable  dis- 
charges, were  peculiarly  liable  to  such  visitations.  Many  of  them  lived 
under  constant  apprehensions,  prepared  to  hide  at  a  moment's  notice. 
A  visit  to  John  C.  Hinkle's  house,  by  a  band  of  these  cowardly  villains, 
who  began  to  abuse  a  quiet,  civil  man  they  found  there  and  robbed, 
caused  Mr.  Hinkle  to  fire  upon  them  from  his  concealment.  Of  course 
the  robbers  fled,  some  of  them  crying,  "  Don't  shoot — for  God's  sake  !  " 
This  affair  caused  great  excitement.  Good  men  felt  that  this  condition 
of  things  must  end.  The  Sentinel  exclaimed  :  "No  man  can  be  safe. 
Shall  this  county  be  ruled  by  thieves  ?"  An  old  citizen,  Mr.  J.  D.  Perkins, 
had  visited  Holt  County  to  sell  some  land.  He  was  stopping  for  a  few 
days  with  Mr.  Poindexter,  at  Forest  City.  He  had  received  a  large  pay- 
ment, and  one  night  was  aroused  from  his  sleep  by  armed  men,  in  his  room, 
who  demanded  his  money.  Not  satisfied  with  what  they  found  they  took 
him  out  to  hang  him  in  the  street,  having  surrounded  the  house  and  thus 
imprisoned  the  occupants.  In  the  darkness  and  confusion  the  old  man 
slipped  away  from  the  robbers.  Mr.  Perkins  hastily  left  next  day,  after 
describing  them.  "  They  are  well  known  to  be  in  our  midst,"  the  Sen- 
tinel  said.  Such  was  the  general  intimidation  that  nothing  was  ever 
done  towards  punishing  the  depredators.  It  may  not  be  improper  to> 
state  here  that,  nearly,  if  not  quite,  all  the  ring-leaders  in  the  worst  of 
these  affairs  met  with  disgraceful  ends — some  with  bloody  deaths. 

In  January,  1866,  the  great  question  was  as  to  who  should  be  "super- 
intendent of  registration."  Should  it  be  one  who  would  sternly  enforce 
the  oath  called  "iron  clad,"  and  discourage  those  who  were  "tainted  ?" 
The  very  fact  that  some  men  held  such  a  position  was  enough  to  deter 
the  timid  from  registering  their  names.  On  the  other  hand,  if  a  man 
held  the  place  who  was  not  exactly  "all  right"  himself,  what  a  prospect 
was  this  for  the  weak  and  feeble  opposition  to  gather  strength.  This 
was  the  most  interesting  question  to  the  various  counties  for  no  little 
time.  Captain  Edgar  H.  Allen  was  proposed  very  generally,  and,  soon 
after,  received  the  position.  At  this  time  there  were  signs  of  a  split  in 
the  one  party  that  ruled  the  county.  The  Sentinel  expresses  itself  as 
satisfied  with  the  result  of  the  convention  that  nominated,  unanimously, 
Captain  Allen  for  superintendent,  but  promises  to  handle  some  men 
without  gloves  hereafter.  At  this  time  Mr.  A.  M.  Swan  has  arrived  in 
Holt  County,  and  proposes  to  stir  up  old  Fogydom,  on  the  questions  of 
roads,  bridges,  schools,  an  academy  for  Holt  County,  a  soldiers'  monu- 
ment, a  brass  band,  railroads,  sidewalks,  a  history,  general  modes  of 
doing  business,  weights,  measures,  wages  and  some  other  matters.     He 


FINANCIAL    AND   POLITICAL.  553 

and  Mr.  I.  C.  Buzic,  of  Mound  City,  began  to  move  actively  in  politics. 
Prior  to  this  time  and  just  before  the  end  of  the  war,  the  Radical  man- 
agers had  laid  their  plans  to  hold  the  soldier  vote.  The  greater  majority 
of  the  soldiers  had  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  before  the  war.  How 
very  easy  it  would  be  to  have  them  vote  that  ticket  again,  unless  means 
were  taken  to  prevent  it.  And  it  must  be  confessed  that  there  was  not 
that  bitter  animosity  in  the  breasts  of  soldiers  towards  the  "moderates 
and  conservatives"  that -existed  among  the  civilians.  The  manner  in 
which  this  policy  was  carried  out  was  long  seen  in  the  vote  that  gave 
Holt  County  the  title  of  "Banner  Republican  County  of  Missouri."  The 
first  principle  of  that  policy  was  "give  all  the  offices  to  returned  soldiers 
who  have  influence  with  their  comrades."  By  neglect  of  the  same 
policy,  some  counties  were,  ere  long,  about  equally  divided  between  the 
two  parties. 

The  only  political  excitement  in  the  spring  of  1866,  was  the  quarrel 
between  President  Johnson  and  Congress.  A  great  mass  convention 
was  called  for  March  24,  headed,  "Shall  Rebels  Rule  the  Nation  ?  Shall 
Freedmen  again  be  at  the  Rebels'  mercy  ?  Shall  traitors  and  Copper- 
heads shake  hands  in  the  capitol  of  our  nation  over  'the  Union  as  it  was 
— the  Constitution  as  it  is  ?'  These  are  the  tremenduous  questions  of 
the  hour."  Meetings  were  held,  and  there  was  much  speaking  and 
resolving  against  Johnson  "for  his  veto  of  the  Freedman's  Bill  and 
addressing  a  rebel  mob  and  being  applauded  by  it."  Radical  Congress 
clubs  were  organized  and  holding  celebrations  where  Johnson  was 
denounced  as  false  to  the  principles  of  the  party  that  elected  him. 
Swan,  Buzic,  Markland,  Irvine,  I.  C.  Parker,  of  St.  Joseph,  and  Mr.  Sher- 
man of  the  same  place  spoke  at  the  meetings  and  clubs. 

Daring  robberies  were  frequent  all  over  the  country.  Guerrillas  in 
open  day  perpetrated  their  acts  of  violence  and  rapine  occasionally.  It 
was  then  some  men  learned  with  what  ease  and  impunity  a  few  can  enter 
a  town  and  rob  the  surprised  citizens.  Some  wondered  that  no  one  had 
as  yet  originated  the  art  and  mystery  of  robbing  railroad  trains  and 
doubtless  at  this  time  was  planted  the  seed  of  what  later  did  result  in 
systematic  train  robbery.  The  stage  was  robbed  one  afternoon  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  county.  Two  passengers  only  were  in  it,  Mr.  A.  M. 
Swan,  and  a  Mr.  Clark,  of  Illinois.  A  few  days  previous,  Swan,  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  William  Kaucher,  the  sheriff,  and  A.  N.  Ruley,  had  been 
robbed  by  these  men,  in  the  afternoon,  as  they  were  coming  to  Oregon 
in  a  carriage. 

In  July,  1866,  the  Sentinel  urges  that  "the  Germans  should  have 
recognition  by  the  radical  party.  Holt  County  had  been  settled  thirty- 
five  years.  It  would  have  been  settled  as  many  centuries  by  some  people 
ere  it  would  have  produced  a  respectable  apple  or  a  domestic  grape,  but 
for  the   Germans."     II    was    declared    by  some  one  in  its  columns  that 


554  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

"  when  natives' assumed  the  traitor's  badge,  or  occupied  neutral  ground, 
and  the  few  loyal  men  knew  not  which  way  to  turn  for  consolation  or  for 
comfort,  and  the  spies  of  secession  were  moving  everywhere  on  the  hunt 
for  true  men  to  spot  and  destroy  them,  the  sound  of  the  German  lan- 
guage was  always  the  music  of  the  Union  and  the  brogue  of  Hans 
synonymous  with  friendship  and  freedom." 

The  early  part  of  the  campaign  of  the  fall  of  1866  was  very  bitter 
between  the  friends  of  Parker,  and  Loan,  of  St.  Joseph,  on  the  congres- 
sional question.     Finally  Parker  withdrew  and    ran  for  circuit  attorney. 

The  November  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Loan  for  congress- 
man, Buzic  for  representative,  Captain  Allen  for  circuit  clerk,  Captain 
Roecker  for  sheriff,  Davis  for  county  clerk,  Captain  Baskins  for  superin- 
tendent of  registration  and  Bonham,  of  Andrew  County,  was  elected 
state  senator. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  condition  of  parties,  we  give  the  vote  :  The 
whole  vote  cast  was  807 — Loan  received  762  ;  Hawley,  opposition,  got 
45.  The  contest  of  this  election  turned  mostly  the  question  of  bolting 
a  nomination  or  two,  and  there  was  some  bitterness  displayed  by  friends 
of  the  bolting  candidates  and  the  others — all  confined,  however,  within 
the  only  party  then  controlling  or  manifesting  existence. 

The  first  suggestions  about  building  a  poor  house  were  made  during 
the  autumn  arid  winter  of  1866  and  1867.  The  president  vetoed  the 
freedman's  bill,  and  gave  parties  ground  for  difference.  The  radicals  of 
Holt  and  the  Northwest  failed  not  to  use  this  veto  as  a  lever.  Repre- 
sentative Buzic,  in  the  House,  offered  resolutions  endorsing  the  propo- 
sition of  Congressman  Loan,  to  impeach  the  president.  When  party 
split  rages  high,  he  who  rails  loudest  is  most  popular  in  his  faction.  At 
such  times,  very  ordinary  men  come  to  the  fore.  Throughout  the  land 
those  who  denounced  the  president  most  became  most  conspicuous  for  a 
time.  This  was  the  political  complexion  until  after  the  impeachment 
trial,  and  the  blind  rage  of  men  subsided. 

The  railroad  was  no  longer  a  political  question.  It  was  now  com- 
pleted to  Bartlett  from  Council  Bluffs,  and  the  directors  had  agreed  to 
finish  it  to  St.  Joseph.  By  February,  1867,  it  was  announced  that  the 
company  had  forever  abandoned  all  idea  of  using  the  old  roadbed 
because  of  its  worthless  construction  and  the  heavy  grade  of  its  route. 
The  bottom  route  was  adopted,  because  it  was  almost  perfectly  level. 

The  dramshop  question  was  more  strongly  agitated  during  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1867  than  ever  before  or  since.  Petitions  against 
license  poured  into  the  county  court.  Those  favorable  to  license  took 
the  ground  that  the  court  could  not  refuse  to  license  if  the  party  asking 
it  complied  with  the  requirements  of  the  law  in  all  respects.  Those 
opposed  maintained  that  the  power  of  the  court  was  absolute,  and  that 
though  every  voter  in  the  county  petitioned  for  license  the  court  might 


FINANCIAL    AND   POLITICAL.  555 

lawfully  refuse.  The  discussion  before  the  court  occupied  two  days. 
The  decision  was  averse  to  the  granting  of  licenses.  The  case  was  car- 
ried to  the  supreme  court,  which  affirmed  the  decision  of  the  county 
court,  declaring  the  whole  matter  as  to  not  granting  the  license  was 
entirely  within  the  power  of  county  courts. 

The  bill  to  grant  state  aid  to  railroads  passed  the  legislature  this 
session.  There  was  some  talk  as  to  the  propriety  of  this  among  the 
people  of  Holt  County,  and  for  the  first  time  they  had  their  attention 
directed  to  the  influence  of  corporations  over  legislation,  and  how  that 
influence  over  their  members  zuas  obtained.  The  seed  of  future  agitation 
on  the  Grange  subject  was  planted  here. 

The  alarm  from  guerillas  had  by  no  means  subsided,  and  reports  of 
terrible  outrages  were  frequent  from  neighboring  counties.  A  certain 
toast  drank  in  the  streets  of  Easton,  Missouri,  by  a  robber  band,  became 
proverbial  among  some  classes  for  a  time.  It  ran  thus  :  "  Here  is  luck 
to  the  man  that  pulled  the  trigger  that  fired  the  gun  that  killed  the  man 
who  freed  the  nigger." 

Efforts  were  made  to  get  more  aid  for  railroads.  Three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  were  asked  for  from  the  people  of  Holt  and  adjoining 
counties.  St.  Joseph  granted  $210,000  out  of  thisamount.  One  speaker, 
at  a  meeting  in  Holt,  said  he  would  ask  its  people  for  only  $25,000,  in 
consideration  of  how  much  they  had  lost  from  the  previous  grant.  Some 
one  very  pertinently  asked,  through  the  papers,  "If  the  Platte  Country 
Railroad  Companygot  $1,100,000  and  expended  only  $500,000  in  build- 
ing a  worthless  roadbed  and  ran  off  with  the  remainder,  after  going 
before  us  pledged  to  finish  the  work,  what  security  have  we  that  Joy  & 
Co.  will  do  any  better  ?"  By  this  time,  August  9,  1867,  the  Missouri 
River  had  left  Forest  City,  and  the,  people  were  practically  without  a 
landing,  so  it  was  very  necessary  to  have  a  railroad. 

The  impeachment  of  the  President  was  the  great  question  of  gen- 
eral agitation  in  September,  1867.  Stanton  had  been  removed,  Grant 
had  accepted  the  office  against  Stanton's  protest ;  Sheridan  had  been 
removed  from  the  Fifth  District  and  Grant  had  publicly  protested  against 
that  act  of  the  President.  People  were  looking  about  for  candidates  for 
the  next  Presidential  campaign.  The  radicals  of  Holt  had  as  yet  no 
confidence  in  Grant.  The  Sentinel  says:  ".So  far  Grant  has  left  us  in 
doubt  as  to  his  position.  But  we  have  Chase,  Stanton,  Colfax  and 
others,  about  whom  there  is  no  doubt."  There  was  some  talk  of  negro 
suffrage  at  the  time.  A  court  of  common  pleas  for  Holt  was  agitated 
and  arrangements  made  to  get  a  bill  through.  But  there  were  so  many 
aspirants  for  the  position  of  judge  of  that  still  subjective  court  it 
embarrassed  the  projectors.  It  was  asked,  too,  by  some,  whether  men 
who   never  even   read   law   were  fit   for   such    office  ?     The  matter  was 


556  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

finally  settled  by  the  bill  giving  four  terms  of  the  Circuit  Court  to  Holt 
County  instead  of  two,  as  heretofore. 

The  greenback  question  first  loomed  up  about  January,  1868.  One 
party  proposed  the  payment  ot  the  5.10  and  10.40  bonds  in  greenbacks. 
The  Republicans  said  they  were  payable  in  gold.  The  Sentinel  calls  on 
the  radicals  to  be  up  and  doing ;  reproves  them  for  their  apathy.  A 
great  meeting  of  the  party  was  to  come  off  at  Jefferson  City,  February] 
22d.  "Drake,  that  mighty  pillar  of  Republicanism,"  issued  a  proclama- 
tion to  the  people.  All  this  was  in  anticipation  of  the  impeachment 
trial  and  its  results.  If  it  succeeded,  civil  war  was  almost  certain  to 
follow,  for  once  more  party  rage  and  violence  was  preparing,  behind  the 
forms  of  law  or  under  pretext  of  law,  to  carry  matters  to  extremitiel 
Four  leading  Republicans  voted  against  the  impeachment  and  all  was 
quiet  thenceforth. 

The  nomination  of  General  Grant  was  hailed  with  satisfaction  by 
the  great  mass  of  voters  in  the  county.  I.  C.  Parker  was  nominated  for 
Congress,  subject  to  the  action  of  the  proper  convention,  which  nomi-j 
nated  Col.  Asper,  of  Chillicothe,  Parker  running  for  Judge. 

The  first  effort  to  revive  the  Democratic  party  in  the  county,  was 
made  preparatory  to  this  campaign.  In  July,  the  Expose  began  to  be 
published  at  Forest  City,  and  announced  its  "  policy  to  be  opposition  to 
the  party  whose  object  is  to  make  the  national  debt  as  light  as  possible 
on  the  bond  holding  aristocrats."  A  convention  of  that  party  was  held^ 
at  Forest  City,  at  which  appeared  several  of  the  quondam  rulers  in  party, 
politics  of  the  ante-bellum  days.  The  Sentinel  spoke  of  it  as  quite  1 
reminder  of  old  times.  The  Republicans  of  the  state  ran  McClurg  for 
governor  ;  the  Democrats  ran  Phelps,  with  Norman  J.  Coleman  for  lieu- 
tenant governor,  Oliver,  of  St.  Joseph,  for  congress.  Charles  D.  Drake 
canvassed  Northwest  Missouri,  and  visited  Holt  County. 

The  vote  at  the  fall  election  in  Holt  County  showed  that  Grant 
received  1,080;  Seymour,  137. 

For  congress,  Asper  received    1,020  votes,  and   Oliver    165.     This 
vote  on  congressman  was  the  most  reliable  test  of  each  party's  strength, 
for  personal  popularity  drew  Democratic  votes  to  Grant,  while  there  was 
nothing  in  the  circumstances,  or  antecedents  of  Asper  and  Oliver,  t 
give  either  of  them  more  or  less  than  the  normal  strength  of  their  parties. 

Parker  was  elected  circuit  judge,  Roseberry,  of  Nodaway  County, 
state  senator,  Glenn  was  elected  representative,  Asper  was  chosen  foi 
congress,  and  the  state  gave  Grant  a  very  great  majority.  In  this  elec 
tion  the  Republican  newspapers  claim  that  Holt  County  showed  hers<  ; 
the  banner  Republican  county  of  the  state,  having  given  over  eighty- 
seven  per  cent,  of  her  vote  for  that  party. 

Mr.  Bowman  retiring  from  the  Sentinel,  Mr.  A.  N.  Ruley,  former 
circuit  clerk,  assumed   the   control,  February   5,    1869.     Mr.  Ruley  had 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  557 

held  the  clerkship  from  the  time  the  offices  had  been  generally  vacated 
by  an  order  during  the  war. 

The  war  spirit  died  down  slowly,  though  some  few  seemed  desirous 
of  keeping  it  up,  finding  occupation  and  importance  going  with  it.  One 
of  the  last  reminders  of  a  time  lately  passed,  was  an  order  published 
March  19,  1869,  as  follows  : 

"  Members  of  late  Company  A,  Order  107,  can  get  discharges  by 
calling  on  the  undersigned.  Capt.  G.  W.  BASKINS." 

The  poor  house  question  was  sharply  revived  by  the  publication  of 
a  statement  that  a  poor  woman  died  of  starvation.  The  folly,  improvi- 
dence and  stupidity  of  pretending  to  care  for  the  poor,  by  a  system  of 
doling  out  thousands  of  dollars  annually,  and  then  letting  the  poor 
suffer,  was  so  shown  up  that  the  court  took  decisive  steps,  and  soon 
erected  the  present  county  infirmary. 

In  July,  1869,  Mr.  Adam  Klippel  took  charge  of  the  Sentinel,  which 
he  thereafter  published  for  several  years.  There  was  a  complete  calm  in 
politics  until  in  1870,  the  negro  and  rebel  suffrage  question  began  to  come 
up.  Never  did  any  party  manage  with  greater  wisdom  than  did  the 
Democratic  party  of  Missouri  at  this  time.  With  all  against  them,  they 
waited  and  watched  events.  Meeting  at  Jefferson  City,  March  18,  1870, 
they  merely  resolved  it  was  inexpedient  to  nominate.  If  aid  to  that 
party  did  not  come  from  the  Republicans,  its  case  was  hopeless.  The 
Republican,  like  old  Rome,  "  labored  with  its  own  bigness."  The  suffrage 
question  was  still  agitated.  "Would  it  do  to  give  it  to  the  black  and 
withhold  it  from  white  men,  by  continuing  the  iron-clad  oath  and  stern 
registration  ?"  Every  man  of  the  dominant  party  felt  that  a  large 
number  of  men,  who  were  in  all  respects  the  very  best  citizens,  were 
kept  from  the  polls.  Every  man  could  point  to  individual  instances  and 
say  it  is  a  sha<me  that  such  and  such  men  have  to  stand  back  like  former 
slaves.  The  sympathy  was  great  and  growing,  but  one  false  step  by 
office  seeking  Democrats,  might  ruin  all. 

The  Democrats,  except  in  here  and  there  a  county,  were  not  going 
to  take  that  step.  So  when  the  Republican  Convention  met  at  Jefferson 
City,  September,  1870,  after  a  stormy  session  of  three  days,  it  divided. 
One  faction  said  the  time  had  come  when  the  people  should  vote  on  the 
question.  The  other  faction  was  willing  that  the  question  should  be  put 
to  the  people  whether  the  time  had  really  come.  Two  tickets  were  in 
the  field.  The  Republicans  of  Holt.  County  were  for  the  McClurg,  or 
more  radical  faction.  Parker  was  nominated  for  Congress  by  just  one 
vote,  over  Asper,  who  had  served  but  one  term.  The  Sentinel  warned 
the  Republicans  that  they  were  confronted  by  a  strong  opposing  minor- 
ity. Carl  Schurz  visited  Holt  County,  canvassing  for  the  Liberals,  or 
B.  Gratz  Brown  men.     At  first   it  was    rumored  that  Col.  Asper  would 


558  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

bolt  also.  The  Expose,  of  Forest  City,  which  had  been  purchased  by 
the  Bowman  Brothers  and  changed  to  the  Independent,  was  the  organ  of 
the  Independents.  D.  P.  Ballard,  who  was  the  regular  nominee  of  the 
Republicans  for  representative,  had  lately  taken  charge  of  it,  and  most 
unaccountably  bolted  his  own  ticket  and  certain  success,  and  turned  in 
to  denouncing  his  whilom  confreres ;  an  anomaly  in  politics.  The 
county  committee,  in  vie,w  of  the  short  time,  merely  recommended  that 
Capt.  Robinson,  of  Forest  City,  be  voted  for  as  the  regular  nominee.  A 
few  men  ran  as  Independents.  At  the  election  the  entire  radical  Repub- 
lican ticket  for  the  county  was  victorious,  with  the  exception  of  Horace 
Cooper,  for  probate  judge,  who  was  defeated  by  R.  H.  Russel,  Demo- 
crat. McClurg,  for  governor,  got  413  majority  over  Brown.  For  supreme 
judge,  Wagner  got  1,222  votes;  there  being  no  opposition,  this  vote 
shows  the  strength  of  the  county.  Parker  was  elected  to  Congress;] 
Kelly  was  chosen  judge  ;  Robinson  representative  by  473  majority.  In 
the  State,  however,  the  Liberals  triumphed  by  a  very  great  majority, 
and  thus  ended  the  rule  of  the  undivided  Republican  party  in  Missouri. 

At  Oregon  there  was  held  a  jollification  over  the  results  in  the 
county  and  district,  while  at  Forest  City  there  was  a  similar  demonstra- 
tion for  the  liberal  success  in  the  state.  The  constitutional  amendments 
were  also  adopted  by  a  great  majority,  and  freedom,  with  equal  rights, 
for  the  first  time  ruled  the  state. 

In  April,  1871,  we  hear  the  first  public  complaints  of  the  railroads, 
that  soon  culminated  in  the  Granger  movements.  In  June  Valandigham 
proclaimed  the  New  Departure  of  the  Democratic  party.  Efforts  were, 
at  this  time,  made  to  unite  the  Republican  party  once  more.  In  Holt 
County  that  effort  was  powerfully  aided  by  the  call  to  reorganize  the 
Democratic  party  once  more  and  the  convention  at  Forest  City.  The 
attendance  was  represented,  by  the  Sentinel,  as  quite  large  and  enthu- 
siastic- The  most  prominent  actors  in  it  were  Messrs. -Russel,  Scott, 
Levi  Zook,  Dr.  Johnson  of  Craig,  J.  W.  Stokes,  Harry  A.  Buel  of  the 
Arago  Press,  J.  W.  Collins  and  others. 

There  was  a  special  election  for  circuit  judge  and  attorney,  at  which 
Kelley,  for  judge,  received  814  votes  and  Collins,  his  Democratic 
opponent,  656  votes,  and  Dungan,  Republican,  for  circuit  attorney, 
received  905,  and  Byrd  435  votes.  This  election,  as  a  trial  of  strength 
between  the  two  parties  in  the  county,  under  the  new  state  of  things, 
was  most  interesting.  The  vote  for  judge  showed  the  full  strength  of 
each  party,  under  tremendous  efforts. 

We  have  now  given  an  impartial  account  of  the  political   affairs  of 
Holt  County,  in  connection  with  those  of  the  state  and  nation,  as  well  as 
those  confined  strictly  to  the  county  itself,  in   as  brief  a  manner  as  we  ' 
were  able.     We  have  seen  it  first  under  control,  absolutely,  of  one  party 
•^-have  seen  that  party  divide — one  wing  rushing  into  sectional  and  civil 


FINANCIAL    AND    POLITICAL.  559 

war.  Then  we  have  seen  it  under  a  half  civil,  half  military  rule,  finally- 
emerging  out  under  control,  as  absolute,  of  a  party  whose  very  existence 
was  at  one  time  not  tolerated  by  its  citizens.  We  have  witnessed  the 
long  triumph  and  rule  of  that  party,  till  finally,  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  it  must  fall  apart — one  faction  to  rule  the  state,  the  other,  and 
more  radical,  to  still  hold  the  reigns  of  power  in  Holt  County,  though 
ruined  in  the  state.  We  have  witnessed  the  first  faint  attempts  of  an 
opposition  party  at  forming  within  the  county,  and  have  seen  how,  on  a 
well  contested  field,  out  of  1,470  votes  cast,  it  received  656  of  them,  a 
result  that  every  generous,  intelligent  mind  should  rejoice  over.  For, 
if  the  past  twenty-five  years  have  taught  us  anything,  it  is  the  danger  to 
our  free  institutions  of  the  absolute  rule  of  one  party,  for  virtue  and  truth 
still  flee,  as  of  old,  from  all  places  where  power  is  unquestioned. 

Since  that  memorable  day  of  the  meeting^in  the  court  house  park> 
when  an  excited  mob  of  secessionists  made  men  of  order  and  peace 
tremble  not  only  for  themselves,  but  for  all  that  was  held  most  dear  and 
sacred — since  that  time,  two-thirds  of  all  the  people  then  living,  have 
gone  to  the  land  of  shadows  ;  boys  then  sporting  thoughtlessly,  have 
become  middle  aged  men — lisping  babes  are  active  voters.  The  whole 
destiny  of  the  country  is  now  in  the  hands  of  those  who  then  were 
infants.  As  to  the  Southern  States,  of  over  one  million  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty-four  thousand  men,  whom  that  day  saw  in  proud  and  vigorous 
life,  ready  and  determined  to  battle  for  their  cause,  ere  four  years  had 
passed  away,  over  six  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  had  been  killed  or 
disabled  ;  more  by  many  thousands  than  all  their  men  between  the  ages 
of  eighteen  and  forty-five  years  !  "  Half  a  generation  of  men  dead  or 
disabled!"  Such  were  the  reflections  of  men  in  the  days  of  1865. 
Since  that  year,  in  due  course  of  nature,  half  of  all  the  people  then  living 
have  died,  and  in  those  Southern  States  all  the  slaves  have  been  made 
free,  and  all  their  adult  men  advanced  to  the  dignity  of  equal  voters. 
Surely  the  day  has  come  long  since  for  us  to  forget  that  such  wild  times 
ever  have  been,  and  to  look  with  contempt  upon  those  who  would  try  to 
perpetuate  in  fresh  bosoms  the  seeds  of  ancient,  sectional  hatred  between 
North  and  South. 

The  election  that  followed,  when  Grant  and  Greeley  ran  as  candi- 
dates for  President,  showed  that  Holt  County  could  cast  2,248  votes,  out 
of  which  she  gave  Grant  557  majority,  and  to  Parker,  for  congress,  434 
majority. 

To  bring  the  political  history  of  Holt  County  down  to  a  day  later 
than  1871,  is  not  desirable.  We  reserve  that  for  our  successor  irj  the 
next  generation.  Some  changes  were  made  in  the  congressional  district, 
by  which  the  Democratic  party  secured  the  congressman  for  the  two 
terms  succeeding  Judge  Parker's,  Mr.  David  Rea,  of  Andrew  County, 
being  elected.     Holt  County,  though  still  giving  a  Republican  majority, 


560  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

her  vote  for  that  party  is  not  so  great  as  it  was,  and  in  some  instances 
she  has  selected  Democrats  for  important  county  offices,  within  late 
years.  During  the  last  two  elections  for  congressmen  she  cast  her  vote 
for  Mr.  Nicholas  Ford,  the  Greenback  candidate.  This  was  done  by  a 
coalescence  between  the  Republicans  and  Greenbackers,  which  was 
made,  not  only  in  the  county,  but  in  the  district,  and  succeeded  in  elect- 
ing Mr.  Ford,  the  present  congressman,  both  times.  But  the  county 
gave  a  majority  at  every  presidential  election  for  the  Republican  candi- 
dates for  the  office  of  President. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

OFFICIAL  DIRECTORY. 

The  office  of  circuit  judge  was  first,  as  above  stated,  filled  by  the 
appointment,  in  1841,  of  General  David  R.  Atchison,  who  served  till 
1843.  The  other  judges,  in  succession,  have  been  :  Henderson  Young, 
from  1843  to  1846;  Solomon  L.  Leonard,  1846  to  185 1  ;  William  B. 
Almond,  185 1  to  1852  ;  Elijah  H.  Norton,  1852  to  i860;  Silas  Woodson, 
i860  to  1864  ;  William  Heren,  1864  to  1869;  Isaac  C.  Parker,  1869  to 
1871  ;  Bennett  Pike,  1871  to  1872  ;  Henry  S.  Kelley,  1872  to  1874  ;  Henry 
S.  Kelley,  1874  to  1880. 

The  following  have  filled  the  office  of  circuit  clerk  :  Andrew  S. 
Hughes,  from  March,  1841,  to  June,  1841  ;  Bayless  B.  Grigsby,  from 
June,  1841,  to  1846  ;  John  Collins,  1846  to  1853  '■>  E.  VanBuskirk,  1853  to 
1865  ;  A.  N.  Ruley  (appointed),  1865  to  1866  ;  E.  L.  Allen,  1866  to  1874  ; 
William  A.  Gardner,  1874  to  1878  ;  W.  R.  Springer,  1878.  Mr.  Springer 
is  the  present  incumbent. 

William  F.  Taylor,  the  first  to  fill  the  office  of  recorder  of  Holt 
County,  was  elected  to  that  position  in  1874.  Mr.  Soper,  on  the  resig- 
nation of  Taylor,  in  1878,  was  appointed  to  the  position,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  till  the  election  of  his  successor,  Daniel  Zachman,  in  1878. 
He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  January  1,  1879,  an^  is  now 
(1882)  the  recorder. 

The  following  composed  the  county  courts  of  Holt  County  from  the 
first  organization  of  the  same,  in  March,  1841  : 

From  March,  1841,  to  September,  [841,  Harmon  G.  Noland,  Joshua 
Adkins  and  James  Crowley. 

From  September,  1841,  to  September,  1842,  Harmon  G.  Noland, 
James  Crowley  and  James  Kimsey. 

From  September,  1842,  to  July,  1845,  John  W.  Kelley,  John  Stewart 
and  James  Kimsey. 

From  July,  1845,  to  October,  1845,  John  W.  Kelley,  James  Kimsey 
and  Samuel  Watson. 

From  October,  1845,  to  October,  1850,  Samuel  Watson,  T.  V. 
Dickey  and  John  Gibson. 

From  October,  1850,  to  February,  1854,  Samuel  Watson,  John  Gib- 
son and  John  Dozier. 


562  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

From  February,  1854,  to  May,  1854,  John  Dozier  and  John  Gibson. 

From  May,  1854,  to  November,  1854,  John  Dozier,  Samuel  R.  Canon 
and  Michael  Byrd. 

From  November,  1854,  to  June,  i860,  Samuel  R.  Canon,  William  L. 
Gordon  and  John  F.  Williams. 

From  June,  i860,  to  March,  1862,  John  F.  Williams,  B.  B.-  Frazer 
and  J.  P.  Harris. 

From  March,  1862,  to  May,  1862,  John  F.  Williams,  J.  P.  Harris  and 
R.  H.  Russel. 

From  May,  1862,  to  February,  1863,  R.  H.  Russel,  Andrew  Meyer 
and  I.  H.  Iddings. 

From  February,  1863,  to  March,  1865,  R.  H.  Russel,  I.  H.  Iddings 
and  Harvey  L.  Willians. 

From  March,  1865,  to  May,  1865,  R.  H.  Russel,  George  Blair  and 
Harvey  L.  Williams. 

From  May,  1865,  to  December,  1866,  A.  J.  Evans,  George  Mcln- 
tyre  and  Samuel  Thompson. 

From  December,  1866,  to  December,  1870,  George  Mclntyre,  Solo- 
mon Lehmer  and  George  P.  Skeels. 

From  December,  1870,  to  December,  1872,  Solomon  Lehmer,  George 
P.  Skeels  and  Richard  Collison. 

From  December,  1872,  to  December,  1874,  George  P.  Skeels,  Rich- 
ard Collison  and  George  Anderson. 

From  December,  1874  to  December,  1878,  Richard  Collison,  George 
Anderson  and  Daniel  VanWormer. 

From  December,  1878,  to  December,  1880,  Thomas  W.  McCoy,  W. 
H.  Poynter  and  Henry  Bungenstock. 

December,  1880,  Bruce  Earl,  Daniel  Hiatt  and  James    R.  Bradford. 

Up  to  the  date  of  John  Collins'  term  (1853),  the  circuit  clerk  filled 
the  offices  of  county  clerk  and  recorder. 

The  first  election  for  county  clerk  occurred  in  1852.  Their  names 
and  terms  of  office  were  as  follows  :  Alfred  B.  Mullins,  from  1853  to 
1856  ;  James  Scott,  from  1856  to  1865  ;  Warren  B.  Davis,  from  1865  to 
1870  ;  Albert  Roecker,  from  1870  to  1875  ;  John  H.  C.  Curtis,  from  1875, 
present  clerk. 

The  following  have  been  sheriffs  of  Holt  County  during  the  periods- 
annexed  to  their  names  :  Richard  M.  Barkhurst  from  1841  to  1842  ; 
Robert  H.  Russel,  from  1842  to  1846;  Frank  M.  Polluck,  from  1846  to 
1850;  William  D.  Beeler,  from  1850  to  1854;  John  L.  Dozier,  from  1854 
to  1856;  Galen  Crow,  from  1856  to  i860;  Robert  G.  Emmerson  from 
i860  to  1862  ;  William  Kaucher,  from  1862  to  1866;  Albert  Roecker, 
from  1866  to  1870  ;  Moses  M.  Smith,  from  1870  to  1872  ;  William  G. 
Mclntyre,  from  1872  to  1874;  Stephen  F.  Lucas,  from  1874  to  1878; 
Wm  H.  Frame,  trom  1878  to  1880;   William  H.  Frame,  re-elected  1880. 


OFFICIAL     DIRECTORY.  563 

COLLECTORS. 

Up  to  the  year  1872,  the  sheriff  of  the  county  was  ex-officio  collector. 
The  first  elected  to  the  latter  office  on  its  separation,  was  Moses  M. 
Smith,  who  served  from  1872  to  1874  ;  succeeded  by  William  G.  Mclntyre, 
from  1874  to  1876  ;  Samuel  Morrison,  from  1876  to  1878  ;  Fre:l.  Meyer, 
from  1878  to  1880  ;  Samuel  Morrison,  from  1880. 

PROBATE   JUDGE. 

By  an  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  during  the  session  of  1868-69, 
the  office  of  probate  judge  was  created  in  and  for  Holt  County.  At  the 
fall  election  of  1869,  R.  H.  Russel  was  elected  to  the  position,  and  entered 
upon  his  duties,  January,  1870.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Holt 
County  is  largely  Republican,  he  has  been  continuously,  though  a  Dem- 
ocrat, re-elected  to  the  office  which  he  still  (1882)  continues  to  hold. 

SCHOOL  COMMISSIONER. 

The  duties  of  this  office  were,  at  first,  performed  by  the  circuit  clerk„ 
and  after  the  creation  of  the  office  of  county  clerk,  by  the  latter  officer. 

Since  1865,  when  it  was  made  a  separate  office,  the  position  has 
been  filled  as  follows  :  Edgar  L  Allen,  from  1865  to  1866  ;  Stephen 
Blanchard,  from  1866  to  1870  ;  Frank  Gordon,  from  1870  to  1872  ;  Eras- 
tus  Eyerly,  from  1872  to  1875  ;  Edward  Anibal.from  1877  to  1879;  John 
Anderson,  from  1879  to  1881.     John  Anderson  re-elected,  1881. 

COUNTY    SURVEYORS. 

The  first  county  surveyor,  appointed  by  the  county  court,  was  David 
Templeton,  in  1841.  In  1842  he  was  elected  to  the  same  office,  which 
he  filled  till  1846,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  S.  C.  Collins,  who  held  the 
office,  by  continuous  re-election,  for  twenty  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
period  he  positively  declined  the  position,  for  the  duties  of  which  he 
had  so  long  proved  himself  eminently  fitted.  In  1866  Franklin  Davis 
was  elected  his  successor.  He,  however,  died  in  office,  and  Jason  Mar- 
shall was  appointed  his  successor.  William  McCoy,  in  turn,  succeeded 
him,  followed  by  William  Morris,  who  was  re-elected  in  1880. 

COUNTY   TREASURER. 

Gilbert  Ray  was  the  first  to  hold  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Holt 
County.  He  was  appointed  at  the  September  term  of  the  county  court, 
in  1841. 

Circuit  Attorneys — I.  N.  Jones,  1846  ;  L.  Archer,  1849  5  James 
Craig,  1852  ;  J.  M.  Bassett,  1857  ;  Joseph  P.  Grubb,  1862  ;  I.  C.  Parker, 


564 


HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


1864;  Jeff.  Chandler,  1866,  and  B.  K.  Davis,  1868.  The  office  of  circuit 
attorney  was  abolished  before  the  term  of  B.  K.  Davis  expired. 

Representatives — R.  M.  Barkhurst,  Stephen  Cooper,  James  Craig, 
James  Foster,  A.  J.  Hollister,  Samuel  Waton,  John  W.  Kelley,  Galen 
Crow,  Ira  Busick,  John  H.  Glenn,  H.  K.  S.  Robinson,  S.  R.  Young,  R. 
D.  Markland,  B.  O.  Cowan,  John  Shrantz  and  James  Limbird,  present 
incumbent. 

Senators — Ed.  Celly ;    Gen.  R.  A.  Wilson, ;  William  Herron, 

1862  ;  P.  A.  Thompson,  1864  ;  D.  Bonham,  1866  ;  M.  G.  Roseberry,  1868; 
A.  E.  Wyatt,  1872  ;  Thomas  H.  Parrish,  1876,  and  T.  C.  Dungan,   1880- 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

GOLD  SEEKERS  OF  1849. 

''The  plague  of  gold  strikes  far  and  near — 

And  deep  and  strong  it  enters; 
Our  thoughts;; row  blank,  our  words  grow  strange 

We  cheer  the  pale  gold  diggers  ; 
Each  soul  is  worth  so  much  on  'change, 

And  marked  like  sheep  with  figures." 

No  doubt,  the  desire  for  gold  has  been  the  mainspring  of  all  progress 
and  enterprise  in  the  county,  from  the  beginning  till  the  present  time, 
and  will  so  continue  till  remote  ages.  Generally,  however,  this  desire 
has  been  manifested  in  the  usual  avenues  of  thrift  and  industry.  On 
one  occasion,  it  passed  the  bounds  of  reason,  and  assumed  the  character 
of  a  mania. 

This  mania  broke  out  in  the  fall  of  1848,  when  stories  began  to 
be  spread  abroad  of  the  wonderful  riches  of  the  placer  mines  of  Cali- 
fornia. The  excitement  grew  daily,  feeding  on  the  marvelous  reports 
that  came  from  the  Pacific  slope,  and  nothing  was  talked  of  but  the 
achievements  of  the  gold  diggers.  The  papers  were  replete  with  the 
most  extravagant  stories,  and  yet  the  excitement  was  so  great,  that  the 
gravest  and  most  incredulous  men  were  smitten  with  the  contagion,  and 
hurriedly  left  their  homes  and  all  that  was  dear  to  them  on  earth,  to  try 
the  dangers,  difficulties  and  uncertainties  of  hunting  gold. 

In  the  St.  Joseph  Gazette,  of  October  27,  1848,  the  only  newspaper 
published  at  that  early  period  in  this  section,  we  find  the  following  : 
"An  immense  bed  of  gold,  one  hundred  miles  in  extent,  has  been  dis- 
covered in  California,  on  American  Fork  and  Feather  Rivers,  tributaries 
of  the  Sacramento  and  Monterey.  Mr.  Colton,  of  the  Alcalde  of  Mon- 
terey, states  that  the  gold  is  found  in  the  sands  in  grains  resembling 
squirrel  shot  flattened  out.  Some  grains  weigh  one  ounce  each.  It  is 
obtained  by  washing  out  the  sand  in  any  vessel  from  a  tea-saucer  to  a 
warming-pan.  A  single  person  can  gather  an  ounce  or  two  per  day, 
some  even  a  hundred  dollars  worth.  Two  thousand  whites  and  as  many 
Indians  are  on  the  grounds.  All  the  American  settlements  are  deserted, 
and  farming  nearly  suspended.  The  women  only  remain  in  the  settle- 
ments. Sailors  and  captains  desert  their  ships  to  go  to  the  gold  regions, 
and  laborers  refuse  ten  dollars  a  day  to  work  on  the  farms.     Mr.  Colton 


566 


HISTORY    OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 


says  :  One  man  who  resides  next  door  to  me,  gathered  five  hundred 
dollars'  worth  in  six  days.  He  has  one  lump  which  weighs  over  one 
ounce.  A  trough,  such  as  you  feed  pigs  in,  will  bring  in  the  gold 
regions,  fifty  dollars.  Put  a  piece  of  sheet  iron,  with  holes  punched  in  it, 
and  it  will  bring  a  hundred.  My  friend,  J.  R.,  paid  sixteen  dollars  for  a 
little  basket,  and  his  companion  gave  twenty  dollars  for  a  teapot,  all  to 
wash  gold  in.  More  than  twenty-eight  thousand  dollars  worth  had  been 
collected.  Governor  Mason  and  his  aid  have  gone  to  the  district,  which 
is  five  days'  journey  from  Monterey. 

The  sailors  have  gone  for  gold  from  their  ships,  and  the  soldiers  from 
their  camps,  for  the  same  purpose.  The  last  vessel  that  left  the  coast 
was  compelled  to  ship  an  entirely  new  crew,  and  pay  each  fifty  dollars 
per  month.  No  one  can  be  hired  to  dig  gold  short  of  sixteen  or  twenty 
dollars  per  day.  Every  man  prefers  to  work  on  his  own  hook  ;  he  may 
make  less  than  the  wages  offered,  but  he  has  a  chance  of  making  much 
more.  There  flour  is  worth  thirty-two  dollars  per  barrel;  fifteen  pounds 
of  Boston  crackers,  in  tin  boxes,  ten  dollars  a  box  ;  a  cotton  shirt,  ten 
dollars  ;  boards,  five  hundred  dollars  per  one  hundred  feet.  A  carpenter 
can  get  one  hundred  dollars  a  day.  Mr.  L.  paid  for  a  common  cradle 
trough,  twelve  feet,  by  three  wide,  to  wash  gold  earth  in,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  ;  less  than  a  day's  work  to  make  it." 

Day  after  day,  and  month  after  month,  were  the  papers  filled  with 
just  such  glowing  accounts  of  California. 

Instead  of  dying  out,  the  fever  mounted  higher  and  higher.  It  was 
too  late  to  cross  the  plains,  but  thousands  of  people  throughout  the  state 
began  their  preparations  for  starting  the  following  spring,  and  among 
the  number  were  many  from  Holt  County.  The  one  great  subject  of 
discussion  about  the  firesides  and  in  the  log  cabins  that  winter,  was  the 
gold  of  California.  It  is  said  that  at  one  time,  the  majority  of  the  able- 
bodied  men  of  the  county,  were  unsettled  in  mind,  and  were  considering 
the  project  of  starting  to  California.  Even  the  most  thoughtful  and 
sober-minded  found  it  difficult  to  resist  the  infection. 

Wonderful  sights  were  seen  when  this  great  emigration  passed 
through — sights  that  may  never  be  again  seen  in  the  county,  perhaps. 
Some  of  the  wagons  were  drawn  by  cows  ;  other  gold  hunters  went  on 
foot,  and  took  their  worldly  goods  in  hand  carts.  The  gold  hunters 
generally  left  the  moralities  of  life  behind  them,  and  were  infested  with 
a  spirit  of  disorder  and  demoralization.  The  settlers  breathed  easier 
when  they  passed. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1849  tne  rush  began.  It  must  have  been  a 
scene  to  beggar  all  description.  There  was  one  continuous  line  of 
wagons  from  east  to  west,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  moving  steadily 
westward,  and,  like  a  cyclone,  drawing  into  its  course,  on  the  right  and 
left,  many  of  those  along  its  pathway.     The  gold  hunters  of  Holt  County 


GOLD    SEEKERS.  567 

crowded  eagerly  into  the  gaps  in  the  wagon  trains,  bidding  farewell  to 
their  nearest  and  dearest  friends,  and  many  of  them  never  to  be  seen 
again  on  earth.  Sadder  farewells  were  never  spoken.  Many  of  these 
men  left  their  quiet,  peaceful  homes,  only  to  find  in  the  "  Far  West" 
utter  disappointment  and  death.  Very,  very  few  of  them  ever  gained 
anything,  and  the  great  majority  lost  everything,  some  of  them  losing 
even  their  lives,  "  their  fortunes  and  sacred  honor."  The  persons  who 
really  made  by  the  gold  excitement  were  those  who  remained  at  home 
and  sold  their  produce  to  the  gold-crazy  emigrants.  The  rush  continued 
until  about  the  first  of  June,  1850,  when  the  great,  surging  tide  began  to 
abate,  although  belated  gold  seekers  continued  to  pass  through  the 
country  for  some  time.  But  the  excitement  began  to  die  away,  and 
those  citizens  who  had  judgment  enough  to  resist  the  contagion,  now 
settled  down  in  quiet  to  pursue  the  even  tenor  of  their  way. 

EMIGRANTS   FROM    HOLT   COUNTY. 

A  company,  composed  of  seventy-five  men,  left  the  town  of  Oregon, 
Holt  County,  about  May  1,  1849,  destined  for  the  gold  regions  of  Cali- 
fornia. This  company  was  well  armed  and  well  equipped,  having  in  its 
train  twenty-five  loaded  wagons,  drawn  by  good  and  well  trained  teams. 
Below  we  give  the  names  of  about  half  of  this  company:  Gen.  James 
Craig,  Judge  R.  H.  Russel,  Chillian  Jasper,  Newton  Jasper,  George 
Brown,  David  Elder,  Ab.  Taylor,  Dr.  Westerfield,  William  Pinkston, 
William  Thorp,  Riley  Thorp,  Thomas  Martin,  James  Martin,  Ezra  Mar- 
tin, Frank  Martin,  Harry  Martin  (colored),  George  Myers,  Andrew 
Myers,  Mott  Myers,  John  Utt,  Andrew  Bonyer,  C.  Dorland,  Jack  Roland 
and  wife,  Richard  Wedding,  E.  Spalding,  John  Spalding,  Old  Man  Con- 
ner and  family,  Richard  Hawk  and  family,  R.  M.  Barkhurst,  Wash.  Nor- 
man, Milton  Russel,  George  Mclntyre,  John  Masters,  John  Green,  Will- 
iam Clark,  —  McCloud,  —  McDill  and  John  Blair. 

Crossing  at  Iowa  Point,  the  company  went  to  Highland,  Kansas, 
then  known  as  the  Mission,  where  an  organization  was  effected,  by  the 
election  of  James  Craig,  captain,  and  R.  H.  Russel,  lieutenant.  After 
reaching  the  North  Platte,  Captain  Craig  resigned,  and  Doctor  Wester- 
field was  chosen  to  fill  his  place.  The  company  proceeded  very  leisurely, 
arriving  at  Sacramento  in  the  month  of  October,  1849.  At  Humboldt, 
the  route  known  as  "  Green  Horn's  Cut  Off,"  was  taken,  which  delayed 
the  company  for  two  or  three  weeks.  The  men  were  persuaded  to  go 
this  route,  from  numbers  of  cards  which  had  been  posted  up  by  the  way- 
side, setting  forth  good  roads  and  a  shorter  way.  This  had  been  done 
by  men  who  had  been  deceived,  and  being  so  taken  in  themselves,  they 
left  these  cards,  intending  to  mislead  others,  which  they  most  effectually 
did,  in  this  instance  at  least. 


568  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

Judge  Utt,  now  of  White  Cloud,  Kansas,  had  in  the  train  two  bar- 
rels of  brandy,  which  was  then  worth  twenty-five  cents  a  drink.  One  of 
the  company  relates  the  following  incident  : 

"  One  day  on  the  plains,  fifty  men  of  the  company  were  chosen  to 
run  a  foot  race — the  distance,  fifty  yards — all  to  start  from  a  certain  point 
at  the  same  time,  and  the  four  hindermost  to  treat  the  balance  of  the 
men  in  the  race  to  Judge  Utt's  brandy.  There  was  much  anxiety  and 
trepidation  manifested  by  the  men,  as  the  amount  required  to  pay  for 
the  brandy,  at  twenty-five  cents  per  drink,  would  be  a  considerable  sum. 
The  race  was  run,  and  among  the  four  defeated  men  was  General  Craig, 
who  being  a  smaller  and  shorter  man  than  almost  any  in  the  company, 
naturally  fell  to  the  rear. 

While  a  few  of  the*  Holt  County  company  made  money  in  California, 
a  great  majority  were  compelled  to  borrow  funds  enough  to  return  home 
on.  In  this  respect,  the  company  fared  about  like  other  emigrants  who 
went  to  the  gold  regions. 

Thousands  of  these  men  from  the  east,  as  well  as  many  from  Mis- 
souri, crossed  at  St.  Joseph,  White  Cloud  and  other  points  on  the  Mis- 
souri River,  while  not  a  few  crossed  at  Nebraska  City.  The  Missouri 
was  crossed  in  ferry  boats,  but  all  other  streams  on  the  route,  were 
forded  or  swam. 

CALIFORNIA   ENTERPRISE   COMPANY, 

composed  of  several  hundred  men,  came  from  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania. 
The  departure  of  so  many  men,  at  one  time  from  their  homes,  on  a  civil 
expedition  to  the  distant  gold  fields,  was  quite  an  event,  and  it  often 
happened  that  the  friends  and  neighbors  of  those  who  were  to  embark, 
met  en  masse  to  express  their  regrets  and  good  wishes  in  a  public 
address.  We  present  a  portion  of  a  speech  of  Colonel  S.  W.  Black,  of 
Pittsburg,  made  to  the  above  named  company,  on  the  eve  of  their  depart- 
ure from  that  city,  to  show  the  pleasant  custom  which  obtained  in  those 
days : 

My  Friends  :  I  have  but  a  few  words  to  say  at  partiog.  What  I 
do  say  will  come  from  the  heart.  I  trust  that  whatever  of  good  and 
truth  I  may  deliver,  may  reach  your  hearts.  Before  your  return,  you 
will  have  seen  no  little  of  the  world  ;  what  you  see  will  be  so  much 
learned,  beyond  what  you  now  know.  Hence,  at  the  very  outgoing  of 
your  enterprise,  you  have  a  good  object  in  view.  Some  persons  com- 
plain of  these  expeditions  as  being  sordid  and  unworthy  ;  to  go  and  dig 
for  gold,  they  say,  is  not  meritorious,  but  culpable.  I  for  one,  do  not 
think  so.  All  the  world  is  a  gold  digger — rather,  indeed,  a  gold  scratcher 
— and  it  often  happens,  that  in  scratching  too  greedily,  we  bring  away 
the  skin  of  each  other's  faces — betimes  the  flesh  of  one  another's  bones. 

"  The  farmer  in  the  field,  the  mechanic  in  the  shop,  the  merchant  in 
his  store,  and  the  lawyer  in  his  pursuit,  choose  their  daily  business  for 
gold.     Even  the  preacher  does,  not  work  unpaid.     This   is   all  right  and 


GOLD    SEEKERS,  569 

according  to  the  purpose  of  our  creation.  Our  Father  has  planted  gold 
in  the  earth  for  the  benefit  of  His  children.  To  make  it  by  merit,  is 
noble  and  worthy  of  praise.  To  accumulate  it  with  proper  motives  is 
meritorious.     To  lose  it  is  mean  and  condemned  of  God. 

"  You  are  starting  upon  a  long  and  perilous  journey.  Allow  me, 
then,  to  make  a  few  suggestions,  which  may  not  in  the  end  be  worth- 
less. You  leave  without  a  flag.  Make  a  banner  for  yourselves  and 
cling  to  it.  Inscribe  upon  its  folds  Fraternity  and  Friendship.  Let 
the  same  devotions  inspire  you  that  actuates  the  soldier  for  the  stand- 
ard of  his  country.  In  all  things  be  one.  A  perfect  unity  of  interest 
and  affection  will  make  you  invincible  and  prosperous.  Organize  your- 
selves into  companies,  elect  judicious  and  skillful  officers,  men  of  intel- 
ligence and  nerve.  When  you  give  them  the  power  of  direction,  always- 
sustain  them  in  its  lawful  exercise.  Discipline  is  essential  to  your  safety 
and  success.  Each  day  start  early  on  your  marches  ;  you  will  then 
escape  the  injurious  effect  of  exposure  to  the  sun,  and  find  yourselves 
early  in  camp.  It  is  probable  you  will  encounter  danger.  To  success- 
fully meet  it  you  must  be  accustomed  to  act  together.  Americans 
vanquished  Mexicans  and  Indians  by  a  union  of  discipline,  with  courage. 

"  I  know  that  your  messes  have  ardent  spirits  among  their  stores. 
These  may  be  useful,  or  pernicious,  in  proportion  to  the  judgment  with 
which  they  are  used.  In  the  life  in  which  you  are  acting  you  will  find 
occasional  necessity  for  the  use  of  stimilants.  They  are  serviceable  only 
when  the  system  is  prostrated  by  disease  or  exposure. 

"  A  kind  hearted  friend  has  just  requested  me  to  say  if  there  are  any 
of  the  expedition  without  Bibles  he  will  be  happy  to  furnish  them.  It 
does  not  become  me,  perhaps,  to  speak  of  a  subject  so  grave  and  seri- 
ous, yet  I  can  say  that  this  "  Book  of  Books"  is  the  best  companion  you 
can  take  with  you  ;  it  is  a  never  failing  reliance. 

"In  the  center  of  our  city,  or  around  the  circle  of  our  continent;, 
among  the  busy  scenes  of  active  liie,  or  on  the  prairie,  where  the  pil- 
grim sees  no  mark  but  the  footprints  of  wild  beasts  or  the  savages,  it  is 
a  perpetual  adaptation  to  every  exigency  of  man's  career. 

"  To-day  I  saw  in  a  paper  the  declaration  of  one  of  you,  that  in  all 
his  wanderings  he  would  carry  the  Bible  in  the  bottom  of  his  trunk.  Let 
me  suggest  an  improvement.  Deposit  it  on  the  top,  that  every  time  the 
trunk  is  opened  it  may  remind  you  that  you  have  not  looked  into  it  that 
day  for  wisdom  and  counsel.  You  are  surrounded  by  a  thousand  anx- 
ious, beating  hearts,  every  one  of  which  swell  with  aspiration  for  your 
success  and  safe  return.  The  general  prayer  is  and  will  be  '  that  no  evil 
will  befall  you,  nor  any  plague  come  near  your  dwelling.'  Come  back 
enriched,  and  make  your  riches  a  blessing  to  the  destitute  at  home.  The 
hour  of  grief  hangs  heavy  in  the  hearts  of  many.  Let  them  have  no- 
other  cause  of  sorrow  than  this  separation.  Your  in-coming  will  be  a 
day  of  bright  and  thrilling  joy.  The  tear  that  stands  still  in  the  eye, 
or  follows  its  fellows  across  the  feverish  and  scalded  cheek,  will  be 
replaced  with  diamonds.  The  red  autumn  of  present  sadness  will  pass 
away,  and  in  due  season  the  glorious  summer  will  succeed,  bringing  its 
golden  harvest.". 

Many  letters  were  received  from  the  gold  seekers  residing  in  the 

Platte  Purchase,  after  their  arrival  in  California,     From  some  of  these 

letters,  we  have  made  the  following  extracts  : 


57°  HISTORY    OF    HOLT  COUNTY. 

"  I  have  concluded  to  write  you  and  let  you  know  that  all  are  well 
who  started  in  the  pack-mule  company,  up  to  date.  We  arrived  in  this 
country  on  the  first  of  October  ;  had  many  ups  and  downs  on  the  road, 
but  lost  none  of  our  stock  by  the  Indians.  And  now,  a  little  about  Cal- 
ifornia, and  the  prospect  for  making  money.  Lewis,  Love  and  myself, 
bought  a  small  grocery  in  Sacramento  City,  for  which  we  paid  $1,800 — 
on  a  short  credit — three  weeks'  time.  We  kept  it  a  short  time,  made 
$250  each,  and  sold  it  out.  Brother  David  went  to  the  mines,  and  uptc 
this  time  has  made  $1,600.  I  went  and  worked  eight  days  ;  the  spot  of 
ground  I  had  was  about  large  enough  to  lie  down  on.  The  first  day  I 
made  $200  ;  the  second  day,  $220,  and  in  eight  days,  $900.  The  St. 
Joseph  boys  are  doing  well  ;  the  most  of  them  are  making  from  half  an 
ounce  to  three  ounces  per  day.  David  and  myself  will  go  into  the  cattle 
trade,  or  sell  groceries.  We  can  buy  cattle  from  $30  to  $50  per  yoke  ; 
fat  cattle  are  worth  from  $75  to  $150,  and  in  the  mines,  75  cents  per 
pound.  There  are  great  numbers  of  Spanish  cattle  here,  but  they  are 
hard  to  drive  in  the  mines,  it  requiring  six  or  eight  Spaniards  to  drive  a 
small  herd  of  twenty,  and  that  at  a  cost  of  one  ounce  per  day. 

"  There  is  an  abundance  of  provisions  here.  If  you  had  the  potatoes 
alone  in  California,  which  will  be  sold  in  a  town  like  St.  Joseph  to-day, 
you  might  rest  contented  the  balance  of  your  days.  I  have  been  up 
Sacramento  River  one  hundred  miles,  and  up  Feather  River  fifty  miles, 
and  I  have  seen  but  a  few  spots  of  land  worth  cultivating.  I  have  seen 
a  great  many  of  our  old  friends  from  Upper  Missouri,  the  most  of  whom 
are  rich  and  doing  well.  I  saw  Charley  Cavaloe  and  Nigh  ;  they  are 
both  rich.  While  many  men  who  crossed  the  plains  this  summer  are 
making  money,  others  are  here,  who  are  not  making  their  salt,  and  are 
very  much  dissatisfied  and  going  home  every  day.  The  gold  here  is 
very  hard  to  get,  and  if  a  person  makes  a  fortune  by  gold-digging,  he 
must  expect  to  endure  a  great  deal  of  fatigue.  Men  with  families  are 
making  fortunes  by  washing  and  boarding.  Girls  are  in  great  demand 
here  ;  all  they  have  to  do  is  to  name  their  price,  and  a  husband  is  at 
their  command  immediately." 

Another  extract :  "  I  arrived  here  from  the  mines  on  Bear  River, 
about  a  week  since.  D.  D.  Williams  is  going  into  business  in  the  dry 
diggings,  about  sixty  miles  from  this  place.  '  Old  man  Williams '  and 
myself  are  going  two  hundred  miles  up  the  Sacramento  River  to  mine. 
We  are  all  partners,  and  carry  on  merchandising,  mining  or  trading.  We 
have  made  about  $2,000  in  cash,  since  we  came,  which  we  have  invested, 
and  will  make  thousands  or  lose.  Samuel  Love,  Ryan  and  Andrews  are 
here,  and  have  done  well.  Any  person  who  will  work  can  make  money. 
You  recollect  Cornwall,  that  stayed  at  Dawson's.  He  is  here,  and  is 
worth,  I  suppose,  a  quarter  of  a  million.  Stratton  was  burned  on  a  pile 
or  stake  by  the  Indians,  a  short  time  since.  William  Nicholson  died 
night  before  last." 

The  following  extract  is  from  a  letter  dated  at  Coloma,  September 
15,  1849: 

"  I  have  lived  here  about  one  year  ;  have  been  engaged  in  the  mines 
since  last  spring,  and,  by  being  prudent  and  industrious,  have  realized 
something  for  my  trouble.  I  cannot  say  when  I  will  return  ;  perhaps  in 
two  or  three  years — perhaps  never — although  I  will  come  as  soon  as  I 


GOLD    SEEKERS.  571 

can  to  see  my  mother  and  prevent  her  from  crossing  the  Rock  Mount- 
ains, for  I  think  such  a  trip  dangerous  and  unnecessary.  I  would  advise 
my  friends  and  relatives  to  remain  where  they  are." 

CALIFORNIA  EMIGRANT  SONG. 

"  Farewell,  farewell,  my  native  land, 

I  leave  thee  only  with  a  sigh, 
To  wander  o'er  a  foreign  strand, 

Perchance  to  live  ;  perchance  to  die. 
Adieu,  my  friends,  whom  kindred  ties 

Unite,  though  distant  we  may  rove. 
How  ardent,  as  time  onward  flies, 

Fond  memory  clings  to  those  we  love 

"  Ihe  few  admired,  the  one  beloved, 

Among  the  living  and  the  dead, 
Whose  constancy  we  sternly  proved ; 

Ah!   whither  are  those  dear  ones  fled? 
Some  have  we  left  at  happy  homes, 

While  some,  alas!  exist.no  more,     . 
And  o'er  their  graves  unheeding  roams 

Each  breeze  that  sweeps  Miami's  shore. 

•"  O'er  the  broad  plains,  far  away, 

Beyond  the  Rocky  Mountain  crest, 
Our  wayward  feet  awhile  shall  stray, 

And  press  the  gold  besprinkled  west. 
But  mid  the  gaudy  scenes  of  strife, 

Where  Gold  to  Pride  enchantment  lends, 
We'll  ne'er  forget  that  boon  of  life — 

Companions  dear  and  faithful  friends. 

*'  And  in  the  lapse  of  coming  years, 

Should  fortune  be  not  too  unkind, 
We'll  hope  reward  tor  parting  tears, 

In  smiles  from  those  we  left  behind 
We  go;  yet  hoping  to  return, 

Friends  of  our  youth,  to  home  and  you; 
For  these  do  cause  our  hearts  to  yearn, 

E'en  when  we  sigh  adieu — adieu." 

In  order  to  give  some  estimate  of  the  number  of  emigrants  that 
passed  through  this  western  country  during  the  California  gold  excite-, 
ment,  we  will  give  the  number  that  crossed  the  river  at  St.  Joseph  to 
June  15,  1849, two  months  and  a. half,  beginning  from  April  1st: 

The  number  of  wagons  that  had  crossed  at  St.  Joseph  at  that  time, 
was  1,508,  which  would  average  about  four  men  to  the  wagon,  making 
6,032.  At  Duncan's  Ferry,  four  miles  above  St.  Joseph,  685  wagons  had 
crossed,  and  at  Bontown,  Savannah,  White  Cloud,  Iowa  Point  and  other 
ferries,  as  far  up  as  the  Bluffs,  2,000,  making  the  number  of  wagons 
4,193.  Ten  thousand  persons  had  crossed  at  Independence,  making  a 
total  of  27,000  persons.  There  were  about  eight  mules  or  oxen  to  each 
wagon,  making  the  number  37,544  of  mules  and  oxen. 


572 


HISTORY    OF    HOLT  COUNTY. 


At  the  time  of  the  treaty  of  Gaudaloupe  Hidalgo,  the  population  of 
California  did  not  exceed  thirty  thousand,  while  at  the  time  of  which  we 
are  writing  (1849),  there  were  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
people  who  had  found  their  way  thither,  of  which  number,  at  least  one 
hundred  thousand  were  gold  hunters  from  the  states.  The  evil  effects 
of  this  gold  mania  upon  the  moral  status  of  the  United  States,  are  still 
seen  and  felt  among  all  classes  of  society.  It  has  popularized  the  wor- 
ship of  Mammon  to  an  alarming  extent,  and  to  this  worship,  in  a  great 
measure,  is  attributed  the  moral  declension  of  the  day. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

REMINISCENCES  OF  AN  OLD  PIONEER. 


STEPHEN   C.   COLLINS. 

The  following  was  prepared  by  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected 
pioneers  of.Holt  County,  who  is  still  living,  and  now  resides  in  the  town 
of  Oregon  : 

During  September,  1841,  I  left  the  State  of  Indiana,  passed  through 
Illinois,  part  of  Iowa,  and  came  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  where  I 
remained  about  three  weeks.  When  coming  to  Andrew  County,  I  passed 
the  cabin  of  Joseph  Robidoux,  which  then  occupied  the  spot  where  the 
city  of  St.  Joseph  now  stands. 

fThe  first  time  I  was  in  Holt. County,  was  in  October,  1841,  in  com- 
pany with  three  other  persons.  We  were  here  on  a  hunting  expedition 
and  to  look  at  the  country.  We  crossed  the  Nodaway  River,  where 
Hollister's  Mill  was  afterwards  built.  We  (a  young  man  and  myself)  had 
a  little  corn  bread  and  some  meat,  a  meal  or  so,  but  no  blankets  or  over- 
coats. I  had  a  gun,  a  tomahawk  and  a  large  knife  which  I  carried  in  my 
belt.  John  had  a  gun.  We  started  in  a  northwesterly  direction  through 
the  Nodaway  bluffs,  towards  Nickol's  Grove,  and  when  passing  through 
the  grove,  we  heard  a  rumbling,  as  if  machinery  was  in  motion.  Upon 
our  arrival  at  the  spot,  we  saw  a  small  grist  mill,  run  by  a  small  pair  of 
burrs,  and  turned  by  the  waters  of  Nickol's  Creek.  Here  we  saw  Robert 
Nickol,  the  proprietor  of  the  jnill.  We  continued  our  course  until  we 
reached  the  Ellington  Ferry  road,  leading  to  Council  Bluffs.  Here  we 
paused  upon  the  high  bluffs  which  overlook  the  Missouri  River,  and 
viewed  the  beautiful  landscape  which  was  then  spread  out  before  us,  as 
it  came  from  the  hand  of  nature.  After  descending  into  the  Great  Bot- 
tom, we  were  within  three  miles  (southeast)  of  the  present  site  of  Mound 
City.  Continuing  our  course,  we  passed  a  double  log  house  on  the  south 
side  of  Davis  Creek,  where  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ferguson  lived.  This 
was  near  a  point  afterwards  called  North  Point,  and  still  later,  Jackson's 
Point.  After  proceeding  a  short  distance  further,  up  a  small  branch,  we 
camped  for  the  night  near  the  cabin  where  old  man  Dodge  lived. 

We  started  early  next  morning,   still  following  the  Council  Bluffs 
road,  under  the  bluffs.     We  stopped  a  few  moments  at  a  spring,  where 


574  HISTORY   OF   HOLT   COUNTY. 

we  found  a  woman  washing.  Her  name  was  Nancy  McCoy,  and  was 
the  first  woman  we  had  seen  in  Holt  County.  About  one  o'clock  P. 
M.  we  passed  through  the  southwest  part  of  Sharp's  Grove.  Adam  and 
Claiborne  Sharp  settled  therein  June,  1841.  We  left  the  higher  ground 
at  this  point  and  descended  again  into  the  Missouri  bottom.  We  soon 
reached  Daniel  Durbins,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Big  Tarkio.  Here  was 
being  built  a  ferry  boat.  Two  yoke  of  oxen  were  chained  to  a  tree 
and  were  used  in  pulling  emigrant  wagons  over  the  Tarkio,  which  was 
a  muddy  creek.  I  went  into  a  log  cabin,  very  low  roofed,  with  chim- 
ney constructed  of  sod,  or  sticks  and  mud,  and  spoke  for  dinner.  After 
we  had  eaten  we  went  out  to  get  directions  about  going  into  the  great 
Rush  Bottom,  fifteen  miles  south,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tarkio. 
Mr.  Durbin  said  that  three  men,  with  forty  head  of  cattle  and  one  wagon,. 
had  crossed  that  morning  and  had  gone  south,  through  the  high  grass,. 
to  the  Rush  Bottom,  on  the  Big  Lake,  or  Tarkio  Slough,  and  we  could 
follow  their  wagon  track. 

We  crossed  in  a  canoe  and  about  dusk  we  neared  the  Big  Tarkio, 
where  we  found  high  weeds,  vines  and  grass.  Here  I  began  to  make  a 
fire,  with  steel  and  flint,  powder  and  tow.  John  asked  me  what  I  was 
doing  ?  I  told  him  we  would  camp  here  for  the  night,  when  he  asked  me 
if  I  was  not  afraid  ?  I  answered  that  we  could  not  "do  any  better  and  that 
we  could  not  follow  a  wagon  track  in  the  night.  Just  at  this  time  our 
ears  were  saluted  with  the  howling  of  prairie  wolves  near  by.  John 
moved  nearer  to  me,  with  dilating  eyes,  and  gazed  upon  the  setting  sunr 
in  a  wistful,  longing  manner,  as  though  he  dreaded  the  darkness,  which, 
would  so  soon  gather  around  us.  Mr.  Durbin  had  told  John,  while  we 
were  at  dinner,  that  there  were  white  bear  and  other  dangerous  animals 
on  the  Big  Tarkio,  hence  his  present  trepidation.  I  did  what  I  could  to 
convince  him  that  these  stories  were  untrue,  and  think  I  succeeded  as  I 
heard  nothing  more  from  him  upon  the  subject. 

We  had  neither  supper  nor  breakfast  and  started  next  morning,  fol- 
lowing the  wagon  track.  Some  time  during  the  forenoon,  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  covered  wagon,  and  thought  that  we  would  soon  have  some- 
thing to  eat.  We  neared  the  camp  and  saw  a  large  bull  dog  walking 
around  the  wagon  and  no  man  in  sight.  We  passed  on  to  the  right  of 
the  wagon  and  went  up  the  shore  of  the  lake,  where  we  found  some  black 
pawpaws  hanging  on  the  bushes.  On  these  we  made  two  or  three  meals. 
About  sundown,  we  were  startled  by  the  sharp  report  of  a  gun,  on  the 
bank  of  the  lake,  and  walking  in  this  direction,  we  saw  a  white  man  who 
had  killed  a  loon.  He  asked  me  if  I  were  a  good  hand  with  a  canoe, 
and  upon  my  answering  him  in  the  affirmative,  he  desired  me  to  bring 
the  loon  out  of  the  lake,  as  he  said  he  did  not  know  how  to  work  the 
canoe  himself.  I  laid  my  weapons  off,  and  he  showed  me  a  very  small 
Indian  canoe  in  the  willows.     I  got  into,  one  end  of  it  and  pushed   loose,. 


REMINISCENCES   OF   AN    OLD    PIONEER.  5/5 

and  as  soon  as  I  did  this  the  canoe  turned  over,  dropping  me  into  the 
water.  I  got  into  the  canoe  again,  this  time  about  midway  of  the  craft, 
and  succeeded  in  bringing  the  waterfowl  to  the  shore.  We  then  accom- 
panied the  man  to  his  camp,  and  soon  after  our  arrival  there,  the  other 
two  men  came  in.  They  had  been  looking  for  a  site  upon  which  to  build 
a  cabin.  They  were  brothers.  We  told  them  that  we  came  to  look  at 
the  Missouri  bottom,  and  that  we  would  like  to  stay  at  their  fire  over 
night,  and  get  something  to  eat,  to  which  they  kindly  assented.  That 
night,  Abraham  Sharp  and  Presley  Hayes,  from  Sharp's  Grove,  came  to 
the  camp,  looking  for  their  cattle.  The  three  brothers  were  named  Hig- 
gins.  That  night  the  geese,  cranes,  swans,  loons,  ducks  and  owls,  made 
so  much  noise  that  we  scarcely  slept.  There  appeared  to  be  millions  of 
them.  We  found  a  place  to  build  a  cabin.  That  night  while  in  camp, 
the  eldest  of  the  brothers  told  me  if  I  would  come  back*  after  returning 
from  Andrew  County,  he  and  his  brothers  would  build  me  a  cabin.  We 
remained  and  assisted  them  to  raise  their  cabins  and  then  returned  to 
Andrew  County,  going  by  the  way  of  where  Bigelow  and  Mound  City 
are  now  standing.  We  crossed  the  Big  Tarkio,  two  miles  east,  below 
Dodge's  shanty.  Some  one  had  cut  and  filled  a  large  Cottonwood  tree 
across  the  creek,  which  was  used  for  crossing.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
stream,  the  water  was  high,  covering  the  log  about  a  foot ;  we  however 
waded  across  on  the  log  and  wended  our  way  toward  the  Little  Tarkio, 
being  compelled  to  wade  sloughs  waist  deep,  and  suffering  with  hunger. 
I  shot  a  rabbit  and  roasted  it  in  the  willows,  eating  it  without  bread  or 
salt.  About  dark  we  reached  John  Hughes'  place,  on  Squaw  Creek,  and 
stayed  all  night  at  Ferguson's,  who  was  from  Iowa  to  Missouri.  We 
crossed  the  Nodaway  at  Ellington's  ferry,  passed  west  and  south  of  where 
Fillmore  now  stands,  in  Andrew  County,  and  stopped  at  James  Brad- 
ford's, where  I  had  stayed  three  weeks,  and  where  I  had  left  my  things. 
Here  John  and  I  parted,  never  to  meet  again. 

The  next  day  I  started  back  to  Nodaway  County,  reached  the  Big 
Tarkio  and  found  its  banks  full.  I  made  a  raft  principally  out  of  syca- 
more logs  and  crossed  the  stream,  and  arrived  at  the  cabin  about  dark, 
where  I  found  the  three  brothers  enjoying  a  good  fire,  in  their  new  house. 
After  supper  they  told  me  that  they  had  concluded  to  go  to  Platte 
County  after  more  cattle,  and  requested  me  to  remain  at  their  cabin  and 
take  care  of  things  while  they  were  gone.  Soon  after  their  departure, 
about  sixty  Indians  camped  near  me.  I  was  out  hunting  one  day,  and 
came  in  late  and  found  six  Indians  standing  near  the  cabin.  One  of 
them  came  running  up  to  me  with  his  tomakawk  raised,  and  thrust  his 
hand  into  my  shot  pouch.  I  asked  him  what  he  wanted,  when  he  put 
his  finger  on  the  flint  in  my  gun,  and  smiled.  I  gave  him  two  or  three 
flints,  when  the  other  Indians  came  up  and  shook  hands.  We  had  no 
matches  in  those  days.     These  Indians  came  into  the  cabin   that  even- 


576  HISTORY   OF   HOLT    COUNTY. 

ing,  but  I  could  understand  but  little  they  said.  Among  them  was  an 
old  chief— Monocahavvk  by  name.  They  left  about  bed  time,  and  went 
to  their  wigwams.  They  were  a  small  band  of  the  Iowas,  Sacs  and 
Foxes.  I  could  tell  the  different  tribes  by  their  wigwams,  as  each  built 
them  in  a  different  manner. 

I  hunted  a  day  or  two  with  Monocahawk,  when  I  became  better 
acquainted  with  him  ;  went  to  his  wigwam,  where  he  tried  to  tell  me  of 
his  relations  ;  saw  him  play  with  his  children,  with  whom  he  seemed  to 
enjoy  himself,  as  any  fond  father  does  with  his  children.  I  was  always 
well  treated  by  him  and  the  Indians  generally.  They  gave  me  the  best 
they  had  to  eat,  and  among  other  things,  salt;  this  they  did  not  use 
themselves.  Their  winter  wigwams  were  made  of  elk  or  buffalo  skins 
stretched  over  poles  set  in  the  ground,  and  fastened  down  all  round, 
leaving  a  small  hole  in  the  top,  for  the  smoke  to  pass  out.  They  put 
grass  and  leaves  in  the  inside,  except  in  the  center,  where  they  build  a 
small  fire.  They  then  spread  robes  and  blankets  over  the  leaves  and 
grass,  making  it  warm  and  pleasant.  The  squaws  were  busy  in  making 
moccasins  and  working  into  them,  porcupine  quills.  I  saw  them  teach- 
ing their  children  to  stand  alone.  They  did  this  by  using  a  stick  about 
two  feet  in  length,  the  child  holding  to  one  end  while  the  other  end  was 
■on  the  ground.     Their  children  are  taught  to  be  quiet. 

I  noticed  in  some  of  these  wigwams  polecats  cleaned  and  dressed 
as  we  do  hogs.  They  make  a  choice  dish  among  the  Indians.  We  often 
saw  deer,  turkeys,  coons  and  prairie  chickens  lying  around  the  tents, 
the  result  of  a  day's  hunt.  In  going  along  in  company  with  Monoca- 
hawk, when  we  would  pass  through  good,  walnut  timbered  land,  he 
would  say,  "  Very  good,  chemuckman,"  meaning  the  whites  liked  this 
kind  of  land,  and  when  we  entered  marshy  land  he  would  say,  "  Pish- 
conica,"  meaning  not  good  ;  when  we  crossed  a  small  stream  of  water 
he  would  say,  "Petite  Missouri,"  meaning  "Little  Missouri."  The 
three  brothers  returned  from  Platte  County  about  the  20th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1841.     Indians  were  still  camped  all  through  the  Missouri  bottom. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1841,  snow  fell  to  the  depth  of  fifteen 
■inches,  and  the  weather  was  very  cold  for  three  days,  moderating  some 
the  third  day.  On  that  evening  I  killed  a  deer  and  Monocahawk  came 
■over  to  the  camp  for  the  head,  with  which  he  made  soup.  After  this 
snow  melted  there  was  no  more  all  winter,  at  least  but  very  little.  The 
lake  froze  and  the  fowls  generally  left.  When  shot  at  in  the  morning 
they  would  rise  and  fly  and  make  a  noise  like  thunder  with  their  wings, 
and  scream  and  pipe  and  shriek.  Among  these  water  fowl  was  one  bird 
which  had  no  tongue,  and  is  known  as  the  Pelican.  This  bird  has  a 
pouch  under  his  bill,  in  which  he  can  carry  provisions  enough  to  do  him 
nearly  a  week.  I  have  taken  out  of  this  pouch  five  or  six  fish,  from 
three  to  six  inches  in  length.      The  swans  made  a  trumpet-like  noise 


REMINISCENCES   OF   AN   OLD   PIONEER.  577 

and  were  white,  with  black  tips  to  their  wings,  and  were  not  quite  as 
large  as  the  pelican. 

One  day  a  man  came  from  the  bluffs,  telling  that  the  owners  of 
cattle  in  the  Great  Rush  Bottom  were  going  to  meet  at  our  cabin  on  a 
certain  day  to  organize  a  company  to  drive  the  Indians  across  the  Mis- 
souri River.  On  the  day  named  the  bluff  men  came  riding  on  their 
mustang  saddles,  with  rope  stirrups,  to  the  number  of  twenty-one. 
Some  of  these  cattle  men  made  me  think  of  the  cow-skin  clad  shep- 
herds on  the  Nile.  Some  of  them  had  buck-hide  pants,  coon-skin  caps 
(tail  and  all),  and  flax  shirts. 

A  cow  had  been  killed  and  eaten  by  some  person  or  persons,  we 
could  not  tell  whether  by  the  whites  or  Indians,  but  supposed  it  to  have 
been  done  by  the  Indians.  We  fell  into  line  and  filed  down  the  north 
bank  of  the  lake,  and  were  soon  near  enough  to  the  Indians  to  throw 
out  advanced  skirmishers,  who  returned  and  reported  that  the  Indians 
were  out  on  a  hunt.  I  felt  better.  When  we  surrounded  the  encamp- 
ment, an  old  man  (Indian)  came  out,  in  company  with  a  young  man,  and 
told  us  that  the  warriors  were  all  on  a  hunt.  The  Indians  were  given 
three  days  in  which  to  leave.  At  the  end  of.  three  days,  I  was  sent  out 
to  see  if  they  had  gone.  I  found  that  they  had  all  gone.  They,  how- 
ever, returned  occasionally  on  hunting  expeditions. 

In  December,  1841,  we  were  out  hunting  bees,  and  hearing  the  sound 
of  an  ax,  we  went  in  that  direction.  We  saw  two  squaws  chopping 
a  small  honey  locust  for  honey,  and  got  down  to  help  myself  to  the 
honey.  The  weather  was  warm  for  December,  and  the  bees  were  buzz- 
ing around  the  squaws  in  great  numbers.  I  made  a  motion  giving  them 
to  understand  that  I  would  cut  the  tree  and  take  the  honey  out  for  them. 
They  gave  me  an  ax,  and  I  cut  the  tree  down.  They  produced  a  dressed 
deer  skin,  which  looked  like  a  jar  when  filled  with  honey,  and  which  was 
handy  for  carrying.  While  assisting  these  squaws,  I  heard  a  noise  in 
the  bush  near,  and  looking  around,  saw  an  Indian  warrior  well  armed. 
He  looked  sullen,  thinking  we  were  perhaps  taking  the  honey  from  the 
squaws.  I  took  a  piece  of  nice  honey  and  gave  it  to  him.  At  this  he 
smiled  and  tried  to  talk.  We  mounted  our  horses  and  left,  and  never 
saw  them  any  more. 

Lewis  and  Clark  say  there  were  no  bees  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Osage  River  in  1804.  They  say,  also,  that  a  part  of  the  Missouri  River 
had  its  channel  then  where  the  Higgins  Lake  is,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big 
Tarkio,  making  a  large  island,  called  St.  Joseph's  Island,  the  channel  of 
which  has  since  filled  up.  One  evening,  before  Monocahawk  and  party 
were  ordered  away,  he  came  to  our  cabin,  in  company  with  five  other 
Indians,  and  gave  us  to  understand,  by  signs,  that  some  cattle  were  fast 
in  the  mud  and  mire  of  the  lake.  The  next  morning  the  Indians  met  us 
and  helped  to  get  the  cattle  released  from  the  slough.     We  did  not  know, 


37 


578  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

at  the  time,  to  whom  the  cattle  belonged,  but,  in  a  few  days,  a  man  came 
from  Durbin's  and  brought  us  five  or  six  plugs  of  tobacco,  which  had 
been  sent  us  by  Durbin,  for  caring  for  his  cattle. 

One  morning  I  was  riding  through  the  country  and  fell  in  company 
with  a  French  Indian  trader.  I  asked  him  why  the  Indians  called  the 
Nishnebotna,  Big  and  Little  Tarkio,  by  those  names  ?  He  said  that  in 
the  Indian  tongue,  Nishnabotna  meant  a  river  where  boats  were  built, 
or  a  boat  building  stream,  and  that  Tarkio  meant  walnut,  or  a  stream  on 
which  there  were  many  walnuts.  This  Indian  trader  pointed  to  a  streak 
of  cotton-wood  timber,  just  below  Hemme's  Landing,  on  the  Missouri 
River,  and  said  that  several  years  before  the  settlement  of  the  Platte 
Purchase  there  came  a  cold  winter,  which  froze  the  Big  Tarkio,  except 
about  a  rod  in  the  middle  of  the  stream.  There  was  a  large  herd  of  elk, 
west  on  the  prairie  bottom,  near  that  streak  of  timber,  and  immediately 
he  saw  emerging  from  the  timber  a  great  many  Indians,  all  mounted  on 
swift  horses.  They  drove  the  elk  in  the  direction  of  the  Big  Tarkio, 
some  distance  south  of  where  he  was  at  the  time,  and  pursued  them  until 
they  crowded  into  the  stream  by  hundreds.  Another  party  of  Indians, 
previously  stationed  on  the  east  side  of  the  Big  Tarkio,  in  the  timber, 
joined  in  the  chase.  The  elk  plunged  into  the  water,  but  could  not  cross, 
on  account  of  the  opening  in  the  ice.  About  500  of  the  elk  were  caught 
and  killed,  furnishing  the  Indians  with  an  abundance  of  meat  that  winter. 

May,  1842.  The  youngest  brother  went  to  the  bluffs  this  morning, 
to  ascertain  the  day  of  the  week  and  to  get  some  meal.  I  went  out  and 
killed  a  deer.  Snapping  turtles  are.  coming  out  of  Impassable  Lake,  to 
lay  their  eggs.  Two  Indians  came  by,  on  their  ponies,  and  after  they 
passed  I  could  hear  them  tomahawking  the  turtles  on  the  banks  of  the 
lake.  These  they  eat  whenever  they  can  get  them.  Some  of  the  turtles 
in  the  Impassable  Lake  were  as  large  round  as  a  half  bushel. 

June,  1842,  a  steamboat  is  now  lying  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nishne- 
botna, and  destined  for  the  Rocky  Mountains,  whither  they  go  every 
season  to  bring  down  the  furs  purchased  from  the  trappers  and  the 
Indians.  This  boat  has  broken  her  shaft  and  another  is  expected  from 
St.  Louis.  Our  boys  have  hired  some  of  the  boat  hands  to  make  rails 
while  they  are  waiting  for  the  shaft.  Three  weeks  passed  before  the 
shaft  was  sent.  It  came  to  Weston,  Platte  County,  by  steamboat  and 
was  brought  from  that  point  in  a  Mackinaw  boat.  The  steamer  started 
but  getting  aground  on  a  sandbar,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  had  to  lay  up 
all  winter.  It  is  still  in  June,  and  I  have  been  around  Irish  Grove  getting 
acquainted  and  eating  wheat  bread  without  its  being  bolted.  Plenty  of 
milk  and  honey.     I  think  Moses  missed  a  good  country. 

One  day  I  went  to  the  Missouri  River,  where  I  saw  a  small,  cleared 
field.  I  went  through  the  high  grass  to  look  at  the  fence,  to  see  what 
was   planted,  and,  when  reaching  it,  I  saw  on  the  inside  of  the  field   a 


REMINISCENCES   OF   AN   OLD    HONEER.  579 

monstrous  looking  dog  barking  at  me.     In  the  corner  of  the  fence  I  saw 
a  red  Indian  blanket  spread  out  on  the  grass,  and  on  it  were  two  Indian 
babies,  which  appeared  to  be  twins.     At  the  far  side  of  the  field  there 
was  a  man  and  woman  planting  corn.     They  looked  as  lonely  as  Adam 
and  Eve  did  in  the  garden  of  Eden.    I  passed  on  through  the  grass  and 
found  a  cabin  on  the  bank  of  the  river.     As  I  approached  it  all  the  dogs 
barked   (those    that  were    able,   for  they   were   very   poor),   and   a  tall 
slender  white  woman,  fair  complexioned,  come  out  looking  friendly  and 
invited  me  to  have  a  stool.     She  was  quite  talkative  and  told  me  of  her 
husband  and  the  settlers.     We  built  a  cabin  in  section  18,  township  63, 
range  40,  now  in   Atchison  County,  near  a  spring  at  the  foot  of  the 
bluffs,  which  was  afterwards   known   as  the  "  Bottom  Farm."     I  went 
back  to  see  the  man  in  the  cabin  on  the  river  bank  and  made  arrange- 
ments with  him  to  go  over  the  Missouri  River  on  a  hunting  expedition. 
The   woman   said   she  would  be  "  darned  "  if  she  would  stay  at  home 
alone.    We  were  to  start  in  a  month.     In  the  meantime  I  had  agreed  to 
cut   and   split   two   thousand  rails  for  the    boys    for   two   two-year-old 
steers  ;  the  rails  at  fifty  cents  per  hundred,  the  steers  to  be  taken  at  ten 
dollars  each.     My  contract  was  performed,  and  in  July,  1842,  I  was  on 
the  river  bank  ready  to  help  make  the  canoes  in  which  we  were  to  cross 
to  the  western   shore.     Others   had  heard  of  our   intended    hunt,  and 
joined  us,  some  of  them  coming  from  Clay  County.     William  Root  and 
son  came  from  Clay,  and  David  Sempleton  and  son  from  Holt  County. 
We  were  several  days  getting  the  canoes  ready.     The  men  from  Clay 
County  rode  mules  and  they  had  to  be  taken  over  the  river.  We  placed 
the  canoes  in  the  river,  seven  or  eight  feet  apart,  and  connected  them 
by  puncheons,  which   we  fastened   to   each,  and,  when  thus   arranged, 
they  would  carry  our  guns,  tubs,  buckets,  mules  and  ourselves  (six  or 
seven  men),  leaving  about  two  inches  above  water.     We  reached  the 
opposite  shore  in  safety  and  all  scattered,  each  taking  his  own  course. 
I  had  not  gone  far  in  the  hills  before  I  saw  a  deer  and  killed  it,  and, 
while  I  was  dragging  the  deer  towards  a  bush,  a  bee  flew  by  my  face 
and  disappeared  in  a  hole  in  a  tree  near  me.     I  found  six  bee  trees  that 
day.     Sempleton  and  son  hunted  for  about  a  week  and  left  for   home. 
There  were  then  six  of  us.     We  went  farther  up  the  river  and  found 
bees  in  abundance,  and  had  a  "candy  pulling"  in  the  white  settlement, 
the  settlers  being  present,  among  them  three  women —all  in  the  neigh- 
borhood.    We    went  over  the  river  again   and   took  a  hunt.     I  found 
thirty-two  bee  trees,  and  the  others  found  about  the  same  number.     We 
had  seven  barrels  of  honey.     It  took  eleven  bee  trees  to  make  a  barrel 
of  strained  honey.     While  I  was  hunting  over  the  river  I  saw  a  bundle 
of  something  about  twenty  feet  above  the  ground  in  a  tree.     I  climbed 
the  tree  and  raised  some  bark  ;  there  were  layers  of  flags  tied  together, 
such  as  the  Indians  use  for  wigwams  in  the  summer.     These  flags  were 


58o  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

wrapped  around  something,  which  I  found  to  be  two  nicely  dressed  buf- 
falo skins.  The  skins  I  found  enclosed  the  dead  body  of  an  Indian, 
having  on  his  moccasins.  Poles  and  bark  were  alternately  laid  over 
him,  after  wrapping  him  in  the  skin  to  prevent  the  buzzards  from  eating 
him. 

There  was  great  suffering  in  the  Platte  Purchase  in  the  long  winter 
of  1842-3.  During  that  winter  I  grated  a  part  of  my  corn  for  meal,  and 
ate  six  or  seven  bushels  of  corn  boiled  and  parched.  I  killed  twenty- 
three  deer  that  winter,  and  killed  a  number  of  turkeys  as  they  walked 
through  my  door  yard.  The  pioneers  generally  grated  their  corn  in  the 
fall  for  the  winter.  One  morning,  in  the  winter  of  1843,  a  young  man 
stopped  at  the  cabin  to  warm.  I  asked  him  where  he  lived  ?  He  said, 
"  all  around  here."  I  knew  then  he  was  a  preacher.  I  learned  that  his 
name  was  Marvin — afterwards  Bishop  Marvin.  R.  H.  Russel  stayed  all 
winter  at  our  cabin,  in  1843. 

April  1,  1843,  I  walked  across  Impassable  lake  on  the  ice — ice  two 
feet  thick  and  snow  knee  deep.  The  flood  was  coming.  About  the  10th 
of  April,  I  got  up  one  morning  and  saw  that  the  lake  looked  muddy  and 
had  risen.  It  rained  a  great  part  of  the  time  from  April  till  July.  This 
was  the  first  overflow  that  we  have  any  record  of.  I  have  seen  the  over- 
flows of  June,  1843,  1844  and  1881,  and  there  was  but  little  difference. 
After  the  overflow  there  was  much  sickness  in  the  Missouri  bottoms. 

In  1843,  a  man  living  on  Mill  Creek,  under  the  bluffs,  went  up  in 
the  hills  to  cut  a  log,  and  while  coming  down  the  hill,  carrying  his  ax 
on  his  shoulder,  his  foot  caught  in  the  weeds,  he  fell  and  cut  the  calf  of 
his  leg  severely.  The  wound  was  bleeding  profusely  when  an  Indian 
came  along,  and  after  looking  a  moment  at  the  wound,  went  and  pulled 
off  some  stems  and  leaves  of  the  weeds  growing  near,  and  after  chewing 
them  a  moment  applied  them  to  the  wound,  when  the  blood  ceased  run- 
ning, in.  about  two  minutes.  The  Indian  helped  the  man  to  his  cabin, 
and  after  awhile  went  out  on  the  prairie  and  got  another  and  different 
weed,  chewed  it,  and  applied  in  the  same  manner.  The  Indian  remained 
with  him  a  day  or  two,  until  the  man  began  to  get  well.  The  Indian 
showed  me  the  weeds  he  used  ;  they  do  not  grow  here  now. 

In  January,  1843,  I  went  up  to  the  creek  to  look  for  a  deer.  In  a 
very  thick  hazle  thicket  there  lay  a  large  log.  It  was  no  unusual  thing 
to  see  turkeys  on  that  log  sunning  themselves.  Failing  to  get  a  deer 
that  morning,  I  returned  the  same  way  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  thicket. 
Looking  towards  the  log  I  saw,  as  I  thought,  three  turkeys.  I  took  my 
gun  from  my  shoulder  and  aimed  at  the  largest  one.  I  could  not  see 
his  neck,  just  as  I  wished,  and  hesitated  about  firing.  At  that  moment 
an  Indian  raised  his  head,  and  I  saw  it  was  not  a  turkey.  The  Indians 
had  just  reached  the  spot,  and  was  scraping  off  the  snow  preparatory  to 
making  a  fire.     I  went  up  to  them,  when  one  of  them  handed  me  an  old 


REMINISCENCES   OF   AN   OLD   PIONEER.  58 1 

flint  lock  gun  (all  they  had)  and  said  to  me  by  signs  that  the  lock  was 
"sick."  I  took  the  lock  and  found  that  the  main-spring  was  out  of  trim. 
I  arranged  it  for  them,  and  it  pleased  them  greatly.  They  made  a  fire 
and  put  their  camp  kettle  on,  and  boiled  a  turkey.  One  of  them  took 
the  entrails  of  the  turkey,  and  after  drawing  them  through  his  fingers, 
would  put  them  into  the  kettle,  and  after  boiling  a  few  moments  would 
take  them  out  and  eat  them.  I  saw  there  was  something  in  a  man's 
raising,  after  all. 

I  was  at  Oregon  one  day,  when  Frank  Nickol  and  L.  W.  Jones  had 
a  difficulty  about  a  claim  in  Nickol's  Grove,  where  they  both  lived.  They 
had  agreed  to  settle  the  difficulty  the  first  time  they  met  in  town.  They 
met  about  where  Niece's  tin  store  now  stands.  We  formed  a  ring  around 
them  by  holding  each  others  hands.  Each  of  the  men  had  a  second. 
These  brave  fellows  took  off  their  coats  and  shirts  and  when  ready,  they 
advanced  upon  each  other  and  began  the  battle.  Jones  finally  shouted 
enough,  when  they  were  parted.     Nickols,  of  course,  got  the  claim. 

1844.  After  three  of  us  had  graduated  on  the  tributaries  of  the  Impas- 
sable Lake,  we  concluded  to  go  east.  I  told  the  boys  I  had  been  seeing 
steamboats  ever  since  I  recollected,  but  had  never  traveled  on  them. 
We  accordingly  got  ready  and  walked  to  Weston,  Platte  County,  making 
the  trip  in  two  and  a  half  days.  After  our  arrival,  we  went  to  a  house 
of  entertainment,  and  while  eating  dinner,  we  heard  a  sharp,  powerful 
scream,  something  like  the  scream  of  a  panther.  The  landlord  seeing  I 
was  very  much  alarmed,  said  the  boat  was  coming.  I  asked  him  what 
kind  of  a  boat  ?  He  said  steamboat.  We  told  him  we  wanted  to  go 
down  the  river,  and  asked  him  how  they  (the  boats)  made  that  noise  ? 
(I  had  never  heard  a  steamboat  whistle).  He  said  one  or  two  steamboats 
on  the  western  waters  had  whistles.  We  asked  him  if  the  boat  whistled 
often  ?  He  said  only  when  she  landed,  left  a  port,  or  met  another  boat. 
One  of  our  party  said  he  had  traveled  to  New  Orleans  several  times,  and 
knew  all  about  boats.  This  relieved  me  greatly,  as  I  was  totally  ignor- 
ant of  this  mode  of  traveling.  I  imitated  this  comrade  as  closely  as  I 
could,  at  the  hotel.  We  walked  out  in  town  and  a  Jew  came  out  of  his 
store  and  took  hold  of  my  friend,  and  tried  to  induce  him  to  go  into  his 
store  and  buy  something.  He  jerked  himself  loose,  and  told  the  impor- 
tunate vender  of  cheap  clothing  to  go  to  h — 1.  I  thought  this  a  little 
rough,  but  said  nothing,  as  I  had  not  been  in  cities  long  enough  to 
understand  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  people,  and  did  not  know  but 
that  it  was  all  right. 

My  comrade's  name  was  Halloway.  He  was  a  scientific  coon  and 
muskrat  hunter,  and  had  very  active,  black  eyes.  Soon  a  man  stepped 
up  to  me,  and  asked  me  where  I  was  going  ?  I  told  him  we  were  going 
down  the  Missouri  River,  if  we  could  strike  a  steamboat  that  would  take 
us  according  to  our  money.     He  said  he  would  like  to  go  with  us  and  in 


582  HISTORY   OF    HOLT   COUNTY. 

our  mess.  I  said  all  right.  As  we  walked  towards  the  boat  he  said  he 
had  been  in  town  a  day  or  two,  waiting  for  a  boat,  and  in  traveling 
around  town  that  day  had  cheated  some  fellow  out  of  seventy-five  cents. 
I  thought  him  a  little  fast,  as  I  had  never  seen  him  before,  but  as  I  had 
not  traveled  any  in  boats  I  did  not  say  anything.  Halloway  and  Will- 
iam Buffinbaugh  were  my  comrades,  and  this  strange  man  remained 
close  to  me  all  the  time.  We  reached  the  boat,  and  out  came  the  clerk, 
a  little  red-headed,  neatly  dressed  man.  When  I  saw  who  he  was,  I 
rushed  up  to  him,  putting  my  hand  on  his  shoulder,  my  comrades  and  the 
by-standers  all  gazing  in  wonder,  when  he  looked  around  and  instantly 
took  my  hand,  and  said  :  "  Where  in  the  d —  have  you  been  so  long  ?" 
I  asked  him  where  he  had  been  so  long,  since  we  boarded  together  at  a 
country  tavern,  east  of  the  Black  Swamps,  in  Indiana  ?  He  said  :  "  Steam- 
boating."  His  name  was  Charles  Mulford.  He  was  then  on  a  new  boat, 
built  at  Pittsburg.  This  was  her  second  or  third  trip.  He  told  me  that 
there  were  but  two  boats  running  on  the  western  rivers  that  had  whistles, 
and  this  boat  was  the  first.  He  said  steamboats  had  them  on  the  east- 
ern waters.  I  asked  him  when  the  boat  would  leave  ?  He  said  at  day- 
light in  the  morning,  to  the  minute.  I  asked  him  what  we  could  get  to 
St.  Louis  for?  He  said  we  could  go  for  $3.50  each,  deck  passage,  and 
help  wood,  or  $4  and  not  help.  I  told  him  we  could  not  pay  that,  and 
asked  him  if  he  had  ever  seen  this  river  rafted  ?  He  said  no,  and  took 
me  up  in  the  boat  and  showed  me  a  printed  contract  that  all  the  boat 
hands  had  agreed  to,  and  assured  us  that  if  we  waited  for  the  next  boat 
we  could  do  no  better.  I  asked  permission  to  remain  on  the  boat  (lower 
deck)  till  next  morning.  I  told  him  I  would  vouch  for  my  companions. 
He  said  all  right.  We  concluded  we  would  go  up  in  town  and  buy  an 
outfit  and  wait  and  try  the  next  boat.  We  started  and  this  stranger  still 
kept  close  to  me.  The  other  two  went  together.  We  bought  a  few  tin 
cups,  a  coffee  pot,  tin  plates,  a  ham  of  meat,  some  bread,  etc.  I  told  this 
stranger  to  pay  for  some  of  the  things  and  when  we  got  on  the  boat  we 
would  make  it  all  right,  and  when  the  other  boys  came  we  would  know 
each  one's  share.  The  stranger  slept  on  the  boat  and  left  his  clothes 
and  things  up  in  town.  He  had  overpaid,  more  than  one  dollar, 
his  share.  On  the  lower  deck  the  rooms  for  deck  passengers  were 
at  the  rear  end  of  the  boat.  Just  after  we  had  got  into  our  bunks,  as  they 
called  them,  the  clerk  rapped  on  mine,  and  whispered  to  me  that  we 
could  go  down  for  $2.50  each  and  help  wood.  I  said  to  him  all  right. 
I  told  my  companions  what  the  clerk  had  said,  and  that  the  boat  would 
leave  the  next  morning.  Just  before  day  I  saw  the  stranger  walking 
about.  I  supposed  he  was  going  up  in  town  after  his  clothes,  but  I  never 
saw  him  afterward,  and  do  not  know  whether  he  took  anything  or 
whether  he  was  too  slow  in  returning  before  the  boat  left. 


REMINISCENCE  OF   AN   OLD    PIONEER. 


583 


I  was  not  far  from  the  whistle,  when  all  at  once,  the  whistle  sounded 
with  such  an  unearthly  shriek,  that  I  came  very  near  jumping  into  the 
river.  Our  boat  started,  and  when  we  reached  Blue  Mills,  an  old  Span- 
iard put  $150,000  on  the  boat,  in  silver  and  gold.  He  was  going  to  pur- 
chase goods.  His  money  was  in  small,  square  boxes,  encased  in  raw- 
hide, and  placed  in  the  captain's  quarters.  We  changed  boats  at  St. 
Louis.  We  went  through  the  canal  at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  While 
there,  the  boys  went  up  to  see  the  giant,  Porter.  They  got  off  the  boat 
in  Kentucky,  and  I  went  oh  to  Cincinnati. 


ATCHISON   COUNTY    COURT    HOUSE,    ROCK    PORT,    MO. 


HISTORY  OF  ATCHISON  COUNTY. 

CHAPTER  I. 

ACT  ORGANIZING  THE  COUNTY  OF  ATCHISON. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  GENERAL  D.   R.   ATCHISON. 

The  act  organizing  the  County  of  Atchison,  was  passed  during  the 
winter  of  1844.  The  names  of  the  county  commissioners  as  given  by 
that  act,  were  Alexander  McElroy,  David  Hunsaker  and  Elijah  Needles. 
They  were  authorized  to  meet  on  the  14th  day  of  April,  [845,  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  the  county,  at  the  house  of  Conrad  Cliffield.  The 
county  was  named  in  honor  of  General  David  R.  Atchison,  and  was 
bounded  as  follows  :  "Beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of 
the  Missouri  River,  at  a  point  where  a  line  running  through  the  center 
of  township  sixty-three  extended,  would  intersect  the  same  ;  thence 
east  with  said  township  line  to  the  line  of  Nodaway  County  ;  thence 
north  with  said  line  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  state  ;  thence  with 
the  same  [west]  to  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Missouri  River  ; 
thence  down  said  river  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  thereof  to  the 
beginning." 

GENERAL   DAVID    R.    ATCHISON. 

Whether  or  not  the  policy  of  naming  counties  after  illustrious 
statesmen  and  famous  generals,  be  a  good  one,  it  has  nevertheless  been 
followed,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  in  the  various  states  of  the  Union,. 
and  in  none  more  so  than  in  Missouri,  as  is  illustrated  by  the  following 
named  counties:  Atchison,  Barton,  Bates  Benton,  Buchanan,  Clay, 
Clinton,  ^Dallas,  Lewis,  Pike,  Polk,  Taney,  Randolph,  Washington,  Web- 
ster, Jackson,  and  many  others. 

A  brief  sketch  of  the  man,  whose  name  the  county  bears,  will  be  in 
place  here  : 

Ex-Senator  David  R.  Atchison,  of  Missouri,  was  born  at  Frogtownr 
in  Fayette  County,  Kentucky,  August  n,  1807.  Being  the  son  of  a 
wealthy  farmer  of  that  county,  he  received  all  the  advantages  of  a  liberal 
education,    which   developed    those    powerful  intellectual  faculties  that 


586  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

rendered  his  name,  in  after  life,  conspicuous  in  the  history  of  his  country. 
His  father  was  William  Atchison,  the  son  of  a  farmer  of  Lancaster 
County,  Pennsylvania,  who  moved  with  his  parents,,  when  six  years  of 
age,  to  that  garden  spot  of  the  west,  which  now  constitutes  the  rich  and 
magnificently  improved  county  of  Fayette,  in  the  State  of  Kentucky. 
His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Catherine  Allen.  She  was  a  native  of 
the  State  of  Georgia,  and  a  lady  of  rare,  natural  and  acquired  endow- 
ments. General  Atchison  was  the  eldest  of  six  children — four  sons  and 
two  daughters.  His  brothers  were,  B.  A.  Atchison,  generally  known  as 
Allen  Atchison,  who  died  in  1857,  leaving  one  child  ;  John  C,  who  with 
Mary,  a  daughter  of  William  Atchison,  resides  with  the  general ;  Alex- 
ander Atchison,  who  died  insane,  since  the  war,  and  William  Atchison, 
the  father  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Atchison,  at  one  time  a  well  known  physician  of 
Buchanan  County.  One  sister,  Mary,  was  married  to  Madison  Allen,  a 
farmer  of  Buchanan  County.  Miss  Rebecca  Atchison,  another  sister, 
died  at  her  residence  in  Clinton  County,  in  August,  1874.  The  brothers 
were  all  large  farmers,  and  recognized  as  men  of  more  than  ordinary 
natural  and  acquired  abilities.^ 

Largely  blessed  with  the  gifts  of  fortune,  intellectual  worth  seems 
to  have  been  no  less  the  heritage  of  this  distinguished  family.  In  1825, 
General  Atchison  was  graduated  with  high  honor,  in  Transylvania 
University,  then  the  leading  institution  of  learning  in  the  state,  and  since 
incorporated  in  the  new  University  of  Kentucky.  Upon  receiving  his 
degree  in  the  arts,  with  characteristic  energy,  immediately  applied  him- 
self to  the  study  of  law.  Among  his  preceptors  in  the  faculty  were  the 
eminent  Judge  Bledsoe,  Charles  Humphrey  and  William  T.  Barry,  after- 
wards postmaster  general  of  the  United  States,  during  the  administration 
of  Martin  Van  Buren.  In  1829  he  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law, 
in  his  native  state.  Notwithstanding  the  most  flattering  encouragement 
and  persuasion  to  remain,  from  those  who  knew  and  appreciated  his 
talents,  he  determined  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  West,  and  in  1830, 
moved  to  the  comparatively  wild  district  of  Clay  County,  Missouri,  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  Liberty.  The  only  lawyer  in  the  place  at  the  time 
of  his  arrival,  was  Judge  William  T.  Wood,  now  a  resident  of  Lexing- 
ton. About  this  period,  General  Atchison  was  appointed  Major  General 
of  the  Northern  Division  of  Missouri  State  Militia.  He  soon  commanded 
a  lucrative  practice,  and  continued  to  reside  in  Liberty  until  February, 
1841,  when  he  received  the  appointment  of  judge,  by  Governor  Rey- 
nolds, of  the  circuit  court  of  Platte  County,  and  removed  to  Platte  City 
during  that  year. 

In  August,  1834,  as  again  in  1838,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Leg- 
islature, from  Clay  County.  Upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Linn,  United  States 
Senator,  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor 
to  the  vacancy  thus  occasioned  in   the  Senate.     He   was   elected   and 


COUNTY    ORGANIZATION.  587 

re-elected  for  two  full  terms  in  succession,  the  last  of  which  expired 
March  4,  1855,  during  the  administration  of  Franklin  Pierce.  In  1857, 
he  moved  to  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  where  he  now  resides.  He  was 
elected  President  of  the  Senate,  to  succeed  Judge  Mangum,  from  North 
Carolina,  which  position  he  filled  some  years.  The  4th  of  March,  1849, 
occurring  on  Sunday,  General  Z.  Taylor  was  not  inaugurated  till  the 
following  Morning.  General  Atchison,  as  presiding  officer  of  the  Senate, 
became  virtually,  President  of  the  United  States,  during  the  period  of 
twenty-four  hours.  On  his  retirement  from  the  Senate,  he  continued  to 
take  a  lively  interest  in  the  politics  of  the  country,  and  was  regarded  as 
a  leader  and  chief  adviser  of  the  pro-slavery  party  in  Kansas,  during  the 
troubles  which  preceded  the  admission  into  the  Union. 

In  1856,  he  had  command  of  1,150  men,  at  a  point  called  Santa  Fe. 
On  the  29th  of  August,  the  same  year,  a  detachment  from  his  army 
attacked  Osawatomie,  Kansas,  and  succeeded  in  killing  five  men  and 
capturing  seven. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  civil  war,  Governor  Jackson,  of  Mis- 
souri, sent  him  a  commission  as  Brigadier-General,  which  he  declined. 
He,  however,  joined  the  Southern  army  temporarily,  and  continued  with 
it  until  after  the  battle  of  Elkhorn,  and  after  the  close  of  the  war 
returned  to  his  home,  where  he  has  continued  to  reside  in  unbroken 
retirement.  As  a  private  citizen,  no  man  was  ever  more  highly  esteemed 
than  he.  The  deserving,  in  misfortune,  were  never  known  to  go 
unrelieved  by  his  generous  hand,  and  the  princely  hospitality  with  which 
he  entertained  those  who  were  honored  by  his  friendship,  will  long  be 
remembered.     He  was  never  married. 


CHAPTER    II.  ] 

PHYSICAL    FEATURES. 

LOCATION'-  BOUNDARY -SURFACE— STREAMS  — TIMBER— CLIMATE  AND  HEALTH— RAIN- 
FALL-PRAIRIE. 

LOCATION. 

Atchison  County  is  located  in  the  extreme  northwestern  corner  of 
the  state,  bordering  upon  the  Iowa  line,  which  bounds  -it  on  the  north. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  e_ast  by  Nodaway  County,  on  the  south  by  Holt 
and  on  the  west  by  Nebraska,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Mis- 
souri River. 

It  is  about  the  same  parallel  as  Philadelphia,  Columbus,  Indianapo- 
lis and  San  Francisco,  and  about  the  same  meridian  as  Lake  Itasca  and 
Galveston.  The  county  is  divided  into  ten  civil  and  nine  full  congres- 
sional townships,  and  sixteen  fractional  townships  and  contains  334,- 
000  acres,  or  about  52i|  square  miles. 

SURFACE. 

The  land  in  the  county,  away  from  the  streams,  is  undulating 
prairie  and  presents  altogether  a  diversity  of  country  seldom  found  in  so 
small  an  area.  Rising  to  the  higher  points  of  ground,  the  eye  com- 
mands views  of  exquisite  loveliness,  embracing  the  silvery  course  of  the 
stream,  the  waving  foilage  of  trees,  the  changing  outlines  of  gentle  ele- 
vations, the  flower-decked  prairie,  with  cultivated  farms  and  houses, 
including  the  hut  of  the  first  settlers  and  the  more  palatial  mansion  of 
the  stock  raiser  and  the  capitalist. 

The  bottoms  of  the  Missouri,  extending  eastward  across  the  Nish- 
nebotna  River  to  the  bluffs  beyond,  range  from  four  to  eight  miles  in 
width,  and  include  an  area  of  about  one  hundred  square  miles.  The  hills 
east,  for  one  or  two  miles,  include  a  tract  of  country,  consisting  of  a  num- 
ber of  groups  of  rounded  hills,  presenting  a  commandingfront  and  rising 
150  to  250  feet  above  the  bottom  prairie.  Eastward,  and  extending  to 
the  east  line  of  the  county,  the  country  slopes  gently  to  the  streams,  the 
bottoms  are  tolerably  wide  and  the  uplands  hilly  and  rolling.  The  Mis- 
souri bluffs  are  often  very  steep,  frequently  sloping  at  an  angle  of  sixty 


PHYSICAL   FEATURES.  589 

degrees,  often  in  every  direction  ;  they  seem  like  miniature  mountain 
peakes,  and  present  a  very  picturesque  appearance.  *  The  views  from 
their  summits  are  often  very  extensive  and  beautiful.  Ascending  them 
two  miles  west  of  Rock  Port  we  see  to  the  northward  the  wide  Missouri 
bottom,  with  its  covering  of  tall  prairie  grass,  through  which  the  wind- 
ing Nishnebotna  can  be  traced  by  its  fringe  of  green.  The  prairies 
beyond  stretch  out  beautifully,  occasionally  dotted  with  farms  and  fine 
fields  of  ripe  corn.  Across  the  northwest  appear  the  white  houses  of 
the  town  of  Sonora,  glistening  in  the  sunshine  and  giving  a  pleasant 
relief;  beyond  it  is  the  timber,  near  the  Missouri  River,  and  still  further, 
in  the  background,  arise,  in  bold  relief,  the  hills  of  Nebraska.  To  the 
right  and  left  the  bare  bluff  hills  extend  in  irregular,  mountain  like 
elevations. 

There  is  not  a  section  of  country  of  equal  extent  in  the  state  that 
possesses  a  better  distributed  drainage  system  than  Atchison  County. 
There  is,  proportionately,  such  a  small  area  of  waste  and  swamp  lands, 
and  the  facilities  for  drainage  are  so  admirable,  that  waste  lands  arising 
from  this  cause  are  too  insignificant  to  be  worthy  of  mentioning. 

The  county  presented  to  the  first  settler  an  easy  task  in  subduing 
the  wild  land.  Its  natural  prairies  were  fields  almost  ready  for  the 
planting  of  the  crop,  and  its  rich,  black  soil  seemed  to  be  waiting  the 
opportunity  of  paying  rewards  as  tribute  to  the  labor  of  the  husband- 
man. The  farms  of  Atchison  County  are  generally  large,  level  or  undu- 
lating, unbroken  by  impassable  sloughs,  without  stumps  or  other  obstruc- 
tions, and  furnish  the  best  of  conditions  favorable  to  the  use  of  reaping 
machines,   mowers,    corn     planters    and     other    kinds    of    labor-saving 

machinery. 

STREAMS. 

Atchison  County  is  so  well  supplied  with  living  streams  of  water, 
and  they  are  so  well  distributed  that  the  people  of  the  county  could  not 
possibly  make  an  improvement  upon  the  arrangement  if  they  were 
allowed  the  privilege  and  endowed  with  the  power  to  make  a  readjust- 
ment of  the  system  of  streams  and  water  courses.  Some  of  these 
streams  have  fine  mill  sites,  and,  and,  by  reason  of  the  water  power  thus 
made  so  accessible,  the  early  settler  was  spared  many  of  the  hardships 
and  inconveniences  experienced  by  the  pioneers  of  other  sections. 

The  principal  water  courses  of  the  county  are  the  Nishnebotna,  the 

Big  and  Little  Tarkios  and   Rock  Creek.     There   are  besides  these   a 

number  of  smaller  streams,  which  flow  through  the  county  in  different 

directions. 

TIMBER. 

The  circumstance  which,  more  than  any  other,  favored  the  early 
and  rapid  settlement  of  Atchison  County  was  the  abundance  of  timber. 


590  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

The  presence  of  timber  aided  materially  in  an  early  settlement,  and  it 
aided  in  two  ways  :  first,  the  county  had  to  depend  on  immigration 
from  the  older  settled  states  of  the  Union  for  its  population — Ohio, 
Indiana,  Kentucky,  Virginia  and  Tennessee.  These  states  were  orig- 
inally almost  entirely  covered  with  dense  forests  and  farms  were  made 
by  clearing  off  certain  portions  of  the  timber.  Almost  every  farm 
there,  after  it  became  thoroughly  improved,  still  retained  a  certain 
tract  of  timber,  commonly  known  as  "  the  woods."  The  woods  is  gen- 
erally regarded  as  the  most  important  part  of  the  farm,  and  the  aver- 
age farmer  regarded  it  as  indispensable  when  he  emigrated  west. 

The  great  objection  to  the  country  was  the  scarcity  of  timber  as 
compared  to  the  eastern  states,  and  he  did  not  suppose  that  it  would  be 
possible  to  open  up  a  farm  on  the  bleak  prairie.  To  live  in  a  region 
devoid  of  the  familiar  sight  of  timber  seemed  unendurable,  and  the 
average  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Kentucky  immigrant  could  not  endure  the 
idea  of  founding  a  home  far  away  from  the  familiar  sight  of  forest  trees. 
Then,  again,  the  idea  entertained  by  the  early  immigrants,  that  timber 
was  a  necessity,  was"  not  simply  theoretical  and  ethical.  The  early 
settler  had  to  have  a  house  to  live  in,  fuel  for  cooking  and  heating  pur- 
poses, and  fences  to  enclose  his  claim.  At  that  time  there  were  no  rail- 
roads whereby  lumber  could  be  transported  from  the  pineries  ;  no  coal 
mines  had  yet  been  opened  or  discovered.  Timber  was  an  absolute 
necessity,  without  which  personal  existence  as  well  as  material  improve- 
ment was  an  impossibility.  No  wonder  that  a  gentleman  from  the  east 
who  in  early  times  came  to  the  prairie  region  of  Missouri  on  a  prospect- 
ing tour  with  a  view  of  permanent  location,  returned  home  in  disgust 
and  embodied  his  views  of  the  country  in  the  following  rhyme  : 

"  Oh,  lonesome   windy,  grassy  place, 

Where  buffalo  and  snakes  prevail  ; 
The  first  with  dreadful  looking  face, 

The  last  with  dreadful  sounding  tail ! 
I'd  rather  live  on  camel  hump, 

And  be  a  Yankee  Doodle  beggar, 
Than  where  I  never  see  a  stump, 

And  shake  to  death  with  fever  'n  '  ager.'  " 

As  before  remarked,  there  are  two  reasons  why  the  first  settlers 
refused  to  locate  at  a  distance  from  the  timber,  and  why  the  timbered 
regions  bordering  upon  the  rivers  became  densely  populated  while  the 
more  fertile  and  more  easily  cultivated  prairies  remained  for  many  years 
unclaimed.  The  pioneers  were  in  the  main  the  descendants  of  those 
hardy  backwoodsmen  who  conquered  the  dense  forests  of  the  south  and 
east.  When  farms  are  opened  up  in  those  countries  a  large  belt  of 
timber  was  invariably  reserved  from  which  the  farmer  could  draw  his 
supply  of  logs  for  lumber,  for  fence  rails,  and  fuel  for  heating  and  cook- 


PHYSICAL   FEATURES.  591 

ing  purposes.  Even  at  the  present  day  a  farm  without  its  patch  of  tim- 
ber is  exceedingly  rare  in  those  countries.  Having  from  their  youth  up 
been  accustomed  to  timber,  the  emigrant  from  these  timbered  regions 
of  the  east  would  have  ever  felt  lonesome  and  solitary  deprived  of  the 
familiar  sight  of  the  tall  forest  trees  and  shut  off  from  the  familiar  sound 
of  the  wind  passing  through  the  branches  of  the  venerable  oaks.  Then 
again,  timber  was  an  actual  necessity  to  the  early  settler.  In  this  day 
of  railroads,  herd  laws,  cheap  lumber  and  cheap  fuel,  it  is  easy  enough 
to  open  a  farm  and  build  up  a  comfortable  home  away  out  on  the  prairie, 
far  from  the  sight  of  timber.  But  not  so  under  the  circumstances  sur- 
rounding the  first  settlers.  There  was  no  way  of  shipping  lumber  from 
the  markets  of  the  east,  coal  mines  were  unknown,  and  before  a  parcel  of 
land  could  be  cultivated,  it  was  necessary  to  fence  it.  In  order  to  settle 
the  prairie  countries  it  was  necessary  to  have  railroads,  and  in  order  to' 
have  railroads,  it  was  necessary  that  at  least  a  portion  of  the  country 
should  be  settled.  Hence  the  most  important  resource  in  the  develop-- 
ment  of  this  western  country  was  the  belts  of  timber  which  skirted  the 
streams  ;  and  the  settlers  who  first  hewed  out  homes  in  the  timber,  while 
at  present  not  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive,  were  nevertheless 
an  essential  factor  in  the  solution  of  the  problem. 

Much  of  this  primeval  forest  has  been  removed  ;  part  of  it  was 
economically  manufactured  into  lumber,  which  entered  into  the  con- 
struction of  the  early  dwelling  houses,  many  of  which  still  remain  ; 
much  of  it  was  ruthlessly  and  recklessly  destroyed.  From  the  fact  that 
attention  was  early  given  to  the  culture  of  artificial  groves,  Atchison 
County  now  has  probably  about  as  much  timber  as  formerly,  and  the 
state  much  more. 

Among  the  most  abundant  of  all  trees  originally  found  was  the 
black  walnut,  so  highly  prized  in  all  countries  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses. Timber  of  this  kind  was  very  plentiful,  and  of  good  quality 
originally,  but  the  high  prices  paid  for  this  kind  of  timber,  presented 
itself  as  a  temptation  to  destroy  it,  which  the  people,  frequently  in 
straitened  circumstances,  could  not  resist.  Red,  white  and  black  oak 
•are  still  very  plentiful,  although  they  have  for  many  years  been  exten- 
sively used  as  fuel.  Crab  apple,  elm,  walnut,  maple,  ash,  cottonwood 
and  wild  cherry  are  also  found.  Some  of  the  best  timber  in  the  state  is 
to  be  found  in  this  county. 

A  line  of  timber  follows  the  course  of  all  the  streams.  Detached 
groves,  both  natural  and  artificial,  are  found  at  many  places  throughout 
the  county,  which  are  not  only  ornamental,  in  that  they  vary  the  monot- 
ony of  the  prairie,  but  likewise  very  useful,  in  that  they  have  a  very 
important  bearing  on  the  climate.  It  is  a  fact  fully  demonstrated  by  the 
best  authority  that  climate  varies  with  the  surface  of  a  country. 


592  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

HEALTH  AND  CLIMATE. 

The  question  is  very  frequently  asked,  how  does  Atchison  County 
compare  with  other  sections  of  the  country  in  regard  to  health  ?  To 
answer,  "  very  favorably,  indeed,"  would  be  strictly  true  ;  for  there  are  no 
endemics  peculiar  to  this  section,  and  epidemics  are  no  more  frequent, 
and  no  more  severe,  than  in  other  sections  of  country  of  like  extent ; 
and,  indeed,  it  can  be  said  that  they  are  much  less  frequent  and  much 
less  severe  than  in  many  other  localities. 

The  land,  except  the  valleys  along  the  largest  streams,  is  rolling, 
almost  hilly,  indeed,  and  this  circumstance  renders  drainage  almost  per- 
fect, and  with  a  little  effort  on  the  part  of  the  citizens,  could  be  made 
entirely  perfect.  There  are  no  extensive  bogs  or  marshes,  and  those  of 
limited  extent,  are,  for  the  most  part,  drained. 

Water  for  house  use  is  easily  obtained  from  natural  springs,  and  from 
wells,  which  are  usually  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  depth,  and  the 
water,  for  the  most  part,  is  of  an  excellent  quality.  The  soil  is  a  deep, 
rich,  black  loam,  with  here  and  there  spots  more  or  less  sandy  or  gravelly. 

The  climate  is  somewhat  changeable,  though  it  compares  favorably 
with  that  of  Southern  Pennsylvania,  Central  Ohio,  Central  Indiana  and 
Central  Illinois.  Very  severe  drouths  are  not  common,  nor  are  very 
severe  winters  usual.  The  spring  season  will  compare  very  favorably 
with  that  of  other  localities  of  the  same  latitude,  and  the  autumns  gen- 
erally are  charming. 

There  is  more  or  less  malaria  (so-called)  along  the  river  bottoms, 
and,  indeed,  on  the  upland,  but  much  less  than  along  large  rivers,  and  it 
is  very  seldom  that  a  case  of  severe,  "  old-fashionrd  ague,"  is  seen,  "such 
as  will  cause  the  stoves  and  windows  to  shake."  Indeed,  this  so-called 
malaria  is  so  attenuated  in  Atchison  County,  that  its  meagre  density  or 
■concentration  cannot  be  relied  upon  by  theorists  to  prove  that  it  ought 
to  be  considered  an  entity. 

Typical  typhoid  fever  is  seldom  seen  here,  as  it  usually  is  of  the 
typho-malarial  form  ;  though  occasionally  a  case  occurs  as  typically 
pure  as  those  that  occur  in  crowded  cities  or  in  illy  ventillated  hospitals  ; 
but  such  cases  can  mostly  or  always  be  traced  to  crowded  prisons  or 
something  very  similar,  and  therefore  will  occur  in  every  section  of 
•country — not  one  more  than  another — where  people  breathe  for  a  con- 
siderable time  air  that  is  surcharged  with  the  exhalations  from  the  lungs 
or  other  organs  and  from  the  surface  of  the  body  ;  or  where  they  eat 
pork  or  drink  water  surcharged  with  like  poison. 

Remittent  and  intermittent  fevers  prevail  to  some  extent,  but  they 
cannot  be  said  to  be  more  prevalent  than  in  other  localities  on  the  same 
parallel  of  latitude. 


PHYSICAL   FEATURES.  593 

Malaria,  so  called,  is  quite  often  associated  with  other  diseases  not 
generally  regarded  as  of  a  malarial  nature  ;  but  this  is  not  at  all  a  pecu- 
liar circumstance,  for  this  association  is  found  in  all  localities. 

Malignant  or  pernicious  diseases  are  not  common,  though  occasion- 
ally cases  of  malignant  diphtheria  appear. 

Phthisis  Pulmonalis  (old-fashioned  consumption)  is  hardly  known 
here,  except  cases  established  prior  to  locating  in  the  county,  and  it  is 
commonly  believed  that  the  climate  is  antagonistic  to  that  disease. 

Catarrh,  or  rather,  nasal  catarrh,  is  somewhat  prevalent,  but  in  all 
probability  it  is  due  to  the  kind  of  houses  that  have  been  and  that  are 
still,  to  some  extent  used,  rather  than  to  any  peculiarity  of  climate  ;  for 
it  is  a  lamentable  fact,  that  many  of  the  houses  or  huts  too  common  in  all 
new  countries  are  still  quite  numerous  here,  and  many  of  the  better  class 
of  houses  are  only  one  story  and  a  half  high,  thus  putting  those  who 
sleep  up  stairs  too  near  a  cold  roof,  where  they  are  constantly  exposed 
to  a  cold  current  of  air.  And  those  who  sleep  on  the  lower  floor,  or  first 
floor,  are  in  very  many  houses  exposed  to  currents  entering  the  room 
through  crevices  in  the  wall,  or  rather  in  the  siding  of  the  house.  It  is 
a  cheering  fact,  however,  that  this  state  of  affairs  is  rapidly  changing,  for 
good  houses  are  rapidly  taking  the  place  of  the  bad  ones,  and  the  inhab- 
itants are  not  at  all  lacking  in  thrift.  It  is  entirely  within  the  bounds 
of  truth  to  say  that  Atchison  County  is  a  desirable  place  to  live,  con- 
sidered from  the  standpoint  of  health,  as  well  as  from  many  other  stand- 
points. 

RAINFALL. 

The  average  yearly  rainfall  and  melted  snow,  for  twenty-five  years, 
has  been  about  36.62  inches.  The  average  rainfall  and  melted  snow,  for 
each  month  respectively,  for  this  period,  has  been  as  follows  :  January, 
1.68  inches  ;  February,  1.67  ;  March,  2,10  ;  April,  3.49  ;  May,  4.39  ;  June, 
4.75  ;  July',  4.69;  August,  4.66  ;  September,  3.30  ;  October,  2.33  ;  Novem- 
ber, 1.69;  December,  1.89  inches.  The  rain  and  melted  snow  for  winter, 
5.25  inches  ;  spring,  9.25  ;  summer,  14.10  ;  autumn,  7.32  inches. 

PRAIRIE. 

"  Lo !  they  stretch 
In  airy  undulations  far  away, 
As  if  an  ocean  in  its  gentlest  swell 
Stood  still,  with  all  its  rounded  billows  fixed 
And  motionless  forever.      Motionless? 
No,  they  are  all  unchained  again.     The  clouds 
Sweep  over  with  their  shadows,  and  beneath 
The  surface  rolls  and  fluctuates  to  the  eye  ; 
Dark  shadows  seem  to  glide  along  and  chase 
The  sunny  ridges      Breezes  of  the  South  ! 
Who  toss  the  golden  and  flame-like  flowers, 

38 


594 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


And  pass  the  prairie  hawk,  that,  poised  on  high, 

Flaps  his  broad  wings,  yet  moves  not — ye  have  played 

Among  the  palms  of  Mexico  and  vines 

Of  Texas,  and  have  crisped  the  limpid  brooks 

That  from  the  fountains  of  Sonora  glide 

Into  the  calm  Pacific — have  ye  fanned 

A  nobler  or  lovlier  scene  than  this? 

Man  hath  no  part  in  all  this  glorious  work? 

The  hand  that  built  the  firmament  hath  heaved 

And  smoothed  these  verdant  swells,  and  sown  their  hopes 

With  herbage,  planted  them  with  island  groves, 

And  hedged  them  round  with  forests.     Fitting  floor 

For  this  magnificent  temple  of  the  sky — 

With  flowers  whose  glory  and  whose  multitude 

Rival  the  constellations  !     The  great  heavens 

Seem  to  stoop  down  upon  the  scene  in  love — 

A  nearer  vault,  and  a  tenderer  hue 

Than  that  which  bends  above  the  eastern  hills." 

A  little  more  than  one-fifth  of  the  county  is  prairie,  and  of  a  very- 
excellent  quality.  In  fact  there  is  no  better  soil  in  the  state  than  that 
found  in  the  prairies  of  Atchison  County.  On  nearly  all  the  divides 
between  the  running  streams  are  found  large  tracts  of  beautiful,  rolling 
prairie  lands,  well  drained,  easily  cultivated,  highly  productive  and  con- 
veniently located  to  water,  timber,  mills  and  markets.  The  character 
of  the  soil  in  these  prairies  is  such  that  good  crops  are  raised  even  dur- 
ing the  very  wet  and  very  dry  seasons.  The  soil  is  light  and  porous,  so 
that  ten  hours  of  bright  sunshine  will  dry  the  roads  after  a  heavy  rain 
and  fit  the  plowed  fields  to  be  cultivated.  The  same  peculiarity  of  soil 
which  enables  crops  to  withstand  much  moisture  and  thrive  during  a 
very  wet  season,  also  enables  them  to  endure  prolonged  drouths — the 
soil,  being  very  porous,  is  capable  of  absorbing  a  large  amount  of  water 
during  the  rainy  season,  and  when  the  drouth  sets  in,  the  forces  of 
nature  bring  back  to  the  surface  the  surplus  moisture  from  the  subter- 
raneous storehouses  with  as  much  ease  as  the  water  in  the  first  place 
was  absorbed.  This  is  not  the  case  with  that  quality  of  soil  commonly 
known  as  hard-pan  ;  the  subsoil  not  being  porous,  only  a  small  quantity 
of  water  is  absorbed,  after  which  it  gathers  on  the  surface  in  pools,  and 
is  then  carried  away  by  the  process  of  evaporation  ;  drouth  sets  in,  and 
as  soon  as  the  moisture  is  exhausted  from  the  surface  soil,  plants  wither 
and  die. 


s###;^im 


CHAPTER  III. 

GEOLOGY  OF  ATCHISON  COUNTY. 

Quarternary  Deposits — The  alluvium  includes  the  soil  and  recent 
river  deposits  ;  it  appears  to  be  composed  of  alternations  of  clay,  sand, 
marly  clay  beds  and  vegetable  mould. 

LOESS,    OR   BLUFF. 

This  formation  is  found  on  all  hills,  is  developed  on  the  Missouri 
bluffs,  where  it  forms  those  curiously  rounded  knobs  which  we  have  before 
mentioned  in  the  chapter  on  the  physical  features  of  the  county.  The 
bluff  is  probably  from  200  to  250  feet  in  depth,  and  consists  mostly  of 
finely-comminuted,  somewhat  sandy  and  marly  ash-brown  clays  ;  when 
worn  away,  or  dug  into,  it  is  generally  jointed  in  a  vertical  direction; 
nodular,  round,  calcareous  concretions  are  often  found.  The  fossils  found 
were  Helix,  Helicina,  Occulta  and  Succiuea.  In  a  valley,  between  the 
hills  at  Rundell's  Mill,  Mr.  J.  Allen  procured  the  teeth  of  a  buffalo.  These 
were  ten  feet  beneath  the  surface.  They  may  belong  to  a  more  recent 
era  than  the  bluff,  and  the  clays  of  the  bluff  may  have  been  washed  down 
and  have  covered  them. 

DRIFT. 

Beneath  the  bluff  at  Rock  Port  there  are  a  few  feet  of  sand,  with 
boulders  of  quartzite.  The  drift  does  not  seem  to  be  well  marked  in  the 
county.     Boulders  of  quartzite,  green-stone,  etc.,  are  occasionally  found. 

UPPER   CARBONIFEROUS. 

The  rocks  of  this  county  belong  to  the  upper  part  of  the  upper  coal 

series,  and  include  limestones,  sandstones  and  shales,  amounting  to  about 

180  feet  in  thickness,  divided  about  as  follows  :  5°  feet  of  sandstone,  with 

only  about  20  feet  of  limestone,  the  balance  sandy  and  clay  shales.  They 

have  a  dip,  north  and  west,  amounting  to  about  170  feet,  lrom  the  south 

to  the  north  line  of  the  county,  from  east  to  west. 

The  following  is  a  general  section  of  rocks  in  this  county  : 
No.  1—250  feet  bluff. 

No.  2 — Drift,  thickness  unknown,  beneath  the  bluff. 


Sg6  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

No.  3 — 5  feet  red  shales. 

No.  4 — Sandstone  and  shales  ;  sandstone  at  top,  upper  three  feet 
irregularly  -  bedded  and  micaceous  green;  below,  8  or  10  feet,  soft 
brown,  then  35  feet  shales  and  sandstone,  red  shales  in  upper  part,  thick- 
bedded  sandstone  at  bottom. 

No.  5 — 10  inches  drab  limestone,  weathers  brown. 

No.  6 — 3  feet  2  inches  shaly  limestone,  containing  fossils. 

No.  7 — 1  foot  4  inches  blue,  concretionary  limestone,  traversed  by 
ealc-spar  veins. 

No.  8 — 2  inches  sandy  shales  or  dark  brown  clay. 

No.  9 — 2  inches  impure  coal  and  shales,  2  to  3  inches. 

No.  10 — Ochrey,  sandy  shale. 

No.  11 — 22  feet  sandy  shale. 

No.  12 — 1  foot  6  inches  dark  blue  shaly  limestone. 

No.  1-3 — 1  foot  6  inches  red  and  green  shales,  with  nodules  of  limestone. 

No.  14 — 4  feet  limestone,  upper  part  nodular,  weathers  brown  ; 
abounds  in  Fusulina. 

No.  15 — 28  feet  blue  and  drab,  argillaceous  shale. 

No.  16 — 2  feet  limestone,  bluish  drab  ;  contains  Bellerophon,  Cri- 
noid  stems,  etc. 

No.  17 — 10  inches  blue,  fossiliforous  shales  ;  contains  Aviculopecten, 
Productus,  Bryozoa,  etc. 

No.  18 — 2  feet  6  inches  hard  sandstone.  , 

No.  19 — 3  feet  soft  sandstone. 

No.  20 — 10  inches  calcareous  sandstone  ;  abounds  in  Myalina  sub- 
quarata  and  Pinna  peracnta  ;  springs  abound  at  the  base. 

No.  21 — 6  feet  blue,  argillaceous  shales  6  feet  to  13  feet. 

No.  22 — I  foot  tolerably  fine  grained  blue  limestone,  perpendicu- 
larly jointed  ;  weathers  brown. 

No.  23 — 1  foot  3  inches  shales. 

No.  24 — 10  inches  buff,  ochrey,  decomposing  limestone,  jointed  per- 
pendicularly ;  abounds  in  Prod,  semireticulatus  (Var.  P.  Calhonn- 
ianus,  5.  W.) 

No.  25 — 2  feet  buff  and  olive  shales. 

No.  26 — 2  feet  red  shales. 

No.  27 — 30  feet  clay  and  sandy  shales,  and  concretionary  layers  of 
sandy  limestone. 

No.  28 — Shelly  limestone  ;  contains  Spr.  {Martinia)  planoconvexus 
and  Crinoid  stems. 

Nos.  22  to  28  occur  in  the  northern  part  of  Holt  County.  Outcrops 
of  rock  were  observed  along  the  Missouri  bluffs,  on  Rock  Creek,  south 
of  the  middle  of  township  65,  on  Mill  Creek,  and  Big  Tarkio,  south  of 
the  middle  of  township  64.  On  the  other  streams  no  outcrops  have  been 
discovered. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   COUNTY.  597 

The  following  section  appears  on  the  Missouri  bluffs,  on  the  north 
line  of  the  county,  and  is  numbered  68  and  69. 

Shaly  sandstone  on  slope.     No.  4,  of  General  Section. 

No.  1 — 2  feet  ochrey  and  blue  banded  clay  shales,  in  thin  laminae. 
No.  5,  of  General  Section. 

No.  2 — 10  inches  dark,  dull-looking  limestone  ;  weathers  brown  ; 
contains  Syntrilasma  Jiemiplicata,  Spr.  cameratus,  Pr.  Semireticulatas. 

No.  3 — 2  feet  limestone,  rather  shaly ;  abounds  in  fossils,  including 
Pr.  Calhounianns  (S.  W.)  Productus  (medium  sized  spec,  resembling  the 
Pr.  Calhounianns ;  it  may  be  a  young  individual),  Spr.  pl.moconvexus, 
Chonetes  MeeKell  1  striato-costata,  Rynchonella  Osagensis,  Pr.  Wabash- 
ensis,  Spr.  Kentuckensis,  Byozoa,  Athyris  subtilita,  Crinoid  stems,  Pr. 
Prattenianus,  Spr.  cameratus.     No.  7,  of  Gen.  Sec. 

4 — 2  inches  dark  brown  clay.     No.  8  of  Gen.  Sec. 

5 — 3  inches  dark  ochre  and  coal  intercolated.     No.  9  of  Gen.  Sec. 

6 — 2  feet  ochrey,  sandy  shales.     No.  10  of  Gen.  Sec. 

7 — 17  feet  variegated  ochrey  and  blue  sandy  shales. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  above  Hall's  Bridge,  on  the  Nishnebotna,  there 
are  ten  inches  of  heavy,  hard,  blue  pyritiferous  limestone,  the  pyrite 
oxidizes  near  the  exposed  surface,  and  forms  on  the  outside  a  thick, 
brown,  ferruginous  crust.  At  Rundell's  Mill  it  occurs  as  the  highest 
rock,  and  contains  Syntrilasma  hemiphicata,  Fusalina,  Bryozoa, 
Chonetes,  Spr.  cameratus,  etc. 

The  following  section,  taken  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above  Hall's  Bridge, 
exhibits  : 

No.  1.— Bluff. 

No.  2 — 1  foot  hard,  silico  ferruginous  limestone  ;  fracture  shows  a 
dull  lead-blue  color  ;  weathers  brownish. 

No.  3 — 3  feet  greenish  drab,  fine  grained  sandstone  ;  slightly  mica- 
ceous irregularly  bedded. 

No.  4 — 1  foot  very  coarse  grained  and  tough,  brown  and  green 
silico-micaceous  limestone  ;  has  numerous  particles  of  silver  ;  mica  dis- 
seminated. 

No.  5 — 4  feet  soft,  brown  and  buff  limestone. 

No.  6— 16  feet,  the  upper  half  sandy  shales,  the  lower  argillacious 
shales. 

No.  7 — 2  feet  shales,  with  nodules  of  brown  and  ferruginous  lime- 
stone (No.  7  of  Gen.  Sec.)  ;  contains  Syntrilasma  hemiphicata,  Chone- 
tes, Prod.  Calhounianus,  Ch.  Flemingii,  Marocheilus  Productus,  equal  to 
the  medium  size  Prod,  of  No.  3,  section  98. 

The  following  section  was  taken  on  Nishnebotna  bluff,  one  mile 
above  Pollack's  : 

Section  5. 

No.  1— Bluff. 


598  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

No.  2 — io  feet,  upper  part  red  shales. 

No,  3 — 20  feet  sandy  shales  and  shaly  limestone. 

No.  4 — 2ofeet  mostly  soft,  coarse,  micaceous  sandstone  ;  color,  gray, 
brown  and  greenish  gray. 

No.  5. — 10  feet  slope  to  water  in  river. 

One  m;le  further  down  the  bluffs  we  see. 

Section  6. 

No.  1— Bluff. 

No.  2 — Limestone. 

No.  3 — 4  feet  drab  sandy  shales. 

No.  4 — 3  feet  blue,  argillaceous  shales. 

No.  5 — 10  feet  red  shales,  with  some  sandy  concretions. 

No.  6 — 8  feet  45  degree  slope  ;  sandy  shales  appear  to  Missouri 
bottoms. 

The-rocks  seen  at  Barlow's  Mill,  on  Rock  Creek,  occupy  a  position 
near  the  middle  of  the  Gen.  Sec,  and  appear  thus : 

No.  1 — Bluff  formation. 

No.  2 — 3  feet  ashy,  blue  limestone  ;  weathers  drab,  part  is  quite 
crystalline,  and  contains  Ch.  Flemingii. 

No.  3 — 6  feet  lead  blue  argillaceous  shales. 

No.  4 — 1  foot  fine  grained,  compact,  ashy  blue,  pyritiforous  lime- 
stone, said  to  make  good  lime. 

No.  5 — 4  feet  blue  argillaceous  shales. 

No.  6 — Fossils  at  top  of  No.  7,  including  many  Crinoid  stems, 
Rhoncbopora  lepidondcndroides,  Bcllerophon,  Ch.  Smithii,  also  iron 
pyrites. 

No.  7 — 2  feet  ash  or  ashy  blue,  pyritiferous  limestone,  brown  crust 
on  outside  ;  contains  Pr.  Semircticulatus,  Var.  Pr.  Calhounianus  (S.  W.), 
Spr.  camcratus,  Pr.  Prattenianus. 

At  Rock  Port,  one  and  a  half  miles  south,  was  observed  the  follow- 
ing section,  which  may  be  a  continuation  of  the  last: 

Section  10. 

No.  1 — 76  bluff. 

No.  2 — 2  feet  altered  drift. 

No.  3 — 12  feet  dark  drab  or  olive  clay  shales. 

No.  4 — 3  feet  slope. 

No.  5 — 3  limestone  ;  upper  part  gray,  and  below  yellowish  gray  and 
shaly;  weathers  bluff  and  brown  ;  contains  Aviculopecten,  Myalina  sub- 
quadrata,  Bryozoa  Eaomphalus  rugosus,  Ch.  Flemingii,  Pr.  semi  reticu- 
latns,  var.  CalJioiinianns  (S.  W.),  Pr.  Prattenianus,  Nantiltis  nodoso- 
dorsatns.     This  resembles  Section  9,  No.  10,  very  much. 

No.  6 — 15  blue  and  olive  shales,  mostly  banded  olive  and  yellow 
ochrey,  seldom  changing  to  blue,  deep,  dark  band  in  lower  part. 

No.  7 — 2  feet  green,  unlaminated  clay. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE    COUNTY.  599 

No.  8 — 2  feet  green  and  red  shales. 

Two  miles  further  down  Rock  Creek,  at  King's  Mill,  we  have  section 
9,  section  75,  of  1872  : 

No.  1 — 30  feet  slope. 

No.  2 — 2  feet  ferruginous  limestone  abounding  in  fusulina.     No.  14. 

Nos.  3  and  4—28  feet  olive  and  drab  argillaceous  shales,  in  thick 
laminae,  some  variegated  and  banded  and  contain  ochrey  concretions. 

No.  5 — 1  foot  ash-blue  limestone,  at  the  top  shaly,  with  a  red  tinge; 
contains  Bellerophon,  Crinoid  stems,  Euomphalus  rugosus,  Ch.  Flem- 
ingii,  etc.     No.  16. 

No.  6 — 6  inches  hard  sandstone,  greenish  at  top,  brown  and  nod- 
ular below. 

No.  7 — 3  feet  soft,  brown  sandstone  and  sandy  ferruginous  nodules. 

No.  8 — 10  feet  tough,  blue  sandstone  ;  weathers  brown  ;  contains 
large  Myalina  subquadrata  and  Pinna  peraceuta  ;  spring  at  base.  No.  20 
of  general  section. 

No.  9 — 6  feet  blue  clay  shales.     No.  21  of  general  section. 

No.  10 — 1  foot  blue  limestone,  mottled  with  gray  specks  ;  jointed 
perpendicularly  ;  contains  Pr.  Calhounianus,  Pinna,  Bryozoa,  Mee  Kella 
striata-costata  and  Syntrilasma  hemiplicata.     No.  22. 

At  Rundell's  Mill,  on  the  Missouri  bluff,  is  the  following  section  : 

Section  12  (Section  76,  1872). 

No.  1 — 81  feet  bluff;  contains  calcareous  concretions. 

No.  2 — Outcrop  of  limestone  (No.  4  of  General  Section);  contain- 
ing Bryozoa,  Syntrilasma  hemiplicata,  etc. 

No.  3 — 22  feet  sandstone  and  sandy  shales. 

No.  3^ — 1  foot  dull  and  dark  looking,  shaly,  blue  limestone. 

No.  4 — 1  foot  6  inches  red  and  green  shales. 

No.  5 — 4  feet  drab  limestone,  nodular  at  top  ;  abounds  in  Fusulina. 
No.  14  of  General  Section. 

No.  6 — 28  feet  blue  and  drab,  argillaceous  shales.  No.  15  of  Gen- 
eral Section. 

No.  7 — 2  feet  limestone  ;  coarse-grained,  shaly  at  top,  fine  grained, 
blueish-drab  bel  w. 

No.  8—10  inches  blue,  fossiliferous  shale  ;  contains  Aviculopecten 
carbonarious,  Pr.  Prattenianus,  etc. 

No.  9 — 15  inches  brown,  calcareous  sandstone  (No.  19  of  Gen.  Sec.) 

No.  10 — soft  buff  and  blue  sandstone.  Limestone  equivalent  to 
section  9,  No.  2,  and  section  12,  No.  5,  crops  out  on  Tarkio  Hills,  in 
south  part  of  township  64,  and  equals  15  of  Gen.  Sec. 

At  VanGundy's  mill,  on  Tarkio,  we  observed  the  Fusulina  limestone 
associated  thus  :     Sec.  17  (not  seen  in  1872.) 

No.  2 — 5  feet,  showing  an  outcrop  of  limestone  containing  Fusilina. 

No.  3 — 53  slope  ;  soft  shales  at  bottom. 


600  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

No.  4 — 10  inches  dull  blue  and  gray,  mottled,  coarse,  friable  lime- 
stone. 

No.  5 — i  foot  6  inches  shales  and  brown,  decomposing  limestone  ; 
ferruginous. 

No.  6 — 6  inches  ferruginous  limestone. 

No.  7 — 2  inches  brown  shales. 

No.  8 — 5  feet  blue,  argillaceous  shales. 

No.  9 — 2  feet  coarse,  drab  limestone  ;  contains  Chonetes. 

No.  io — 5  feet  to  water  in  creek. 

One  half  a  mile  south  of  last  section,  the  following  Sec.  78  (of  18/2) 
appears  on  Tarkio,  below  Milton  (  VanGundy's  Mill)  : 

No.  i — slope,  bluff,  and  drift ;  a  good  deal  of  coarse  sand  and  many 
small,  rounded  pebbles  of  various  kinds  ;  some  large  boulders  of.  Fusu- 
lina  limestone. 

No.  2 — 21  inches  ash-blue  limestone,  weathers  brown  (No.  24),  con- 
tains Pr.  semireticulatus,  var.  Productus  Calhounianus  (S.  W.),  Crinoid 
stems.  Archaeocidaris  aculeatus,  Chonetes  Smithii  ?  and  a  small  branch- 
ing coral. 

No.  3 — 3  feet  olive  clay  shales,  hard  and  fine  grained. 

No.  4 — 10  inch  band  yellow,  soft  and  decomposing  limestone,  very 
ochrey  ;  shades  a  bright  gamboge  color. 

No.  5 — 1  foot  6  inches  buff,  olive  shales,  color  bright  yellow  ochrey. 

No.  6 — 4  inches  red  shales.     No.  26. 

No.  7 — 28  feet  shales,  greenish  and  drab,  with  nodules  of  ironstone. 
Equal  to  No.  27. 

No.  8 — 1  foot  shaly,  calcareous  sandstone  ;  contains  Spr.  (Martinia) 
planoconrexus  and  Crinoid  siems.     The  last   equals   No.  28  of  gen.  sec. 

ECONOMIC   GEOLOGY. 

Most  of  the  limestones  are  too  pyritiferous  to  be  very  valuable  for 
building  purposes.  The  beds  at  Barlow's  Mill  abound  in  beautiful  small 
crystals  of  iron  pyrites.  The  rocks  when  exposed  often  lose  their  sulphur, 
and  form  on  the  outside  a  thick,  brown  ochreous  crust ;  indeed,  some 
that  are  thin  bedded  become  ochreous  throughout,  and  readily  disinte- 
grate. On  this  account  few  of  them  are  sufficiently  durable  to  make  a 
good  material  for  building.  No.  1 1  is  probably  the  best  that  is  used  for 
building.  It  is  quarried  on  Rock  Creek,  on  the  Missouri  bluffs  below, 
and  on  Big  Tarkio.  Some  of  the  beds  of  sandstone  along  the  Missouri 
bluffs,  for  five  or  six  miles  north  of  the  Rock  Port  road,  are  useful  for 
common  buildings  ;  they  are  often  hard,  but  tolerably  easy  to  quarry. 
No.  17  crops  out  in  Tarkio  bluffs,  and  affords  a  useful  material  for  neigh- 
boring buildings. 

Iron  ore — The  bed  of  argillacious  shale  contain  concretions  and  thin 
beds  of  carbonate  of  iron,  but  in  too  small  a  quantity  to  be  useful. 


GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COUNTY.  601 

Coal — In  section  19,  township  64,  range  41,  some  labor  has  been 
spent  for  coal,  but  the  result  was  fruitless.  A  two  inch  seam  was  discov- 
ered and  a  drift  pushed  in  more  than  thirty  feet,  but  the  seam  not  thick- 
ening it  was  abandoned.  The  following  is  a  section  of  rocks  at  that 
place  : 

Section  7. 

No.  1 — 100  feet  bluff  formation. 

No.  2 — 21  feet  sandstone  and  sandy  shales. 

No.  3 — 4  feet  calcauo-argillaceous  shades.  No.  7  of  gen.  sec.  con- 
tains many  fossils.  Syntrilasma  hemiplicata,  Chonetes  Flemingii,  Spr. 
(Martinia)  planoconrexus,  Pr.  concinnus  Pr.  Wabashensis,  Productus  (a 
small  var.)  Crinoid  stems,  a  Trilobiti-Phillipsia. 

Nq.  4 — 1  foot  4  inches  blue,  concretionary  limestone,  traversed  by 
calc-spar  veins  ;  contains  syntrilasma  hemiplicata,  Euomphalus  rugosius. 

No.  5 — 2  inches  sandy  shales. 

No.  6 — 2  inches  impure  coal  and  shales. 

No.  4 — 8  inches  bituminous  coal,  soft  and  impure. 

No.  5 — 1  foot  bituminous  shale. 

This  is  probably  about  the  equivalent  of  the  Nodaway  County  coal 
and  about  1,100  above  the  base  of  the  upper  coal  series,  and  1,400  feet 
above  any  workable  seam  of  coal.  Coal  mining  would  therefore  be  very 
expensive  in  this  county,  and  its  citizens  will  probably  have  to  look 
abroad  for  their  supply. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FIRST  COURTS  ORGANIZED. 

COUNTY  COURT  ORGANIZED-ITS  PROCEEDINGS— THE  CIRCUIT  COURT- ATTORNEYS- 
GRAND  JURORS-FIRST  CASES-ENTRIES -BILLS  OF  INDICTMENT— CONVEYANCES- 
EARLY  MARRIAGES. 

COUNTY  COURT  ORGANIZED. 

Hon.  Alexander  McElroy,  Daniel  Hunsaker  and  Elijah  Needles,  met 
on  the  14th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1845,  at  the  house  of  Conrad  Cliffield 
(Cloepfel)  and  there  organized  the  County  Court  of  Atchison  County. 
Each  brought  his  credentials — a  commission  from  his  excellency,  John 
C.  Edwards,  then  Governor  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  after  having 
subscribed  an  oath  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  to  faithfully  perform  the 
duties  of  his  office  according  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  proceeded  in  due 
form  to  complete  the  organization,  by  ordering  that  Alexander  McElroy 
be  appointed  president  of  the  court,  Alexander  A.  Bradford,  clerk,  and 
Lite  T.  Tate,  sheriff.  Being  now  clothed  with  all  the  powers,  dignities 
and  responsibilities  of  a  court,  they  began  their  labors  by  dividing  the 
county  into  the  following  townships  :  Clark,  Nishnebotna,  Polk,  Tarkio 
and  Bluff.  After  establishing  these  townships,  James  P.  Bevins  was 
appointed  constable  of  Bluff,  Thomas  M.  Page,  constable  of  Clark,  and 
Samuel  B.  Rafferty,  constable  of  Polk  Township. 

Henry  Watts  was  made  assessor.  Thomas  Farmer,  allotting  justice 
of  Polk  Township,  made  his  report  of  the  districting  of  the  road  leading 
from  the  south  line  of  the  township  near  Richard  Rupes,  to  Hunsaker's 
ferry.  Valentine  Livingston  was  appointed  overseer  of  road  district 
number  one  ;  Rolph  Amen,  overseer  of  district  number  two  ;  C.  W. 
McKissick,  overseer  of  district  number  three  ;  Asa  Jackson,  overseer  of 
district  number  four  ;  Lawrence  White,  overseer  of  district  number  five  ; 
and  Henry  O'Neal,  overseer  of  district  number  six. 

This  constituted  the  business  of  the  first  day.  The  court  met  again 
on  the  15th  day  of  April,  1845,  an^  "ordered  that  the  commissioners 
appointed  to  select  a  seat  of  justice  for  this  county,  be  requested  to  meet 
at  the  house  of  Conrad  Cliffield,  on  the  third  Monday  of  May  next,  for 
the  purpose  of  selecting  said  seat  of  justice,  and  that  the  clerk  be 
required  to  transmit  a  copy  of  this  order  to  each  of  said  commissioners." 


FIRST   COURTS   ORGANIZED.  603 

John  James  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace,  and  allotting  justice 
of  Tarkio  Township,  and  Francis  M.  Warmcastle  was  appointed  county- 
treasurer.  The  court  then  established  the  following  rates  for  crossing 
at  the  different  ferries  in  the  county  : 

Single  man    ..." • 6  cents 

Man  and  horse 12     " 

Two-horse  (empty)  wagon  and  team 25     " 

Two-horse  loaded  wagon  and  team 37^  " 

Four-horse  (empty)  wagon  and  team 37^  " 

Four-horse  loaded  wagon  and  team 5°     " 

Six-horse  (empty)  wagon  and  team 50     " 

Six-horse  loaded  wagon  and  team 75     " 

Loose  horses  and  catrle 3     " 

Sheep  and  hogs 1 

Parties  operating  ferries  were  required  to  pay  a  tax  of  two  dollars 
to  the  state  and  four  dollars  to  the  county,  and  were  compelled  to  give 
bond  in  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars.  Daniel  Hunsaker,  Major  John 
Western  and  Jacob  Acord,  were  licensed  to  keep  ferries  on  the  Nishne- 
botna,,  near  their  residences. 

T'he  clerk  was  requested  to  ask  the  Secretary  of  State  to  furnish 
Atchison  County  with  its  proper  quota  of  books.  The  sheriff  was  ordered 
to  call  upon  the  county  court  of  Holt  County,  for  all  papers  and  copies 
of  records  to  which  the  new  County  of  Atchison  was  entitled,  and  also 
of  the  revenue  collected  by  that  county  for  county  purposes,  within  the 
limits  of  Atchison  County,  for  the  years  1843  and  1844,  and  for  any 
other  funds,  belonging  to  Atchison  County. 

Henry  H.  Bruce  was  appointed  county  surveyor.  The  rate  of  tax- 
ation in  the  county  was  fixed  at  one-third  of  one  per  cent.,  for  county 
purposes.  This  constituted  all  the  business  of  the  second  day,  and  all 
that  was  done  at  the  April  term  of  the  court.  The  court  then  adjourned 
to  the  second  Monday  in   May  following. 

THE    CIRCUIT   COURT — SEPTEMBER   TERM,  A.  D.    1 845. 

That  c.ugust  body,  known  as  the  circuit  court,  met  For  the  first  time 
in  Atchison  County,  on  the  first  day  of  September,  A.  D.   1845. 

The  judge  and  officers  present  on  that  occasion,  were  Hon.  Solomon 
L.  Leonard,  Hon.  Willard  P.  Hall,  who  was  appointed  circuit  attorney, 
pro  tern.,  A.  A.  Bradford,  clerk,  and  Lite  T.  Tate,  sheriff. 

The  following  persons  were  enrolled  as  attorneys  :  John  Wilson, 
James  B.  Gardenhire,  T.  D.  Wheaton,  Levi  Carr,  John  C.  Morris,  D.  G. 
Price,  P.  L.  Hudgens,  James  Foster,  John  W.  Kelly,  James  Craig,  Fran- 
cis M.  Warmcastle  and  Willard  P.  Hall. 


604  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

The  list  of  the  grand  jurors  returned  by  the  sheriff  for  the  county 
was  the  following :  George  C.  Thompson,  Hugh  Candle,  Edward  Busey, 
Jeremiah  Farmer,  William  Lambert,  Isaac  Huntsucker,  A.  J.  Singleton, 
Alexander  McElroy,  Jacob  McKissick,  Parker  Applegate,  H.  H.  Bruce, 
David  Jones,  George  Borchers,  Samuel  Martin,  John  Fowler  and  E.  D. 
Scammon.  George  C.  Thompson  was  appointed  foreman.  Samuel  R. 
Rafferty  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff. 

The  first  case  upon  the  docket  is  entitled, 

Thomas  A.  King,    ) 

against  >-  Trespass. 

S.  C.  Fugitt,  et  al.  ) 

And  now  here  comes  the  said  plaintiff  by  his  attorney,  as  also  the 
said  defendants,  and  upon  motion  of  the  plaintiff,  leave  is  given  him  to 
amend  his  declaration  by  interlining  the  same,  which  is  accordingly  done, 
and  an  alias  writ  for  James  P.  Dickenson,  one  of  said  defendants,  ordered 
returnable  to  the  next  term  of  this  court,  and  the  defendants  given  until 
the  next  term  of  this  court  to  plead  herein,  until  which  time  this  cause 
is  continued. 

Following  is  the  case  of: 

James  Amen    ] 

vs.  >    Bill  for  Divorce. 

Anne  Amen   ) 

And  now  here  comes  the  said  plaintiff  by  his  solicitors,  and  upon 
his  motion  an  alias  writ  was  ordered  returned  to  the  next  term  of  this 
court,  until  which  time,  this  cause  is  continued. 

The  next  case  is   that  of: 

Thomas  Akins    ) 

against  >   Trespass. 

S.  C.  Fugitt,  et  al.  ) 

This  case  was  also  continued. 

The  next  entry  is  as  follows  :  "  Be  it  remembered  that  on  this, 
the  first  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred 
and  forty-five,  John  Mathews,  a  native  of  England,  and  at  present  resid- 
ing in  the  County  of  Atchison,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  appeared  in 
open  court  here,  and  applied  to  be  admitted  to  become  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States.  And  it  appearing  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  court  here, 
that  the  said  John  Mathews  had  declared,  on  oath,  taken  in  the  State 
of  Missouri,  on  the  23d  day  of  June,  1842,  two  years  at  least  before  his 
admission,  that  it  was  his  bona  fide  intention  to  become  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States.  And  it  also  appearing  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  court 
here,  upon  the  testimony  of  John  Hughes,  junior,  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  that  the  said  John  Mathews  has  continued  to  reside  within 
the  limits  of  the  United  States,  and  under  the  jurisdiction  thereof,  five 
years  at  least,  and  one  year  at  least  immediately  preceding  this  appli- 
cation within  the  State  of  Missouri  ;  that  during  the  said  time  of  five 
years,  he  hath  resided  in  the  United  States,  he  has  conducted  himself  as 


FIRST   COURTS   ORGANIZED.  605 

a  man  of  good  moral  character,  attached  to  the  principles  of  the  con- 
stitution of  the  United  States,  and  well  disposed  to  the  good  order  and 
happiness  of  the  same  ;  and  the  said  John  Mathews,  having  declared  on 
oath,  taken  in  open  court  here,  that  he  will  support  the  constitution  of 
the  United  States,  and  that  he  will  absolutely  and  entirely  renounce 
and  abjure  all  allegiance,  and  fidelity  to  every  foreign  prince,  potentate, 
state  and  sovereignty  whatever,  and  particularly  all  allegiance  to  the 
Queen  of  Great  Britain.  The  court  here,  therefore,  admits  the  said 
John  Mathews,  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States." 

The  above  embraced  all  the  business  that  was  transacted  by  the  court 
on  the  first  day  of  its  session.  The  grand  jury  returned  the  following 
bills  of  indictment  :  The  State  of  Missouri  vs.  Andrew  Farley,  grand 
larceny  ;  same  vs.  Mounts  Dover,  petit  larceny  ;  same  vs.  Edmond 
Furguson,  petit  larceny  ;  same  vs.  William  Donahue,  trading  with 
Indians  ;  same  vs.  Ika  F.  Rice  and  Rufus  Hitchcock,  resisting  process ; 
same  vs.  James  P.  Burns,  Henry  B.  Roberts,  and  David  Hays,  unlaw- 
ful assembly;  same  vs.  Edward  Hall,  selling  liquor  without  license; 
same  vs.  Edward  Hall,  selling  liquor  on  Sunday. 

The  original  book  of  conveyances  of  Atchison  County  contains  461 
pages,  and  is  still  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation. 

The  first  instrument  of  record  is  a 

POWER   OF   ATTORNEY, 

given  by  William  and  Elizabeth  Pallet,  to  Charles  Jefferson  Choat,  and 
is  as  follows  : 

"  Whereas,  I,  William  Pallet  and  Elizabeth  Pallet,  my  wife,  citizens 
of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  possess  lands  and  other  property  in 
Van  Buren  County,  together  with  other  property  in  Jackson  County, 
Missouri,  and  have  due  me  from  various  persons,  by  judgments,  bonds, 
bills,  notes,  book  accounts  and  otherwise,  divers  sums  of  money,  and 
have  unsettled  accounts,  and  am  also  indebted  to  many  persons,  and 
whereas,  it  is  necessary  for  my  interest  to  leave  some  person  in  Van 
Buren  or  Jackson  County  to  represent  me,  with  full  power  to  do  every 
act  in  relation  to  my  property,  which  I  could  do  were  I  personally  pres- 
ent, and  having  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  judgment,  skill,  prudence 
and  integrity  of  Charles  Jefferson  Choat,  of  Jackson'  County,  and  State 
of  Missouri,  I  do,  therefore,  hereby  nominate,  constitute  and  appoint  him 
my  true  and  lawful  attorney,  in  my  name,  to  sell  and  convey,  by  deed  or 
otherwise,  in  due  form  of  law,  to  any  person  or  persons,  any  property, 
real  or  personal,  which  I  now  possess,  in  any  part  of  the  United  States, 
or  in  any  estate  which  I  may  hereafter  acquire  in  the  United  States,  to 
make  any  sale,  disposition  or  arrangement,  he  may  deem  necessary,  in 
relation  to  any  property  which  now  is  or  hereafter  shall  be  vested  in  me, 
in  any  situation  whatever  ;  to  collect  any  money  which  may  be  due  me, 
and  give  sufficient  acquittances  and  discharges  ;  to  pay  off  or  remove  any 
encumbrances  which  now  do  or  may  hereafter  exist  against  any  prop- 
erty, which  now  is,  or  may  hereafter  be  vested  in  me  ;  to  settle  and 
arrange  with  any  of  my  creditors  and  take  discharges  ;  to  prosecute  any 


606  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

suit  or  suits,  at  law  or  equity  which  he  may  think  proper  to  institute 
for  my  benefit  ;  or  in  my  name  to  defend  any  suit  or  suits  which 
may  be  brought  against  me,  or  any  one  holding  property  for 
me  ;  to  execute  all  deeds,  agreements,  releases,  or  instruments, 
with  all  the  solemn  rites  required  by  law,  which  shall  bect>me 
necessary  for  the  purposes  aforesaid,  and,  finally,  in  my  name,  to 
do  every  act  and  thing,  for  the  purposes  aforesaid,  which  I  could  do 
were  I  personally  present,  and  I  hereby  ratify  whatever  my  said  attorney 
shall  do,  or  cause  to  be  done  in  the  premises. 

In  testimony  whereof  we  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names  and 
affixed  our  seals,  this  I2th  day  of  May,  A.  D.    1845. 

WILLIAM  PALLET,         [seal.] 
ELIZABETH  PALLET,     [seal.] 
Witnesses  at  signing  :     Thomas  M.  Page,  James  Harbin. 

SECOND    INSTRUMENT. 

Land  Office,  Savannah,  July  8,  1845. 

"  No.  544.  We  hereby  certify  that,  pursuance  of  law,  Robert  Hus- 
sey,  of  the  county  of  Atchison,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  has  this  day 
made  proof,  under  the  act  approved  February  27,  1843,  °f  h's  pre-emp- 
tion right  to  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  No.  5,  in  township  No. 
64,  of  range  No.  41,  containing  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  and  seven- 
teen hundredths.  And  on  payment  of  the  purchase  money,  at  anytime 
before  the  third  Monday,  A.  D.,  1847,  the  legal  holder  of  this  certificate 
will  be  entitled  to  a  full  receipt  for  said  land. 

NATHANIEL  BURROWES,  Register. 

ACHILLES  JASPER,  Receiver. 

Know  all  Men  by  These  Presents  :  That  I,  Robert  Hussey,  of  the 
county  of  Atchison,  State  of  Missouri,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  dollars,  to  me  in  hand  paid  by  Enoch  D.  Leammon, 
of  the  county  of  Atchison,  and  State  aforesaid,  the  receipt  whereof  I  do 
hereby  acknowledge,  have  assigned,  transferred  and  set  over  unto  the 
said  Enoch  D.  Leammon  all  my  pre-emption  right  and  certificate  of 
proof  hereunto  annexed,  under  and  by  virtue  of  the  acts  of  the  legisla- 
ture of  said  State,  approved  February  27,  1843,  and  March  13,  1845,  in 
and  to  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  No.  5,  of  township  No.  64,  of 
range  No.  41,  containing  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  and  seventeen 
hundredths,  situate  in  the  county  of  Atchison,  aforesaid.  And  I  do 
hereby  request  that  the  patent  or  grant  for  said  quarter  section  of  land, 
issue  in  the  name  of  the  said  Enoch  D.  Leammon. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal,  this  18th  day  of  October,  A.  D., 
1845.  ROBERT  HUSSEY,  [seal.] 

Attest  :     T.  J.  White,  A.  A.  Bradford. 

THIRD   INSTRUMENT. 

Chattel  Mortgage.  This  deed  of  mortgage  made  and  entered  into, 
this  15th  day  of  September,  A.  D.,  1845,  between  Sarchal  C.  Fugitt,  of 
the  County  of  Atchison  and  State  of  Missouri,  of  the  first  part,  and 
Benjamin  Fugitt,  of  the  State  and  County  aforesaid  of  the  second  part 


FIRST   COURTS   ORGANIZED.  60/ 

witnesseth  :  That  the  said  party  of  the  first  part,  in  consideration  of  the 
better  securing  the  payment  of  the  sum  of  money  specified  in  the  prom- 
issory note  hereinafter  mentioned,  as  well  as  in  consideration  of  one 
dollar,  to  him  in  hand  paid,  by  said  party  of  the  second  part,  the  receipt 
whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged,  do  by  these  presents  bargain,  sell  and 
convey  unto  the  said  party  of  the  second  part,  and  to  his  heirs  and 
assigns  forever,  the  hereinafter  described  property,  to  wit:  All  the 
machinery  attached  and  belonging  to  my  saw  mill,  grist  mill,  and  bolting 
machine,  on  Rock  Creek,  in  the  County  of  Atchison,  aforesaid.  To  have 
and  to  hold  the  same  unto  the  said  party  of  the  second  part,  and  to  his 
heirs  and  assigns  forever;  provided,  however,  that  this  conveyance  and 
these  presents,  are  upon  the  express  terms,  that  whereas,  the  said  Sar- 
chal  C.  Fugitt,  has  this  day  executed  and  delivered  his  certain  prom- 
issory note,  unto  the  said  Benjamin  Fugitt,  in  words  and  figures  as  fol- 
lows, to  wit : 

"One  day  after  date,  for  value  received,  I  promise  to  pay  Benjamin 
Fugitt,  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  dollars,  as  witness  my 
hand,  this  15th  day  of  September,  A.  D.,  1845.  S.  C.  FUGITT." 

Now,  if  the  said  Sarchal  C.  Fugitt,  his  heirs,  executors  or  adminis- 
trators, shall  well  and  truly  pay  the  sum  of  money  specified  in  said  note, 
and  every  part  thereof,  together  with  all  the  interest  due  thereon,  if  any, 
when  said  note  shall  become  due  and  payable,  according  to  the  true 
tenor,  meaning  and  effect  thereof,  then  this  conveyance  and  all  the 
estate  hereby  conveyed,  shall  be  void,  otherwise  shall  remain  in  full 
force  and  virtue  in  law.  In  testimony  whereof,  the  said  party  of  the  first 
part,  has  hereunto  set  his  hand  and  seal,  the  day  and  year  first  aforesaid. 

S.  C.  FUGITT.  [seal.] 
Teste  :     F.  M.  Warmeastb,  A.  A.  Bradford. 

EARLY  MARRIAGES. 

In  perusing  the  following  short  record  of  marriage  certificates,  some 
one  of  our  readers,  if  he  is  a  native  of  Atchison  County,  will  doubtless 
recognize  the  names  of  his  ancestors. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI, 
Atchison  County. 

I  do  certify  that  on  the  4th  day  of  June,  1845,  I  joined  together  in 
the  bonds  of  matrimony,  B.  F.  Benoist  and  Rosella  Brenard,  according 
to  the  laws  of  this  state. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal,  this  the  7th  day  of  June  A.  D.  1845. 

NOAH  LEOBO,  J.  P. 
STATE  OF  MISSOURI, 
County  of  Atchison. 

This  is  to  certify  that  Moses  Butler,  of  Holt  County,  and  Margaret 
Furguson,  of  Atchison  County,  were  joined  in  marriage  by  me  on  the 
27th  day  of  March  A.  D.  1845. 

Given  under  my  hand  this  10th  day  of  June,  A.  D.   1845. 

RICHARD  BUCKHAM, 

Minister  of  the  Gospel. 


j-SS. 


6o8  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI, 


Atchison  County. 

I,  J.  K.  Cook,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  in  and  for  Nishnebotna  Town- 
ship, Atchison  County,  Missouri,  certify  that  on  the  ioth  day  of  May, 
1845,  I  solemnized  a  marriage  between  William  Roberts  and  Eliza  Jones, 
of  Atchison  County,  Missouri. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal,  this  the  ioth  of  June,  1845. 

J.  K.  COOK,  J.  P. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  J  XT.  ,      .    ,      ~         .  . 
Atchison  County.       \  Nlshneb°t™  Township. 

I,  J.  K.  Cook,  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  Nishnebotna  Township, 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  certify  that  on  the  29th  day  of  May,  1845,  I 
solemnized  a  marriage  between  David  Hays  and  Mary  Ann  Markwood, 
of  the  county  and  state  aforesaid. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal,  this  the  ioth  day  of  June,  1845. 

J.  K.  COOK,  J.  P. 
STATE  OF  MISSOURI, 


County  of  Atchison,    f  ss' 

This  may  certify  that  Daniel  James  and  Martha  Bailey,  both  of 
Atchison  County,  were  joined  in  marriage  bv  me,  on  the  24th  day  of 
July,  A.  D.  1845. 

Given  under  my  hand,  this  25th  day  of  July,  A.  D.  1845. 

RICHARD  BUCKHAM,  Minister  of  the  Gospel. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  { 
County  of  Atchison,    j 

This  may  certify  that  on  the  24th  day  of  July,  A.  D.  1845, 
Joshua  Kellison  and  Eliza  Handley,  both  of  the  county  of  Atchison, 
were  joined  in  marriage  by  me. 

Given  under  my  hand  this  25th  dav  of  July,  A.  D.  1845. 

RICHARD  BUCKHAM,  Minister  of  the  Gospel. 

Married,  on  the  21st  of  September,    one    thousand  eight    hundred 
and  forty-five,  Daniel  Burrell  to  Susana  Robinett,  both  of  the  county  of 
Atchison,  and  State  of  Missouri.  E.  S.  NEEDLES,  C.  S. 

Be  it  remembered,  that  on  .the  16th  day  of  October,  A.  D.  1845, 1, 
John  Liggit,  an  acting  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  the  county  of 
Atchison,  and  State  of  Missouri,  solemnized  a  marriage  contract  between 
Simeon  Loveland  and  Emily  Farley,  both  of  the  county  aforesaid. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal,  this  the  16th  day  of  October,  A.  D. 
1845.  JOHN  LIGGIT,  J.  P. 

Solemnized  a  marriage  between  J.  Wesley  Cooper  and  Hannah 
"Walden,  on  the  27th  day  of  November,  1845. 

This  February  23,  1846.  A.  KIME, 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Married,  by  the  undersigned,  on  the  13th  day  of  July,  1846,  Mr. 
^Borcel  Greenmore  to  Miss  Catharine  Elizabeth  Wells. 

Given  under  my  hand  this  the  6th  day  of  August,  1846. 

JOHN  S.  SCOTT,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


FIRST   COURTS   ORGANIZED.  609 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 

ATCHISON   COUNTY.  j 

March  the  2d,  1847.  To  the  Clerk  of  the  county  and  State  afore- 
said, greeting: 

I  do  hereby  certify,  that  on  the  2d  day  of  December  last,  I  did 
officiate  in  the  solemnizing  of  the  rites  of  matrimony,  according  to  the 
authority  vested  in  me,  a  regular  ordained  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  and  according  to  the  law 
of  the  State  and  county  aforesaid,  between  Harvy  H.  Rawlins  and  Mar- 
get  Frost,  and  forward  the  same  to  be  recorded  according  to  law. 

S.  B.  FROST,  Elder  of  the  Church  L.  D.  S. 

In  1845,  there  were  nine  marriage  certificates  recorded  ;  in  188 1, 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five. 

The  marriages  here  recorded  thirty-seven  years  ago,  the  parties,  if 
still  living,  would  be  about  three  score  years  and  ten.  In  those  primi- 
tive days,  marriages  were  generally  the  result  of  love.  There  was  not 
only  a  union  of  hands,  but  a  union  of  hearts.  The  pioneer  maiden  made 
the  faithful  wife,  and  the  sturdy  backwoodsman,  the  fond  and  trusted 
husband. 

"  From  that  day  forth,  in  peace  and  joyous  bliss, 
They  lived  together  long  without   debate; 
Nor  private  jars,  nor  spite  of  enemies, 
Could  shake  the  safe  assurance  of  their  state." 


39 


CHAPTER  V. 

FIRST  SETTLEMENTS. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  FIRST  BEGINNINGS— WHEN  AND  WHERE  COMMENCED. 

Every  nation  does  not  possess  an  authentic  account  of  its  origin, 
neither  do  all  communities  have  the  correct  data  whereby  it  is  possible 
to  accurately  predicate  the  condition  of  their  first  beginnings.  Never- 
theless, to  be  intensely  interested  in  such  things  is  characteristic  of  the 
race,  and  it  is  particularly  the  province  of  the  historian  to  deal  with  first 
causes.  Should  these  facts,  as  is  often  the  case,  be  lost  in  the  mythical 
traditions  of  the  past,  the  chronicler  invades  the  realm  of  the  ideal  and 
compels  his  imagination  to  paint  the  missing  picture.  The  patriotic 
Roman  was  not  content  till  he  had  found  the  "  First  Settlers,"  and  then 
he  was  satisfied,  although  they  were  found  in  the  very  undesirable  com- 
pany of  a  wolf,  and  located  on  a  drift,  which  the  receding  waters  of  the 
Tiber  had  permitted  them  to  pre-empt. 

One  of  the  advantages  pertaining  to  a  residence  in  a  new  country 
and  one  seldom  appreciated,  is  the  fact  that  we  can  go  back  to  the  first 
beginnings.  We  are  thus  enabled,  not  only  to  trace  results  to  their 
causes,  but  also  to  grasp  the  facts  which  have  contributed  to  form  and 
mold  these  causes.  We  observe  that  a  state  or  county  has  attained  a 
certain  position,  and  we  at  once  try  to  trace  out  the  reasons  for  this 
position  in  its  early  settlement  and  surroundings,  in  the  class  of  men 
by  whom  it  was  peopled,  and  in  the  many  chances  and  changes  which 
have  wrought  out  results  in  all  the  recorded  deeds  of  mankind.  In  the 
history  of  Atchison  County  we  may  trace  its  earlier  settlers  to  their 
homes  in  the  Eastern  States  and  in  the  countries  of  the  Old  World.  We 
may  follow  the  course  of  the  hardy  backwoodsman  of  the  "  Buckeye  "  or 
the  "  Hoosier"  State,  or  from  Kentucky  and  Virginia  on  his  way  west 
"  to  grow  up  with  the  country,"  trusting  only  to  his  strong  arm  and  his 
willing  heart  to  work  out  his  ambition  of  a  home  for  himself  and  wife  and 
a  competence  for  his  children.  Again,  we  will  see  that  others  have  been 
animated  with  the  impulse  to  "  move  on,"  after  making  themselves  a  part 
of  the  community,  and  have  sought  the  newer  parts  of  the  extreme  west, 
where  civilization  had  not  penetrated,  or  returned  to  their  native  soil. 
We  shall  find  much  of  that  distinctive  New  England  character  which  has 


FIRST   SETTLEMENTS.  6l  I 

contributed  so  many  men  and  women  to  other  portions  of  our  state  and 
the  west  ;  also,  we  shall  find  many  an  industrious  native  of  Germany  or 
the  British  Isles,  and  a  few  of  the  industrious  and  economical  French — 
all  of  whom  have  contributed  to  modify  types  of  men  already  existing  here. 

Those  who  have  noted  the  career  of  the  descendants  of  these  brave, 
strong  men,  in  subduing  the  wilds  and  overcoming  the  obstacles  and 
withstanding  the  hardships  of  this  country  in  early  times,  can  but  admit 
they  are  worthy  sons  of  illustrious  sires. 

The  first  white  settlement  made  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now 
known  as  Atchison  County,  was  effected  in  the  spring  of  1839,  by  Hank 
B.  Roberts  and  Thomas  Wilson,  single  men.  They  settled  on  what  was 
afterwards  known  as  the  town  site  of  Sonora.  Roberts  was  originally 
from  Illinois,  and  Wilson  was  from  Clay  County,  Missouri.  Roberts  had 
once  been  a  soldier  in  the  United  States  army,  stationed  at  Fort  Leav- 
enworth, Kansas,  from  whence  he  came  to  this  county.     In  the  spring  of 

1839,  they  erected  a  cabin  and  put  in  a  small  crop. 

At  the  time  of  their  coming,  however,  there  were  two  white  men 
named  Hughes  and  Alley,  who  were  already  on  the  ground,  in  the 
capacity  of  Indian  traders,  but  were  not  permanent  settlers.  Roberts 
and  Wilson  may  be  called,  then,  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Atchison  County. 
Roberts  continued  to  farm  for  a  few  years,  when  he  sold  and  locatdd 
about  one  mile  east  of  Sonora,  and  finally  removed  to  Nebraska,  and 
now  resides  on  the  McKissick  Island,  in  the  Missouri  River,  near  the  town 
of  Hamburg,  Iowa. 

Callaway  Millsaps  arrived  in  the  county  on  the  1  ith  day  of  Novem- 
ber, 1839,  and  took  up  his  abode  also  on  the  present  town  site  of  Sonora. 
He  was  originally  from  Cocke  County,  East  Tennessee,  where  he  was  born 
on  September  26,  18 15.  He  emigrated  to  Saline  County,  Missouri, 
removed  to  Clay,  Ray,  Davis,  back  to  Ray,  where  he  lived  until  the 
spring  of  1839,  when  he  came  here.     He  resided  at  Sonora  until  August. 

1840,  and  then  located  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  present  town  of 
Rock  Port,  on  the  Nishnebotna  River,  where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of 
1 88 1,  when  he  became  a  citizen  of  Rock  Port,  where  he  still  resides,  fol- 
lowing mercantile  pursuits. 

In  company  with  Mr.  Millsaps,  came  Charles  Beauchamp  and  Archi- 
bald and  Alexander  Handley,  from  Clay  County,  all  in  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Millsaps.  Archibald  is  dead,  Alexander  lives  in  Brownsville, 
Nebraska,  and  Beauchamp  went  to  Tennessee.  Mr.  Millsaps,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  winters  of  1839  and  1840,  informed  the  writer  that  they  were 
the  coldest  he  has  ever  experienced  in  this  latitude,  the  snow  remaining 
all  winter  from  two  and  a-half  to  three  feet  in  depth,  and  the  ice  in  the 
Missouri  River  from  two  and  a-half  to  three  feet  thick. 

He  says  that  the  most  cheerful  sight  that  he  saw  during  the  spring 
of  1840,  after  passing  through  the  long,  severe  winter,  was  a  steamboat 


6l2  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

which  landed  at  Sonora — a  large,  side-wheel  steamer— for  the  purpose  of 
"  wooding."  Hank  Roberts  was  the  proprietor  of  the  wood  yard,  his 
being  the  only  one  between  Sonora  and  Fort  Leavenworth.  Wood  was 
sold  then  at  five  dollars  per  cord,  taken  from  the  bank.  He  says  that  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  settlement,  including  his  wife  and  children,  gath- 
ered on  the  bank  to  look  at  the  boat. 

In  the  spring  ot  1840  John  Mathews,  an  Englishman,  settled  at 
English  Grove  (named  after  him),  about  eight  miles  southeast  of  Rock 
Port.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  dead  many  years,  dying  on  the  farm 
they  first  entered.  He  lived  on  the  road  leading  from  St.  Joseph  to 
Council  Bluffs,  and  kept  a  house  of  entertainment. 

In  the  same  township  and  at  what  was  afterwards  called  Irish 
Grove,  settled  a  colony  of  Irishmen,  among  whom  was  Martin  Murphy, 
Sr.,  and  his  son  Martin,  who  now  resides  in  San  Jose,  California.  These 
men  settled  at  Irish  Grove  in  1841,  but  went  to  California  in  1844.  The 
following  sketch  of  Martin  Murphy,  which  we  copy  from  a  California 
paper,  will  be  read  with  interest.  Mr.  Murphy  is  one  of  the  wealthy  and 
influential  citizens  of  that  state. 

"  MARTIN    MURPHY 

was  born  in  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  on  the  9th  day  of  November, 
1807.  His  family  was  one  of  the  oldest  in  Ireland,  and  belonged  to 
that  class  which  has  made  the  Green  Isle  so  famous  in  history.  His 
father  was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  but  of  a  rather  adventurous  disposition, 
and,  in  1828,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  he  resolved  to  try  the  New  World,  and  emigrated  to  Canada, 
settling  at  the  Township  of  Frampton,  about  thirty  miles  south  of  the 
City  of  Quebec.  When  he  came  to  America,  Martin,  Sr.,  brought  with 
him  his  family,  excepting  Martin  Jr.,  his  oldest  son,  and  one  daughter, 
Mrs.  Miller,  now  residing  at  San  Rafael.  At  that  time  his  family  consisted 
of  seven  children,  to  wit  :  Martin,  James,  Bernard,  John,  Daniel,  Ellen 
(now  Mrs.  Weber,  of  Stockton),  and  Mrs.  James  Miller.  Martin,  Jr., 
was  left  behind  in  Ireland  when  his  father  came  to  America.  From  a 
boy  he  had  displayed  thrifty  habits,  and  at  the  time  his  father  emigrated 
he  was  the  owner  of  a  small  farm,  which  circumstance  speaks  louder' 
than  words  for  his  business  capacity.  Land  in  the  old  country  is  not  to 
be  had  so  easily  as  land  in  America,  and  Martin's  ownership  of  a  few 
acres  on  Irish  soil  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  was  an  indication  of 
the  talent,  industry  and  ability  which  in  future  years  was  to  raise  him  to 
the  position  of  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  and  largest  land  owners  in 
the  United  States.  Eight  years  after  his  father  left  Ireland,  Martin 
concluded  to  follow  him,  and,  having  an  opportunity  to  sell  his  Irish 
farm  to  advantage,  he  parted  with  it  and  he  and  his  sister  came  to 
America.  He  settled  in  Quebec,  where  he  engaged  in  business  and 
remained  for  three  years.  But  his  mind  was  of  an  agricultural  turn,  and 
he  soon  became  tired  of  city  life.  On  the  18th  day  of  July,  1831,  Martin 
Murphy  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony  to  Miss  Mary  Bulger, 
the  ceremony  being  performed  by  Rev.  Father  McMahon,  in  the  Que- 


FIRST  SETTLEMENTS.  613 

bee  Cathedral.  Miss  Bulger  was  an  Irish  girl,  born  in  County  Wexford 
of  an  old  and  highly  respected  family.  Martin  had  known  her  in  Ire- 
land and  knew  her  worth.  Fifty  years  has  changed  her  appearance 
from  the  laughing  girl  of  twenty  to  the  sober  matron,  the  tender  mother 
of  a  large  family,  but  it  has  not  changed  her  loving  heart  nor  dimmed 
those  virtues  which  then  made  her  the  favorite  of  all  wh'o  knew  her. 
Immediately  after  their  marriage  the  young  couple  moved  to  Frampton, 
the  township  in  which  Mr.  Murphy's  father  had  settled,  and,  having  pur- 
chased a  piece  of  timber  land,  set  about  clearing  it  and  founding  a 
home.  He  lived  at  Frampton  about  ten  years  and  during  this  time 
four  sons  were  born,  to  wit :  James,  Martin,  Patrick  W.  and  Bernard  D., 
the  last  named  two  are  still  living  and  are  well  known  to  our  readers,  in 
fact  they  have  a  state  wide  reputation. 

About  this  time  stories  began  to  be  circulated  in  their  neighbor- 
hood of  the  wonderful  fertility  of  the  soil  in  the  far  west  and  these 
reports  were  specially  growing  in  regard  to  the  territory  of  Missouri. 
Martin  Murphy,  Sr.,  did  not  exactly  like  the  British  style  ot  government 
in  the  provinces,  and  determined  to  "go  west"  into  the  frontiers  of  the 
young  republic.  He  sold  out  his  property  and  taking  his  family  went 
by  way  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  thence  by  canal  to 
Portsmouth,  Ohio,  thence  down  the  Ohio  to  where  Cairo  now  stands, 
thence  up  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Rivers  to  near  the  present  site  of 
St.  Joseph.  At  that  time  there  was  no  sign  of  the  present  bustling 
city  ;  nothing  marked  it  as  different  from  a  thousand  other  places  except 
a  mill  seat  where  corn  was  ground  for  the  settlers.  But  Mr.  Murphy 
was  not  looking  for  cities.  He  had  procured  a  tract  of  land  on  what  was 
known  as  the  Platte  Purchase,  in  Holt  County,  now  Atchison  County, 
and  thither  he  conveyed  his  family,  traveling  in  wagons  after  leaving 
the  river.  He  was  soon  followed  (in  1842)  by  Martin  and  his  family, 
who  also  located  on  the  "  Purchase."  It  was  on  the  Platte  Purchase  that 
their  first  daughter,  Ann  Elizabeth,  was  born.  Here  they  found  land  in 
abundance  and  a  fertile  soil,  but  the  prevalence  of  malarial  fevers  ren- 
dered it  undesirable  as  a  place  of  residence.  Added  to  this  was  the 
absence  of  educational  facilities,  which  rendered  the  location  to  a  man 
ambitious  of  giving  his  family  every  advantage,  especially  undesirable 
as  a  residence.  While  they  were  looking  about  for  a  country  where  they 
could  find  the  advantages  which  Missouri  did  not  at  that  time  afford, 
they  were  visited  by  Rev.  Father  Hookins,  a  Catholic  priest  who  for 
years  had  been  engaged  in  missionary  work  among  the  Indians,  his  field 
extending  even  as  far  as  the  Pacific.  He  told  them  of  California,  of  its 
beautiful  valleys,  its  genial  sunshine,  its  fertile  soil  and  health-giving 
climate.  Martin,  Sr.  did  not  long  hesitate.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  undaunted  courage  and  the  magnitude  of  a  journey  of 
thousands  of  miles  across  plains,  mountains  and  rivers,  through  an 
unknown  country  did  not  give  him  a  moment's  uneasiness.  This  was 
long  before  the  discovery  of  gold  and  the  energy  of  the  Murphys  will  be 
better  appreciated  when  it  is  understood  that  it  was  not  wealth,  but 
health,  they  were  seeking.  Having  made  up  his  mind  to  come  to  Cal- 
ifornia, Mr.  Murphy  did  not  take  a  long  time  in  preparing  for  his  jour- 
ney. They  sold  their  land,  made  up  a  party  and  started.  Going  to  an 
agricultural  country  for  purposes  of  agriculture,  they  took  what  stock 
they  could  with  them.     Their  rendezvous  was  Council  Bluffs,  and  here 


614  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

the  expedition  was  organized.  It  consisted  of  twenty-six  persons,  all  told. 
Martin  Murphy,  Sr.,  was  the  commander  and  head  of  the  expedition, 
and  Captain  Stevens  was  pilot.  There  was  no  road,  trail  or  track  by 
which  the  emigrants  could  find  their  way,  but  they  were  men  of  intelli- 
gence and  determination  and  they  made  their  journey  in  spite  of  all 
obstacles. 

We  regret  that  our  space  will  not  permit  us  to  give  a  detailed  account 
of  the  adventures  of  this  little  band  of  pioneers.  Peculiar  interest  attaches 
to  it  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  first  party  that  crossed  the  mountains 
into  California  with  wagons  and  that  introduced  American  cattle  on  this 
coast.  They  followed  substantially  the  route  over  which  the  Union  and 
Central  Pacific  Railroads  are  built.  They  came  north  of  Salt  Lake, 
stopping  at  the  sink  of  the  Humboldt.  They  had  no  trouble  with  the 
Indians,  nor  did  they  suffer  for  want  of  food.  They  were  caught  in  the 
mountains  by  the  snow,  but  having  made  all  preparations  they  were 
comparatively  comfortable.  On  the  other  side  they  fell  in  with  an 
Indian  named  Truckee,  who,  by  signs,  informed  them  that  over  the 
mountains  was  level  land  and  horned  cattle.  They  named  the  Truckee 
lake  and  river  for  this  Indian.  It  has  been  customary  to  confound  the 
Murphy  party  with  the  Donner  party.  The  Murphy  party  crossed  the 
mountains  in  1844,  the  Donners  came  about  the  same  route  but  not  until 
two  years-  after  A  shed  that  Shallenberger  built  in  1844  served  as  a 
shelter  to  a  portion  of  the  Donner  party  in  1846. 

The  Indian,  Truckee,  guided  the  party  safely  down  the  Truckee 
River.  There  was  no  road  or  trail  or  bridges  of  any  kind,  but  difficult 
as  the  route  was,  they  managed  to  get  through  without  serious  loss.  On 
this  side  they  came  down  the  Yuba  River  and  went  into  winter  quarters. 
Here  a  daughter  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murphy.  This  daughter  was 
the  first  American  child  born  in  California.  •  She  was  afterwards  married 
to  William  P.  Taaffe,  a  prosperous  San  Francisco  merchant.  Leaving 
the  party  on  the  Yuba,  Martin  and  several  other  of  the  men  came  down 
to  Sutter's  Fort,  at  New  Helvetia,  now  Sacramento,  for  the  purpose  of 
prospecting  the  county,  with  a  view  to  locating.  They  got  down  into 
the  country  just  in  the  heat  of  the  Micheltorena  rebellion,  and  were 
pressed  into  the  army.  They  went  with  the  troops  as  far  south  as  Sole- 
dad,  and  here  Martin  represented  that  their  families  were  in  the  mount- 
ains and  probably  destitute  and  suffering,  and  thus  obtained  a  permit  to 
return  with  supplies.  When  he  got  back  on  the  Yuba  he  found  that  his 
people  were  not  in  very  sreat  want — they  had  plenty  of  cattle  and  flour 
and  other  provisions.  Martin  brought  his  family  down  into  the  valley 
and  purchased  four  leagues  of  land  from  a  German  named  Rufus.  It  was 
situated  on  the  Cosumnes  River,  near  Stockton.  '  Here  he  settled  and 
remained  until  '49.  When  gold  was  discovered  he  went  to  the  mines, 
but  made  no  success  and  soon  returned  to  his  ranch.  Here  he  entered 
into  the  business  of  cattle  raising,  and  conducted  a  successful  business, 
selling  stock  to  the  miners.  While  living  on  the  Cosumnes  two  daughters 
were  born,  Mary  Ann,  now  Mrs.  Richard  T.  Carrol,  and  Ellen,  now  Mrs. 
J.  A.  Arques,  of  Lawrence  Station.  In  1849  he-  removed  to  this  county, 
having  purchased  from  the  Castros  the  Rancho  Pastoria  de  las  Borregas, 
containing  5,000  acres.  Here  James  T.,  the  youngest  son,  was  born  in 
1852.  Since  he  has  been  in  California,  Mr.  Murphy  has  devoted  his 
attention    mostly    to    cattle  raising,  and  has  been  eminently  successful. 


FIRST   SETTLEMENTS.  6l 5 

He  has  added  rancho  after  rancho  to  his  landed  possessions,  and  his 
immense  herds  cover  the  hills  of  Santa  Clara,  San  Luis  Obispo  and 
Santa  Barbara  Counties.  He  also  owns  large  quantities  of  valuable 
property  in  the  cities  of  San  Francisco  and  San  Jose.  Notwithstanding 
their  great  wealth,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murphy  could  never  be  induced  to  reside 
elsewhere  than  in  their  country  home.  Here  he  presides  over  his  house- 
hold like  one  of  the  olden  patriarchs,  superintending  his  flocks  and  dis- 
pensing a  generous  hospitality  to  all  who  come  within  the  shadow  of  his 
gates.  Their  hands  are  always  open  to  the  poor  and  their  bounty  is 
gratefully  remembered  by  thousands. 

Of  their  children  it  is  scarcly  necessary  for  us  to  speak.  The  boys 
are  worthy  sons  of  such  an  honorable  sire,  and  the  daughters  inherit  all 
the  virtues  of  their  most  estimable  mother.  The  sons  have  all  won  places 
of  distinction  in  the  history  of  the  state,  and  the  daughters  are  examples 
of  the  highest  type  of  true  womanhood." 

John  Bender  came  from  Platte  County,  Missouri,  in  the  fall  of  1842, 
and  located  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri,  about  one  mile  above 
where  the  town  of  Brownville,  Nebraska,  now  stands.  Like  thousands 
of  others,  he  became  smitten  with  the  gold  mania,  which  prevailed  so 
universally  over  this  country  in  1849,  and  went  to  California.  He  was  a 
German. 

In  the  fall  of  1842,  one  month  after  the  arrival  of  John  Bender,  came 
George  Harmon,  from  Illinois,  and  settled  at  Sonora.  After  remaining 
here  a  few  months,  he  removed  to  a  place  opposite  Brownville,  Nebraska, 
where  he  lived  until  the  jail  of  188 1,  when  he  located  in  Tecumseh, 
Nebraska,  where  he  now  resides. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1842,  E.  D.  Scammon,  from  Lafayette  County, 
Missouri,  located  about  two  miles  southwest  of  Rock  Port,  where  he  still 
lives. 

About  the  same  time  came  William  Hunter,  from  Clinton  County, 
Missouri,  and  located-  about  three  miles  southwest  of  Rock  Port,  on  Rock 
Creek,  at  a  place  since  known  as  "  Hunter's  Bridge,"  where  he  now 
resides  at  the  advanced  age  of  about  eighty  years.  Mr.  Hunter  has  been 
One  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  county,  having  served  the  people  of 
Atchison  County  in  many  ways,  and  was  one  of  the  county  court  justices 
from  1858  to  1865. 

Elijah  S.  Needles  immigrated  from  Indiana,  in  1843,  and  settled  the 
adjoining  farm  to  William,  Hunter,  and  then  moved  about  a  mile  south- 
west and  located  on  the  Nishnebotna,  at  a  place  now  known  as 
"  Needles  Bridge."  Like  Mr.  Hunter,  he  has  been  a  useful  and  influen- 
tial citizen  of  the  county.  He  was  appointed  justice  of  the  county  court 
in  1845,  by  the  governor  of  the  state,  and  has  filled  the  same  position  at 
different  periods  since. 

Among  other  settlers  was  Richard  Rupe,  from  Lafayette  County, 
Missouri,  who  was  also  a  judge  of  the  county  court,  and  with  him  came 
Samuel  Rennick,  a  stock  trader,    who  is  now  dead.     Mr.  Rupe  settled 


6i6 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


what  is  called  "  Rupe's  Grove,"  about  six  miles  southeast  of  Rock  Port, 
where  he  still  lives. 

About  1845  Nathan  Meek  commenced  the  building  of  a  grist  mill 
on  the  present  town  site  of  Rock  Port,  on  Rock  Creek,  and  about  the 
same  time,  or  during  1843,  John  Fowler  erected  a  saw  mill,  also  on  Rock 
Creek,  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Rock  Port.  These  were  the  first 
mills  erected  in  the  county. 

One  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  county  was,  perhaps,  Joseph  Ber- 
nard, of  whom  we  will  speak  more  fully  in  our  history  of  Buchanan 
Township.  Other  settlers  coming  soon  after,  and  at  a  later  period,  will 
be  mentioned  more  fully  in  the  succeeding  chapters  of  this  work — in 
our  history  of  the  different  townships. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PIONEER  LIFE. 

THE  PIONEERS'  PECULIARITIES-CONVENIENCES  AND  INCOXVE-NIENCES-THE  HISTOR- 
ICAL LOG  CABIN-AGRICULTURAL  IMPLEMENTS-HOUSEHOLD  FURNITURE- 
PIONEER  CORN-BREAD— HAND  MILLS  AND  HOMINY  BLOCKS-GOING  TO  MILL- 
TRADING  PJINTS-BEE-TREES-SHOOTING  MATCHES    AND  QUILTIN^S  . 

In  the  heart  of  the  grand  old  forest, 

A  thousand  miles  to  the  West, 
Where  a  stream  gushed  out  from  the  hillside, 

They  halted  at  last  for  rest. 
And  the  silence  of  ages  listened 

To  the  ax  stroke  loud  and  clear, 
Divining  a  kingly  presence 

In  the  tread  of  the  pioneer. 

He  formed  ot  the  prostrate  branches 

A  home  that  was  strong  and  good  ; 
The  roof  was  of  reeds  from  the  streamlet, 

The  chimney  he  built  of  wood, 
And  there  by  the  winter  fireside, 

While  the  flame  up  the  chimney  roared, 
He  spoke  of  the  good  time  coming 

When  plenty  should  crown  his  board — 

When  the  forest  should  fade  like  a  vision, 

And  over  the  hillside  and  plain 
The  orchard  would  spring  in  its  beauty, 

And  the  fields  of  golden  grain. 
And  to-night  he  sits  by  the  fireside 

In  a  mansion  quaint  and  old, 
With  his  children's  children  round  him, 

Having  reaped  a  thousand  fold. 

During  the  decade  which  comprehends  the  first  ten  years  of  its  his- 
tory, the  settlement  of  Atchison  County  was  in  its  earliest  stage  of 
pioneer  life.  All  that  can  be  known  of  this  period  must  be  drawn, 
chiefly,  from  tradition. 

In  those  days  the  people  took  no  care  to  preserve  history — they 
were  too  busily  engaged  in  making  it.  Historically  speaking,  those 
were  the  most  important  years  of  the  county,  for  it  was  then  the  founda- 
tion and  corner  stones  of  all  the  county's  history  and  prosperity  were 
laid.  Yet,  this  history  was  not  remarkable  for  stirring  events.  It  was, 
however,  a  time  of  self  reliance  and  brave,  persevering  toil  ;  of  privations 


6l8  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

cheerfully  endured  through  faith  in  a  good  time  coming.  The  experi- 
ence of  one  settler  was  just  about  the  same  as  that  of  others.  They 
were  almost  invariably  poor,  they  faced  the  same  hardships  and  stood 
generally  on  an  equal  footing. 

All  the  experience  of  the  early  pioneers  of  this  county  goes  far  to 
confirm  the  theory  that,  after  all,  happiness  is  pretty  evenly  balanced  in 
this  world.  They  had  their  privations  and  hardships,  but  they  had  also 
their  own  peculiar  joys.  If  they  were  poor,  they  were  free  from  the 
burden  of  pride  and  vanity  ;  free,  also,  from  the  anxiety  and  care  that 
always  attends  the  possession  of  wealth.  Other  people's  eyes  cost  them 
nothing.  If  they  had  few  neighbors,  they  were  on  the  best  of  terms  with 
those  they  had.  Envy,  jealousy  and  strife  had  not  crept  in.  A  common 
interest  and  a  common  sympathy  bound  them  together  with  the  strong- 
est ties.  They  were  a  little  world  to  themselves,  and  the  good  feeling 
that  prevailed  was  all  the  stronger  because  they  were  so  far  removed 
from  the  great  world  of  the  east. 

Among  these  pioneers  there  was  realized  such  a  community  of 
interest  that  there  existed  a  community  of  feeling.  There  were  no 
castes,  except  an  aristocracy  of  benevolence,  and  no  nobility,  except  a 
nobility  of  generosity.  They  were  bound  together  with  such  a  strong 
bond  of  sympathy,  inspired  by  the  consciousness  of  common  hardship, 
that  they  were  practically  communists. 

Neighbors  did  not  even  wait  for  an  invitation  or  request  to  help  one 
another.  Was  a  settler's  cabin  burned  or  blown  down  ?  No  sooner  was 
the  fact  known  throughout  the  neighborhood  than  the  settlers  assembled 
to  assist  the  unfortunate  one  to  rebuild  his  home.  They  came  with  as 
little  hesitation,  and  with  as  much  alacrity  as  though  they  were  all  mem- 
bers of  the  same  family,  and  bound  together  by  ties  of  blood.  One 
man's  interest  was  every  other  man's  interest.  Now  this  general 
state  of  feeling  among  the  pioneers  was  by  no  means  peculiar  to  this 
county,  although  it  was  strongly  illustrated  here.  It  prevailed  generally 
throughout  the  west  during  the  time  of  the  early  settlement.  The  very 
nature  of  things  taught  the  settlers  the  necessity  of  dwelling  together  in 
this  spirit.  It  was  their  only  protection.  They  had  come  far  away  from 
the  well  established  reign  of  law,  and  entered  a  new  country,  where  the 
civil  authority  was  still  feeble  and  totally  unable  to  afford  protection  and 
redress  grievances.  Here  the  settlers  lived  some  little  time  before  there 
was  an  officer  of  the  law  in  the  county.  Each  man's  protection  was  in 
the  good  will  and  friendship  of  those  about  him,  and  the  thing  any  man 
might  well  dread  was  the  ill  will  of  the  community.  It  was  more  terrible 
than  the  law.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  in  the  early  times  for  hardened 
men,  who  had  no  fears  of  jails  or  penitentiaries,  to  stand  in  great  fear  of 
the  indignation  of  a  pioneer  community.  Such  were  some  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  Atchison  County. 


riONEER     LIFE.  619 

HOUSE    AND    HOME   COMFORTS.      • 

The  first  buildings  in  the  county  were  not  just  like  the  log  cabins 
that  immediately  succeeded  them.  The  latter  required  some  help  and  a 
good  deal  of  labor  to  build.  The  very  first  buildings  constructed  were  a 
cross  between  "  hoop  cabins  "  and  Indian  bark  huts.  As  soon  as  enough 
men  could  be  got  together  for  a  "  cabin  raising,"  then  log  cabins  were 
in  style.  Many  a  pioneer  can  remember  the  happiest  time  of  his  life  as 
that  when  he  lived  in  one  of  these  homely  but  comfortable  old  cabins. 

A  window  with  sash  and  glass  was  a  rarity,  and  was  an  evidence  of 
wealth  and  aristocracy  which  but  few  could  support.  They  were  often 
made  with  greased  paper  put  over  the  window,  which  admitted  a  little 
light,  but  more  often  there  was  nothing  whatever  over  it,  or  the  cracks 
between  the  logs,  without  either  chinking  or  daubing,  were  the  depend-, 
ence  for  light  and  air.  The  doors  were  fastened  with  old-fashioned 
wooden  latches,  and  for  a  friend,  or  neighbor,  or  traveler,  the  string 
.always  hung  out,  for  the  pioneers  of  the  west  were  hospitable,  and  enter- 
tained visitors  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  It  is  noticeable  with  what 
affection  the  pioneers  speak  of  their  old  log  cabins.  It  may  be  doubted 
whether  palaces  ever  sheltered  happier  hearts  than  those  homely  cabins. 
The  following  is  a  good  description  of  these  old  landmarks,  but  few  of 
which  now  remain  : 

"  These  were  of  round  logs,  notched  together  at  the  corners,  ribbed 
with  poles,  and  covered  with  boards  split  from  a  tree.  A  puncheon  floor 
was  then  laid  down,  a  hole  cut  in  the  end  and  a  stick  chimney  run  up. 
A  clapboard  door  is  made,  a  window  is  opened  by  cutting  out  a  hole  in 
the  side  or  end  two  feet  square,  and  finished  without  glass  or  transpa- 
rency. The  house  is  then  '  chinked  '  or  '  daubed  '  with  mud.  The  cabin 
is  now  ready  to  go  into.  The  household  and  kitchen  furniture  is  adjusted, 
and  life  on  the  frontier  is  begun  in  earnest. 

"The  one-legged  bedstead,  now  a  piece  of  furniture  of  the  past,  was 
made  by  cutting  a  stick  the  proper  length,  boring  holes  at  one  end  one 
and  a-half  inches  in  diameter,  at  right  angles,  and  the  same  sized  holes 
■corresponding  with  those  in  the  logs  of  the  cabin  the  length  and  breadth 
desired  for  the  bed,  in  which  are  inserted  poles. 

"  Upon  these  poles  clapboards  are  laid,  or  linn  bark  is  interwoven 
•consecutively  from  pole  to  pole.  Upon  this  primitive  structure  the  bed 
is  laid.  The  convenience  of  a  cook-stove  was  not  thought  of,  but  instead 
the  cooking  was  done  by  the  faithful  housewife  in  pots,  kettles  and  skil- 
lets, on  and  about  the  big  fire-place,  and  very  frequently  over  and  around, 
too,  the  distended  pedal  extremities  of  the  legal  sovereign  of  the  house- 
hold, while  the  latter  was  indulging  in  the  luxuries  of  a  cob  pipe,  and 
■discussing  the  probable  results  of  a  contemplated  elk  hunt  about  the 
.Nishnebotna  and  Tarkio  Rivers." 


620  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

These  log  cabins  were  really  not  so  bad  after  all. 

The  people  of  to-day,  familiarized  with  "  Charter  Oak "  cooking 
stoves  and  ranges,  would  be  ill  at  home  were  they  compelled  to  prepare 
a  meal  with  no  other  conveniences  than  those  provided  in  a  pioneer 
cabin.  Rude  fire-places  were  built  in  chimneys  composed  of  mud  and 
sticks,  or  at  best,  undressed  stone.  These  fire-places  served  for  heating 
and  cooking  purposes  ;  also  for  ventilation.  Around  the  cheerful  blaze 
of  this  fire  the  meal  was  prepared,  and  these  meals  were  not  so  bad  after 
all.  As  elsewhere  remarked,  they  were  not  such  as  would  tempt  the 
epicure,  but  such  as  afforded  the  most  healthful  nourishment  for  a  race 
of  people  who  were  driven  to  the  exposure  and  hardships  which  were 
their  lot.  We  hear  of  few  dyspeptics  in  those  days.  Another  advantage 
of  these  cooking  arrangements  was  that  the  stovepipe  never  fell  down, 
and  the  pioneer  was  spared  being  subjected  to  the  most  trying  of  ordeals, 
and  one  probably  more  productive  of  profanity  than  any  other. 

Before  the  country  became  supplied  with  mills  which  were  of  easy 
access,  and  even  in  some  instances  afterward,  hominy-blocks  were  used. 
These  exist  now  only  in  the  memory  of  the  oldest  settlers,  but  as  relics 
of  the  "long  ago,"  a  description  of  them  will  not  be  uninteresting: 

A  tree  of  suitable  size,  say  from  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  in 
diameter,  was  selected  in  the  forest  and  felled  to  the  ground.  If  a  cross- 
cut saw  happened,  to  be  convenient,  the  tree  was  "butted" — that  is, 
the  kerf  end  was  sawed  off  so  that  it  would  stand  steady  when  ready  for 
use.  If  there  were  no  cross-cut  saw  in  the  neighborhood,  strong  arms 
and  sharp  axes  were  ready  to  do  the  work.  Then  the  proper  length, 
from  four  to  five  feet,  was  measured  off,  and  sawed  or  cut  square.  When 
this  was  done  the  block  was  raised  on  end  and  the  work  of  cutting  out  a 
hollow  in  one  of  the  ends  was  commenced.  This  was  generally  done 
with  a  common  chopping  axe.  Sometimes  a  smaller  one  was  used. 
When  the  cavity  was  judged  to  be  large  enough,  a  fire  was  built  in  it  and 
carefully  watched  till  the  ragged  edges  were  burned  away.  When  com- 
pleted, the  hominy  block  somewhat  resembled  a  druggist's  mortar. 
Then  a  pestle,  or  something  to  crush  the  corn,  was  necessary.  This  was 
usually  made  from  a  suitably  sized  piece  of  timber,  with  an  iron  wedge 
attached,  the  large  end  down.  This  completed  the  machinery,  and  the 
block  was  ready  for  use.  Sometimes  one  hominy-block  accommodated 
an  entire  neighborhood,  and  was  the  means  of  staying  the  hunger  of 
many  mouths. 

In  giving  the  bill  of  fare  above  we  should  have  added  meat,  for  of 
this  they  had  plenty.  Deer  would  be  seen  daily  trooping  over  the 
prairie  in  droves  of  from  twelve  to  twenty,  and  sometimes  as  many  as 
fifty  would  be  seen  grazing  together.  Elk  were  also  found,  and  wild 
turkeys  and  prairie  chickens  without  number.  Bears  were  not  unknown 
Music  of  the  natural  order  was   not  wanting,  and  every  night  the  pio- 


PIONEER     LIEE.  62 1 

neers  were  lulled  to  rest  by  the  screeching  of  panthers  and  the  howling 
of  wolves.  When  the  dogs  ventured  too  far  out  from  the  cabins  at  night, 
they  would  be  driven  back  by  the  wolves  chasing  them  up  to  the  very 
cabin  doors.  Trapping  wolves  became  quite  a  profitable  business  after 
the  state  began  to  pay  a  bounty  for  wolf  scalps. 

All  the  streams  of  water  also  abounded  in  fish,  and  a  good  supply 
of  these  could  be  procured  by  the  e.\pense  of  a  little  time  and  labor. 
Those  who  years  ago  improved  the  fishing  advantages  of  the  country 
never  tire  of  telling  of  the  dainty  meals  which  the  streams  afforded. 
Sometimes  large  parties  would  get  together,  and,  having  been  provided 
with  cooking  utensils  and  facilities  for  camping  out,  would  go  off  some 
distance  and  spend  weeks  together.  No  danger  then  of  being  ordered 
off  a  man's  premises  or  arrested  for  trespass.  One  of  the  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances that  surrounded  the  early  life  of  the  pioneers  was  a  strange 
loneliness.  The  solitude  seemed  most  to  oppress  them.  Months  would 
pass  during  which  they  would  scarcely  see  a  human  face  outside  their 
own  families. 

On  occasions  of  special  interest,  such  as  election,  holiday  celebra- 
tions, or  camp-meetings,  it  was  nothing  unusual  for  a  few  settlers  who 
lived  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  meeting  to  entertain  scores 
of  those  who  had  come  from  a  distance. 

Rough  and  rude  though  the  surroundings  may  have  been,  the  pio- 
neers were  none  the  less  honest,  sincere,  hospitable  and  kind  in  their 
relations.  It  is  true,  as  a  rule,  and  of  universal  application,  that  there  is 
a  greater  degree  of  real  humanity  among  the  pioneers  of  any  country 
than  there  is  when  the  country  becomes  old  and  rich.  If  there  is  an 
absence  of  refinement,  that  absence  is  more  than  compensated  in  the 
presence  of  generous  hearts  and  truthful  lives.  They  are  bold,  indus- 
trious, and  enterprising.  Generally  speaking,  they  are  earnest  thinkers, 
and  possessed  of  a  diversified  fund  of  useful,  practical  information.  Asa 
rule  they  do  not  arrive  at  a  conclusion  by  means  of  a  course  of  rational 
reasoning,  but,  nevertheless,  have  a  queer  way  of  getting  at  the  facts. 
They  hate  cowards  and  shams  of  every  kind,  and  above  all  things  false- 
hoods and  deception,  and  cultivate  an  integrity  which  seldom  permits 
them  to  prostitute  themselves  to  a  narrow  policy  of  imposture.  Such 
were  the  characteristics  of  the  men  and  women  who  pioneered  the  way 
to  the  country  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians.  Many  of  them  yet  remain, 
and  although  some  of  them  are  among  the  wealthy  and  most  substantial 
of  the  people  of  the  county,  they  have  not  forgotten  their  old  time  hos- 
pitality and  free  and  easy  ways.  In  contrasting  the  present  social 
affairs  with  pioneer  times,  one  has  well  said  : 

"Then,  if  a  house  was  to  be  raised,  every  man  'turned  out,'  and 
often  women,  too,  and  while  the  men  piled  up  the  logs  that  fashioned 
the  primitive  dwelling-place,  the   women   prepared  the   dinner.     Some- 


622  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

times  it  was  cooked  by  big  log  fires  near  the  site  where  the  cabin  was 
building  ;  in  other  cases  it  was  prepared  at  the  nearest  cabin,  and  at  the 
proper  hour  was  carried  to  where  the  men  were  at  work.  If  one  man  in- 
the  neighborhood  killed  a  beef,  a  pig  or  a  deer,  every  other  family  in  the 
neighborhood  was  sure  to  receive  a   piece. 

"  We  were  all  on  an  equality.  Aristocratic  feelings  were  unknown? 
and  would  not  have  been  tolerated.  What  one  had  we  all  had,  and  that 
was  the  happiest  period  of  my  life.  But  to-day,  if  you  lean  against  a 
neighbor's  shade  tree  he  will  charge  you  for  it.  If  you  are  poor  and  fall 
sick,  you  may  lie  and  suffer  almost  unnoticed  and  unattended,  and  prob- 
ably go  to  the  poor-house  ;  and  just  as  like  as  not  the  man  who  would 
report  you  to  the  authorities  as  a  subject  of  county  care  would  charge 
the  county  for  making  the  report." 

Of  the  old  settlers,  some  are  still  living  in  the  county,  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  fortunes  they  founded  in  early  times,  "having  reaped  an 
hundred  fold."  Others  have  passed  away,  and  many  of  them  will  not 
long  survive  Several  of  them  have  gone  to  the  Far  West,  and  are  still 
playing  the  part  of  pioneers.  But  wherever  they  may  be,  whatever  fate 
may  betide  them,  it  is  but  truth  to  say  that  they  were  excellent  men,  as 
a  class,  and  have  left  a  deep  and  enduring  impression  upon  the  county 
and  the  state.  "They  builded  better  than  they  knew."  They  were,  of 
course,  men  of  activity  and  energy,  or  they  would  never  have  decided  to 
face  the  trials  of  pioneer  life.  They  were  almost  invariably  poor,  but 
the  lessons  taught  them  in  the  early  days  were  of  such  a  character  that 
few  of  them  have  remained  so.  They  made  their  mistakes  in  business 
pursuits  like  other  men.  Scarcely  one  of  them  but  allowed  golden 
opportunities,  for  pecuniary  profit,  at  least,  to  pass  by  unheeded.  What 
are  now  some  of  the  choicest  farms  in  Atchison  County  were  not  taken 
up  by  the  pioneers,  who  preferred  land  of  very  much  less  value.  They 
have  seen  many  of  their  prophesies  fulfilled,  and  others  come  to  naught. 
Whether  they  have  attained  the  success  they  desired,  their  own  hearts 
can  tell. 

To  one  looking  over  the  situation  then,  from  the  standpoint  now,  it 
certainly  does  not  seem  very  cheering,  and  yet,  from  the  testimony  of 
some  old  pioneers,  it  was  a  most  enjoyable  time,  and  we  of  the  present 
live  in  degenerate  days. 

At  that  time  it  certainly  would  have  been  much  more  difficult  for 
those  old  settlers  to  understand  how  it  could  be  possible  that  thirty-five 
years  hence  the  citizens  at  the  present  age  of  the  county's  progress 
would  be  complaining  of  hard  times  and  destitution,  and  that  they  them- 
selves, perhaps,  would  be  among  that  number,  than  it  is  now  for  us  to 
appreciate  how  they  could  feel  so  cheerful  and  contented  with  their 
meagre  means  and  humble  lot  of  hardships  and  deprivations  during 
those  early,  pioneer  days. 


PIONEER     LIFE.  623 

The  secret  was,  doubtless,  that  they  lived  within  their  means,  how- 
ever limited,  not  coveting  more  of  luxury  and  comfort  than  their  income 
would  afford,  and  the  naturul  result  was  prosperity  and  contentment, 
with  always  room  for  one  more  stranger  at  the  fireside,  and  a  cordial 
welcome  to  a  place  at  their  table  for  even  the  most  hungry  guest. 

Humanity,  with  all  its  ills,  is,  nevertheless,  fortunately  characterized 
with  remarkable  flexibility,  which  enables  it  to  accommodate  itself  to 
circumstances.  After  all,  the  secret  of  happiness  lies  in  one's  ability  to 
accommodate  himself  to  his  surroundings. 

It  is  sometimes  remarked  that  there  were  no  places  for  public  enter- 
tainment till  later  years.  The  fact  is,  there  were  many  such  places,  in 
fact,  every  cabin  was  a  place  of  entertainment,  and  these  hotels  were 
sometimes  crowded  to  their  utmost  capacity.  On  such  occasions,  when 
bedtime  came,  the  first  family  would  take  the  back  part  of  the  cabin,  and 
so  continue  filling  up  by  families,  until  the  limit  was  reached.  The 
young  men  slept  in  the  wagons  outside.  In  the  morning,  those  nearest 
the  door  arose  first,  and  went  outside  to  dress.  Meals  were  served  on 
the  outside  of  a  wagon,  and  consisted  of  cornbread,  buttermilk  and  fat 
pork,  and  occasionally  coffee,  to  take  away  the  morning  chill.  On  Sun- 
days for  a  change,  they  had  bread  made  of  wheat  "tramped  out"  on  the 
ground  by  horses,  cleaned  with  a  sheet  and  pounded  by  hand.  This  was- 
the  best,  the  most  fastidious  they  could  obtain,  and  this  only  one  day  in 
seven.  Not  a  moment  of  time  was  lost.  It  was  necessary  that  they 
should  raise  enough  sod  corn  to  take  them  through  the  coming  winter, 
and  also  get  as  much  breaking  done  as  possible.  They  brought  with 
them  enough  corn  to  give  the  horses  an  occasional  feed,  in  order  to  keep 
them  able  for  hard  work,  but  in  the  main  they  had  to  live  on  prairie 
grass.     The  cattle  got  nothing  else  than  grass. 

AGRICULTURAL   IMPLEMENTS. 

An  interesting  comparison  might  be  drawn  between  the  conveni- 
ences which  now  make  the  life  of  a  farmer  a  comparatively  easy  one  and 
the  almost  total  lack  of  such  conveniences  in  early  days.  A  brief  des- 
cription of  the  accommodations  possessed  by  the  first  tillers  of  this  soil 
will  now  be  given. 

Let  the  children  of  such  illustrious  sires  draw  their  own  compari- 
sons, and  may  the  result  of  these  comparisons.silence  the  voice  of  com- 
plaint which  so  often  is  heard  in  the  land. 

The  only  plows  they  had  at  first  were  what  they  styled  "bull  plows. "" 
The  mould-boards  were  generally  of  wood,  but  in  some  cases  they  were 
half  wood  and  half  iron.  The  man  who  had  one  of  the  latter  description 
was  looked  upon  as  something  of  an  aristocrat.  But  these  old  "  bull 
plows  "  did  good  service,    and  they  must  be  awarded  the  honor  of  first 


624  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

stirring  the  soil  of  Atchison  County,  as  well  as  that  of  all  the  first  class 
counties  of  this  state. 

The  amount  of  money  which  some  farmers  annually  invest  in  agri- 
cultural implements  would  have  kept  the  pioneer  farmer  in  farming  uten- 
sils during  a  whole  lifetime.  The  pioneer  farmer  invested  little  money 
in  such  things,  because  he  had  little  money  to  spare,  and  then  again 
because  the  expensive  machinery  now  used  would  not  have  been  at  all 
adapted  to  the  requirements  of  pioneer  farming.  The  "bull  plow"  was 
probably  better  adapted  to  the  fields  abounding  in  stumps  and  roots 
than  would  the  modern  sulky  plow  have  been,  and  the  old-fashioned 
wheat  cradle  did  better  execution  than  would  a  modern  harvester  under 
like  circumstances.  The  prairies  were  seldom  settled  till  after  the  pio- 
neer period,  and  that  portion  of  the  country  which  was  the  hardest  to 
put  under  cultivation,  and  the  most  difficult  to  cultivate  after  it  was 
improved,  first  was  cultivated  ;  it  is  well  for  the  country  that  such  was 
the  case,  for  the  present  generation,  familiarized  as  it  is  with  farming 
machinery  of  such  complicated  pattern,  would  scarcely  undertake  the 
clearing  off  of  dense  forests  and  cultivating  the  ground  with  the  kind  of 
implements  their  fathers  used,  and  which  they  would  have  to  use  for 
some  kind  of  work. 

MILLS   AND   TRADING   POINTS. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  some  of  the  early  settlers  were  ener- 
getic millwrights,  who  employed  all  their  energy,  and  what  means  they 
possessed,  in  erecting  mills  at  a  few  of  the  many  favorite  mill-sites  which 
abound  in  the  county,  yet  going  to  mill  in  those  days,  when  there  were 
no  roads,  no  bridges,  no  ferry  boats,  and  scarcely  any  conveniences  for 
traveling,  was  no  small  task,  where  so  many  rivers  and  treacherous 
streams  were  to  be  crossed,  and  such  a  trip  was  often  attended  with  great 
danger  to  the  traveler  when  these  streams  were  swollen  beyond  their 
banks.  Rut  even  under  these  circumstances,  some  of  the  more  adven- 
turous and  ingenious  ones,  in  case  of  emergency,  found  the  ways  and 
means  by  which  to  cross  the  swollen  streams,  and  succeed  in  making 
the  trip.  At  other  times,  again,  all  attempts  failed  them,  and  they  were 
compelled  to  remain  at  home  until  the  waters  subsided,  and  depend  on 
the  generosity  of  their  fortunate  neighbors. 

Some  stories  are  related  with  regard  to  the  danger,  perils  and  hard- 
ships of  forced  travels  to  mills,  and  for  provisions,  which  remind  one  of 
forced  marches  in  military  campaigns,  and  when  we  hear  of  the  heroic 
and  daring  conduct  of  the  hardy  pioneers  in  procuring  bread  for  his 
loved  ones,  we  think  that  here  were  heroes  more  valiant  than  any  of  the 
renowned  soldiers  of  ancient  or  modern  times. 

During  the  first  two  years,  and  perhaps  not  until  some  time  after- 
ward, there  was  not  a  public  highway  established  and  worked  on  which 


PIONEER     LIFE.  625 

they  could  travel ;  and  as  the  settlers  were  generally  far  apart  and  mills 
and  trading  points  were  at  great  distances,  going  from  place  to  place 
was  not  only  very  tedious,  but  attended  sometimes  with  great  danger. 
Not  a  railroad  had  yet  entered  the  state,  and  there  was  scarcely  a 
thought  in  the  minds  of  the  people  here  of  such  a  thing  ever  reaching 
the  wild  west  ;  and,  if  thought  of,  people  had  no  conception  of  what  a 
revolution  a  railroad  and  telegraph  line  through  the  county  would  cause 
in  its  progress.  Then  there  was  less  than  5,000  miles  of  railroad  in  the 
United  State?,  and  not  a  mile  of  track  laid  this  side  of  the  Ohio,  while 
now  there  are  over  100,000  miles  of  railroad,  extending  their  trunks 
and  branches  in  every  direction  over  our  land. 

Supplies  in  those  days  were  obtained  at  Liberty,  Clay  County. 
Mail  was  carried  by  river  and  wagon  transportation,  and  telegraph  dis- 
patches were  transmitted  by  the  memory  and  lips  of  emigrants  coming 
in,  or  strangers  passing  through. 

Flour  was  obtained  at  the  One  Hundred  and  Two  Mills  northeast  of 
Savannah,  sixty  miles  distant. 

Nathan  Meeks  erected  the  first  grist  mill  in  1843,  on  the  present 
town  site  of  Rock  Port,  on  Rock  Creek.  The  mill  had  no  gearing,  the 
burrs  being  located  over  the  wheel,  and  running  with  the  same  velocity 
as  the  wheel.  It  was  a  frame  mill,  one  story  high,  and  had  a  capacity  of 
150  bushels  a  day.  People  came  from  far  and  near,  attracted  by  the 
reports  of  the  completion  of  the  mill  with  their  grist,  so  that  for  days 
before  it  was  ready  for  work,  the  creek  bottom  was  dotted  over  with 
hungry  and  patient  men,  waiting  until  it  was  ready  to  do  their  work,  so 
that  they  might  return  with  their  meal  and  flour  to  supply  their  families 
and  those  of  their  neighbors,  thus  enduring  the  hardships  of  camp  life 
in  those  early  days  in  order  that  they  might  be  able  to  secure  the  simple 
necessaries  of  life,  devoid  of  all  luxuries. 

HUNTING   AND   TRAPPING. 

The  sports  and  means  of  recreation  were  not  so  numerous  and 
varied  among  the  early  settlers  as  at  present,  but  they  were  more  enjoy- 
able and  invigorating  than  now. 

Hunters  now-a-days  would  be  only  too  glad  to  be  able  to  find  and 
enjoy  their  favorable  opportunity  for  hunting  and  fishing,  and  even 
itravel  many  miles,  counting  it  rare  pleasure  to  spend  a  few  weeks  on 
the  water  courses  and  wild  prairies  in  hunt  and  chase  and  fishing  frolics, 
where  not  half  so  good  hunting  and  fishing  sport  are  furnished  as  was 
in  this  vicinity  twenty-five  and  forty  years  ago.  There  were  a  good 
many  excellent  hunters  here  at  an  early  day,  who  enjoyed  the  sport  as 
well  as  any  can  at  the  present  time. 

Wild  animals  of  almost  every  species  known  in  the  wilds  of  the 
west  were  found   in    great  abundance.     The  prairies   and    woods    and 

40 


626  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

streams  and  various  bodies  of  water  were  all  thickly  inhabited  before 
the  white  man  came  and  for  some  time  afterward.  Although  the 
Indians  slew  many  of  them,  yet  the  natural  law  prevailed  here  as  well 
as  elsewhere — "  wild  man  and  wild  beast  thrive  together." 

Serpents  were  to  be  found  in  such  large  numbers  and  of  such 
immense  size  that  some  stories  told  by  the  early  settlers  would  be 
incredible  were  it  not  for  the  large  array  of  concurrent  testimony  which 
is  to  be  had  from  the  most  authentic  sources.  Deer,  turkeys,  ducks, 
geese,  squirrels,  and  various  other  kinds  of  choice  game  were  plentiful 
and  to  be  had  at  the  expense  of  killing  only.  The  fur  animals  were 
abundant,  such  as  the  otter,  beaver,  mink,  muskrat,  raccoon,  panther, 
fox,  wolf,  wild-cat  and  bear. 

An  old  resident  of  the  county  told  us  that  in  1841,  while  he  was 
traveling  a  distance  of  six  miles,  he  saw  as  many  as  seventy-three  deer, 
in  herds  of  from  six  to  ten. 

HUNTING   BEE   TREES. 

Another  source  of  profitable  recreation  among  the  old  settlers  was 
that  of  hunting  bees.  The  forests  along  the  water  courses  were  espe- 
cially prolific  of  bee  trees.  They  were  found  in  great  numbers  on  the 
Nishnebotna  and  the  Big  and  Little  Tarkio.  Many  of  the  early  settlers 
during  the  late  summer  would  go  into  camp  for  days  at  a  time,  for  the 
purpose  of  hunting  and  securing  the  honey  of  the  wild  bees,  which  was 
not  only  extremely  rich  and  found  in  great  abundance,  but  always  com- 
manded a  good  price  in  the  home  market. 

The  Indians  have  ever  regarded  the  honey  bee  as  the  forerunner  of 
the  white  man,  while  it  is  a  conceded  fact  that  the  quail  always  follows 
the  footprints  of  civilization. 

The  following  passage  is  found  in  the  "Report  of  the  Exploring 
Expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  year  1842,  by  Captain  John 
C.  Fremont,"  page  69  : 

"  Here  on  the  summit,  where  the  stillness  was  absolute  ;  unbroken 
by  any  sound  and  the  solitude  complete,  we  thought  ourselves  beyond 
the  regions  of  animated  life  ;  but  while  we  were  sitting  on  the  rocks,  a 
solitary  bee  came  winging  his  flight  from  the  eastern  valley,  and  lit  on 
the  knee  of  one  of  the  men.  We  pleased  ourselves  with  the  idea  that 
he  was  the  first  of  his  species  to  cross  the  mountain  barrier,  a  solitary 
pioneer  to  foretell  the  advance  of  civilization." 

Gregg,  in  his  "  Commerce  of  the  Prairies,"  page  178,  Vol.  1,  says  : 
"  The  honey  bee  appears  to  have  emigrated  exclusively  from  the  east, 
as  its  march  has  been  observed  westward.  The  bee,  among  western 
pioneers,  is  the  proverbial  precursor  of  the  Anglo  American  population. 
In  fact,  the  aborigines  of  the  frontier  have  generally  corroborated  this 


PIONEER     LIFE.  627 

It 

. 

statement,  for  they  used  to  say  that  they  knew  the  white  man  was  not 
far  behind  when  the  bees  appeared  among  them." 

There  were  other  recreations,  such  as  shooting  matches  and  quilting 
parties,  which  obtained  in  those  days,  and  which  were  enjoyed  to  the 
fullest  extent.  The  quilting  parties  were  especially  pleasant  and  agree- 
able to  those  who  attended.  The  established  rule  in  those  days  at  these 
parties,  was  to  pay  either  one  dollar  in  money  or  split  one  hundred  rails 
during  the  course  of  the  day.  The  men  would  generally  split  the  rails 
and  the  women  would  remain  in  the  house  and  do  the  quilting.  After 
the  day's  work  was  done,  the  night  would  be  passed  in  dancing. 

"All  the  swnins  that  there  abide. 
With  jigs  and  rural  dance  resort.  " 

When  daylight  came  the  music  and  the  dancing  would  cease,  and  the 
gallant  young  men  would  escort  the  ladies  to  their  respective  homes. 

WOLVES. 

One  of  the  oldest  pioneers  tells  us,  that  for  several  years,  after  he 
came  to  what  is  now  known  as  Atchison  County,  wolves  were  very 
numerous,  and  that  he  paid  his  taxes  for  many  years  in  wolf  scalps.  His 
cabin  was  in  the  edge  of  the  timber,  that  skirted  Nishnebotna  River, 
and,  at  night,  the  howls  of  these  animals  were  so  loud  and  incessant, 
that  to  sleep,  at  times,  was  almost  impossible. 

Often  at  midnight,  all 

"  At  once  there  rose  so  wild  a  yell, 
Within  thai  dark  and  narrow  dell, 
As  all  ihe  fiends  from  heaven  that  fell, 
Had  pealed  the  banner  cry  of  hell." 

At  such  times,  the  whole  air  seemed  to  be  filled  with  the  vibrations 
of  their  most  infernal  and  diabolical  music.  The  wolf  was  not  only  a 
midnight  prowler  here,  but  was  seen  in  the  daytime,  singly  or  in  packs, 
warily  skulking  upon  the  outskirts  of  a  thicket,  or  sallying  cautiously 
along  the  open  path,  with  a  sneaking  look  of  mingled  cowardice  and 
cruelty. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

ORIGINAL  TOWNSHIPS. 

Before  entering  upon  the  history  of  the  different  municipal  town- 
ships of  Atchison  County,  as  now  constituted,  we  deem  it  proper  to  give 
the  names  and  boundaries  of  the  five  original  townships,  into  which  the 
county  court  first  divided  the  county.  Then  we  shall  take  up  the  history 
of  each  township,    beginning  with  Benton. 

As  stated  in  a  former  chapter,  on  the  14th  day  of  April-,  1845,  the 
county  court  of  Atchison  County  was  organized  at  the  house  of  Conrad 
Cloepfel,  or,  as  it  is  incorrectly  spelled  in  the  records,  "  Cliffield." 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  this  body  was  the  division  of  the  county  into 
five  municipal  townships,  to  be  known  respectively  as  Clark,  Nishnebotna, 
(or,  as  it  is  written  in  that  early  record,  "  Nishnebottona  "),  Polk,  Tarkio 
and  Bluff.     These  townships  were  defined  and  bounded  as  follows  : 

CLARK    TOWNSHIP. 

All  that  portion  of  territory  lying  within  the  following  described 
limits,  to  wit  :  "Beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the 
Missouri  River,  at  a  point  where  the  south  boundary  of  the  county  inter- 
sects the  same,  thence  up  said  river  in  the  middle  of  the  channel  thereof 
to  the  middle  of  the  channel  of  the  Nishnebotna,  thence  up  the  channel 
of  the  Nishnebotna,  to  the  point  where  the  north  line  of  the  United 
States  survey  intersects  the  same  ;  thence  east  on  said  line  to  the  east 
boundary  of  the  county,  thence  following  the  east  and  south  boundary 
of  the  county,  to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  constitute  a  township  to 
be  called  Clark." 

POLK    TOWNSHIP. 

All  that  portion  of  territory  lying  within  the  following  described 
limits  :  "  Beginning  in  the  channel  of  the  Nishnebotna  River  at  a  point 
where  the  north  line  of  the  United  States  survey  intersects  the  same  ; 
thence  up  the  channel  of  said  river  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  state  ; 
thence  east  to  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  waters  of  the  Nishnebotna 
and  the  Big  Tarkio  Rivers  ;  thence  southerly  on  said  dividing  ridge  to 
the  north  line  of  the  United  States  survey  ;  thence  west  to  the  place  of 
beginning,  shall  compose  a  township  to  be  called  Polk." 


ORIGINAL   TOWNSHIPS.  629 

BLUFF   TOWNSHIP. 

"All  that  portion  of  territory  lying  between  the  Missouri  and  Nish- 
nebotna  Rivers,  above  the  narrows,  and  south  of  the  northern  boundary 
of  Missouri,  shall  compose  a  township,  to  be  called  Bluff." 

NISHNEBOTTONA    TOWNSHIP. 

"All  that  portion  of  territory  lying  between  the  Nishnebottona  and  the 
Missouri  Rivers,  and  below  the  narrows,  between  said  rivers,  shall  com- 
pose a  township,  to  be  called  Nishnebottona." 

TARKIO   TOWNSHIP. 

All  that  portion  of  territory  lying  within  the  following  described 
limits  :  Beginning  at  the  northern  boundary  of  the  state,  on  the  dividing 
ridge  between  the  Nishnebottona  and  BigTarkio  Rivers,  thence  southerly 
on  said  dividing  ridge  to  the  north  line  of  the  United  States  Survey, 
thence  east  to  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  county,  thence  northwardly, 
following  the  east  line  of  the  county  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
state,  thence  west  to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  constitute  a  township, 
to  be  called  Tarkio. 

ALLOTTING   JUSTICES. 

The  following  appointments  of  allotting  justices  were  then  made  : 
Of  Clark  Township,  James  Harbin  ;  of  Tarkio  Township,  John  James; 
of  Polk  Township,  Thomas  Farmer  ;  of  Bluff  Township,  Thomas  Love- 
lady. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BENTON  TOWNSHIP. 

TOPOGRAPHY-BRIDGES -EARLY  SETTLEMENT-FERRIES— CHURCHES-MILLS— 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

BENTON   TOWNSHIP. 

This  division  of  Nishnebotna  Township  was  erected  into  a  precinct 
of  the  same,  at  the  May  term  of  the  county  court  for  the  year  1858,  and 
designated  as  Benton  Precinct.  Its  limits  are  thus  described  in  the 
records : 

"  Commencing  at  a  point  where  the  line  dividing  townships  sixty- 
four  and  sixty-five  crosses  said  river,  thence  west  on  said  line  to  the 
Missouri  River,  thence  down  the  same  to  the  mouth  of  the  Nishnebotna 
River,  thence  up  the  same  to  the  point  above  named,  said  precinct  to  be 
called  Benton  Precinct."  At  the  August  term  of  said  court,  1858,  the 
above  described  limits  were  erected  into  Benton  Township,  and  remained, 
such  till  February  22,  1870,  when  the  organization  of  Templeton  Town- 
ship curtailed  its  limits  to  the  extent  of  about  eight  square  miles  of  the 
northern  portion  of  its  territory,  which  were  taken  off  to  contribute  in 
forming  the  southern  part  of  said  Templeton  Township.  Benton  Town- 
ship was  thus  reduced  to  its  present  limits,  February  22,  1870.  It  is,  in 
point  of  extent,  one  of  the  minor  divisions  of  the  county,  and  the  con- 
figuration of  its  outline  is  exceedingly  irregular.  With  the  exception  of 
three  miles  of  its  northern  boundary,  which  is  a  direct  east  and  west  line 
separating  it  from  Templeton  Township,  the  entire  boundary  of  this 
township  is  water.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Templeton  and  Clay 
Townships,  from  the  latter  of  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Nishnebotna 
River  ;  on  the  east  by  Clay  and  Clark  Townships,  from  which  it  is  also 
separated  by  the  same  river,  which  debouches  into  the  Missouri  River  at 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  township,  and  on  the  south  and  west  by  the 
State  of  Nebraska,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Missouri  River. 
The  surface  of  its  territory — entirely  bottom  land — is  a  dead  level.  In 
the  extreme  southern  and  western  portions  of  the  same,  are  two  heavy 
bodies  of  timber.  The  former  embracing  about  three,  and  the  latter 
about  four  square  miles,  of  a  heavy  growth.  A  swamp,  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  in  extent,  and  now  not  much  more  than  fifty  feet  wide,  extends 


BENTON   TOWNSHIP.  63 1 

in  a  southwesterly  direction  through  sections  24,  25,  30  and  31.  This  is 
said  to  have  been,  at  an  early  period  of  the  county's  history,  of  sufficient 
extent  to  be  dignified  by  the  appellation  of  lake.  In  common  with  most 
of  the  swamps  and  minor  streams  of  the  Purchase,  the  water  of  this 
slough  is  rapidly  disappearing,  and  at  some  seasons  of  the  year  its  sur- 
face is  entirely  dry. 

BRIDGES. 

Three  bridges  cross  the  Nishnebotna  River,  connecting  Benton 
Township  with  Clay  and  Clark  Townships.  These  are  to  be  found  fully 
described  in  the  chapter-of  this  work,  entitled  Bridges. 

EARLY     SETTLEMENT. 

The  territory  included  within  the  comparatively  contracted  limits 
of  what  is  now  known  as  Benton  Township,  though  not  generally  settled 
at  as  early  a  period  as  some  other  sections  of  the  county,  had  yet,  within 
its  borders  a  few  settlers  in  a  comparatively  early  day.  The  first  of  these 
were  two  men  named  respectively  Stilson  and  Jackson.  They  settled 
as  early  as  1839,  or  1840  (long  before  the  country  was  surveyed)  in  the 
extreme  western  portion  of  the  present  territory  of  Benton  Township, 
where,  entering  into  copartnership,  they  engaged  in  the  business  of  farm- 
ing, which  they  continued  to  pursue  till  the  year  1849,  when  they  left 
with  the  great  tide  of  emigration  for  the  gold  fields  of  California.  The 
farm  which  they  settled  is  now  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  the  Missouri 
River. 

A  very  short  time  after  the  arrival  of  these  pioneers,  came  William 
Roberts,  from  Illinois.  He  was  a  brother  of  the  Hank  Roberts,  elsewhere 
referred  to,  as  among  the  three  earlier  settlers  of  the  county,  and  who 
located  near  the  site  of  old  Sonora,  in  Nishnebotna  Township,  in  the 
spring  of  1839. 

In  1842,  came  Thomas  Arnold,  from  Ohio,  and  William  Sutton,  from 
Indiana,  both  afterwards  prominent  citizens  of  this  section  of  the  county. 

Among  the  subsequent  settlers  of  an  early  period  were  Henry 
Luhers,  John  Horsefield,  Ernest  Longhenck,  Fritz  Shirckock,  Henry 
Shirckock,  Fritz  Golderman,  Benjamin  Bowers,  and  others. 

Eli  Meadows,  from  Kentucky,  settled  in  the  township  in  185 1. 

In  1853,  came  from  Germany,  Henry  Hahn  (since  dead)  and  his 
sons,  Henry  Hahn,  Jr.,  T.  W.  Hahn  (the  latter  a  representative  stock 
man  of  the  township)  Levi  Bradley,  and  Albert  Taylor,  from  Tennessee. 

Otto  Dankers,  from  Germany,  settled  in  the  township  in  1854. 
John  Horsefield,  from  the  same  country,  arrived  in  the  following  year. 
John  D.  Campbell,  long  a  prominent  citizen,  settled  as  early  as  1850, 
within    the    limits    of  the    township.     In   1858  came  Wiley  May,  and,  in 


632  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

1859,  Peter  Causey.  Dr.  William  Arnold,  from  Indiana,  settled  in  Ben- 
ton Township  in  1857.  He  became'  a  prominent  citizen  of  this  section 
of  the  state  and  represented  Atchison  County  in  the  Legislature  of  1861. 
He  now  (1882)  resides  in  Brownville,  Nebraska. 

Dr.  Richard  Buckham,  elsewhere  in  this  history  referred  to  as  hav- 
ing, in  1842,  settled  in  Linden,  where  his  brother,  Dr.  Robert  Buckham, 
still  continues  to  reside,  moved  from  Clay  Township,  in  1859,  and  has 
since  continued  to  reside  in  Benton  Township.  The  Drs.  Buckham  are 
the  pioneer  physicians  of  Atchison  County.  Dr.  Richard  Buckham  is 
also  one  of  the  earliest  established  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  county, 
and  a  pioneer  in  the  organization  of  the  Christian  Church  within  the 
same.  He  was  the  official  who  performed  the  first  marriage  ceremony 
in  the  county.  The  contracting  parties  were  Thomas  Rash  and  Miss 
White,  elsewhere  referred  to.  James  H.  Lahue  and  Manson  Cheesman 
were  among  the  few  settlers  who  came  in  as  early  as  i860. 

FERRIES. 

Among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  section  of  the  county,  was  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Bush;  and  one  of  the  earliest  enterprises  of  public  con- 
venience within  the  same,  was  a  ferry  established  by  him  in  1844.  This 
was  across  the  Nishnebotna,  near  the  mouth  of  that  stream,  on  the  north 
line  of  section  9,  township  63,  range  41,  where  is  now  (1882)  a  substan- 
tial bridge.  This  ferry  was  operated  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  James 
Rhodes,  who  ran  it  until  1853,  when  Henry  Hahn,  Sr.,  purchased  the 
farm  within  which  the  landing  was  included,  and,  in  tarn,  operated  the 
ferry,  until  the  building,  in  1870,  of  the  Dan  Grove  bridge,  at  a  point 
half  a  mile  above  the  ferry  landing. 

During  the  period  when  the  above  mentioned  was  in  operation, 
John  D.  Campbell  also  had  a  ferry  across  the  Nishnebotna.  The  west 
landing  of  this  ferry  was  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  27,  town- 
ship 64,  range  41,  and  its  east  landing  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 34,  of  the  same  township  and  range.  This  was  also  discontinued 
en  the  building  of  the  bridge. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Christian  Church,  in  Benton  Township,  was  first  organized  about 
1869  or  1870,  near  Stafford's  mill,  by  Elder  H.  C.  Barron,  of  Nebraska. 
The  original  members  were  Elders  Sperry  and  W.  Bradley,  Hiram  Mullet 
and  wife,  Felix  Bradley  and  wife,  M.  Bradley  and  wife,  Wilbur  May  and 
wife,  and  others,  including  in  all  about  thirty-five  members.  The  church 
continued  to  meet  in  a  neighboring  school  house,  till  about  the  year 
1878,  when  the  elders  and  many  of  the  leading  members  having  moved 
away,  the  organization   ceased  to  exist,  and,   in   August    of  that   year, 


BENTON   TOWNSHIP.  633 

another  was  effected,  with  a  remnant  of  the  same.  These  erected  on  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  17,  township  64,  range  41,  the  present  edifice 
known  as  Nishne  Valley  Church.  The  building  was  dedicated  by  Elder 
E.  Correy.  It  is  a  frame  structure,  of  modern  style,  34x50  feet  in  extent 
and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $2,200,  besides  labor  donated.  The 
interior  is  fitted  up  in  a  style  corresponding  with  the  elegant  exterior  of 
the  building.  The  place  where  this  church  assembled  to  organize,  was 
a  brick  school  house,  on  the  Clay  Township  side  of  Nishnebotna  River, 
near  the  residence  of  J.  Wells.  Judge  Needels,  whose  residence  is. in  the 
immediate  neighborhood,  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  organization. 

The  German  Lutheran  Church  of  Saint  Peters,  in  Benton  Township, 
was  built  in  1869.  It  is  a  frame  building,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  30,  township  64,  range  42,  two  and  a  half-miles  south  of  Lang- 
don,  in  Templeton  Township.  It  is  fifty  by  thirty  feet  in  size,  and  cost 
about  $900.  Among  the  principal  organizers  of  the  congregation  were 
Henry  Luhers,  John  Horsefield,  Earnest  Longhenck,  Fritz  Shirckock, 
Henry  Golderman,  Benjamin  Powers,  and  others.  The  first  minister  of 
this  church  was  Rev.  Nolte.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Pinkhart,  who 
was,  in  turn,  followed  by  Rev.  Miller,  the  present  (1882)  minister. 

The  Second  German  Lutheran  Church  established  in  the  township 
was  made  up  of  a  portion  of  the  members  of  Saint  Peters  Church.  They 
occupy  a  building  erected  for  a  private  school  house,  in  1875,  on  section 
31,  township  64,  range  42.  The  first  minister  of  this  church  was  John  H. 
Dericks,  who,  for  five  years  before,  had  taught  school  in  this  building. 

MILLS. 

The  Excelsior  was  the  first  mill  built  in  Benton  Township.  It  was 
erected  in  1857.  It  stood  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  21,  town- 
ship 64,  range  42,  and  was  subsequently  moved  southward  to  section  33, 
of  the  same  township  and  range,  whence,  ultimately  (in  1867)  it  was 
taken  to  Nebraska.     This  was  exclusively  a  saw  mill. 

The  second  mill  set  up  within  the  limits  of  the  township  was  built 
in  1865,  by  Thomas  Stafford  and  Charles  Patton.  This  stands  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  8,  township  63,  range  41.  It  is  a  saw  mill, 
to  which  was  at  one  time  attached  a  run  of  burrs  for  grinding  corn. 
These,  however,  were  subsequently  removed.  The  mill  is  now  the 
exclusive  property  of  Thomas  Stafford. 


ism* 


~C© — S^=i3Kf=^i — eBT 


634  HISTORY  OF    ATCHISON  county. 


^BIOGRAPHICAL. <* 


DR.  RICHARD  BUCKHAM 

is  the  owner  of  470  acres  of  land,  his  residence  being  on  section  23.  A 
history' of  this  county  would  be  incomplete  and  its  pioneers  would  not 
be  fully  represented  should  there  not  appear  a  short  biographical  sketch 
of  the  life  of  Rev.  Richard  Buckham,  M.  D.  He  was  born  in  Sumner 
County,  Tennessee,  June  25,  181 1.  His  father,  Andrew  Buckham,  was 
born  in  Scotland,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Charlotte 
Taylor,  was  from  Maryland,  but  of  Welsh  parentage.  While  Richard 
was  in  his  infancy  they  moved  to  Hopkins  County,  Kentucky,  where  he 
was  brought  up  and  received  a  good  English  education.  In  the  spring 
of  1834  he  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  this  county  in  May,  1842.  In 
1838,  while  in  Hopkinsville,  Kentucky,  he  was  ordained  to  preach  in 
the  Christian  Church  by  Elder  Collins.  He  studied  medicine  with  a 
prominent  physician  of  Union  County,  Kentucky,  in  1838,  and  prac- 
ticed this  profession  for  many  years,  or  until  1872,  before  receiving  his 
diploma,  when,  on  account  of  his  long  experience  and  being  an  able 
contributor  to  the  medical  journals,  the  Physic  Medical  Institute,  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  a  regular  medical  college,  awarded  him  a  diploma, 
which  has  been  well  earned  and  worthily  bestowed.  In  1864  and  1870 
he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature,  and  it  is  said  that  his  speeches 
are  among  the  most  practical  and  creditable  on  record.  He  was  a 
Whig  as  long  as  that  body  constituted  a  party,  after  which  he  drifted 
into  the  Republican  ranks.  The  doctor  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Nancy  White,  from  Boone  County,  Missouri,  whom  he 
married  September  11,  1836.  They  had  seven  children,  only  two  of 
whom  are  now  living  :  Susan  Ann,  the  wife  of  Colonel  P.  A.  Thompson, 
and  Lottie,  who  married  Robert  Hunter,  of  Rock  Port.  Dr.  Robert 
Buckham,  an  excellent  physician,  died  in  this  county  May  29,  1879. 
Martha  was  married  in  1868  to  a  Mr.  Boley,  and  March  28,  1879,  she 
died,  leaving  one  child,  Ena,  a  bright  little  girl,  whom  Dr.  iPfcis  bring- 
ing up.  Mrs.  Buckham  died  August  II,  1852.  He  was  married  the 
second  time  to  Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Gray  Baird,  July  24,  1853,  an<^  by  this 
union  they  had  three  daughters  :  Ida  L.  Joslin,  Laura  T.  L.  and  Effie 
Everett.  Mrs.  B.  by  a  former  marriage  had  four  children  :  Frances  N., 
Martha  Bell,  George  S.  and  Emma  J.,  who  married  James  Wade,  of 
Phelps  City.  When  they  were  united  in  marriage  Dr.  and  Mrs.  B.  each 
had  a  son  and  three  daughters  about  of  an  age,  and  these  they  brought 
up   together,    each   one's   children   always   treating  and    regarding   the 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  635 

others  as  their  own  brothers  and  sisters.  As  the  doctor  was  absent 
from  home  much  of  his  time  engaged  in  practicing  his  profession,  a 
good  deal  of  responsibility  rested  upon  his  wife,  who  became  an  excel- 
lent manager,  and  instrumental  to  a  certain  degree  in  improving  and 
making  so  valuable  a  place.  In  1859  he  bought  his  farm,  which  was 
then  uncultivated  prairie  land,  but  now  one  of  the  most  valuable  farms 
in  the  county.  Like  many  other  persons,  Dr.  B.  suffered  much  loss  by 
the  inundation  of  his  land  in  the  spring  of  1881.  His  step-son  is  now 
working  the  farm,  and  together  they  are  largely  engaged  in  feeding  and 
dealing  in  stock.  The  doctor  has  for  many  years  been  interested  in 
raising  and  dealing  in  fine  blooded  stock,  and  much  credit  is  due  him 
for  the  interest  he  has  manifested  in  that  direction.  During  the  Mexi- 
can war  he  enlisted  in  Captain  Craig's  company  of  volunteers.  They 
were  kept  at  work  making  forts  on  the  frontier  and  fighting  Indians 
until  the  close  of  the  conflict,  having  been  out  two  years  and  for  which 
he  received  an  honorable  discharge  and  a  land  warrant.  Few  men  have 
experienced  a  much  harder  time  in  the  early  settlement  of  a  country 
than  did  Dr.  Buckham.  He  was  the  first  physician  in  the  county  and  as 
such  rode  many  long  and  tedious  miles  with  a  reward  of  very  poor  pay. 
As  a  minister  his  salary  was  indeed  small.  He  married  the  first  four  or 
five  couples  in  this  county,  and  it  is  indeed  a  rich  treat  to  hear  him 
relate  his  early  experience  here.  He  is  a  great  reader  and  an  honored 
member  of  society. 

HARMON  COOPER, 

farmer,  stock  raiser  and  feeder,  section  21,  was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Hanover,  in  Aurich,  February  16,  183 1.  He  was  fortunate  enough  to 
receive  an  excellent  education  and  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  On 
November  10,  1854,  he  landed  in  New  Orleans,  and  came  up  the  Missis- 
sippi to  Alton,  Illinois,  but  soon  settled  in  Springfield.  He  once  started 
for  California,  but  returned  and  commenced  to  work  for  $10  per  month 
on  a  farm,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then  entered  a  farm, 
which  he  continued  to  cultivate  until  the  spring  of  1870,  when  he  came 
to  this  county  and  bought  200  acres  of  his  present  farm.  Mr.  C.  at  once 
went  to  work  with  a  will  and  succeeded  beyond  his  most  sanguine  hopes. 
He  soon  had  a  fine  range  for  his  stock  and  well  improved  fields  for  grain. 
In  1876  he  erected  one  of  the  best  residences  in  the  county,  which  he 
furnished  in  beautiful  style.  His  barn  and  other  buildings  are  good, 
together  with  several  dwellings  for  renters.  In  his  prosperity  he  has 
added  several  good  farms  to  his  original  purchase,  so  that  he  now  owns 
940  acres  of  land.  He  keeps  150  head  of  young  stock  in  his  pasture  lots, 
and  he  generally  feeds  200  head  of  cattle  a  season.  He  devotes  some 
300  acres  to  corn,  besides  other  grain.  Mr.  Cooper  was  married  in  Illi- 
nois, January  21,  1858,  to  Miss  Martha   Harms.      She  is  a  daughter  of 


636  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

John  Harms,  ol  Germany.  They  have  four  children  living  :  John  H.,. 
Heibe  H.,  Thomas  H.  and  Edward  F.  Four  died  in  infancy.  Matilda 
died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  in  June,  1879.  Mr.  C.  came  to  this 
country  a  poor  boy,  and  he  now  owes  his  prosperity  and  large  accumu- 
lations to  his  industry  and  perseverance.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  polit- 
ical faith,  and  was  religiously  brought  up  a  Lutheran.  He  has  always 
been  one  of  the  substantial  political  workingmen  of  the  party,  and  has. 
attended  most  of  the  state  and  county  conventions,  and  has  many  times- 
been  urged  to  accept  the  position  of  county  judge.  He  has  certainly 
done  his  share  towards  furthering  all  things  which  would  tend  to  pro- 
mote the  growth  of  the  county. 

G.  COOPER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  owner  of  770  acres  of  land,  and  resides  in 
section  20.  He  was  born  in  Aurich,  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  January  13, 
1837,  and  in  1857  came  to  this  country,  settling  in  Illinois.  He  received 
a  good  education  in  Germany,  which  has  been  of  great  value  to  him  in 
this  country.  In  1864  he  removed  to  Nemaha  County,  Nebraska,  bought 
240  acres  of  land,  and  worked  hard  for  four  years,  after  which  he  returned 
and  settled  in  this  county  and  township.  He  improved  a  farm,  where  he 
lived  until  1878,  when  he  bought  the  place  where  he  now  resides.  This, 
as  it  now  is,  constitutes  one  of  the  finest  and  most  beautiful  natural 
places  to  be  found.  He  keeps  a  large  number  of  cattle  and  feeds  some 
150  head  every  year.  His  farming  is  conducted  on  a  large  scale,  and  is 
well  attended  to.  Mr.  Cooper  married  Miss  Rixte  E.  Harms,  daughter 
of  John  O.  Harms,  March  14,  1861.  They  have  eight  children  living — 
Thomas  G.,  Tillie  G.,  Harmon  G.,  Eiliet  G.,  Witje  G.,  Heibe  G.,  John  G., 
and  an  infant.  Lost  four  in  infancy.  Mr.  C,  like  his  on  brother  Harmon, 
came  here  a  poor  boy,  and  his  success  in  everything  which  he  has  under- 
taken, is  remarkable.  His  home  farm  and  surroundings  are  among  the 
best,  and  his  desire  is  to  enjoy  them.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
religiously,  a  Lutheran.  John  O.  Harms,  his  father-in-law,  is  a  retired 
farmer,  and  has  a  farm  of  ninety  acres  on  section  28.  He  was  born  in 
Germany,  February  2,  18 16.  He  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1857,  set- 
tling in  Illinois,  and  in  1876  came  to  this  county,  and  bough^  farm  near 
his  children,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  enjoying  their  days  with  their 
family  about  them.  He  married  Tilda  Hobbs  in  Germany,  in  1838. 
They  have  seven  children  living — Harmon,  Martha,  Terrixte,  Witje, 
Franklin,  John  and  Eiliet.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  religiously 
a  Lutheran.  He  has  helped  all  his  children  to  start  in  life,  and  has  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  all  of  them  doing  well.  He  is  a  noble  speciman 
of  the  true  German  character — honest  and  reliable  in  all  his  dealings. 


BENTON  TOWNSHIP.  637 

JOSEPH  DRAKE, 

farmer  and  carpenter,  section  20,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  in 
September,  1837.  He  worked  from  the  time  he  was  nine  years  old  for 
several  years  in  a  very  large  woolen  factory,  where  his  father  had  also 
worked  from  his  boyhood  to  old  age,  and  then  the  corporation  pensioned 
him  for  life.  His  grandfather  also  worked  through  life  in  the  same  fac- 
tory. At  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  Joseph  went  to  work  and  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  which  he  continued  for  three  years.  He  then  came  to 
this  country,  and  settled  in  Hocking  County,  Ohio,  where  he  resumed 
working  at  his  trade  until  December  25,  1866,  when  he  came  to  Andrew 
County,  Missouri.  He  labored  in  Savannah  for  awhile,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1867,  he  came  to  this  county  and  bought  a  part  of  his  farm,  which  he 
improved.  He  has  been  greatly  prospered  in  all  his  enterprises,  and 
now,  with  his  fine  improvements,  and  large  additions  to  his  original  pur- 
chase, he  has  a  beautiful  and  valuable  farm  on  the  banks  of  the  Nishne- 
botna  River,  containing  425  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Drake  married  Miss 
Sarah  Elizabeth  Trout,  in  Ohio,  in  1866.  She  died  in  1874,  leaving  three 
children  :  Rennie  Florence,  born  September  28,  1868  ;  Francis  Paul,  born 
November  n,  1870,  and  Mary  Abertha,  born  March  12,  1872.  Mr.  D. 
married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Jennie  Fergurson,  of  North  Carolina, 
December  26,  1876.  They  have  three  children  :  Daisy  Bell,  born  Sep- 
tember 24,  1877;  Bert  Elliot,  born  October  11,  1879,  and  Ferd  J.,  born 
September  15,  188 1.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Greenbacker.  Few  men  have 
done  better  in  life  than  Mr.  D.  Starting  in  life  one  hundred  dollars  in 
debt  for  his  passage,  he  has  worked  hard,  been  fortunate  in  his  calcula- 
tions, and  has  become  a  leading  farmer  and  an  influential  man  in  this 
county. 

duncan  McDonnell, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  has  280  acres  of  land,  and  resides  on  section  20. 
He  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  near  Halifax,  June  15,  1842,  and  was  the 
son  of  Duncan  and  Eliza  (Horn)  McDonald.  His  early  years  were  spent 
in  school  and  working  on  a  farm.  In  1864  young  Duncan  went  to  the 
Renfrew  Gold  Mines,  in  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  worked  until  the  spring 
of  1866,  when  he  came  to  this  state,  locating  in  this  county,  in  April.  He 
soon  bought  some  land  and  commenced  work,  and  was  encouraged  with 
good  crops.  After  he  had  made  improvements  he  added,  from  time  to 
time,  to  his  farm  and  now  has  one  of  the  best  places  on  these  rich  bot- 
toms. He  built  a  beautiful  residence  and  a  good  barn,  and  everything 
about  him  denotes  a  successful  agriculturist.  Mr.  McDonnell  was  married, 
in  Brownville,  Nebraska,  to  Mrs  Christie  McKay  McMichel,  of  Nova 
Scotia,  December  10,  1867.  She  died  March  10,  1879,  and  left  six  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom,  Austin,  Belle,  Ann   B.  and   Lulu,  were   by  a  former' 


638  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

husband,  Robert  McMichel,  whom  she  married  in  Nova  Scotia,  in  1853. 
He  died  in  August,  1866.  The  remaining  two  children  were  Frances  and 
Earl.  Austin  McMichel  remained  with  his  step-father  and  received  a 
good  education,  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Rock  Port 
and  studied  medicine,  with  Dr.  Tracey  a  portion  of  the  time,  for  two 
years.  The  remainder  of  the  time  he  was  in  a  drug  store.  He  took  a 
thorough  course  of  study  at  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College  and  graduated 
with  honor  in  March,  1879.  In  l%77  ne  bought  the  drug  establishment 
of  William  Buckham,  and  is  doing  an  excellent  business  in  connection 
with  his  practice.  Very  few  young  men  have  a  better  reputation  as  a 
druggist,  practitioner  and  a  careful  business  man.  Mr.  McDonnell  is  a 
prominent  farmer,  and  a  man  whom  it  does  one  good  to  meet,  being 
intelligent,  affable  in  his  manners  and  cultured. 

WATSON  R.  RICHARDSON, 

farmer  and  plasterer,  section  23,  was  born  in  Cumberland  County,  Ken- 
tucky, February  5,  1826,  and  in  1827,  he  moved  to  Morgan  County, 
Illinois,  with  his  parents,  his  father,  Jesse  C.  Richardson,  being  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  that  county.  In  1840,  the  family  moved  to  Cass  County, 
Illinois,  when  they  bought  a  farm.  In  1846,  Mr.  R.  enlisted  in  Company 
E,  First  Illinois  regiment,  for  the  Mexican  war,  and  passed  through  all 
the  hard  fighting  of  the  campaign,  and  at  last  received  a  severe  wound 
in  the  hip,  which  has  disabled  him  for  life,  the  ball  still  remaining  in  him. 
After  receiving  an  honorable  discharge,  he  returned  home.  In  185 1,  he 
moved  to  Missouri,  and  in  the  spring  following  he  came  to  this  county, 
and  after  farming  through  the  season,  he  entered  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives,  from  the  government.  He  has  improved  a  fine  place,  has  a  good 
home  and  is  enjoying  his  decline  of  life,  surrounded  by  his  family  and 
friends.  His  landed  estate  contains  120  acres.  In  1859  his  father  came 
to  live  on  one  of  his  son's  farms,  but  died  April  5,  1866.  In  his  boyhood 
Watson  learned  the  plastering  trade,  and  it  has  been  his  business  through 
life,  where  work  in  that  line  was  to  be  had.  He  married  Miss  Amanda 
J.  Beard,  of  Cass  County,  Illinois,  November  30,  1849.  She  died  in  1852, 
leaving  two  children,  Amanda  J.  and  Alceres  C.  His  second  wife  was 
Emily  A.  Edwards,  whom  he  married  August  4,  1855.  She  died  in  i860, 
leaving  three  children  :  Alvetieus  F.,  Alvarez  F.,  and  Emily  A.  In 
1856,  he  married  Miss  Eliza  J.  Cameron,  of  this  county.  They  have 
four  chileren  :  Violet  L.,  Eliza  J.,  Dillon  E.,  and  Jesse  C.  Mr.  R.  ha 
seen  much  of  this  country  in  pioneer  times,  and  has  been  active  in  its 
enterprises.  He  was  a  member  of  Company  B,  Fourth  Artillery,  during 
the  war,  being  sergeant  and  gunner.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the  Mor 
mon  war,  and  was  present  when  the  mob  killed  Joseph  Smith,  and  was 
captain  of  a  company  of  home  guards  in  the  rebellion.     He  has  been  a 


BENTON   TOWNSHIP.  639 

justice  for  many  years.  He  was  very  prominent  in  politics  in  Illinois, 
and  held  several  offices.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  favors  the  Christian 
Church.  His  grandfather,  George  Richardson,  who  was  from  England, 
settled  in  Virginia,  and  was  in  the  revolutionary  war  for  seven  years, 
with  Washington.  He  was  a  cousin  of  General  Morgan,  of  revolutionary 
fame.  The  grandmother  of  Watson  Richardson,  was  Martha  Snow. 
His  mother  was  Rebecca  P.  Ellis,  and  his  father  was  with  General  Jack- 
son at  New  Orleans,  and  all  through  the  war  of  18 12.  Mr.  R.  is  known 
everywhere  as  a  kind  neighbor  and  a  friend  to  the  needy. 

CLAUDIUS  TARDIVEL, 

farmer  and  carpenter,  is  the  owner  of  150  acres  of  land  on  section  25. 
He  was  born  in  Clermont,  Furand  Payde  Dome,  France,  January  ior 
1829.  His  parents  were  Claudius  and  Catherine  (Malhais)  Tardivel.  He 
received  an  excellent  education,  was  among  the  better  class  of  scholars 
in  France,  and  was  engaged  in  teaching  for  three  years.  In  1848  he 
came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Covington,  Kentucky,  where  he 
learned  the  carpenters'  trade.  In  1854  he  moved  to  Mount  Vernon, 
Ohio,  where  he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade,  remaining  there  until 
1858,  when  he  came  to  this  county,  with  but  $10  in  money.  He  soon 
rented  a  farm  of  Dr.  Buckham,  worked  on  his  land  and  at  his  trade,  build- 
ing some  of  the  best  buildings  of  that  day.  After  obtaining  a  good 
start  he  bought  a  farmer  of  the  doctor,  and  has  made  valuable  improve- 
ments. In  1 861  he  built  a  beautiful  residence,  and  now  has  a  fine 
orchard  and  a  large  vineyard  of  all  varieties  of  grapes,  etc.  Mr.  T.  has 
become  a  thorough  English  scholar,  and  enjoys  reading  the  current  lit- 
erature of  the  day.  He  is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the  town- 
ship and  a  leading  man  in  the  county.  He  married  Miss  Isabella  Brant, 
of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1850.  She  died  in  1854,  leaving  three  children — 
two  now  living — Julius  Paul  and  Annie.  In  1856  he  married  Miss  Car- 
oline Postlewait,  of  Newark,  Ohio.  They  have  five  children  living  : 
Charles  L.,  Agnes  Genevieve,  Francis  M.,  Joseph  Claudius  and  Ger- 
trude. He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  religiously  inclined  towards  the 
Catholics. 

JAMES  C.  WASHBURN, 

farmer,  section  27,  was  born  in  Clarke  County,  Indiana,  September  25, 
1822.  His  father,  Isaac  Markham,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Watson,  was  from  Clarke  County, 
Indiana.  James  learned  the  cooper's  trade  in  youth,  at  which  he  worked 
until  he  obtained  some  land  of  his  own.  In  1866  he  came  to  this  state 
and  county.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Summers,  January  4,  1852. 
She   was    the   daughter  of  Elijah  Summers,   of  Kentucky.     They  have 


64O  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

eight  children — Benjamin  F.,  James  A.,  Martin  Albert,  Martha  A., 
George,  Sarah  Emma,  Julia  Ann  and  Dolly  Ethel.  Mr.  W.  is  a  hard 
working  man,  and  has  a  good  and  well  improved  farm  of  240  acres.  He 
also  improved  a  farm  in  Indiana.  He  attended  the  Clarke  County  High 
School  during  his  youth,  and  received  a  good  education  and  taught 
school  for  several  years.  When  not  engaged  in  teaching,  he  worked  at 
his  trade.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  belongs  to  the  Christian 
Church.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the  township,  and  knows 
well  how  to  exercise  good  judgment.  His  advice  is  often  sought  for  by 
his  friends,  who  are  well  acquainted  with  his  ability  and  candor.  He  has 
reared  a  large  family  of  children,  and  has  done  much  to  give  them  a  good 
common  education.  Benjamin  F.,  his  oldest  son,  lives  at  home,  and  is  a 
young  man  of  ability  and  high  standing  in  the  county.  He  is  a  leader 
in  the  Republican  party,  always  attends  the  conventions  and  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  the  political  questions  of  the  day. 


RESIDENCE   OF  JOHN   D.  DOFF,   ROCK   PORT,   MO. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CLAY   TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES— PHYSICAL  ASPECT— BRIDGES  -MILLSAPS,  THE  PIONEER-EARLY  SETTLERS 
—MILLS— FIRST  STORE— FIRST  BLACKSMITH-GERMAN  COLONY-PIONEER  SCHOOL 
-ROCK  PORT— PIONEER  BLACKSMITH  OF  ROCK  PORT— PIONEER  HOTEL-FIRST 
LIVERY  STABLE— CITY  BREWERY— THE  BANK  OF  ATCHISON  COUNTY-MUNICIPAL 
—EXTENSION  OF  CORPORATE  LIMITS— SECOND  INCORPORATION- INCORPORATION 
AS  A  CITY  OF  THE  FOURTH  CLASS— COUNTY  OFFICIALS— EARLY  CHURCHES-METH- 
ODIST EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  SOUTH— PRESENT  RELIGIOUS  ORGANIZATIONS— CHRIS- 
TIAN CHURCH-MISSIONARY  BAPTIST  CHURCH-GERMAN  LUTHERAN  CHURCH 
—METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH-OLD  SCHOOL  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS  OF  ROCK  PORT— ROCK  PORT  COLLEGE— NORTH  STAR  LODGE,  A.  F.  AND 
A.  M.-ZERUBBABEL,  R.  A.  C— ADONIRAM  COUNCIL,  R.  AND  S.  M.-I.  O.  O.  F.— A. 
O.  U.  W.— BUSINESS  OF  1882— UNION  CITY-CUMBERLAND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
PLEASANT  GROVE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH-BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Clay  Township  was  organized  February  20,  1856,  from  portions  of 
what  was  originally  included  within  the  limits  of  Polk  and  Clark  Town- 
ships, and  is  thus  described  in  the  records  :  "  Commencing  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  section  13,  thence  running  west  on  a  line  dividing  sec- 
tions 12  and  13,  township  65,  range  41,  to  the  middle  of  the  main  chan- 
nel of  the  Nishnebotna  ;  thence  down  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of 
■said  river  to  where  the  line  dividing  sections  23  and  26,  in  township  64, 
range  41,  strikes  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  said  river  ;  thence 
east  on  said  line  to  the  east  line  of  the  township  last  mentioned  ;  thence 
north  on  said  line  to  the  place  of  beginning,  and  that  the  place  of  hold- 
ing election  shall  be  Rock  Port." 

BOUNDARIES. 

It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Polk  Township  a  distance  of  six  and 
three-fourth  miles  ;  on  the  east  by  four  miles  of  Tarkio  Township  and 
four  miles  of  Clark  Township  ;  on  the  south  by  Clark  and  Benton  Town- 
ships, from  which  latter  it  is  separated  by  the  Nishnebotna  River  ;  on 
the  west  by  Templeton  and  Nishnebotna  Townships,  from  both  of  which 
it  is  separated  by  the  Nishnebotna  River. 

PHYSICAL   ASPECT. 

The  physical  aspect  of  Clay  Township  affords  considerable  diversity 
■of  surface.  A  comparatively  small  portion,  however,  of  its  area  lies  in  the 
marrow  bottom  between  the  Nishnebotna  River  in  the  bluff  range,  which 

41 


642  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

extends  through  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county  in' a  generally  south- 
westerly course,  from  the  Iowa  line  into  Holt  County,  and  onward,  form- 
ing an  almost  unbroken  system  of  similar  formation  along  the  entire 
length  of  the  Missouri  River.  In  some  localities  of  this  township  the 
bluff  extends  to  the  margin  of  the  Nishnebotna  River,  and  at  its  greatest 
width  the  Clay  Township  side  of  the  bottom  is  less  than  three  miles 
broad.  This  bottom  is  in  fact  but  an  eastward  extension  of  the  great 
Missouri  River  bottom,  through  the  eastern  limits  of  which,  it  may  be 
said,  the  Nishnebotna  River  flows.  It  constitutes  a  portion  of  the  great 
corn  producing  region,  for  which  this  section  of  the  Platte  Purchase  is 
so  justly  celebrated.  For  a  prairie  region,  Clay  Township  is  abundantly 
supplied  with  timber  of  vigorous  growth,  including  most  of  the  varieties 
proper  to  this  latitude.  The  greater  part  of  this  timber  is  included  in  a 
strip  extending  to  the  eastward  of  the  bluff  range,  in  an  average  width 
of  two  miles  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  the  township.  Detached 
groves  also  exist  in  other  parts  of  the  same,  especially  on  the  banks  of 
Rock  Creek. 

The  water  system  of  Clay  Township  is  varied  and  extensive. 
Besides  the  Nishnebotna  River,  which  forms  its  entire  western  and  the 
greater  portion  of  its  southern  boundary,  numerous  streams  of  greater 
or  less  volume  vein  its  surface.  Of  these  the  principal  is  Rock  Creek, 
which,  flowing  in  a  southwesterly  direction  from  Polk  Township,  enters 
Clay  Township  near  the  center  of  the  north  boundary  line  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  14,  township  65,  range  41  ;  thence  through  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  15  ;  thence  through  the  east  half  of  section 
22  ;  thence  through  the  center  of  section  27,  along  the  limits  of  the  City 
of  Rock  Port  ;  thence  southward  through  section  34,  and  southwestward 
through  sections  3,  10,  9  and  16,  of  township  64,  range  41,  entering  the 
Nishnebotna  River  in  the  south  boundary  line  of  the  last  named  section. 
Mill  Creek,  flowing  southwestwardly  from  Clark,  cuts  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Clay,  in  section  24,  and  again  enters  Clark  Township.  Besides 
the  above,  some  seven  or  eight  streams,  of  minor  importance,  tributaries 
of  Rock  Creek  and  of  the  Nishnebotna,  vein  the  surface. 

Though  highly  productive  much  of  the  surface  of  Clay  Township  is 
considerably  broken,  and,  outside  of  the  dead  level  of  the  bottom  region, 
even  the  better  portion  of  the  prairie  district  is  very  rolling. 

BRIDGES, 

Clay  Township  has  across  the  streams,  within  the  limits  of  and 
adjoining  her  borders,  fifteen  and  one  half  bridges,  an  exact  description 
of  the  location,  character  and  extent  of  which  will  be  found  under  the 
general  article  entitled  County  Bridges, 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  643 

CALLAWAY    MILLSAPS,    THE    PIONEER. 

The  first  white  man  who  made  a  permanent  settlement  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  township  of  Clay  was  Callaway  Millsaps,  now  (1882) 
a  resident  of  Rock  Port,  and  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Harring- 
ton &  Millsaps.  Mr.  Millsaps  moved  from  the  neighborhood  of  Sonora, 
on  the  Missouri  River,  where  he  had  located  on  his  first  arrival  within 
the  limits  of  what  is  now  Atchison  County,  November  11,  1839.  He 
continued  to  reside  here  till  the  1  ith  day  of  August,  1840,  when,  in  quest 
of  a  more  desirable  location,  he  landed  on  the  farm  which  he  proceeded 
to  settled  and  which  he  has  since  continued  to  own.  This  embraces  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  32,  township  65,  range  41,  about  half  a  mile 
east  of  the  Nishnebotna  River.  When  Callaway  Millsaps  first  arrived 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Sonora,  there  were  but  three  white  men  living 
within  the  limits  of  what  afterwards  became  Atchison  County.  Special 
reference  to  these  will  be  found  under  the  head  of  Nishnebotna  Town- 
ship. 

For  a  long  period  Millsaps  and  his  immediate  family  were  the  sole 
residents  of  the  neighborhood  to  which  they  had  moved.  His  son, 
William  Millsaps,  born  near  the  site  of  what  was  afterwards  Sonora,  on 
the  14th  of  December,  1839,  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
white  child  born  on  the  soil  of  Atchison  County.  The  first  death  of  a 
white  person  in  this  county,  was  also  that  of  a  member  of  this  pioneer 
family.  Elizabeth  Millsaps,  a  daughter,  was  accidentally  burned  to 
death,  December,  1842,  in  the  tenth  year  of  her  age. 

The  first  ferry  within  the  limits  of  the  county  was  established  and 
operated  by  Callaway  Millsaps.  This  was  at  a  crossing  of  the  Nishne- 
botna River,  near  his  residence.  The  plank  of  which  this  boat  was 
built,  he  hewed  out  with  a  broad  ax.  Saw  mills,  in  those  days,  were 
elements  of  progress  as  yet  unknown  in  this  region.  This  pioneer  ferry 
boat  he  had  completed  and  in  operation  as  early  as  1841. 

Millsaps'  residence,  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  county,  was  a 
noted  point  in  the  same.  Here,  in  the  summer  of  1845,  the  Rev.  Richard 
Baxter,  itinerant  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  preached 
to  a  small  congregation,  the  first  sermon  delivered  within  the  limits  of 
the  county. 

EAR  I  A-    SETTLERS. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Clay  Township,  many  of  whom  came 
into  the  same  within  a  year  or  two  after  the  arrival  of  Callaway  Millsaps, 
were  William  Hunter  and  James  Hunter,  formerly  from  Nova  Scotia, 
and  both  afterwards  judges  of  the  County  Court  of  Atchison  County, 
Enoch  D.  Scammon,  the  founder  of  Union  City,  Elijah  Needels,  from 
Indiana,  Joshua  Smith,  John   Fowler,  Edward  Fowler,  William  Fowler, 


644  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Wilk  Fowler  and  Samuel  Fowler,  all  from  Fastern  Missouri,  Samuel 
Luthrop,  from  Ohio,  Valentine  Livingston,  Willis  Holloway,  from  Saline 
County,  Missouri,  Jere  Purdum,  from  Ohio,  afterwards  judge  of  the 
county  court,  Touney  Brown,  from  Clay  County,  Sarshal  Fugitt,  also 
from  same  county.  He  built,  in  1844,  the  third  mill  erected  in  the  county. 
During  the  civil  war  Fugitt  had  a  desperate  experience  in  the  way  of  a 
narrow  escape  from  an  attack  on  the  part  of  a  gang  of  ruffians  headed 
by  a  notorious  desperado  and  jayhawker,  by  the  name  of  Warren  Price, 
who  had  come  to  his  house  for  the  purpose  of  robbing,  and  if  necessary 
to  accomplish  that  object,  of  murdering  him.  Fugitt  defended  himself* 
gallantly,  and  though  shot  five  or  six  times  and  desperately  wounded, 
succeeded  in  beating  off  his  murderous  assailants.  He  ultimately  recov- 
ered from  his  wounds,  and  is  still  (1882)  alive  and  a  resident  of  the 
county  whose  resources  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  to  aid  in  developing. 
Warren  Price,  the  desperado  who  planned  and  headed  the  robbery  and 
murder  which  so  signally  failed  of  accomplishment,  was  afterwards  shot 
through  the  head  and  instantly  killed,  in  the  streets  of  St.  Joseph,  while 
attempting  to  escape  from  the  guard  by  whom  he  had  been  ordered  to 
halt. 

Jere  Stanford,  from  Lafayette  County,  Missouri,  Jesse  Cole,  from 
Indiana,  John  Townsend  and  some  others  were  also  among  the  pioneers  of 
Clay  Township.  These  all  built  residences  and  became  permanent  set- 
tlers of  the  county,  prior  to  the  year   1850. 

Dr.  Richard  Buckham,  also  one  of  the  earliest  physicians  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  and  his  brother,  Dr.  Robert  Buckham,  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  Clay  Township.  The  former  now  (1882)  lives  in  Ben- 
ton Township,  and  the  latter  in  the  town  of  Linden,  in  Polk  Township. 
They  have  both  been,  for  many  years,  representative  citizens  of  the 
county. 

William  Sickler,  who  still  (1882)  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
seven  years,  lives  in  full  possession  of  his  faculties,  in  the  town  of  Rock 
Port,  settled  there  about  1841,  and  made  the  first  plow  manufactured  in 
this  county. 

James  Templeton,  for  many  years  circuit  and  county  clerk,  came  in 
1843.  William  Hunter,  afterwards  county  judge,  settled  in  the  same  year. 
John  W.  Golden,  still  (1882)  a  citizen  of  Rock  Port,  came  from  Linn 
County,  Missouri,  and  settled  in  the  neighborhood  in  1847.  In  1854,  he 
purchased  the  John  Fowler,  or  pioneer  mill  of  the  county.  This,  at  the 
expiration  of  a  year  he  sold  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Horner,  who  after- 
wards moved  tO/Denver.  Enoch  D.  Scammon,  who  afterwards  founded 
Union  City,  settled  in  the  township  in  1843.  Judge  James  Hunter 
located  in  Clay  Township  in   1847. 


A 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  645 

PIONEER   DISTILLERY. 

The  first  distillery  erected  in  Atchison  County,  was  put  up  on  Rose 
Branch,  on  section  19,  township  65,  range  41,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Nishnebotna  River,  and  within  the  present  limits  of  Clay  Township. 
The  author  of  this  enterprise  was  Samuel  King.  He  put  up  and  oper- 
ated his  distillery,  as  early  as   1843. 

9 

MILLS. 

One  desideratum  which  was  always  severely  felt  by  the  pioneer 
settler,  was  the  convenience  ot  mills.  In  the  early  days  of  Atchison 
County,  settlers  were  under  the  necessity  of  going  upwards  of  seventy 
miles  to  mill.  In  the  fall  of  1839,  Callaway  Millsaps  and  George  Har- 
mon were  under  the  necessity  of  going  to  the  neighborhood  of  Saint 
Joseph,  where  they  had  their  grist  ground  at  a  small  mill  on  One  Hun- 
dred and  Two  River. 

The  first  mill  erected  in  Atchison  County,  was  a  water-power  saw 
mill,  in  what  is  now  Clay  Township,  on  Rock  Creek,  two  and  a  half  miles 
below  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Rock  Port.  It  was  commenced  in 
the  fall  of  1841  and  completed  in  1842,  by  John  Fowler. 

King's  Mill,  a  water-power  grist  mill,  furnished  with  one  run  of 
burrs,  stands  on  the  site  of  this  pioneer  structure.  It  has  not  been  in 
operation  since  1881. 

The  second  mill  built  in  the  county  was  also  in  Clay  Township. 
This  was  built  by  Nathan  Meek.  It  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present 
two-run  water-power  grist  mill  at. Rock  Port,  now  (1882)  owned  by  John 
Grieve  and  James  M.  Mcintosh. 

Callaway  Millsaps  hauled  in  1841  the  first  stick  of  timber  where- 
with to  build  this  mill,  and  William  Sickler  placed  it  in  position  in  the 
building.  This  was  begun  in  the  fall  of  the  following  year.  At  the 
session  of  1843  the  legislature  of  the  state  passed  a  special  act  author- 
izing and  empowering  Nathan  Meek  to  build  a  dam  across  Rock  Creek. 
He  first  built  a  saw  mill,  and  very  soon  after  added  a  run  of  burrs  for 
grinding  grist.  Nathan  Meek  himself  operated  this  mill  for  many  years. 
About  the  year  1864  he  moved  to  California,  where  he  was  accidentally 
killed  in  a  saw  mill. 

Just  before  leaving  in  1864  he  sold  his  mill  to  George  L.  Bischof, 
now  (188?)  a  member  of  the  hardware  firm  of  Bischof  &  Traub  in  Rock 
Port.  Bischof  afterwards  associated  with  himself  in  the  mill  property 
his  present  partner  Traub.  He,  however,  subsequently  bought  back 
this  half  interest. 

In  1865  Bischof  sold  the  mill  to  Hill  Sickler,  who  operated  it  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  sold  out  to  Penny  &  Grieve.     In 


646  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

1876  Penny  sold  his  half  interest  in  the  mill  to  James  Mcintosh,  with 
whom  he  is  still  (1882)  associated  under  the  firm  name  of  Grieve  &  Co. 

Rock  Creek  at  this  point  has  a  fall  of  nineteen  feet  and  this  has 
been  utilized  ever  since  the  building  of  the  mill  in  affording  power  for 
the  same.  For  many  years  after  its  first  erection  this  fall  turned  an 
overshot  wheel  for  the  grist  mill  and  another  for  the  saw-mill,  here 
attached  at  that  period,  but  moved  away  in  1872.  In  1869  an  Excelsior 
wheel  took  the  place  of  the  antiquated  overshot,  and  eight  years  after- 
wards, in  1877,  Grieve  &  Mcintosh  added  a  Leffei  turbine  wheel.  The 
average  grinding  capacity  of  this  mill  is  eighty  bushels  per  day.  In 
the  summer  of  1881  the  mill  was  entirely  overhauled  under  the  super- 
intendence of  C.  V.  Swearingen,  a  millwright  of  Sidney,  Iowa,  and 
machinery  supplied  at  a  cost  of  $1,700,  rendering  it  one  of  the  best 
appointed  water-power  flouring  mills  of  its  capacity  in  the  state. 

The  mill  built  in  the  county  was  also  built  in  Clay  Township. 
This  also  was  was  a  water-power  grist  mill.  It  was  built  about  1844  by 
Sarshal  Fugitt,  who  was  a  year  and  a  half  getting  it  started  after  he 
had  commenced  it.  It  also  stood  on  Rock  Creek  about  two  miles  north 
of  the  site  of  Rock  Port.  The  machinery  of  this  relic  of  the  early  days 
of  Atchison  County  has  long  since  been  moved  away  and  nothing  now 
stands  on  its  site  but  the  dilapidated  frame  of  the  building,  a  mere 
shell. 

FIRST     STORE. 

Shortly  after  the  building  of  Fugitt's  Mill,  the  first  store  in  Clay 
Township  was  started  there  by  Smith  &  Tootle.  This  pioneer  in  the 
commercial  history  of  the  township,  and  this  section  of  the  county,  as 
may  be  supposed,  was  on  a  very  small  scale.  The  proprietors  continued 
to  transact  business  here,  by  deputy,  until  the  period  of  the  laying  out  of 
the  town  of  Linden,  the  original  county  seat,  April  1,  1846,  when  the 
store  was  moved  to  that  embryo  capital  and  prospective  metropolis. 
The  first  postmaster  appointed  at  Fugitt's  Mill  was  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Booth,  who  was  transacting  the  business  of  Smith  &  Tootle's  store. 
This  office  was  the  first  instituted  in  the  county.  The  mail  was  carried 
through  on  a  small  mule  once  a  week,  from  St.  Joseph.  The  two  other 
post  offices  then  in  the  county  were  at  High  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Polk 
Township,  and  at  Austin,  in  what  was  then  the  northern  part  of  Atchi- 
son County,  but  in  a  locality  now  included  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
State  of  Iowa. 

FIRST   CIRCUIT   COURT. 

The  first  circuit  court  held  in  Atchison  County,  assembled  imme- 
diately after  its  organization,  in  September,  1845.  The  place  of  meeting 
was  in  a  log  house,  near  Sarshal  Fugitt's  Mill,  about  a  mile  and  a-half 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  647 

north  of  the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  22,  Judge  Solomon  Leonard  on  the'bench.  The  con- 
tracted limits  of  the  cabin  in  which  this  original  court  convened,  were 
insufficient  to  accommodate  aught  beyond  the  same,  together  with  wit- 
nesses and  attorneys,  neither  of  whom,  of  course,  were  very  numerous. 
One  petit  jury  was  thus  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  retiring  to  a  low 
garret  loft  overhead,  and  another  to  a  neighboring  hollow,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  determining  their  verdicts;  while  the  grand  jury  squatted  with 
all  the  apparent  dignity  of  eastern  potentates,  in  another  hollow  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  recently  extemporized  court  house,  to  the  amaze- 
ment cf  the  wolf,  deer,  or  wild  turkey,  that  chanced  to  stray  in  that 
direction,  and  observe  the  strange  attitudes  of  the  unfeathered  bipeds 
who  had  thus  unceremoniously  intruded  on  their  domain. 

Nathan  Meek,  the  builder  of  the  mill  on  the  site  of  which  now  stands 
the  Rock  Port  Mill,  was  a  universal  mechanical  genius  and  artificer,  both 
in  wood  and  in  iron,  and,  though  the  first  in  the  iownship  to  work  at  the 
trade  for  his  private  accommodation,  he  was  not  the  first  to  make  black- 
smithing  a  business  ;  nor,  indeed,  have  we  any  evidence  of  his  ever  hav- 
ing done  so. 

FIRST   BLACKSMITH. 

The  first  blacksmith's  shop  set  up  in  Clay  Township  was  built  by 
Christopher  Fowler,  in  the  neighborhood  of  John  Fowler's  mill,  where  he 
continued,  for  some  time  after,  to  work  at  his  trade. 


EARLY    ENTERPRISES. 

A  short  time  after  the  establishment  of  the  store,  above  referred  to, 
at  Fugitt's  Mill,  A.  G.  Buddington  opened  a  stock  of  goods  in  a  one  story 
frame  house  built  by  Nathan  Meek,  on  the  east  side  of  Rock  Creek,  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood  of  his  mill.  This  house,  which  still  stands 
on  its  original  site,  is  now  (1882)  the  property  of  John  Grieves,  one  of 
the  owners  of  the  mill,  and  is  occupied  as  a  residence  by  William  Beck. 
This  stock,  opened  here  by  Buddington,  must  have  been  a  small  one, 
and  the  period  during  which  he  sold  goods  there  short,  for  it  is  ques- 
tioned by  some  of  the  old  settlers  that  he  ever  sold  goods  on  that  side  of 
the  creek. 

On  the  laying  out  of  the  town  of  Linden,  in  April,  1846,  Smith  & 
Tootle  moved  their  goods  from  their  store,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Fugitt's  Mill,  to  the  pioneer  town  and  capital  of  Atchison  County.  This 
continued  to  be  the  nearest  establishment  of  the  kind  to  the  present 
neighborhood  of  Rock  Port  until  the  laying  out  of  that  town,  by  Nathan 
Meek,  in  1851. 


648  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

GERMAN   COLONY. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Clay  Township,  were  a  colony  of  German 
emigrants,  who  located  in  1846,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  22, 
township  65,  range  41,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  town  of 
Rock  Port. 

These  colonists,  ten  in  number,  were  all  originally  from  Germany, 
with  the  exception  of  Michael  Steck  and  family,  who  were  from  Alsace, 
Lorraine.  They  had  been  living  for  several  years  in  Saint  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, where  Steck  had  worked  at  his  trade,  that  of  a  stonemason. 

The  other  members  of  the  colony  were  Cornelius  Schubert,  a  civil 
engineer,  who  subsequently  became  the  first  county  surveyor  of  Atchison 
County.  (He  brought  with  him  a  wife  and  two  children.)  Charles 
Waldbaum,  a  stonemason,  with  his  family — a  wife,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters  ;  George  F.  Smith,  a  shoemaker,  with  family — wife  and  son  ; 
William  Hartman,  shoemaker,  with  wife,  son  and  daughter  ;  Martin 
Grebe,  cabinetmaker,  with  wife,  two  sons  and  a  daughter  ;  Christopher 
Kish,  a  blacksmith,  with  wife  and  two  sons  ;  Hugo  Klocker,  an  unmarried 
man  and  a  gentleman  of  rare  scholarly  attainments  ;  Martin  Roda,  a 
carpenter,  and  his  wife  ;  and  a  tailor,  whose  name  is  now  forgotten,  and 
who  shortly  after  his  arrival  in  the  county,  moved  back  to  St.  Louis. 
Michael  Steck,  above  referred  to,  is  the  father  of  Captain  George  Steck, 
now  a  prominent  citizen  of  Atchison  County. 

Before  leaving  St.  Louis  the  colonists  organized  themselves  into  an 
association,  which  they  styled  the  "  German  Socialistic  Colony,"  of  which 
they  chose  a  president  and  secretary,  and  adopted  the  necessary  rules 
for  their  government.  They  chartered  a  steamboat,  and,  provided  with 
supplies  for  one  year,  started  for  the  Land  of  Promise.  Entering  the 
Missouri  they,  in  due  time,  reached  Robidoux  Landing,  in  Buchanan 
County,  where  they  had  the  first  view  of  the  "  noble  red  man."  Here 
they  halted,  for  a  brief  period,  till  the  scouts,  sent  out  by  the  president 
to  inspect  the  country,  three  in  a  northerly  and  three  in  a  southerly 
direction,  had  returned.  On  their  report  it  was  determined  to  steer 
northward  with  their  prairie  schooners.  After  a  protracted  journey 
across  bridgeless  streams  and  other  formidable  impediments,  they,  at 
last  arrived  in  sight  of  what  was  then  Fugitt's  Mill,  just  beyond  their 
future  home.  In  this  pathless  journey  they  had  encountered  wolves, 
deer,  wild  turkeys  and  other  game  in  profuse  abundance,  and  were  sur- 
prised at  the  appearance  of  huge  antlers  of  elk,  many  of  which  measured 
six  feet  in  length.     The  animals,  themselves,  however,  had  disappeared. 

The  first  act  of  the  colonists  was  to  erect  log  houses  and  build  rail 
fences.  All  hands,  irespective  of  past  experience  and  previous  condition 
of  life,  lent  a  helping  hand,  and  shelter  was  soon  afforded  for  the  entire 
population. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  649 

The  first  crop  raised  was  a  yield  of  sod  corn.  This,  however,  was 
very  light,  and  the  colonists  proceeded  to  lease  Fugitt's  Mill,  that  they 
might  procure  meal  for  winter  use.  Disaster,  however,  followed  this 
enterprise.  A  tremendous  rainfall  swelled  the  current  of  the  stream  and 
washed  away  the  milldam,  thus  wrecking  their  hopes  of  aid  from  that 
source.  The  discouraged  colony  then  assembled  in  their  public  hall,  a 
dugout  in  the  neighborhood  of  Meek's  Mill,  and  after  due  discussion  of 
the  matter,  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  a  socialistic  colony,  though  a 
fine  thing  in  theory,  was  not  calculated  to  accomplish  very  beneficial 
results  in  Atchison  County. 

The  organization  was  thus,  by  common  consent,  dissolved,  and  the 
colonists  dispersed.  Some  located  amid  the  tall  grasses  of  the  Missouri 
River  bottom  lands ;  others  made  claims  which  they  entered  and 
improved  in  the  hilly  country  of  the  county,  fulfilling,  after  all,  their 
mission  as  pioneers  of  civilization,  assisting  in  the  building  up  of  cities, 
churches  and  schools. 

PIONEER    SCHOOL. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  before  the  disruption  of  the  colony,  and 
indeed,  shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  colonists,  one  of  their  first  acts 
was  to  establish  a  school  for  the  instruction  of  such  of  their  children  as 
were  of  sufficient  age  to  be  benefitted  thereby.  The  school  room  was  a 
dugout,  with  such  rude  appliances  of  comfort  and  convenience  as  their 
limited  means  afforded.  The  teacher  in  charge  of  this  pioneer  institu- 
tion of  learning  was  Cornelius  Schubert,  the  civil  engineer  and  surveyor. 
The  pupils  were  Frederick  Waldbaum,  Mary  Waldbaum,  Matilda  Wald- 
baum,  John  Kish,  George  Steck  and  Harmon  Kish. 

The  section  on  which  the  German  Colony  originally  located  is  now 
(1882)  owned  by-Martin  Grebe,  Michael  Steck  and  William  Hartman. 
Of  those  who  composed  the  colony,  Cornelius  Schubert,  Charles  Wald- 
baum, Christopher  Kish  and  Martin  Roda  are  dead.  The  tailor,  whose 
name  has  escaped  us,  soon  after  his  first  experience  in  the  wild  west 
returned  to  St.  Louis  in  disgust.  Hugo  Klocker  returned  to  Germany 
in  1849  and  was  never  heard  of  more.  Such  was  the  beginning  and  end 
of  the  German  colony  of  Atchison  County. 

ROCK    K)RT. 

On  the  8th  day  of  April,  185 1,  the  town  of  Rock  Port  was  laid  out 
by  Nathan  Meek,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  27,  township  65, 
range  41,  on  the  right  bank  of  Rock  Creek,  directly  opposite  the  site  of 
the  grist  mill  which  he  had  completed  in  1843,  and  which  is  now  (1882) 
owned  and  operated  by  Grieves  &  Mcintosh. 


650  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

At  that  period  there  were  but  two  towns  in  the  county — Linden, 
the  county  seat,  and  Sonora  on  the  Missouri  River — and  neither  of 
them  places  of  much  pretension  to  importance. 

The  first  house  erected  on  the  town  site  was  built  in  the  spring  of 
1851  by  A.  G.  Buddington,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Mill 
Streets  and  occupied  by  him  as  a  general  store.  This  is  now  (1882) 
occupied  and  used  for  a  similar  purpose  by  John  Reiter.  It  is  an  old- 
fashioned  one-story  building,  in  1853  Buddington  closed  out  and  the 
new  firm  of  Hawk  &  Dillon  opened  a  stock  of  goods  in  the  house. 
About  this  period  Nuckols  &  White  also  started  a  store  in  the  place. 
In  January,  1856,  P.  A.  Thompson  purchased  the  interest  of  Hawk,  in 
the  firm  of  Hawk  &  Dillon,  which  thus  became  known  by  the  name  and 
style  of  Dillon,  Thompson  &  Co.,  and  so  continued  till  i860,  when  the 
firm  became  Thompson  &  Buckham.  In  1863  P.  A.  Thompson  retired 
from  mercantile  business  in  Rock  Port.  Other  firms  in  the  meantime 
had  been  established  and  the  place  had  begun  to  assume  an  air  of  busi- 
ness importance. 

The  first  drug  store  in  Rock  Port  was  started  in  a  very  early  day  by 
Dr.  Richard   Buckham. 

Dr.  J.  Y.  Bird  moved  from  Linden  as  soon  as  Rock  Port  was  laid  out 
and  established  himself  there  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was. 
also  at  a  very  early  period  of  the  town's  history  engaged  in  the  drug 
business  in  the  place  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Dozier. 

THE  PIONEER  BLACKSMITH. 

Among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  site  of  Rock  Port,  and  indeed  of 
what  is  now  Atchison  County,  is  William  Sickler,  who  still  (1882)  resides 
near  the  northern  limits  of  the  town.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
place  and  immediate  neighborhood  upwards  of  forty  years,  and  was  the 
first  blacksmith  established  in  this  part  of  the  township,  and  the  second 
in  the  county,  Christopher  Fowler,  above  referred  to  having  opened  a 
shop  at  Fugitt's  Mill,  a  short  time  previously.  Mr.  Sickler  started  his 
shop  at  what  is  now  the  east  end  of  Mill  Street,  near  the  site  of  the 
present  bridge  across  the  creek,  about  1841.  He  made  the  first  plow 
ever  manufactured  within  the  present  limits  of  Atchison  County,  and 
ironed  the  first  wagon.  The  woodwork  of  the  latter  was  made  by  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Seymour,  at  that  period  a  resident  of  Irish  Grove. 

Mr.  Sickler  is  a  man  of  medium  stature,  but  has  been,  and  still  is, 
one  of  great  physical  activity,  and  more  than  ordinary  powers  of  eudur- 
ance.  He  is  now  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  in  full 
possession  of  his  faculties,  and  bids  fair  yet  to  enjoy  a  longer  additional 
lease  of  life  than  many  a  much  younger  man  could  reasonably  hope  to 
achieve. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  65  I 

PIONEER    HOTEL. 

The  first  attempt  at  a  hotel  in  Rock  Port  was  in  the  way  of  a  board- 
ing house,  which  was  first  opened  by  Joseph  Jaimeson,  near  the  east  end 
of  Mill  Street.  This  was  in  1857.  The  accommodation  here  afforded, 
however,  were  soon  deemed  inadequate  to  the  increasing  demands  of 
the  place,  and,  in  the  following  year,  Thomas  Akens  erected,  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Rock  Streets,  the  building  now  known  as 
the  Rock  Port  Hotel,  which  was  kept  by  different  parties,  at  different 
periods,  till  the  year  1865,  when  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Daniel  Snyder, 
the  present  proprietor,  by  whom  it  has  ever  since,  with  a  brief  interval, 
continued  to  be  kept,  and  by  whom  extensive  additions  to  the  house 
have,  from  time  to  time,  been  made.  Though  the  style  of  the  building, 
a  two  story  frame,  suggests  the  idea  of  an  unpretending  relic  of  a  pioneer 
day,  the  house  has  long  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  an  excellently  kept 
hotel. 

FIRST    LIVERY    STABLE. 

In  1858,  about  the  period  of  the  building  of  the  above  mentioned 
house,  Aquila  Beck  started  the  first  livery  stable  in  the  town.  This  was 
on  Main  Street,  just  below  the  Rock  Port  Hotel,  where  it  continued  to  be 
kept  during  a  period  of  four  or  five  years. 

After  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Linden  to  Rock  Port, 
which  event  was  achieved  as  elsewhere  fully  detailed,  on  the  2 1st  day  of 
June,  1856,  the  new  capital  steadily  advanced  in  enterprise,  population 
and  consequent  importance.  The  first  assembling  of  the  county  court, 
on  the  19th  day  of  August  following,  constitutes  an  era  in  the  history 
of  the  city  that  will  long  be  remembered,  and  from  that  day  may  properly 
be  dated  the  history  of  her  growth,  which  has  developed  a  neatly  and 
substantially  built  commercial  center  of  nearly  one  thousand  inhabitants. 

One  of  the  early  manufacturing  enterprises  of  Rock   Port  was  the 

CITY    BREWERY. 

As  early  as  1855  Charles  Klinkhart  started  a  brewery  on.  Boney 
Branch,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  town.  This  continued  in  oper- 
ation during  a  period  of  ten  years,  when  it  was  accidentally  destroyed 
by  fire,  and  was  never  afterwards  rebuilt.  In  1863,  two  years  before  this 
disaster,  Roland  Summerheizer  erected  a  second  brewery,  about  one 
half  mile  north  of  the  city  limits.  This  he  afterwards  sold  to  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Dean,  who  subsequently  sold  to  James  Crossley.  Crossley, 
after  operating  the  brewery  several  years,  sold  out  to  William  Suter, 
the  present  (1882)  proprietor.  The  building  is  part  frame  and  part 
brick.     The  capacity  of  the  brewery  is  forty-five  barrels  a  week. 


652  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

THE    BANK   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY, 

on  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Rock  Streets,  was  first  organized  in 
1870,  under  the  firm  name  of  Durfee,  McKillop  &  Co.  These  included 
A.  B.  Durfee,  A.  E.  Wyatt,  John  D.  Dopf  and  Malcolm  McKillop.  This 
firm,  besides  their  banking  interests,  also  conducted  a  law  and  real  estate 
business.  In  1872,  John  D.  Dopf  retired  from  the  firm  and  assumed 
exclusive  charge  of  the  real  estate  business,  which  he  has  since  continued 
to  conduct.     His  business  in  this  line  is  the  largest  in  the  county. 

In  1874,  Durfee  and  Wyatt  bought  out  M.  McKillop's  interest  and 
continued  the  business  of  the  bank  together  till  January,  1882,  when  the 
present  company  was  formed  and  the  bank  was  chartered  under  the 
above  name  and  style. 

The  present  (1882)  officers  are  A.  E.  Wyatt,  president;  W.  A.  Rice, 
cashier,  and  A.  A.  Wannschaff,  assistant  cashier.  The  directors,  exclu- 
sive of  the  above,  are  Robert  Hunter  and  A.  B.  Durfee. 

The  capital  stock  of  the  bank  is  $15,000. 

The  building,  a  neat  two-story  brick  structure,  was  erected  in  the 
spring  of  1870,  by  Durfee,  McKillop  &  Co. 

The  second  story  of  the  building,  which  has  an  entrance  on  Rock 
Street,  has  been  occupied  by  the  different  bodies  of  the  Masonic  order 
since  July,  1880. 

MUNICIPAL. 

The  special  act  of  the  Legislature,  by  which  the  town  of  Rock  Port 
was  first  incorporated,  was  approved  December  13,  1855,  and  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  Be  it  enacted,  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Missouri, 
as  follows  : 

Section  1.  That  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  in  the 
county  of  Atchison  and  state  of  Missouri,  are  hereby  declared  and  con-, 
stituted  a  body  corporate  and  politic,  by  the  name  and  style  of  the  City 
of  Rock  Port,  and  by  that  name  shall  have  perpetual  succession,  sue  and 
be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  and  have  a  common  seal,  which  they 
may  change  and  alter  at  pleasure. 

Sec.  2.  The  corporate  limits  of  the  said  City  of  Rock  Port  shall 
include  all  that  part  of  Rock  Port  originally  laid  out  by  Nathan  Meek, 
and  all^that  part  laid  out  by  J.  N.  White  &  Company,  and  shall  include 
all  other  parts  or  additions  which  may  hereafter  be  laid  out  in  town  lots 
by  any  person  or  persons,  whatever,  on  their  applying  to  the  city  council, 
to  be  so  annexed  and  form  a  part  of  said  limits  so  incorporate,  and  the 
inhabitants  thereafter  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  rights  and  benefits  of 
other  inhabitants  within  the  limits  of  said  city,  and  shall,  also,  be  liable  to 
assessments  and  taxation  for  city  purposes,  as  if  said  territory  had  been 
originally  included. 

Sec.  3.  The  corporate  powers  and  duties  of  said  city  shall  be  vested 
in  a  mayor  and  six  councilmen,  who  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified 
electors  of  said  city. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  653 

Sec.  4.  The  board  of  councilmen  shall  judge  of  the  qualifications  of 
electors  and  returns  of  their  own  members.  A  majority  of  the  whole 
shall  constitute  a  quorum,  but  a  smaller  number  may  adjourn  from  day 
to  day,  and  may  compel  the  attendance  of  absent  members,  in  such 
manner  and  under  such  penalties  as  the  board  may  provide.  And  they 
may  determine  the  rules  and  regulations  of  their  own  proceedings,  and 
punish  their  members  for  disorderly  conduct  ;  and,  by  a  concurrence  of 
two-thirds  of  the  whole  number,  expel  a  member,  and  they  shall  cause 
the  yeas  and  nays  to  be  entered  on  the  journal. 

Sec.  5.  The  board  of  councilmen  shall  hold  their  stated  meetings 
on  the  second  Mondays  in  May,  September  and  December,  in  each  year  ; 
provided,  however,  that  the  time  of  holding  stated  meetings  may  be 
changed  by  ordinance. 

Sec.  6.  The  mayor  and  board  of  councilmen  shall  have  power  to 
pass  by-laws  and  ordinances  ;  to  prohibit  gaming,  remove  nuisances  and 
gaming  houses  :  to  license,  regulate  or  prohibit  theatrical  or  other 
amusements  and  exhibitions  ;  to  regulate  and  establish  markets  ;  to 
prevent  firing  off  firearms  ;  to  prevent  furious  and  unnecessary  running 
or  galloping,  riding  or  driving  any  horse,  mule  or  carriage  within  said 
city,  or  such  parts  thereof  as  they  may  think  proper  ;  and  to  prevent  and 
suppress  bawdy-houses  and  other  disorderly  houses  within  the  limits  of 
said  city  ;  to  open  and  repair  and  improve,  and  to  keep  clean  and  in 
good  order,  streets,  alleys,  avenues  and  public  squares,  drains  and 
sewers  ;  to  pave  the  sidewalks,  and  keep  in  repair  the  same,  on  all  or  so 
many  of  the  streets  of  the  city  as  shall,  from  time  to  time,  be  deemed 
necessary;  to  prevent  the  introduction  of  contagious  diseases,  and  secure 
the  general  health  of  the  city;  to  provide  for  prevention  and  extinguish- 
ment of  fire  ;  to  levy  and  collect  taxes  upon  real  and  personal  property 
in  said  city  ;  but  they  shall  impose  no  tax  at  a  higher  rate  than  one- 
half  of  one  per  cent,  on  the  assessed  value  of  the  property,  and  seventy- 
five  cents  poll  tax  for  any  one  year,  on  each  free  male  over  twenty-one 
and  under  fifty-five  years  of  age  ;  to  supply  said  city  with  water  ;  to  pass 
such  ordinances  for  the  regulation  and  police  of  said  city  as  such  mayor 
and  councilmen  shall  deem  necessary,  not  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the 
United  States,  nor  of  this  state.  And  the  sidewalks  of  the  streets  shall  be 
paved  with  brick  or  stone,  at  the  expense  of  the  owners  thereof,  from 
such  owner  or  occupier,  by  action  of  debt,  before  any  court  of  compe- 
tent jurisdiction,  and  if  any  tenant  be  required  to  pave  in  front  of  the 
property  occupied  by  him  or  her,  the  expenses  thereof  shall  be  good  off- 
set against  so  much  of  the  rent  due  the  owner,  but  no  tenant  shall  be 
required  to  expend  more  than  the  rent  for  the  time  for  which  he  occupied 
the  property.  And  if  any  person  who  is  a  non-resident  fail  to  pave  in 
front  of  his  or  her  property,  in  the  manner  and  time  prescribed  by  ordi- 
nance, or  if  any  person  who  is  a  resident  fails  to  pave  as  aforesaid,  and 
the  expenses  of  paving  cannot  be  otherwise  recovered  from  him  or  her, 
the  said  mayor  and  councilmen  may  have  said  lot  or  lots,  or  any  part 
thereof,  sold  to  defray  the  expenses  of  said  improvement,  in  such  man- 
ner as  said  mayor  and  councilmen  may,  by  ordinance,  provide.  Pro- 
vided, however,  that  said  person,  whether  resident  or  non-resident, 
whose  property  has  been  sold  under  the  provisions  of  this  act,  shall  have 
the  right  to  redeem  the  same  within  two  years  from  the  date  of  such 
sale,  by  paying  the  full    amount  due  thereon  at  the  time  of  said    sale, 


654 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


with  all  taxes    and  costs,  with  interest  thereon  at    the   rate  of  ten  per 
cent,  per  annum  from  the  date  of  sale. 

Sec.  7.  The  mayor  and  city  council  shall  have  power  to  pass 
by-laws  and  ordinances  ;  to  provide  for  the  punishment  of  offenders,  by 
imprisonment  in  the  county  jail,  in  all  cases  where  such  offenders  shall 
fail  or  refuse  to  pay  the  fine  and  forfeitures  which  may  be  recovered 
against  them. 

Sec.  8.  The  mayor  and  city  council  shall  have  power  to  remit  any 
fine  or  part  of  a  fine  imposed  on  any  person  for  breach  of  any  ordinance  of 
the  city  of  Rock  Port. 

Sec.  9.  The  mayor  shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  board  of 
councilmen,  but  shall  be  entitled  to  no  vote,  except  in  cases  of  a  tie  ;  he 
shall  take  care  that  the  laws  of  the  state  and  the  ordinances  of  the  cor- 
poration are  duly  enforced,  respected  and  observed  within  the  limits  of 
said  city,  and  he  shall  have  concurrent  jurisdiction  in  the  limits  of  said 
corporation  with  justices  of  the  peace  in  said  county,  in  civil  cases,  and 
receive  like  fees  for  his  services  ;  he  shall  be  a  conservator  of  the  peace 
within  said  city  ;  shall  have  power  to  fill  all  vacancies  which  shall  occur 
in  any  office,  other  than  councilmen,  until  the  end  of  the  session  of  the 
board  of  councilmen,  which  shall  occur  next  after  said  vacancy;  shall, 
irom  time  to  time,  give  the  board  of  councilmen  information  relative  to 
the  situation  of  affairs  of  the  city,  and  shall  recommend  to  their  consid- 
eration such  measures  as  he  shall  deem  expedient  for  the  welfare  of  said 
city  ;  and  may  on  extraordinary  occasions,  convene  the  board  of  coun- 
cilmen, by  proclamation,  stating  to  them  when  assembled,  the  object 
for  which  they  were  convened  ;  and  shall  have  power,  whenever  he  thinks 
it  necessary,  to  require  any  officer  of  the  city  to  exhibit  his  accounts, 
books  and  other  papers,  and  to  make  reports,  in  writing,  to  the  mayor 
and  board  of  councilmen,  touching  any  subject  or  matter  pertaining  to 
his  office. 

Sec.  10.  Any  bill  passed  by  the  board  of  councilmen  shall,  before 
it  becomes  a  law,  be  presented  to  the  mayor  for  his  .approval.  If  he 
approves  it,  he  shall  sign  it ;  if  not,  he  shall  return  it,  with  his  objections, 
to  the  board,  who  may  reconsider  the  same  ;  and  if  a  majority  of  the 
whole  board  of  councilmen  shall  pass  said  bill  the  second  time,  it  shall 
become  a  law  ;  and  in  all  cases  the  yeas  and  nays  shall  be  entered  on 
the  journal. 

Sec.  11.  The  style  of  the  laws  of  this  corporation  shall  be,  "Be  it 
ordained  by  the  mayor  and  councilmen  of  the  city  of  Rock  Port  ;"  and 
all  ordinances  shall,  within  one  month  after  they  are  passed,  be  published 
by  six  printed  or  written  hand  bills,  posted  at  that  many  public  places 
in  said  city. 

Sec.  12.  The  mayor  and  each  of  the  councilmen,  as  well  as  any 
other  officer  of  said  corporation,  shall,  before  entering  into  the  duties  of 
their  respective  offices,  take  an  oath  or  affirmation  before  some  judge  or 
justice  of  the  peace,  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
and  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  faithfully  to  demean 
himself  in  office. 

Sec.  13.  A  general  election  for  corporation  officers  shall  be  held  on 
the  third  Saturday  in  July  in  each  and  every  year. 

Sec.  14.  All  free  white  citizens  of  the  rge  of  twenty-one  years  and 
upwards,    who    shall   have   resided    in    the    state    for  twelve  months  or 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  655 

upwards,  and  in  the  city  for  three  months,  next  preceding  any  election, 
shall  be  entitled  to  a  vote  at  such  election  for  city  officers;  and  at  all 
elections  the  vote  shall  be  given  by  ballot. 

Sec.  15.  At  such  general  election  of  the  officers  of  the  city,  there 
shall  be  elected  a  city  marshal,  who  at  the  time  of  said  election  shall 
possess  the  the  same  qualifications  as  required  of  councilmen,  who  shall, 
before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  take  the  oath  prescribed  in 
this  act,  and  enter  into  bond,  with  one  or  more  securities,  such  as  said 
mayor  may  approve  of,  conditioned  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties 
of  his  office  ;  and  said  marshal  shall  possess  the  same  powers  and  per- 
form the  same  duties  as  a  constable  in  his  township,  within  the  limits  of 
said  city,  and  shall  execute  and  return  all  processes  which  may  be  issued 
by  the  mayor,  or  any  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  city,  which  may  be 
delivered  to  him  ;  and  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as  may  be  pre- 
scribed by  ordinance  ;  and  he  shall  be  entitled  to  the  same  fees  as  con- 
stables of  townships  are  entitled  to,  for  similar  services  in  civil  cases  ; 
and  shall  be  entitled  to  the  same  fees  as  sheriffs,  for  returning  all  pro- 
cesses in  criminal  cases ;  provided,  that  in  all  cases  in  which  a  writ  shall 
be  placed  in  his  hands  for  the  arrest  of  any  person,  for  an  offense  within 
the  city,  he  shall  have  power  to  execute  the  same  anywhere  in  Atchison 
County.  He  shall  be  a  conservator  of  the  peace  ;  and  in  all  cases  of 
breaches  of  the  peace,  he  shall  have  power  to  arrest  the  offending  party 
or  parties,  without  a  warrant  from  the  mayor  ;  and  in  cases  of  resistance, 
he  shall  have  power  to  summon  a  posse  to  secure  the  arrest  of  such 
offender  or  offenders. 

Sec.  16.  The  mayor  shall  have  power,  in  all  cases  of  riot  and  unlaw- 
ful assemblies,  affrays,  assaults  and  batteries,  and  other  breaches  of  the 
public  peace  of  said  city,  to  punish  by  fine  or  imprisonment,  or  both,  if 
necessary. 

Sec.  17.  Appeals  may  be  allowed  from  the  judgment  of  the  mayor, 
in  all  civil  cases  in  which  he  has  a  concurrent  jurisdiction  with  justices 
of  the  peace,  in  the  same  manner  and  with  like  effect  as  appeals  are  now 
allowed  by  law  from  judgments  of  justices  of  the  peace  in  civil  cases. 

Sec.  18.  The  mayor  shall  have  exclusive  original  jurisdiction  in  all 
cases  arising  under  this  act  of  incorporation,  and  under  all  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  city. 

Sec.  19.  The  mayor  shall  hold  a  court  once  in  every  two  months, 
and  a  transcript  of  his  judgment  filed  in  like  manner,  shall  have  the  same 
lien  as  transcripts  of  judgments  of  justices  of  the  peace. 

Sec.  20.  The  citizens  of  the  City  of  Rock  Port  owning  real  property 
therein,  shall  be  exempt  from  working  on  any  road  beyond  .the  city 
limits,  or  from  paying  any  tax  to  procure  labor  therefor. 

Sec.  21.  Said  corporation  shall  be  governed  by  the  same  laws  and 
regulations  that  govern  townships,  in  relation  to  granting  license  to 
dram  shops,  tippling  houses  and  groceries. 

Sec.  22.  The  mayor  and  board  of  councilmen  shall  have  power  to 
appoint  a  city  register,  assessor  and  collector,  and  such  other  officers  as 
they  may,  at  any  time  deem  necessary,  who  shall  be  sworn  faithfully  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  their  offices  ;  and  shall,  if  required,  give  bond  with 
satisfactory  security  to  the  corporation,  conditioned  for  the  due  perform- 
ance of  their  respective  duties. 

Sec.  23.  All  acts  and  parts  of  acts  inconsistent  with  this  act  are 
hereby  repealed. 


656  HISTORY   Of   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

The  first  mayor  of  Rock  Port  was  Thomas  M.  Rash.  George  E. 
McCleery  was  the  first  marshal. 

EXTENSION    OF   CORPORATE   LIMITS. 

A  special  act  of  the  General  Assembly  passed  November  21,  1857, 
is  to  the  following  effect  :  "  That  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city  of 
Rock  Port  be  changed  so  as  to  include  in  said  incorporation  all  that 
part  of  Rock  Port  originally  laid  out  by  Nathan  Meek,  and  all  that  por- 
tion laid  out  by  Nuckolls  &  White,  and  all  that  portion  of  land  known 
as  Meek's  Addition,  and  also  a  piece  of  land  lying  on  the  south  side  of 
the  city  and  bounded  as  follows  :  Commencing  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  a  field  known  as  Nuckoll's  field,  then  running  south  along  Nuckoll's 
fence  to  the  south  line  of  a  five  acre  tract  of  land,  sold  by  said  Nuckolls 
to  John  W.  Ellis  ;  thence  east  along  said  south  line  to  the  center  of 
Rock  Creek  ;  thence  up  the  channel  of  said  creek  to  a  point  imme- 
diately east  of  the  north  line  of  Meek's  Addition  ;  thence  west  to  the 
northeast  corner  of  Meek's  Addition. 

2.  The  city  council  may  divide  the  city  into  two  convenient 
wards. 

3.  All  ordinances  shall,  within  one  month  after  they  are  passed,  be 
published  in  some  public  newspaper  or  by  six  written  or  printed  hand- 
bills at  six  public  places  within  said  incorporation.  This  act  to  take 
•effect  from  and  after  its  passage. 

This  charter  was  in  force  for  several  subsequent  years,  and  Thomas 
M.  Rash,  the  first  mayor  elected  under  its  provisions,  had  several  suc- 
cessors. During  the  stormy  period  of  the  rebellion,  however,  in  com- 
mon with  many  similar  institutions,  the  Rock  Port  city  government 
sunk  out  of  existence,  and  no  records  of  its  proceedings  remain  to 
speak  of  its  failure  or  success.  « 

SECOND   INCORPORATION. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  1872,  on  the  petition  of  A.  B.  McCreary, 
James  Buckham,  and  ninety  others,  the  town  of  Rock  Port  was  agaii 
incorporated,  and  this  time  under  the  general  laws  of  the  state.  This 
incorporation  included  Nuckols  &  White's  and  Weeks'  additions  to  the 
town.  Under  this  incorporation  A.  F.  Tiffany,  J.  D.  Dopf,  James  Buck- 
ham,  Christopher  Schneider  and  Leopold  Sanders  were  declared  trustees. 

The  first  chairman  of  the  board  elected  was  Daniel  Snyder.  This 
was  in  April,  1872.  At  the  April  election  of  1873,  John  W.  Enoch  was 
-chosen  chairman.     The  record  from  1874  to  1878,  is  lost. 

In  April,  1878,  J.  P.  Lewis,  Esq.,  was  elected  chairman  of  the  board. 

May  24,  1878,  Rock  Port  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  fourth 
•class,  and  J.  P.  Lewis,  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees,  acted  as  mayor 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  657 

till  the  succeeding  election  of  April,  1879,  when  Malcolm  McKillop  was 
chosen  mayor  for  two  years.  At  the  regular  election  held  April,  1879, 
J.  A.  Newell,  Esq.,  was  chosen  mayor  for  the  ensuing  two  years. 

The  present  (1882)  council  are  James  B.  Gray,  John  Grieves,  W.  J. 
Harrington  and  O.  H.  Holland  ;  William  Waddle,  Marshal,  and  L.  D. 
Ramsay,  City  Attorney. 

The  following  are  the  present 

COUNTY  OFFICIALS. 

They  are  nearly  all  residents  of  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  with  the 
exception  of  the  judges  of  the  county  court,  who  are  John  T.  Wells, 
Albert  Gerdes  and  William  Camptori. 

Frank  M.  Joslyn,  Probate  Judge. 

John  W.  Smith,  Circuit  Clerk  and  Recorder. 

William  T.  Buckham,  Deputy  Circuit  Clerk  and  Recorder. 

Martin  Luther  Lee,  County  Clerk. 

Robert  W.  Trimble,  Deputy  County  Clerk. 

James  B.  Gray,  Sheriff. 

Don  A.  Colvin,  Collector. 

William  Bentley,  Assessor. 

Stokely  S.  Hughes,  Surveyor. 

John  C.  Hunt,  Prosecuting  Attorney. 

James  McCartney,  Public  Administrator. 

j.  E.  Spurlock,  County  Treasurer. 

Doctor  J.  Clinton  Hughes,  Coroner. 

D.  McCall,  County  School  Commissioner. 


ECCLESIASTICAL — EARLY   CHURCHES   OF    ROCK    PORT. 


In  the  year  1857  was  erected  the  first  church  edifice  in  the  town. 
This  was  a  primitive  looking  structure  of  the  Noah's  ark  order  of  archi- 
tecture, and  was  put  up  by  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  It  stood  on  the  north  side  of  Mill  Street  between  Market  and 
Nebraska  Streets.  A  full  description  of  this  antique  structure  will  be 
found  under  the  head  of  Union  City,  whither  it:  was  subsequently  moved 
by  the  founder  of  that  now  (1882)  defunct  town. 

The  second  church  edifice  erected  in  the  town  was  also  built  in 
1857,  a  short  time  after  that  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  This  was  the  orig- 
inal structure  of  the  Christian.  Church,  a  sketch  of  which  will  be  found 
under  the  general  head  of  "Christian  Church." 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL  CHURCH    SOUTH. 

The  third  church  edifice  erected  in  the  town  of  Rock  Port  was  a 
two-story  brick  structure  which  stood  on  the  corner  of  Rock  and   Kan- 

42 


658  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

sas  Streets.  This  was  built  in  the  year  1858,  and  was  a  joint  stock 
enterprise.  The  upper  floor  was  leased  to  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157, 
A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  was  occupied  by  that  body  of  the  order  for  several 
successive  years.  The  lower  floor  was  the  property  of  the  church.  The 
building,  which  was  poorly  constructed,  has  rather  an  unfortunate  his- 
tory. Its  original  cost  was  $2,800,  but  it  seems  that  the  same  was 
never  entirely  paid.  During  the  period  of  the  civil  war,  in  common  with 
many  a  better  building  designed  for  the  same  purpose,  it  was  suffered  to 
fall  into  decay  and  was  used  as  a  stable  by  the  soldiers  quartered  in  the 
town.  At  the  close  of  the  war  it  was  sold  for  debt,  purchased  by  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  town  and  converted  into  a  public  school  house.  It 
was  occupied  as  such  for  some  time  subsequently,  but  the  building 
being  deemed  unsafe,  it  was  ultimately  condemned  by  the  city  authori- 
ties and  tore  down.  Its  site  is  now  occupied  by  a  private  residence. 
Such  is  the  history  of  the  structure  of  the  M.  E.  Church  South  in  Rock 
Port.  Of  the  organization  itself,  which  has  long  since  lost  its  existence, 
no  record  remains.  Among  the  members,  however,  were  Dr.  J.  Y. 
Bird  and  wife,  and  Oliver  Holland  and  wife.  The  doctor  is  a  pioneer 
and  representative  citizens  of  this  county.  Thus,  of  the  three  pioneer 
church  edifices  of  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  all  have  disappeared  from  its  site. 

PRESENT    (1882)    RELIGIOUS   ORGANIZATIONS — THE   CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 

The  Christian  Church  of  Clay  Township  was  originally  organize< 
near  Fowler's  Mill,  as  early  as  1846,  by  Elder  Richard  Buckham,  anc 
was  known  for  many  years  after  as  Rock  Creek  Christian  Church.  This 
afterwards  moved  to  Rock  Port.  In  1857  a  frame  church  building  was 
erected  on  the  north  side  of  Boney  Branch,  on  the  present  site  fcf  Johi 
Grieve's  residence,  on  Main  Street.  This  was  the  second  church  edifia 
put  up  in  Rock  Port.  The  building  was  afterwards  blown  down  in 
wind  storm,  and  was  never  again  raised.  This  was  in  1865.  The  first 
ministers  of  this  church,  in  Rock  Port,  who  preached  in  the  building  as 
soon  as  it  was  completed,  was  Elder  Mullis.  His  immediate  successors 
were  Elders  John  Parker  and  John  Sutton.  When  the  organization  first 
moved  from  Rock  Creek  to  Rock  Port  it  included  a  membership  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty.  The  church  afterwards  met  in  the  South  Methodist 
Church  building,  under  the  Masonic  Hall,  a  brick  structure.  In  1873 
this  building,  which  had  at  different  periods  been  used  for  various  pur- 
poses, was  deemed  unsafe,  and  was  accordingly  taken  down.  The  church 
was  then  without  a  place  of  worship,  and  ceased  to  hold  regular  meet- 
ings,- and  though  comparatively  numerous  the  congregation  was  some- 
what scattered,  and  for  several  years  after  the  war  the  same  was  with- 
out a  building,  and  virtually  without  an  organization.  December  8,  1876, 
the  church  was  re-organized  by  Elder  James  Connoran,  with  the  follow- 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  659 

ing  members :  Jacob  Underwood,  Matilda  Underwood,  Lucinda  Buck- 
ham,  O.  G.  Sparks,  A.  F.  Sherfey,  M.  E.  Davenport,  James  O.  Crossley, 
and  Lydia  A.,  his  wife  ;  Elizabeth  Templeton,  Mary  Cooper,  Lena  Mor- 
ris, Sarah  Courtright,  James  A.  Taylor,  and  Mary,  his  wife  ;  John  G.  and 
Virginia  Sutton,  James  Connoran  and  Nannie  Connoran,  W.  W.  Conno- 
ran,  W.  F.  Drake,  W.  J.  Harrington,  Flora  Prickett,  Dr.  C.  V.  Snow  and 
Margaret  Snow,  his  wife  ;  Betty  Foster,  Leland  Barnes,  Nancy  Kellogg, 
Alice  Kellogg,  Elijah  Courtright,  John  Todd,  Susan  Brazele,  Samuel 
Huff,  and  Annie  Huff,  his  wife  ;  D.  S.  Burks  and  Martha  Burks,  C.  O. 
Snow,  and  James  Burnes  and  his  wife,  Emma  Burnes.  For  some  time 
after  this  re-organization  of  the  church  the  congregation  were  without  a 
place  of  meeting  of  their  own,  and  held  their  services  either  in  rented 
halls  or  in  the  houses  of  worship  of  other  denominations.  Elder  J.  W. 
Tate  succeeded  Elder  Connoran  in  the  pastoral  charge  of  this  church  in 
1879.  1°  ^82  they  erected  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Clay  and  Market 
Streets,  at  a  cost  of  $2,500,  a  frame  edifice  34x50  feet  in  extent.  This 
building  is  now  (1882)  temporarily  occupied  by  the  courts  of  the  county. 
This  privilege  was  granted  in  view  of  the  unsafe  condition  of  the  court 
house.  The  church  now  includes  a  membership  of  about  fifty,  and  is  in 
a  prosperous  condition. 

ROCK    PORT    MISSIONARY    BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

This  organization  was  originally  instituted  in  the  town  of  Linden, 
in  the  year  1852,  with  seven  members,  including  W.  S.  Holloway  and 
wife. 

The  first  minister  of  this  congregation  was  Elder  James  Renfrew. 
His  successors,  in  turn,  were  Elders  Elias  Finley,  Milt  Williams  and 
William  H.  Wood.  During  the  period  of  nineteen  years  that  this  organ- 
ization had  an  existence  in  Linden,  they  were  without  a  church  building 
of  their  own,  and  used  for  the  purpose  of  public  worship,  the  school 
house,  or  such  other  accommodations  as  were  from  time  to  time  offered. 

In  18/1,  the  organization  moved  to  Rock  Port,  and  in  1872,  was 
erected  the  present  neat  frame  structure  in  the  southern  part  of  the  city 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  Kansas  and  Calhoun  Streets,  fronting  on  the 
former  and  due  west  of  the  public  school.  The  building,  which  is  fifty 
by  twenty-seven  feet  in  extent,  is  a  well  proportioned  gothic,  with  tower 
including  belfry  at  the  south  or  front  entrance.  Its  entire  cost  was 
about  two  thousand  dollars.  The  first  minister  who  served  in  this  church 
was  Elder  C.  L.  Butts,  whose  ministry  ended  in  1874,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  pulpit  by  Elder  R.  M.  Rhodes.  In  1876,  Elder  Thomas 
Cook  became  pastor  of  the  congregation,  serving  till  1877,  when  Elder 
William  Haw  succeeded  him.  At  the  close  of  his  term,  in  1879,  no  suc- 
cessor was  appointed,  and  the   vacancy   remained   unsupplied  until  the 


660  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

fall  of  1880,  when  Elder  William  Stewart,  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  became 
pastor,  and  continued  to  serve  for  one  year. 

The  church  was  then  without  a  regular  pastor  till  the  spring  of  1882, 
when  Elder  H.  J.  Latour,  recently  of  Maryville,  Nodaway  County,  Mis- 
souri, was  chosen  minister,  to  enter  on  his  duties  in  the  month  of  May 
of  that  year.  The  present  (1882)  membership  of  this  church  is  about  one 
hundred. 

A  prosperous  Sunday  School,  with  an  average  attendance  of  sixty 
scholars,  is  attached  to  this  church.  It  is  conducted  by  George  A.  Pin- 
nell,  aided  by  five  assistant  teachers. 

GERMAN   LUTHERAN   CHURCH. 

The  German  Lutheran  Church,  a  frame  building  on  the  south  side 
of  Clay  Street,  one  door  below  the  corner  of  Bluff,  was  erected  in 
1864,  at  a  cost  of  $1,300.  The  edifice  is  a  neat  structure,  twenty-six  by 
forty  feet.  Though  plain  in  design,  its  elevated  site  renders  its  unpre- 
tending steeple  a  prominent  landmark  ot  the  town.  The  church  was 
organized  as  early  as  1858,  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Staus,  with  the  following 
members :  Frederick  Traub,  George  L.  Bischof,  Frederick  Schmidt, 
William  Hartman,  Martin  Grebe,  Charles  Vogler,  Peter  Walder,  G.  Vohl 
and  George  Traub. 

The  other  ministers  after  Staus,  have  been  in  succession,  Rev.  Mr. 
Uber,  Rev.  Mr.  Groenmiller,  Rev.  Mr.  Pinkhart  and  the  Rev.  Leonard 
Boewerlein,  the  present  (1882)  minister,  who  entered  on  his  pastoral 
duties  here  in  1875.  The  organization  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and 
includes  a  membership  of  above  fifty  of  both  sexes.  George  L.  Bischof 
is  the  superintendent  of  a  prosperous  Sunday  School  connected  with 
this  church. 

Frederick  Traub,  one  of  the  original  organizers  of  the  congregation, 
presented  in  1875,  this  church  with  a  bell  valued  at  sixty-five  dollars. 

The  parsonage,  a  neat  story  and  a-half  frame  building,  stands  on  the 
corner  lot  adjoining  the  town  site  on  the  north,  and  also  fronts  on  Clay 
Street. 

It  is  claimed  that  one-third  the  population  of  Atchison  County,  are 
either  Germans  or  descendants  of  persons  of  that  nationality. 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  fact  that  this  was  the  first  religious 
organization  to  erect  a  building  in  Rock  Port,  and  one  of  the  earliest 
established  in  the  county.  It  appears  from  the  imperfect  records  of  that 
period,  yet  extant,  that  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Rock  Port  circuit 
from  i860  to  1861,  was  the  Rev.  Albert  Clemmens. 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  66l 

The  next  report  on  record  is  of  a  quarterly  conference  of  St.  Joseph 
district,  held  in  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  April  8,  1864,  Rev.  S.  Huffman, 
Presiding  Elder,  in  the  chair,  Thomas  Holland,  Secretary,  Rev.  H.  G. 
Breed,  preacher  in  charge,  Rev.  P.  J.  W.  Ellis,  local  preacher,  E.  D. 
Scammon,  Jacob  Hughes,  and  E.  Proudfit,  Stewards.  At  this  meeting 
the  sum  of  $45  was  voted  for  ministerial  support. 

At  the  second  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Rock  Port  Circuit,  held  at 
High  Creek,  July,  1864,  Rev.  S.  Huffman,  Presiding  Elder,  and  M.  J. 
Porter,  Secretary,  the  Rock  Port  Circuit  was  made  up  of  the  following 
appointments  :  Rock  Port,  Hugh's  Class,  Union  City,  Yorktown,  Van 
Gundy's,  Fancy  Bottom,  High  Creek  and  Shandy's,  in  Nishnebotna 
Township. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  1864,  the  quarterly  conference  assembled 
at  a  camp-meeting  held  on  the  farm  of  Callaway  Millsaps.  At  this 
assembly  Rev.  S.  Huffman  also  presided.  The  receipts,  on  this  occasion, 
for  ministerial  support  amounted  to  $175.25,  a  considerable  increase  over 
the  same  of  April  preceding. 

At  the  quarterly  conference,  held  in  Rock  Port,  April  15,  1865,  Rev. 
S.  Huffman,  Presiding  Elder,  Rev.  H.  G.  Breed  was  chosen  minister  in 
charge,  and  Rev.  W.  N.  Ballinger,  local  deacon  ;  J  VanGundy,  J.  W. 
Ellis,  J.  Estrich,  J.  York  and  H.  Davis,  exhorters. 

At  the  second  quarterly  meeting,  held  July  8,  1865,  at  Irish  Grove, 
seven  Sunday-Schools  were  reported,  with  an  average  attendance  of  270. 

March  31,  1866,  Rev.  W.  S.  Blackburn  became  preacher  in  charge  of 
the  Rock  Port  Circuit. 

At  the  quarterly  meeting  held  at  VanGundy's,  June  4,  1867,  W.  S. 
Blackburn,  still  preacher  in  charge  ;  VanGundy,  Spurlock  and  Ballinger 
local  preachers.  At  this  meeting  the  Rock  Port  Circuit  was  divided  by 
a  north  and  south  line,  between  Rock  Port  and  Union  City. 

Of  the  time  elapsing  between  the  years  1867  and  1871,  no  record 
remains.  It  was  during  this  period  that  the  brick  church  on  the  north 
side  of  Rock  Street,  between  Market  and  Nebraska  Streets,  was  built. 
It  is  a  plain  brick  structure,  forty  by  sixty  feet  in  extent,  and  was  com- 
pleted at  a  cost  of  about  five  thousand  dollars,  (considerably  more  than 
the  expense  of  erecting  such  a  building  at  the  present.)  The  building 
committee  were  composed  of  Thomas  Holland,  —  Grebe,  Valentine  Liv- 
ingston, Jacob  Hughes  and  Robert  Hunter. 

At  the  quarterly  conference  held  May  13,  1871,  S.  W.  Thornton  was 
preacher  in  charge,  and  J.  W.  Blackburn,  secretary.  The  appointment 
of  John  D.  Dopf  as  Sunday  School  superintendent,  was  approved  by  the 
conference. 

At  the  period  of  this  meeting,  Mount  Vernon,  McKissick's  Grove, 
High  Creek  and  Watson,  composed  the  Rock  Port  Circuit.  The  local 
preachers  were  J.  W.  Ellis  and  Cyrus  Spurlock. 


662  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

In  a  storm  which  occurred  April  8,  1871,  the  church  in  Rock  Port 
was  unroofed.   Its  repair  involved  an  expenditure  of  five  hundred  dollars. 

In  1872,  J.  W.  Blackburn  was  elected  lay  delegate  to  the  annual 
conference,  and  Jacob  Hughes,  alternate. 

At  the  quarterly  conference  held  April  27,  1872,  Rev.  Z.  S.  Weller, 
Presiding  Elder,  Rev.  F.  H.  Graham  was  appointed  preacher  in  charge  of 
the  Rock  Port  Circuit,  with  the  same  local  preachers  as  before  reported. 
John  D.  Dopf  was  approved  Sunday  School  superintendent. 

In  this  year  a  frame  building  was  erected  on  the  church  lot,  at  a  cost 
of  $500.     This  was  for  the  purpose  of  a  parsonage. 

At  the  session  of  the  conference  held  May  5,  1873,  Rev.  Z.  S.  Wel- 
ler, Presiding  Elder,  A.  H.  Powell  was  appointed  preacher  in  charge  of 
the  circuit,  and  J.  W.  Blackburn  approved  Sunday  School  superinten- 
dent.    The  same  local  preachers  as  before. 

April  2,  1874,  Rev.  Z.  S.  Weller,  Presiding  Elder,  W.  P.  Bishop 
was  appointed  preacher  in  charge  ;  T.  C.  Gifford  was  appointed  Sunday- 
day  School  superintendent.  At  this  session  James  Low,  Jacob  Hughes, 
John  Tuck,  Valentine  Livingston  and  T.  C.  Gifford  were  approved  as 
trustees  of  church  property. 

The  report  of  May  5,  1875,  shows  the  same  presiding  elder,  preacher 
and  Sunday  School  superintendent  as  the  previous  year. 

July,  1876,  Rev.  Eri  Edmunds  was  appointed  preacher  in  charge  and 
John  D.  Dopf  approved  Sunday  School  superintendent. 

In  1877,  Rock  Port  and  Union  City  Circuits  were  united,  and  Rev. 
D.  B.  Lake  and  Rev.  Eri  Edmunds  were  appointed  pastors  in  charge, 
and  John  D.  Dopf  was  approved  as   Sunday  School  superintendent. 

Rev.  Joseph  Hopkins  was  at  that  period  presiding  elder  of  the  Saint 
Joseph  district. 

In  October,  1877,  Rev.  D.  B.  Lake  was  transferred  to  Maryville,  and 
Rev.  S.  Taylor  was  sent  by  Rev.  Joseph  Hopkins,  the  presiding  elder,  to 
fill  out  his  unexpired  term  in  Rock  Port. 

In  1878,  Rock  Port  was  made  a  station,  and  Rev.  M.  B.  Hyde  was 
appointed  pastor,  and  A.  E.  Wyatt  was  approved  Sunday  School  super- 
intendent. 

March  31,  1879,  Rev.  John  Wayman  was  presiding  elder  of  St. 
Joseph  district,  and  Rev.  Charles  Balson  was  appointed  pastor  in  charge 
of  Rock  Port  station.  March,  1880,  Rev.  D.  B.  Lake  was  appointed 
pastor  in  charge,  and  A.  E.  Wyatt,  approved  Sunday  School  superin- 
tendent. John  W.  Smith,  E.  Spurlock,  John  D.  Dopf,  and  Jacob  Hughes 
were  appointed  trustees  of  the  church. 

March,  1881,  the  same  appointments  were  retained. 

The  present  (1882)  membership  of  this  church  is  ninety-two.  Num- 
ber in  Sunday  School,  107.  One  principal  and  eight  assistant  teachers. 
Amount  expended  yearly  for  school  literature,  $60. 


x 


ROCK  PORT"  PUBLIC  SCHOOL    BUILDING. 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  663 

OLD    SCHOOL   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH. 

On  the  24th  of  March,  1877,  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Rock  Port  was  transferred  to  the  Southern  Presbytery.  At  that  period 
Robert  Lynn  being  the  only  elder,  John  H.  Laird  was  also  chosen  to 
that  position.  L.  C.  Christian,  Dr.  J.  L.Tracy  and  William  A.  Thomson 
were  chosen  deacons,  and  Rev.  H.  P.  Willis  pastor  of  the  congregation. 
The  entire  membership  of  the  church,  at  that  time,  included  the  follow- 
ing fourteen  members  :  Robert  Lynn  and  wife,  William  A.  Thomson  and 
wife,  Doctor  J.  L.  Tracy,  J.  H.  Laird  and  wife,  Mrs.  Daniel  Snyder,  Mrs. 
L.  M.  Hawthorn,  P.  R.  Wagor,  L.  C.  Christian  and  wife,  Miss  Alice 
Squire  and  Miss  Hattie  Squire. 

The  present  (1882)  membership  of  the  church  is  about  thirty,  and 
the  pastor  in  charge,  Rev.  F.  J.  Reichert. 

The  present  church  edifice  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Clay  and 
Nebraska  Streets,  was  erected  in  1877,  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand  dol- 
lars. It  is  a  neat  frame  structure,  thirty-two  by  fifty  feet  in  extent.  On 
the  re-organization  of  the  church,  Robert  Lynn  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday  School.  His  successor,  P.  R.  Wagor,  is  the 
present  official,  aided  by  several  assistants.  The  school  includes  an 
average  attendance   of  forty  scholars. 

EDUCATIONAL — PUBLIC   SCHOOLS   OF    ROCK    PORT. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  state  that,  during  the  period  of  the  civil 
war,  there  was  a  general  suspension  of  the  public  schools  in  this  part  of 
the  country.  Of  those  which  existed  prior  to  that  event  no  record  now 
remains.  On  the  return  of  peace,  however,  the  people  of  Atchison 
County  were  among  the  first  to  set  about  the  reorganization  of  their  pub- 
lic schools,  and  at  an  election  held  in  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  on  the  8th 
day  of  April,  1865,  P.  A.  Thompson,  W.  G.  Bartholomew  and  John  D. 
Dopf  were  elected  directors  of  district  2,  which  included  the  city.  The 
first  teacher  in  Rock  Port,  at  this  revival  period,  was  Miss  Jaimeson. 
Her  school  opened  in  the  fall  of  1865.  In  the  following  year  she  was 
succeeded  by  Professor  Sherlock. 

These  facts  we  gather  from  the  columns  of.  the  Atchison  County 
Journal,  the  official  records  of  the  public  schools  being  in  an  imperfect 
condition,  and  extending  but  a  comparatively  short  period  remote  from 
the  present  time. 

About  the  year  1869,  it  appears  that  the  educational  interests  of 
Rock  Port  had  been  sufficiently  advanced  to  warrant  the  maintenance  of 
two  teachers,  though,  as  yet,  neither  the  town  nor  district  in  which  it 
was  included  was  provided  with  a  school  building  proper.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  Professor  H.  R.  Charles,  assisted  by  Miss  Johnson,  taught  in 


664  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

the  old  Masonic  Hall  building,  which  then  stood  on  the  corner  of  Mill 
and  Nebraska  Streets.  This  room  had,  prior  to  the  war,  been  owned 
and  occupied  by  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  who,  in  conjunction  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  had  erected  the  building,  a  two  story  structure,  the 
upper  floor  of  which  was  occupied  by  the  last  mentioned  society. 

In  consequence,  however,  of  the  seemingly  precarious  condition  of 
the  building,  which  appeared  about  to  fall,  Professor  Charles  moved 
his  school  into  the  present  M.  E.  Church  building,  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Rock  and  Nebraska  Streets,  and  there  completed  his  term. 
The  rickety  old  house,  out  of  which  he  had  moved,  was,  however,  again 
for  a  short  time  used  for  school  purposes. 

The  session  of  1870-71  was  taught  by  Professor  S.  J.  Osborn,  with 
one  assistant.  The  session  of  1871-72  was  taught  by  Walter  Wickens, 
assisted  by  Miss  Clark. 

In  1870,  under  the  general  law  of  1865,  five  adjoining  districts  united, 
and  put  up,  at  a  cost  of  $5,-500,  a  two-story  brick  building,  on  an  eleva- 
tion at  the  northern  extremity  of  Rock  Port.  This  building  was  called 
the  Central  School.  It  includes  four  rooms,  two  on  each  floor.  The  * 
school  opened  in  the  fall  of  1870,  with  Professor  E.  L.  Clark  as  Principal, 
and  Mrs.  Martha  B.  Clark  as  Assistant. 

During  the  session  of  1871-72  Rev.  C.  L.  Butts  was  Principal, 
assisted  by  Miss  Alice  Spratlin. 

The  session  of  1873  opened  in  the  fall  with  Professor  V.  M.  Babbitt 
as  Principal,  aided  by  one  assistant.  This  was  the  last  session  taught  of 
what  was  known  as  the  Central  School. 

In  1872  the  town  district  consisted  of  sub-district  No.  2  of  the  town- 
ship, built  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  at  a  cost  of 
$7,500,  a  two-story  brick  building,  with  two  school  rooms,  one  on  each 
floor,  with  the  necessary  ante-rooms.  This  building,  though  substantial 
in  point  of  construction  and  entirely  modern  in  design  and  appoint- 
ments, is  surmounted  by  a  roof  anything  but  creditable  to  the  taste  of 
the  architect,  and  suggests  the  idea  of  a  cross  between  a  mill  and  a 
smoke  house. 

Professor  E.  J.  H.  Beard,  now  (1882)  principal  of  the  Hamburg 
Public  Schools,  taught  the  first  school  in  the  new  building.  This  was  in 
1872-3.  He  taught  six  months.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  following 
fall  by  E.  T.  Petit. 

The  Central  School  building  was  leased  to  the  Rock  Port  schools  in 
June,  1874,  and  said  schools  were  reorganized  under  the  town  and  vil- 
lage act.  Professor  W.  F.  Drake  was  appointed  principal  of  these  insti- 
tutions. The  term  "Central"  school,  heretofore  applied  to  the  older 
building  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  was  discontinued  and  the 
name  "  Seminary  "  substituted  therefor.  In  this  building  are  taught  the 
higher  grades  of  instruction. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  665; 

Professor  Drake,  during  this  term,  was  assisted  in  the  schools  by 
Miss  Mary  L.  Osborn  and  Mrs.  A.  E.  Williams. 

In  the  fall  of  1875  the  schools  opened  with  Professor  W.  F.  Drake,, 
assisted  by  Miss  Alice  Parker,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Williams  and  Miss  Lida 
Potter. 

The  school  year  of  1 876— '77  opened  in  the  fall  with  Professor  W.  F. 
Drake,  Principal,  assisted  by  Miss  Mollie  Hopkins,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Williams 
and  Miss  Lida  Potter. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  W.  F.  Drake  was  again  principal,  assisted  by 
Miss  Mollie  Hopkins,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Williams  and  Miss  Amy  Schuler. 

During  the  school -year  of  i878-'79  Professor  Drake,  Principal,  was 
assisted  by  Miss  Alice  B.  Cline,  Miss  Louisa  Cooley,  Miss  Leola  Munn 
and  Miss  Amy  Schuler. 

The  following  sessions  were  taught  by  the  same  principal  and 
assistants. 

In  the  fall  of  1880  the  schools  opened  and  were  taught  during  that 
school  year  by  Professor  E.  R.  Carr,  Principal,  assisted  by  Miss  Lena 
•Bush,  Miss  Louisa  Cooley,  Miss  Idalette  Willis  and  Miss  Gertrude 
Rhoda. 

The  schools  of  1881-82  were  taught  by  Professors  W.  D.  Guttry,  C*. 
A.  Pike,  Miss  Louisa  Cooley,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Pike  and  Miss  G.  Rhoda. 

From  the  imperfect  records  extant  we  learn  the  fact  that  in  187 1 
George  Traub,  John  Shelters  and  J.  P.  Lewis  were  elected  directors  of 
the  Central  School.     In  the  following  year  they  were  succeeded  by  J.  P. 
Lewis,  A.  E.  Wyatt  and  James  Tate. 

The  next  election  for  Rock  Port  school  directors  of  which  there  is 
any  record  extant,  occurred  in  1874,  when,  under  the  reorganization 
act,  Jacob  Hughes,  James  M.  Templeton,  A.  E.  Wyatt,  John  P.  Lewis,. 
George  L.  Bischof  and  Abraham  Penny  were  chosen  directors. 

In  1875  the  same  parties  were  directors. 

In  1876  A.  E.  Wyatt,  John  P.  Lewis,  George  L.  Bischof,  Abraham 
Penny,  Dr.  C.  V.  Snow  and  Malcolm  McKillop  were  directors. 

In  1877,  the  same  were  in  office,  and  remained  during  the  entire 
year,  with  the  exception  of  A.  Penny,  who  resigned  during  the  middle 
of  the  term,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Jacob  Hughes. 

At  the  election  of  1878,  John  W.  Smith,  Frederick  Traub  and  John 
P.  Lewis  were  chosen  directors  for  the  term  of  two  years,  and  Leopold 
Sanders,  George  A.  Pinnell  and  George  Deuser  for  the  term  of  one  year. 

The  board,  in  1879,  included  George  A.  Pinnell,  S.  E.  Williams,  A. 
E.  Wyatt,  Frederick  Traub,  John  W.  Smith  and  John  P.  Lewis. 

In  1880,  the  board  consisted  of  George  A.  Pinnell,  S.  E.  Williams, 
Frederick  Traub,  William  P.  Watson,  A.  E.  Wyatt  and  John  P.  Lewis. 


666  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

ROCK   PORT   COLLEGE. 

In  September,  1880,  Elders  Tate  and  Quick,  two  ministers  of  the 
Christian  Church,  started  a  college  in  the  small  and  antiquated  hotel 
building  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Clay  Streets.  At  the  end 
of  its  first  scholastic  year,  this  institution  suspended,  the  enterprise  hav- 
ing resulted  in  a  complete  failure.  The  cause  of  this  failure  was  lack  of 
patronage,  due  probably  to  the  excellent  character  of  the  public  schools, 
which  provided  the  same  means  of  education  gratis.  The  institution 
was  designed  to  afford  instruction  to  students  of  both  sexes.  On  the 
suspension  of  the  college,  the  building  reverted  to  its  original  and  legit- 
imate purpose  of  a  hotel,  and  is  now  known  as  the  Commercial  House, 
Thomas  Tolliver,  proprietor. 

SECRET  AND  BENEVOLENT  ORGANIZATIONS. 

North  Star  Lodge  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  in  the  town  of  Rock 
Port,  was  organized  U.  D.,  October  11,  1855,  and  set  to  work  by  the  Right 
W.,  J.  S.  Tisdale,  D.  D.  G.  M. 

The  officers  under  this  dispensation  were  G.  A.  Thomas,  W.  M.; 
Solomon  Wyatt,  S.  W.;  David  I.  Martin,  J.  W.;  John  Lewis,  Treasurer; 
W.  H.  Dunbar,  Secretary  ;  Silas  Pryear,  S.  D.;  R.  K.  Crandall,  J.  D.,  and 
T.  S.  Moore,  Tyler. 

On  the  29th  day  of  May,  1856,  the  same  was  chartered  by  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State,  of  which  L.  S.  Cornwell  was,  at  that  period,  Grand 
Master,  and  A.  O'Sullivan  Grand  Secretary.  The  officers  with  which  the 
lodge  was  organized  U.  D.,  were  retained  under  the  charter.  These 
were  installed  on  the  12th  of  July,  1856,  by  the  Right  W.,  James  Foster, 
D.  D.  G.  M. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  1857,  the  following  named  officers  were  electee 
and  installed  :  G.  A.  Thomas,  W.  M.;  Silas  Preyear,  S.  W.;  I.  N.  White, 
J.  W.;  F.  S.  Moore,  Treasurer  ;  W.  H.  Dunbar,  Secretary  ;  G.  Johnson, 
S.  D.;  I.  H.  Athon,  J.  D.,  and  J.  Shandy,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

December  26,  1857,  the  following  were  elected  :  Silas  Preyear,  W. 
M.;  J.  Y.  Bird,  S.  W.;  A.  Lytord,  J.  W.;  I.  N.  White,  Treasurer  ;  R.  K. 
Crandall,  Secretary;  J.  N.  Arnold,  S.  D.;  A.  Beck,  J.  D.,  and  John 
Shandy,  Tyler. 

December  27,  1858,  the  following  were  elected  :  John  W.  Smith, 
W.  M.;  W.  H.  Dunbar,  S.  W.;  A.  Lyford,  J.  W.;  John  Y.  Bird,  Treas- 
urer ;  John  Athorn,  Secretary,  and  A.  Beck,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

At  the  regular  annual  election,  held  December  27,  1859,  tne  follow- 
ing officers  were  chosen  :  John  W.  Smith,  W.  M.;  W.  H.  Dunbar,  S.  W.; 
W.  E.  Dillon,  J.  W.;  F.  S.  Moore,  Treasurer  ;  L.  F.  Cornutt,  Secretary  ; 
J.  H.  Athorn,  S.  D.;  W.  N.  Smith,  J.  D.,  and  A.  Beck,  Steward  and 
Tyler. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  667 

December  27,  i860,  the  following  were  elected  :  W.  E.  Dillon,  W. 
M.;  C.  F.  Miller,  S.  W.;  J.  H.  Athorn,  J.  W.;  H.  S.  Thorpe,  Secretary  ; 
Dr.  J.  Y.  Bird,  Treasurer,  and  Samuel  Tate,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

During  the  two  intervening  years  it  appears  that  no  election  for 
officers  of  the  lodge  was  held.  This  was  doubtless  due  to  the  distracted 
condition  of  the  country,  consequent  upon  the  civil  war. 

The  next  election  occurred  June  3,  1863,  when  the  following  were 
chosen  officers  :  John  W.  Smith,  W.  M.;  R.  K.  Crandall,  S.  W.;I.  N. 
White,  J.  W.;  F.  S.  Moore,  Treasurer  ;  E.  L.  Clark,  Secretary  ;  W.  H. 
Dunbar,  S.  D.;  J.  Y.  Bird,  J.  D.;  A.  Beck,  Tyler. 

The  election  of  December  27,  1863,  resulted  as  follows  :  J.  W.  Smith, 
W.  M.;  E.  L.  Clark,  S.  W.;  F.  M.  Thompson,  J.  W.;  John  Dozier,  Treas- 
urer ;  W.  H.  Dunbar,  Secretary  ;  I.  N.White,  S.  D.:  J.  L.  Shelters,  J.  D.; 
Aquilla  Beck,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

On  December  27,  1864,  the  following  were  chosen  :  John  W.  Smith, 
W.  M.;  I.  N.  White,  S.  W.;  W.  L.  Reeves,  J.  W.;  F.  M.  Thompson,  Treas- 
urer ;  L.  H.  Ruland,  Secretary  ;  W.  Sparks,  Steward  and  Tyler. 

December  27,  1865,  the  following  were  chosen  :  I.  N.  White,  W.  M 
F.  M.  Thompson,  S.  W.;  W.  L.  Reeves,  J.  W.;  E.  L.  Clark,  Treasurer 
William  Sparks,  Secretary;  C.  V.  Snow,  S.  D.;  George  Wood,  J.  D 
William  Sparks,  Tyler. 

December  27,  1866,  the  officers  elected  were  :  Isaac  N.  White,  W. 
M.;  F.  M.  Thompson,  S.  W.;  George  E.  Wood,  J.  W.;  L.  H.  Ruland, 
Secretary;  E.  L.  Clark,  Treasurer  ;  E.  Small,  S.  D.;  Robert  Hunter,  J. 
D.;  George  Steck,  S.  S.;  L.  E.  Christian,  J.  S.;  Godfrey  Vohl,  Tyler. 

December  27,  1867,  the  officers  elected  were  :  F.  M.  Thompson,  W. 
M.;  George  E.  Wood,  S.  W.;  John  D.  Dopf,  J.  W.;  Robert  Hunter,  Treas- 
urer;  L.  H.  Ruland,  Secretary;  E.  Small,  S.  D.,  James  Tate,  J.  D.;  J. 
Hughes,  S.  S.;  George  Steck,  J.  S.;  Godfrey  Vohl,  Tyler. 

December  27,  1868,  were,  chosen  ;  I.  N.  White,  W.  M.;  George  E. 
Wood,  S.  W.;  John  D.  Dopf,  J.  W.;  Robert  Hunter,  Treasurer  ;  Malcolm 
McKillop,  Secretary;  E.  Small,  S.  D.;  James  Tate,  J.  D.;  Jacob  Hughes, 
S.  S.;  George  Steck,  J.  S.;  C.  H.  Imhoff,  Tyler. 

December  23,  1869,  the  election  resulted  as  follows:  A.  E.  Wyatt, 
W.  M.;  A.  F.  Tiffany,  S.  W.;  A.  S.  Morgan,  J.  W.;  Robert  Hunter, 
Treasurer  ;  M.  McKillop,  Secretary  ;  Jacob  Hughes,  Tyler. 

December  3,  1870,  the  following  were  elected  :  A.  F.  Tiffany,  W.  M.; 
M.  McKillop,  S.  W.;  James  Tate,  J.  W.;  A.  E.  Wyatt,  Treasurer  ;  L. 
Sanders,  Secretary;  J.  L.  Tracy,  S.  D.;  George  Steck,  J.  D.;  James  B. 
Gray,  Tyler. 

December  23,  1871,  the  officers  elected  were  Malcolm  McKillop,  W. 
M.;  Philip  Reitz,  S.  W.;  L.  J.  Huffman,  J.  W.;  A.  E.  Wyatt,  Treasurer; 
L.  Sanders,  Secretary;  James  Tate,  S.  D.;  George  Steck,  J.  D.;  J.  F. 
Hum,  S.  S.;  Charles  Volkman,  J.  S.;  H.  Warneke,  Tyler. 


668  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

December  27,  1872,  the  election  was  as  follows:  M.  McKillop,  W. 
M.;  John  D.  Dopf,  S.  W.;  George  Steck,  J.  W.;  C.  Schneider,  Treas- 
urer ;  L.  Sanders,  Secretary;  J.  F.  Hum,  S.  D.;  George  Pinnell,  J.  D.; 
Philip  Reitz,  S.  S.;  L.  J.  Huffman,  J.  S. ;  Solomon  Sanders,  Tyler. 

December  13,  1873,  the  election  was  as  follows:  M.  McKillop,  W. 
M.;  C.  Schneider,  S.  W.;  J.  D.  Dopf,  J.  W.;  George  A.  Pinnell,  Treas- 
urer ;  F.  T.  Simmons,  Secretary  ;  J.  F.  Hum,  S.  D.;  J.  F.  Cooper,  J.  D.; 

A.  A.  Windell,  Tyler. 

December  12,  1874,  the  officers  elected  were  John  W.  Smith,  W.  M-; 
C.  Schneider,  S.  W.;  A.  E.  Wyatt,  J.  W.;  George  A.  Pinnell,  Treasurer  ; 
F.  T.  Simons,  Secretary  ;  J.  F.  Hum,  S.  D.;  J.  F.  Cooper,  J.  D.;  James 

B.  Gray,  S.  S.;  H.  C.  Burnham,  J.  S.;  A.  A.  Windell,  Tyler. 

December  13,  1875,  the  officers  elected  were  John  W.  Smith,  W.  M.; 

C.  Schneider,  S.  W.;  A.  E.  Wyatt,  J.  W.;  J.  Pinnell,  Treasurer;  F.  T. 
Simons,  Secretary;  L.  J.  Huffman,  S.  D.;  J.  F.  Hum,  J.  D. ;  A.  Windell, 
Tyler. 

December  7,  1876,  the  officers  elected  were  C.  Schneider,  W.  M.;  J. 
F.  Hum,  S.  W. ;  George  A.  Pinnell,  J.  W.;  James  Tate,  Treasurer  ;  F. 
T.  Simons,  Secretary  ;  J.  L.  Huffman,  S.  D.;  William  Welch,  J.  D.,  and 
A.  Windell,  Tyler. 

December,  1877, the  election  resulted  as  follows  :  A.  E.  Wyatt,  W. 
M.;  John  F.  Hum,  S.  W.;  S.  E.  Williams,  J.  W.;  F.  T.  Simons,  Secre- 
tary ;  John  W.  Smith,  Treasurer;  P.  R.  Wagor,  S.  D.;  S.  J.  Osborn,  J. 
D.,  and  A.  Windell,  Tyler. 

December  14,  1878,  the  following  were  elected  :  A.  E.  Wyatt,  W. 
'm.;  John  W.  Smith,  S.  W.;  S.  E.  Williams,  J.  W.;  Jacob  Hughes,  Treas- 
urer;  F.  T.  Simons,  Secretary;  P.  R.  Wagor,  S.  D.;  S.  J.  Osborn,  J.  D., 
and  G.  W.  Foutch,  Tyler. 

December  13,  1879,  the  following  were  elected  :  John  F.  Hum,  W. 
M.;  John  W.  Smith,   S.  W.;  J.  D.  Dopf,  J.  W.;  T.  A.  Foster,  Treasurer 

F.  T.Simons,  Secretary;  Fred.  Schonecke,  S.  D.;  T.  J.  Rice,  J.  D.,  and 

G.  W.  Foutch,  Tyler. 

December  n,  1880,  the  officers  elected  were  :  John  F.  Hum,  W.  M. 
John  W.  Smith,  S.  W. ;  Edward  Powell,  J.  W. ;  Jacob  Hughes,  Treasurer  ; 
F.  T.  Simons,  Secretary;  Frederick  Schonecke,  S.  D.;  T.  J.  Rice,  J.  D.; 
William  Opp,  Tyler. 

December  17,  1881,  the  officers  elected  were:  John  W.  Smith,  W. 
M.;  L.  D.  Ramsey,  S.  W.;  M.  L.  Lee,  J.  W.;  Jacob  Hughes,  Treasurer; 
J.  A.  Newell,  Secretary  ;  J.  W.  Peck,  S.  D.;  T.  J.  Rice,  J.  D.;  A.  Windell, 
S.  S.;   H.  F.  Staple,  J.  S.;  A.  Kidd,  Tyler. 

ZERUBBABEL    ROYAL   ARCH    CHAPTER   NO.    59, 

was  first  instituted  and  set  to  work,  U.  D.,  in  Phelps  City,  Missouri,  Feb- 
ruary  10,  1870,  by  Samuel  Russell,  District  Deputy  Grand  High  Priest, 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  669 

acting  as  proxy  for  the  Most  Eminent  Grand  High  Priest  of  the  Grand 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Missouri.  The  officers  under  this  dispensation 
were  John  Blake,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  F.  M.  Thompson,  E.  K. ;  I.  N.  White,  E.  S.; 
R.  N.  Buckham,  C.  H.;  M.  Groundstein,  P.  S.;  .  H.  Rogers,  R.  A.  C:  A. 
L.  Williams,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  George  E.  Wood,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  John  McNeal, 
Jr.,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  P.  A.  Thompson,  Guard. 

At  a  special  convocation  held  in  the  Masonic  Hall,  in  Phelps  City, 
October  26,  1870,  by  virtue  of  its  charter,  then  and  there  read,  Zerubba- 
bel  Royal  Arch  Chapter  No.  59,  held  its  first  election,  with  the  following 
result:  Isaac  N.  White,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  F.  M.  Thompson,  E.  K.;  C.  M. 
Harris,  E.  S.;  George  E.  Wood,  C.  H.;  George  L.  Baird,  P.  S.;  P.  A. 
Thompson,  R.  A.  C;  David  McNeal,  Treasurer  ;  L.H.  Ruland,  Secretary: 
A.  L.  Williams,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  John  McNeal,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  A.  W.  Buck- 
ham,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  L.  C.  Onyett,  Guard. 

The  second  annual  election,  which  was  held  December  30,  1871, 
resulted  as  follows  :  P.  A.  Thompson,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  I.  N.  White,  E.  K.; 
Robert  Hunter,  E.  S.;  A.  L.  Williams,  C.  H.;  George  L.  Baird,  P.  S.;   G. 

E.  Wood,  R.  A.  C;  Malcolm  McKillop,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  David  McNeal,  G. 
M.  2d  V.;  William  Morgan,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  F.  M.  Thompson,  Treasurer  ; 
L.  H.  Ruland,  Secretary  ;  A.  J.  Hughes,  Guard. 

The  election  for  officers,  held  December  18,  1872,  resulted  as  follows  : 

F.  M.  Thompson,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  I.  N.  White,  E.  K.;  A.  A.  Tayman,  E.  S.; 
George  E.  Wood,  C.  H.;  George  S.  Baird,  P.  S.;  H.  L.  Christ,  R.  A.  C; 
A.  L.  Williams,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  John  McNeal,  G.  M.  2d  V.,  E.  C.  Smith,  G. 
M.  1st  V.;  L.  H.  Ruland,  Secretary  ;  A.  A.  Tayman,  Treasurer  ;  A.  J. 
Hughes,  Sentinel. 

The  following  were  chosen  at  the  regular  annual  election,  held  in 
Phelps  City,  December  17,  1873:  George  S.  Baird,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  M. 
McKillop,  E.  K.;  W.  H.  Morgan,  E.  S.;  A.  L.  Williams,  C.  H.;  J.  D.  Dopf, 
P.  S. ;  F.  M.  Thompson,  Secretary;  E.  C.  Smith,  Treasurer  ;  H.  D.  Christ, 
R.  A.  C;  J.  B.Johnson,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  Henry  Warnecke,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  Syl- 
vester Hall,  G.  M.  1st  V. 

At  the  regular  convocation  held  at  Masonic  Hall,  in  Phelps  City, 
January  20,  1874,  an  election  held  by  virtue  of  a  dispensation  from  the 
M.  E.  G.  H.  P.  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  resulted  as  follows*:  George  S. 
Baird,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  John  D.  Dopf,  E.  K.;  William  H.  Morgan,  E.  S.;  A. 
L.  Williams,  C.  H.;  George  E.  Wood,  P.  S.;  James  B.  Johnson,  R.  A.  C; 
A.  J.  Hughes,  G.  M.  3rd  V.;  Robert  Hunter,   G.  M.  2nd  V.;  E.  C.  Smith, 

G.  M.  1st  V.;  A.  A.  Tayman,  Treasurer  ;  F.  M.  Thompson,  Secretary. 

At  a  regular  convocation  held  at  the  above  mentioned  hall,  February 
17,  1875,  the  following  elected  officers  were  installed  :  George  S.  Baird, 
M.  E.  H.  P.;  John  D.  Dopf,  E.  K.;  William  H.  Morgan,  E.  S.;  A.  L.  Will- 
iams, C.  H.;  George  E.  Wood,  P.  S.;  J,  B.  Johnson,  R.  A.  C;  A.J. 
Hughes,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  Robert  Hunter,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  E.  C.  Smith,  G.  M. 


670  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

1st  V.;  A.  A.  Tayman,  Treasurer;    F.  M.  Thompson,  Secretary  ;  A.  W. 
Buckham,  Guard. 

At  a  regular  convocation  held  in  Phelps  City,  December  27,  1876, 
the  following  officers  were  elected  :  George  S.  Baird,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  Joseph 
R.  Dodds,  E.  K.;  A.  A.  Tayman,  Scribe  ;  A.  L.  Williams,  C.  H.;  John 
Lauterbach,  P.  S.;  George  E.  Wood,  R.  A.C.;  A.  J.  Hughes,  G.  M.  3d  V.; 
E.  C.  Smith,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  Joseph  H.  Hogrefe,  G.  M.  1st  V;.  W.  G.  Bar- 
tholomew, Treasurer  ;  F.  M.  Thompson,  Secretary  ;  William  J.  Reynolds, 
Guard.     John  Lauterbach  and  E.  C   Smith  were  appointed  Stewards. 

The  following  officers  were  chosen  at  a  regular  convocation  held  at 
Masonic  Hall,  in  Phelps  City,  December  19,  1877  :  A.  L.  Williams,  M. 
E.  H.  P.;  Jacob  Hughes,  E.  K.;  J.  R.  Dodds,  E.  S.;  George  E.  Wood,  C. 
H.;  George  S.  Baird,  P.  S.;  John  Lauterbach,  R.  A.  C;  A.  J.  Hughes,  G. 
M.  3d  V.;  W.  G.  Bartholomew,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  E.  C.  Smith,  G.  M.  1st  V.; 
W.  J.  Reynolds,  Treasurer  ;  F.  M.  Thompson,  Secretary ;  Henry 
Warnecke,  Guard  ;  A.  A.  Tayman  and  W.  G.  Bartholomew,  Stewards. 

At  a  regular  convocation  held  February  5,  1879,  the  following  officers 
were  chosen  at  an  election  held  by  virtue  of  a  special  dispensation  from 
the  G.  H.  P.  of  the  state  :  George  S.  Baird,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  P.  A.  Thomp- 
son, E.  K.;  L.  H.  Ruland,  E.  S.;  George  E.  Wood,  C.  H.;  John  Lauter- 
bach, P.  S.;  John  D.  Dopf,  R.  A.  C;  A.  J.  Hughes,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  Samuel 
Van  Gundy,  G.  M.  2d  V.;  W.  G.  Bartholomew,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  A.  T.  Tay- 
man, Treasurer;  F.  M.  Thompson,  Secretary  ;  W.  J.  Reynolds,  Sentinel. 
W.  G.  Bartholomew  and  George  E.  Wood  were  appointed  Stewards. 

The  last  convocation  of  Zerubbabel  Chapter  in  the  town  of  Phelps 
occurred  January  12,  1881.  At  this  meeting  the  following  officers  were 
elected  and  installed  :  George  S.  Baird,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  M.  McKillop,  E. 
K.;  J.  W.  Smith,  E.  S.;  George  E.  Wood,  C.  H.;  J.  H.  Hurn,  P.  S.;  J.  D. 
Dopf,  R.  A.  C;  A.  J.  Hughes,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  S.  Van  Gundy,  G.  M.  2d  V; 
E.  C.  Smith,  G.  M.  1st  V.;  Jacob  Hughes,  Treasurer,  and  J.  B.  Johnson, 
Secretary.  It  was  also  determined  to  move  the  seat  of  the  Chapter  from 
Phelps  City  to  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  where  the  same  afterwards  assem- 
bled for  the  first  time,  March  9,  1881. 

The  election  for  officers,  December  1,  1881,  the  first  held  in  Rock 
Port,  resulted  as  follows  :  George  S.  Baird,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  M.  McKillop, 
E.  K.;  J.  W.  Smith,  E.  S.;  J.  D.  Dopf,  C.  H.;  J.  F.  Hurn,  P.  S.;  E.  F. 
Powell,  R.  A.  C;  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  G.  M.  3d  V.;  J.  J.  Denny,  G.  M. 
2d  V.;  E.  C.  Smith,  G.  M.,  1st  V.;  Jacob  Hughes,  Treasurer  ;  J.  B.  John- 
son, Secretary,  and  A.  Buckham,  Guard. 

ADONIRAM   COUNCIL    ROYAL   AND   SELECT   MASTERS 

was  constituted  U.  D.  in  the  town  of  Phelps  City,  April  7,  1871,  and  set 
to   work  by  John  Blake,  T.    I.   G.   M.,  of  the  Council  of  Brownsville, 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  6/1 

Nebraska.  The  following  officers  were  then  chosen  :  I.  N.  White,  T.  I. 
G.  M.;  John  McNeal,  C.  of  T.;  George  L.  Baird,  C.  of  W.;  A.  L'.  Wil- 
liams, C.  of  C  ;  F.  M.  Thompson,  C.  of  G. ;  L.  H.  Ruland,  Recorder;  R, 
N.  Buckham,  Treasurer  ;  George  E.  Wood,  Steward  ;  John  D.  Dopf, 
Sentinel. 

At  a  regular  meeting  held  October  21,  1871,  M.  P.  G.  M.,  W.  A. 
Proll,  being  present,  presented  the  charter  empowering  Adoniram 
Council,  No.  12,  to  meet  and  work.  The  following  officers  were  then 
elected;  G.  S.  Baird,  T.  I.  G.  M.;  Isaac  N.  White,  D.  G.  M.;  F.  M. 
Thompson,  C.  of  W. ;  P.  A.  Thompson,  Treasurer  ;  L.  H.  Ruland, 
Recorder;  J.  D.  Dopf,  C.  of  G;  A.  L.  Williams,  C.  of  C;  George  E. 
Wood,  Steward  ;  A.  J.  Hughes,  Sentinel. 

On  the  18th  of  December,  1872,  occurred  with  the  following  result 
the  second  election:  George  S.  Baird,  T.  I.  G.  M. ;  I.  N.  White,  D.  G. 
M.;  F.  M.  Thompson,  P.  C.  of  W.;  A.  L.  Williams,  C.  of  C;  G.  E. 
Wood,  C.  of  G. ;  A.  A.  Tayman,  Treasurer  ;  John  McNeal,  Recorder; 
E.  C.  Smith,  Steward  ;  A.  J.  Hughes,  Sentinel. 

December  17,  1873,  the  following  officers  were  elected  :  George  S. 
Baird,  T.  I.  G.  M.;  M.  McKillop,  D.  G.  M.;  John  D.  Dopf,  C.  of  W.;  A. 
L.  Williams,  C.  of  C;  J.  B.  Johnson,  C.  of  G.;  F.  M.  Thompson, 
Recorder ;  E.  C.  Smith,  Treasurer. 

By  special  dispensation  an  election  for  officers  was  held  January  20,. 
1875,  and  resulted  as  follows  :  George  S.  Baird,  T.  I.  G.  M.;  George  E. 
Wood,  C.  of  T.;  John  D.  Dopf,  C.  of  W.;  A.  L.  Williams,  C.  of  C;  F. 
M.  Thompson,  Recorder ;  A.  A.  Tayman,  Treasurer ;  E.  C.  Smith, 
Steward  ;  P.  A.  Thompson,  Sentinel. 

This  was  the  last  council  meeting  which  occurred  in  Phelps  City. 

The  next  session  of  Adoniram  Council  occurred  April  13,  1881,  ir» 
Rock  Port,  whither  that  body  had  been  moved.  At  this  meeting  was 
held  an  election  for  officers  with  the  following  result  :  George  S.  Baird, 
T.  I.  G.  M.;  John  D.  Dopf,  D.  G.  M.;  E.  C.  Smith,  P.  C.  W.;  R.  Hunter, 
Treasurer  ;  J.  B.  Johnson,  Recorder  ;  George  E.  Wood,  C.  of  G.;  M. 
McKillop,  C.  C;  D.  Roberts,  Steward  ;  A.  J.  Hughes,  Sentinel. 

PLACES   OF   MEETING. 

On  the  first  organization,  in  1855,  of  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157, 
that  body  convened  in  a  room  at  the  west  end  of  the  second  floor  of  the 
old  hotel  building,  which  still  stands  on  Mill  Street,  east  of  the  corner 
of  Main,  and  is  now  (1882)  known  as  the  Valley  House,  and  there 
remained  until  the  year  1859,  when  they  moved  into  the  brick  building, 
on  the  corner  of  Rock  and  Kansas  Streets,  which,  after  subserving  many 
purposes,  was,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  taken  down,  and  the  material, 
of  which  it  was  composed,  moved  away.     The  lodge  then,  for  some  years, 


672  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

held  its  sessions  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
Main  and  Cass  Streets.  They  subsequently  moved  to  their  present  hall, 
over  the  bank,  on  the  northeast,  corner  of  Main  and  Rock  Streets,  where 
the  three  bodies  of  the  order  all  now  meet. 

INDEPENDENT  ORDER  OF  ODD  FELLOWS. 

Rock  Port  Lodge,  No.  125,  was  instituted  in  the  town  of  Rock  Port, 
•October  1,  1858,  by  F.  S.  Rostock,  of  Oregon,  D.  D.  G.  M.,  and  worked 
under  a  dispensation  until  May  19,  1859,  when  it  was  granted  a  charter 
by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.  The  following  named  included  the 
charter  members  :  William  H.  Dunbar,  Charles  B.  Riley,  J.  W.  Ruland, 
L.  F.  Cornutt,  Samuel  Tate  and  Daniel  Walkup.  Of  these,  William  H. 
Dunbar  was  chosen  Noble  Grand  ;  Charles  B.  Riley,  Vice  Grand  ;  J.  W. 
Ruland,  Secretary,  and  L.  F.  Cornutt,  Treasurer. 

In  view  of  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  country,  consequent  on  the 
prevalence  of  the  civil  war,  this  lodge  suspended  work  and  did  not  again 
resume  till  September  1,  1866,  when  it  was  again  set  to  work  by  F.  S. 
Rostock,  who,  a  second  time,  installed  the  officers  and  set  the  lodge  to 
work. 

The  order,  from  the  period  of  its  institution  in  Rock  Port,  in  1858, 
was  for  years  without  any  permanent  place  of  abode  in  the  town,  and 
occupied  at  different  periods,  from  time  to  time,  as  convenience  suggested, 
rooms  which  they  rented  for  lodge  purposes. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1867,  however,  they  determined  on 
securing  a  permanent  place  of  assembling,  and,  for  that  purpose,  built 
the  upper  story  of  what  is  now  (1882)  known  as  the  Commercial  House, 
a  hotel  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Clay  Streets.  They  con- 
tinued to  hold  their  sessions  here  until  December.  1871. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1871,  the  cornerstone  was  laid  of  the  spacious 
and  elegant  hall  now  owned  and  occupied  by  the  order,  on  the  southwest 
■corner  of  Main  and  Cass  Streets.  The  ceremonies  on  this  occasion  were 
•conducted  in  the  presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  spectators,  and  are 
remembered  as  having  been  very  imposing.  Among  the  articles  depos- 
ited in  the  cavity  of  this  stone,  were  documents  containing  a  list  of  the 
•officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Missouri,  a  list  of  the  officers  of  Rock 
Port  Lodge,  No.  125,  a  list  of  the  charter  members  of  the  same,  and  a 
copy  of  its  constitution  and  by  laws  ;  also,  a  small  pebble  and  three 
pieces  of  silver  coin,  one  of  which,  bearing  date  1767,  was  presented  by 
John  D.  Dopf. 

The  hall  was  completed  and  occupied  about  December  1,  1871.  The 
lower  story  of  the  building,  which  is  a  neat  and  substantial  brick  struc- 
ture, is  the  property  of  Holliway  Brothers,  and  is  now  (1882)  occupied 
by  the   general   store  of  George   A.  Pinnell.     The  Odd   Fellows'   Hall 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  673 

includes  the  entire  upper  story.  The  order,  besides  this  hall,  own  one 
undivided  half  of  the  lot  upon  which  the  building  stands.  This  latter, 
together  with  the  hall,  cost  the  order  about  $3,000.  The  lodge  now  has 
a  membership  of  forty-three,  and  is  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition. 

Of  the  original  charter  members,  not  one  now  (1882)  belongs  to  this 
lodge,  and  but  one  (David  Walkup)  is  a  resident  of  Atchison  County. 
Of  those  who  reorganized  the  lodge,  but  three  yet  survive.  These  are 
all  residents  of  the  county,  and  include  Dr.  J.  Y.  Bird,  the  pioneer  phy- 
sician of  Rock  Port,  Daniel  Snyder,  proprietor  of  the  Rock  Port  Hotel, 
and  Daniel  Walkup,  a  farmer  living  in  Dale  Township. 

On  the  second  night  of  assembling,  after  the  reorganization  of  the 
lodge,  William  King,  Joseph  Teague,  John  H.  Kelley  and  Frank  Davis 
were  admitted  as  ancient  Odd  Fellows.  These  are  all  present  members 
of  the  lodge. 

The  present  elective  officers  are  William  T.  Buckham,  N.  G.;  D.  C. 
Fleming,  V.  G. ;  C.  E.  Blake,  Secretary,  and  Christ  Schneider,  Treasurer. 

The  meetings  of  the  lodge  occur  on  the  first  and  third  Saturdays  of 
each  month. 

The  Noble  Grands  who  have  served  this  lodge  are  as  follows  :  W. 
H.  Dunbar,  1858  ;  C.  B.  Riley  and  L.  F.  Cornutt,  1859;  F.  S.  Moore  and 
William  Cook,  i860;  J.  H.  Athen  and  W.  H.  Dunbar,  1861. 

On  the  resumption  of  work,  in  September,  1866,  C.  V.  Snow  was 
chosen  Noble  Grand.  After  him,  at  different  periods,  came  Daniel  Sny- 
der, Joseph  Teague,  T.  J.  Howthern,  Frank  Davis,  James  J.  McCartney, 
William  P.  Watson,  William  T.  Buckham,  H.  D.  Blake,  J.  W.  Blackburn, 
Chris.  Schneider,  H.  J.  Pinnell,  A.  B.  Durfee  and  John  W.  Smith. 

Several  of  these  have  served  two  or  more  terms,  some  in  immediate 
succession  and  others  at  intervals. 

Rock  Port  Encampment,  No.  73,  was  organized  February  19,  1874, 
under  a  charter  issued  by  the  Grand  Encampment  of  the  State,  with  the 
following  charter  members  :  Christopher  Schneider,  William  T.  Buck- 
ham, James  B.  Gray,  James  P.  Holliway,  Martin  Fisher,  Franklin  P. 
Davis  and  Homer  D.  Blake. 

Chief  Patriarch  William  Kaucher,  of  Oregon,  Missouri,  under  a 
special  commission,  and  assisted  by  Grand  High  Priest  L.  T.  Minturn, 
of  Amazonia,  organized  the  Encampment.  The  following  named  mem- 
bers of  the  order  from  Oregon,  Missouri,  also  assisted  at  this  organiza- 
tion :  Jeptha  Martin,  John  Marsh,  W.  S.  Norman,  A.  J.  Castle  and 
,  Samuel  Hershberger.  The  following  officers  were  then  elected  :  Chris- 
i  topher  Schneider,  C.  P.;  William  T.  Buckham,  H.  P.;  Frank  Davis,  S.  W.; 
H.  D.  Blake,  J.  W.;  J.  P.  Holliway,  Scribe,  and  J.  B.  Gray,  Treasurer. 

In  October,  1874,  the  following  officers  were  elected  :  W.  T.  Buck- 
ham, C.  P.;  A.  B.  Durfee,  H.  P.;  James  B.   Gray,  S.  W.;  G.  D.   Todd,  J. 

W.;  H.  D.  Blake,  Scribe,  and  Gust.  Roecker,  Treasurer. 

43 


674  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

The  third  election  was  with  the  following  result :  A.  B.  Durfee,  C. 
P.;  Frank  Davis,  H.  P.;  H.  J.  Pinnell,  S.  W.;  W.  T.  Buckham,  J.  W.;  H. 
D.  Blake,  Scribe,  and  C.  Schneider,  Treasurer. 

At  the  fourth  election,  October,  1875,  the  following  were  chosen  : 
Frank  Davis,  C.  P.;  H.  D.  Blake,  H.  P.;  Levi  Durham,  S.  W.;  H.  J.  Pin- 
nell, J.  W.;  W.  T.  Buckham,  Scribe  ;  William  P.  Watson,  Treasurer. 

At  the  fifth  election  the  officers  chosen  were  :  H.  D.  Blake,  C.  P.; 
James  B.  Gray,  H.  P.;  A.  B.  Durfee,  S.  W.;  Christopher  Schneider,  J.  W. ; 
W.  T.  Buckham,  Scribe  ;  William  P.  Watson,  Treasurer. 

The  sixth  election  resulted  as  follows  :     W.  P.  Watson,  C.  P.;  J.  S.  * 
Courtright,  H.  P.;  Frank  Davis,  S.  W.;  H.  D.  Blake,  J.  W.;  W.  T.  Buck- 
ham, Scribe,  George  Deuser,  Treasurer. 

At  the  seventh   semi-annual  election,  the  following   were  chosen  :  J 
William  P.  Watson,  C.  P.;  John  W.  Smith,  H.  P.;  Frank  Davis,  S.  W.;  H. 
D.  Blake,   J.  W. ;  William  T.  Buckham,  Scribe  ;  J.  J.  McCartney,  Treas- 
urer. 

March  31,  1879,  occurred  the  eighth  election,  at  which  the  present 
(1882)  officers  were  chosen  :  John  W.  Smith,  C.  P.;  H.  D.  Blake,  H.  P.; 
William  P.  Watson,  S.  W.;  Frank  Davis,  J  W.;  W.  T.  Buckham,  Scribe, 
and  J.  J.  McCartney,  Treasurer. 

The  present  membership  of  the  Encampment  is  twenty-six. 

ANCIENT   ORDER   OV    UNITED   WORKMEN. 

Northwest  Lodge,  No.  134,  was  organized,  and  held  in  Rock  Port  its 
first  regular  meeting,  on  Saturday,  May  31,  1879.  At  this  meeting  J.  E. 
Spurlock,  Dr.  L.  S.  Munsell,  Jacob  Sanders,  Dr.  Austin  McMichael,  Gen- 
eral W.  E.  Chamberlain,  M.  D.,  Burt  Venable,  Solomon  J.  Courtright, 
Frank  Davis,  William  Cunnington,  Thomas  H.  Oliver,  Archibald  E. 
Wyatt,  Lewis  E.  Christian,  Richard  Gaede,  John  P.  Lewis,  Alfred  A.  J. 
Wannschaff,  W.  W.  Hudgens,  John  F.  Hum,  Frank  T.  Simons  and 
Stephen  E.  Williams,  after  passing  through  the  regular  medical  exami- 
nation made  by  Doctors  G.  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  L.  S.  Munsell  and  Aus- 
tin McMichael,  and  after  having  been  ballotted  upon  were  admitted  and 
initiated  to  the  Lodge,  where  the  degrees  of  Junior  Workman,  Senior 
Workman  and  Master  Workman  were  conferred  upon  them  by  G.  W. 
Milton,  District  Deputy  Grand  Master  Workman,  each  member  having 
paid  the  sum  of  seven  dollars  and  fifty  cents  for  charter  fee,  advance 
assessment  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  for  medical 
examination  fees.  The  Lodge  then  proceeded  to  the  election  of  officers, 
with  the  following  result :  Stephen  E.  Williams,  Past  Master  Workman  ; 
John  P.  Lewis,  Master  Workman  ;  J.  E.  Spurlock,  P'oreman  ;  Richard 
Gaede,  Overseer  ;  Alfred  A.  J.  Wannschaff,  Recorder  ;  Frank  T.  Simons, 
Financier  ;  Archibald  E.  Wyatt,  Receiver  ;  Frank  Davis,  Guide  ;  Burt 
Venable,  Inside  Watchman,  and  S.  J.  Courtright,  Outside  Watchman. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  675 

These  officers  were  then  installed  by  G.  W.  Milton,  D.  D.  G.  M.  W. 

At  the  seventeenth  regular  meeting,  held  at  their  hall  in  Rock  Port, 
November  12,  1879,  J.  S.  Courtright  informed  the  lodge  of  his  intended 
removal  to  California,  and  tendered  his  resignation  as  O.  W.  This  was 
forthwith  accepted,  and  Henry  Heckel  was  elected  to  fill  vacancy  thus 
occasioned. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1879,  occurred  tne  second  annual  election 
of  officers  of  Northwest  Lodge,  with  the  following  result  :  A.  E.  Wyatt, 
M.  W. ;  John  F.  Hum,  F. ;  L.  C.  Christian,  O. ;  Richard  Gaede,  Recorder  ; 
Alfred  Wannschaff,  Financier  ;  J.  E.  Spurlock,  Receiver  ;  Frank  Davis, 
Guide  ;  Burt  Venable,  I.  W.;  Henry  Heckel,  O.  W.;  A.  McMichael,  Med- 
ical Examiner  ;  M.  McKillop,  Trustee  for  three  years. 

The  third  annual  election  of  officers  occurred  at  a  regular  communi- 
cation held  at  their  hall  in  Rock  Port,  December  15,  1880,  and  resulted 
as  follows  :  John  P.  Lewis,  M.  W. ;  Christopher  Schneider,  Foreman  ;  R. 
W.  Trimble,  Overseer;  F.  T.  Simons,  Recorder,  John  Wright,  Financier  ; 
A.  A.  Wannschaff,  Receiver  ;  A.  C.  Hansen,  Guide  ;  I.  W.  Cunnington, 
I.  W.;  H.  Heckel,  O.  W.;  A.  E.  Wyatt,  Trustee  three  year  term  ;  Dr.  A. 
McMichael,  Medical  Examiner. 

At  a  regular  communication  held  June  1,  1881,  F.  T.  Simms  tendered 
his  resignation  of  the  office  of  Recorder,  and  A.  McMichael  was  chosen 
to  fill  the  vacancy  thus  occasioned. 

ROCK   PORT    LEGION,    NO.    12,    S.    K.    A.    O.    U.    W., 

was  instituted  by  H.  W.  Busse,  April  29,  1880.  The  first  officers  elected 
of  this  organization  were  :  Malcolm  McKillop,  S.  C;  John  F.  Hum,  V. 
C;  Robert  W.  Trimble,  L.  C;  Alfred  A.  J.  Wannschaff,  Recorder  ;  W. 
W.  Hudgens,  Treasurer  ;  Stephen  E.  Williams,  R.  T.;  John  P.  Lewis, 
Chaplain  ;  John  Wright,  S.  B.;  Burt  Venable,  J.  W.;  A.  C.  Hansen,  S. 
W. ;  Jacob  Saunders,  M.;  Henry  Heckel,  Guard  ;  A.  C.  Hansen,  Burt  Ven- 
able and  J.  Sanders,  Trustees. 

December  22,  1880,  the  following  officers  were  chosen:  M. 
McKillop,  S.  C;  A.  C.  Hansen,  V.  C;  Burt  Venable,  L.  C;  Alfred 
A.  J.  Wannschaff,  Recorder  ;W.  W.  Hudgens,  Treasurer  ;  John  Wright, 
Recording  Treasurer  ;  John  P.  Lewis,  Chaplain  ;  R.  W.  Trimble,  S.  W. ; 
G.  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  J.  W.;  Christopher  Schneider,  S.  B.;  Henry 
Heckel,  Guard  ;  John  F.  Hum,  Marshal  ;  G.  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  M.  D., 
Medical  Examiner. 

The  election  for  officers,  held  January  ir,  1882,  resulted  as  follows  : 
Malcolm  McKillop,  S.  C;  C.  Schneider,  V.C.;  Harry  Moses,  L.  C;  Alfred 
A.  J.  Wannschaff,  Recorder  ;  J.  W.  Peck,  Treasurer;  R.  W.  Trimble, 
Recording  Treasurer  ;  J.  P.  Lewis,  Chaplain  ;  L.  E.  Christian,  S.  W.;  Burt 
Venable,  J.  W.;  J.  F.  Hum,  S.  B.;  Henry  Heckel,  Guard  ;  J.  F.  Hum, 
Marshal;  G.  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  M.  D.,  Medical  Examiner. 


676  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

The  present  (1882)  membership  of  this  organization  is  about  twenty- 
five.  They  hold  their  sessions  in  Masonic  Hall,  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Main  and  Cass  Streets. 

BUSINESS    OF     1882. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  business  men  of  Rock  Port  there 
engaged  in  the  year  1882,  with  the  dates  of  their  commencing  business 
under  their  present  firm  names  : 

Applet,  Jacob,  wagonmaker,  1865. 
Bischof  &  Traub,  hardware  dealers,  1874. 
Blake,  Homer,  house  and  sign  painter,  1880. 
Burnett,  Charles,  livery  stable,  1879. 

Buckham,  William  T.,  proprietor  public  hall  and  deputy  circuit 
clerk. 

Barnard  &  O'Donnel,  saloon  keepers,  1882. 

Christian,  L.  C,  general  merchant,  1879. 

Cunnington,  William,  Dr.,  dentist. 

Crosly  &  Courtright,  blacksmiths,  1881. 

Davis,  James,  plasterer. 

Dopf,  John  D.,  bookseller,  real  estate  agent,  editor  Journal,  etc. 

Deuser  Bros.,  hardware,  agricultural  implements,  etc. 

Dragoo,  Lawson,  livery  and  feed  stable,  188 1. 

Enoch,  Henry,  proprietor  of  livery  stable. 

Ebner,  George,  wagonmaker,  1866. 

Fleming,  D.  C,  blacksmith,  1875. 

Foster,  F.  A.,  carriage  repairer,  undertaker,  etc.,  1874. 

Foutch,  G.  W.,  carpenter,  1878. 

Farmer  &  Layton,  livery  stable,  1881. 

Freihofer,  George,  lumber  dealer,  1870. 

Gaunce,  Hiram,  wagonmaker,  1882. 

Gaede  &  Baker,  general  merchants,  1879. 

Grebe,  R.,  confectionery,  restaurant,  etc.,  1879. 

Grieve,  John,  miller,  1876. 

Hunter  &  Bro.,  dry  goods,  1865. 

Hurst,  B.  W.,  auction  and  commission  merchant,  1881. 

Harrington  &  Millsaps,  general  merchants,  188 1. 

Holland,  Miss,  milliner,  etc.,  1882. 

Hudgens  &  McMichael,  druggists,  1879. 

Johnson  &  Smith,  harness  factory,  1870. 

Johannet,  George,  deputy  postmaster. 

Lyon,  John  F.,  money  loaner. 

Laney,  Mrs.,  milliner  and  dressmaker,  1878. 

Mulhaupt,  Jacob,  boot  and  shoemaker. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  6"/7 

Mcintosh,  James,  (Grieve  &  Mcintosh),  miller,  1876. 

Moses,  Harry,  general  merchant,  1879. 

Opp,  Abraham,  eating  house. 

Opp,  William,  barber. 

Pinnell,  H.  J.,  harness  maker  and  dealer,  1866. 

Petry,  Nick.,  carpenter  and  undertaker,  1870. 

Pinnell,  George  A.,  general  merchant,  1874. 

Renner,  Charles,  tailor,  1858. 

Reiter,  John,  druggist,  1880. 

Rice,  Thomas  J.,  photographer,  1880. 

Rice,  W.  A.,  cashier  Bank  of  Atchison  County,  1882. 

Snyder,  Daniel,  proprietor  Rock  Port  Hotel,  1865. 

Suter,  William,  brewer. 

Stiles,  E.  J.,  groceries,  hardware,  etc.,   1874. 

Spurlock,  J.  E.,  druggist,  1871. 

Sanders  &  Son,  meat  market,  1879. 

Stiles,  E.  J.,  meat  shop,  1877. 

Schneider,  Christopher,  jeweler,  1866. 

Stacy,  George,  blacksmith,  1882. 

Tann,  Jerome,  proprietor  Valley  House,  1881. 

Traub,  A.  &  Co.,  confectionery,  1869. 

Tolliver,  Dr.  John,  veterinary  surgeon,  1880. 

Tolliver,  Charles,  saloon  keeper,  1878. 

Tolliver,  J.  B.,  restaurant,  1880. 

Tolliver,  Thomas,  proprietor  Commercial  Hotel,  1879. 

Wyatt,  A.  E.,  president  Bank  of  Atchison  County,  1870. 

Wannschaff,  A.  A.,  teller  in  the  Bank  of  Atchison  County. 

Waits,  Mrs.  E.  W.,  milliner,  1873. 

Zuloff,  John,  proprietor  saloon,  1872. 

PROFESSIONAL — PHYSICIANS. 

David  Whitmire,  1854.  J.  Y.  Bird,  1856. 

G.  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  1877.  C.  F.  Luja,  1879. 

L.  S.  Munsell,  1873.  A.  McMichael,  1879. 

O.  P.  Templeton,  1879. 

ATTORNEYS. 

Campbell,  John  D.,  1868.  Lewis,  J.  P.,  1868. 

Campbell,  Judge  L.  W.,  1878.  McKillop,  M.,  1868. 

Durfee,  A.  B.,  1859.  Osborn,  James  M.,  1879. 

Hunt,  John  C.,ccunty  attorney,  1880.  Peck,  Josiah  W.,  1880. 

Joslyn,  Judge  F.  M.,  1880.  Ramsey,  L.  D. ,  city  attorney,  1875. 

Due  mention  of  the  editorial  profession  will  be  found  under  the  head 
of  newspapers. 


678  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

POSTMASTERS . 

Byron,  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  established  April  3,  1855,  Thomas 
J.  Jones,  postmaster.  Byron  changed  to  Rock  Port,  March  25,  1856, 
Isaac  N.  White,  postmaster.  Since  then  the  following  list  shows  the 
postmasters  appointed,  and  the  date  of  their  appointment : 

James  Templeton,  August  21,  1856.  Amos  H.  Sharp,  February  25,  1863. 
David  J.  Martin,  December  9,  1856.  Ephraim  L.  Clark,  May  2,  1863. 
John  R.  Vanatta,  July  28,  1857.  Leopold  Saunders,  April  25,  1866. 

Richard  Buckham,  May  18,  1858.       C.  Schneider,  November,  19,  1869. 

F.  L.  Moore,  November  23,  1858.      John  C.  Dragoo,  April-  21,  1871. 
W.  N.  Smith,  December  22,  1858.      Anson  B.  McCreary,  April  1,  1872. 

G.  W.  Reed,  November  21,  1861.         John  D.  Dopf,  April  7,  1881. 

UNION    CITY, 

in  the  northeast  corner  of  section  5,  township  64,  range  41,  was  laid  out 
by  Enoch  D.  Scammon,  in  July,  1865.  Its  site  is  at  the  base  of  the  bluff, 
two  miles  southwest  of  Rock  Port,  and  about  three  miles  east  of  Phelps 
City,  on  the  main  road  between  those  two  points.  At  the  period  of  the 
laying  out  of  this  town,  it  was  confidently  believed  that  the  Kansas  City, 
St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  railroad  would  be  built  through  its  limits. 
The  projectors  of  this  road,  however,  evidently  appreciated  the  economy 
of  straight  lines  wherever  and  whenever  praticable  in  building  railroads, 
and  the  same,  in  consequence,  left  Union  City  three  miles  to  the  east- 
ward. Her  anticipated  growth  was  thus  nipped  in  the  bud,  and  to-day 
little  remains  to  tell  of  the  unfortunately  directed  enterprise  of  her 
founder,  but  a  group  of  tenantless  and  dilapidated  houses,  whose  ruined 
and  uncouth  aspect  only  serve  to  mar  the  fair  face  of  the  surrounding 
landscape. 

Immediately  after  the  location  of  the  town,  E.  D.  Scammon,  in 
partnership  with  Pharis  Millsaps,  opened,  in  a  frame  building  erected  for 
that  purpose,  a  general  store.  They  continued  to  transact  business 
together  here,  for  almost  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  E.  D. 
Scammon  sold  his  interest  in  the  establishment  to  his  partner,  Millsaps. 
In  the  meantime  Moore  &  Robeson  started  a  general  store  in  the  place. 
They,  however,  only  continued  to  sell  goods  about  six  months,  when 
they  moved  away.  In  1868,  Enoch  D.  Scammon  &  Son  started  a  third 
store  in  Union  City.  This  business  they  continued  three  or  four  years. 
William  Scammon,  the  junior  member  of  the  firm,  was  appointed  post- 
master of  the  place,  and  continued  to  hold  the  position  about  a  year,  at 
the  end  of  which  period  the  office  was  abolished. 

The  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  town  was  established  shortly  after 
the  same  was  laid  out.     It  was  started  by  B.  Dragoo,  who  continued  the 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  679 

business  four  or  five  years.  E.  D.  Scammon  &  Son  soon  after  started 
another  shop.  This  was  run  a  short  time  by  William  Scammon,  at  the 
end  of  which  period  it  was  permanently  closed.  E.  D.  Scammon  also 
started  a  furniture  factory  in  Union  City.  It  was  for  several  years,  in 
a  small  way,  a  flourishing  enterprise,  employing  from  six  to  ten  hands, 
but  was  ultimately  discontinued.  Among  other  enterprises  in  the  place, 
was  a  saddle  and  harness  shop,  in  which  C.  Morris  did  a  fair  business  for 
a  considerable  time.  This  also,  with  its  other  elements  of  life  and  enter- 
prise, has  long  been  numbered  with  the  things  of  the  past,  in  Union  City. 

The  physician  of  the  place  was  Dr.  Hance,  a  native  of  New  York, 
but  from  Ohio  to  Missouri.  He  disappeared  on  the  demise  of  the  town. 
There  never  was  a  public  school  building  in  the  place,  but  private  schools 
were  taught  by  Miss  Mary  White,  and  afterwards  by  Miss  Rathburn. 
These  institutions  were  in  existence  about  the  years  1871-72. 

The  last  enterprise  of  a  business  character  inaugurated  in  the  place 
was  a  saw  and  a  grist  mill,  of  one  run  of  burrs,  built  by  E.  D.  Scammon, 
in  1873.  In  1880,  the  mill  was  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Hamburg,  Iowa, 
and  Union  City  drew  its  last  breath. 

On  the  12th  of  August,  1865,  shortly  after  the  laying  out  of  the 
town,  E.  D.  Scammon,  who  was  himself  a  leading  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  put  up  the  first  and  only  church  edifice  ever  erected  in  the 
town.  This  building,  a  primitive  looking  frame  structure,  26x40  feet  in 
extent,  of  the  Noah's  Ark  order  of  architecture,  and  as  innocent  of  paint 
as  it  appeared  when  first  it  lifted  its  queer  proportions  on  the  soil  it  con- 
secrates, originally  stood  in  Rock  Port,  where  it  was  first  built  in  1857, 
and  where  it  also  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  ecclesiastical 
structure  erected  in  the  town.  The  organizers  of  the  church  there  were 
E.  D.  Scammon  and  Elizabeth  Scammon,  his  wife,  David  Hacker  and 
his  wife  Matilda  Hacker,  and  a  widow  lady  by  the  name  of  Stone.  The 
first  minister  of  the  congregation  was  the  Rev.  Robert  Whitton.  The 
organization  ocurred  in  1852,  at  the  old  Millsaps  School  House,  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  Union  City,  near  the  bluff.  It  appears  that  the 
congregation  were  unable  to  complete  the  building,  and  E.  D.  Scammon 
advanced  the  necessary  funds.  This  obligation  they  were  unable  to  dis- 
charge, and  Mr.  Scammon,  fired  with  the  ambition  of  founding  a  city, 
became  the  proprietor  of  the  building,  which  was  deeded  to  him  by  the 
trustees  of  the  same,  in  default  of  a  payment  of  the  $350  or  $400 
advanced  by  him  for  its  erection. 

Eight  years  had  now  elapsed  since  its  completion  ;  the  Cottonwood 
roof  had  rotted  and  the  building  leaked  badly.  The  frame  and  siding, 
however,  were  in  fair  condition,  and  this,  the  father  of  the  future  city  of 
Union  moved  across  the  intervening  hills  and  hollows,  and  set  it  up  on 
the  site  of  the  town  which  was  expected  to  rival  Rock  Port  in  growth 
and  importance,  but  unfortunately  did  not. 


680  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

The  primitive  structure  of  this  pioneer  church,  still  (1882)  lifts  its 
humble  proportions,  a  melancholy  monument  of  the  uncertainty  of 
human  affairs,  amid  its  rusty,  gloomy,  dilapidated  and  ghostlike  sur- 
roundings, the  almost  solitary  survivor  of  cotemporary  enterprises  in  the 
general  decay  of  matter  and  wreck  of  ancient  shanties  which  failed  to 
accomplish  their  once  manifest  destiny  of  making  up  the  hub  of  Atchison 
County. 

COUNTRY   CHURCHES — CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH. 

Rock  Creek  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  15,  township  64,  range  41,  of  Clay  Township,  stands 
near  Roundtree's  Branch,  about  a  half  mile  from  the  waters  of  Rock 
Creek,  on  a  piece  of  ground  donated  by  E.  W.  Freeman,  about  three  and 
three-fo'urths  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Rock  Port.  The  early  records 
of  this  association  are  not  extant,  and  from  the  subsequent  entries  on  the 
church  book,  said  to  have  been  made  from  memory,  with  reference  to  its 
early  history,  and  necessarily  imperfect,  we  glean   the  following  facts: 

The  church  was  originally  organized  in  185 1,  by  the  Rev.  Jesse  R. 
Allen  and  the  Rev.  John  Price,  with  some  forty  or  fifty  members,  among 
whom  were  Lina  Helm,  Samuel  Roundtree  and  wife,  Samuel  Walkup 
and  wife,  William  Hunter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hunter,  M.  J.  O'Neal  and  Mrs. 
Susan  Price.  In  1852,  James  Hunter  was  enrolled  in  the  membership. 
Among  others,  in  1854,  were  added  to  the  church  Julia  Tate,  Caroline 
Holloway,  Mary  Freeman,  Jarret  Casey,  Thomas  Christian  and  Mary  A. 
Christian. 

From  the  imperfect  records  we  learn  that,  in  February,  1868,  Rev. 
Isaac  Chivington  was  pastor,  William  Hunter,  James  Hunter,  Elisha 
Freeman  and  Samuel  Walkup,  elders. 

January  25,  1872,  Rev.  O.  D.  Allen  was  employed  and  installed  as 
pastor .  His  compensation  is  mentioned  as  $300,  for  one  fourth  his  time . 
The  elders,  at  this  time,  were  C.  W.  Freeman,  James  Hunter,  Samuel 
Walkup  and  William  Hunter. 

In  1878  C.  B.  Powers  was  pastor  of  the  congregation.  The  ruling 
elders  at  this  time  were  Samuel  Walkup,  James  Hunter  and  William 
Mc.  Holloway. 

On  the  first  organization  of  the  church  they  were  unprovided  with 
any  place  of  meeting  of  their  own,  and  assembled  from  time  to  time  at 
private  residences,  in  groves,  or  any  other  convenient  places  which 
chance  supplied.  For  some  time  after  their  organization  they  occupied 
a  camp  ground  on  the  farm  of  William  Hunter,  three  miles  south  of  Rock 
Port.  These'  camp  meetings,  of  course,  were  largely  attended  and  pop- 
ular resorts  with  people  of  all  religious  opinions  for  years  after  their  first 
institution  in  this  neighborhood,  and  it  was  not  until  the  year  1859,  eight 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  68  E 

years  after  the  organization  of  the  church,  that  the  congregation  erected 
their  first  house  of  worship. 

The  records  with  reference  to  those  who  have  filled,  since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  church,  the  offices  of  elders  and  deacons  are  said  to  be 
accurate.  From  these  we  learn  that  the  following  have  been  elected  to 
the  former  office  :  Lina  Helm,  Samuel  Walkup  and  William  Hunter 
were  chosen  in  1851.  Of  these,  Helm  died  in  1854,  and  Walkup  in  1881. 
In  1853  C.  W.  Freeman  was  chosen  elder.  He  died  in  1875.  Joseph 
H.  Young  was  ordained  in  1867.  He  ceased  to  act  January  19,  1877. 
William  Mc  .  Holloway  was  ordained  elder  January  25,  1877.  E.  C.  H. 
Brooks,  N.  C.  Rundle  and  William  Mc.  Holloway  were  ordained 
deacons  January  25,  1877,  an^  William  H.  Christian  in  1878. 

The  first  church  edifice  above  referred  to  as  erected  in  1859,  on 
Roundtree's  Branch,  was  a  frame  building,  about  twenty  by  forty  feet  in 
size.  This  subserved  the  purposes  of  a  church  till  the  year  1872,  when, 
it  was  moved  away,  and  the  present  structure  of  the  church  erected  on. 
its  site. 

The  new  church  was  built  by  F.  M.  Jewettr  who  took  in  part  pay- 
ment of  his  work,  the  old  building,  which  he  moved  to  Rock  Port,  where 
converted  into  a  two-story  building,  it  now  (1882)  stands,  on  Main  Street,. 
a  few  doors  south  of  Clay  Street.  This  has  subserved  the  various  pur- 
poses at  different  periods,  of  wagon  and  carriage  shop,  newspaper  office, 
paint  shop,  etc.  It  now  C1882)  bears  on  its  front,  the  sign,  "  A.  C.  Hansen,, 
sign  and  carriage  painter." 

The  structure  of  the  new  Rock  Creek  Church,  which  occupies  the  site 
of  the  old  building,  was  completed  in  1872,  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,000.  It 
is  a  neat  frame  building,  thirty  by  forty  feet  in,  extent.  The  present 
(1882)  minister  of  the  church  is  Rev.   J.  H.  Norman. 

PLEASANT   GROVE    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH 

on  the  farm  of  Callaway  Millsaps,  northwest  quarter  of  section  32, 
township  65,  range  41,  was  built  in  1879  on  a  piece  of  ground  donated 
by  him  for  that  purpose.  The  church  edifice,  which  is  a  frame  struc- 
ture, thirty  by  forty  feet  in  extent,  was  built  chiefly  through  the  personal 
efforts  of  Elder  Hillman  and  the  liberal  contributions  of  outsiders  as 
well  as  of  members  of  the  denomination.  The  cost  of  the  building, 
exclusive  of  aid  contributed  in  work,  etc.,  was  about  $1,000.  The  orig- 
inal organization  of  this  congregation  was  effected  in  the  year  1851,  by 
Elder  S.  C.  Huey,  in  the  Millsaps'  School  House.  The  organizers  were 
S.  D.  Bartholomew,  Joseph  Staley,  Samuel  Bartholomew.  A.  Hughes,  John 
W.  Mapes,  B.  F.  Dragoo  and  their  wives,  H.  B.  Hill  and  a  few  others 
also,  including  Mrs.  Callaway  Millsaps,  William  Millsaps  and  John 
Millsaps. 


682  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON  COUNTY. 

The  present  (1882)  minister  of  the  congregation  is  Mrs.  Maggie 
Wallace,  formerly  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  She  has  been  preachjng  in 
this  church  since  1880. 


-4-  (s— sS^p^l— 4T 


^iBIOGR  APH  ICALf 

AQUILLA   BECK, 

• 

farmer,  section  23,  was  born  February  4,  1809,  in  Rowan  County,  North 
Carolina.  His  father  and  mother,  Samuel  and  Mary  Beck,  were  also 
brought  up  in  North  Carolina.  Aquillawas  the  fourth  child  in  a  family 
.of  nine  children.  In  1816,  his  parents  moved  to  Wayne  County,  Indi- 
ana, the  state  then  being  a  territory,  and  there  young  Beck  was  raised 
to  manhood  on  a  farm,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  In  1834, 
he  went  to  Berrien  County,  Michigan,  where  he  cleared  a  farm  of  100 
acres  in  the  heavy  timber.  In  July,  1854,  he  came  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  and  located  on  the  farm  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1856, 
he  engaged  in  the  livery  business  in  Rock  Port,  which  business  he  con- 
tinued for  ten  years,  but  since  that  time  he  has  been  occupied  in  tilling 
the  soil.  His  farm  contains  220  acres  of  excellent  land.  Mr.  Beck  is  a 
member  of  North  Star  Lodge  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.M.  He  has  been 
twice  married.  First,  to  Ruth  Alexander,  their  marriage  occurring  in 
the  year  1830.  Mrs.  B.  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  She  died  in 
August,  1870,  leaving  three  children:  Gazaway  G  ,  Reese  W.  and 
Ulysses  H.  In  April,  1871,  Mr.  Beck  was  again  married  to  Susan 
Brickett,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Amelia  (Crosby)  Brickett .  She  was 
a  native  of  Clay  County,  Indiana.  Mr.  B.  was  formerly  a  Whig,  but  is 
now  a  staunch  Republican  in  his  political  views,  and  is  numbered  with 
the  men  of  prominence  in  this  vicinity. 

C.  E.  BLAKE, 

of  the  firm  of  Van  Pelt  &  Blake,  editors  of  the  Atchison  County  Mail,  is 
the  son  of  Daniel  M.  Blake,  who  was  born  in  Litchfield  County,  Con- 
necticut, February  20,  1807.  When  about  ten  years  of  age  he  moved 
with  his  parents  to  Tyringham,  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts,  where 
he  was  married,  July  14,  1832,  to  Miss  Harriet  E.  Marsh.  In  1843  he 
went  to  Monroe  County,  New  York,  living  in  Monroe  and  Wayne  Coun- 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  683 

• 

ties  till  1873,  when  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  had  a  family  of  nine  children  :  William  M.,  Homer 
F  ,  deceased,  Frances  A.,  Charles  R.,  George,  Homer  D.,  Henry  S., 
Josephine,  deceased,  and  C  E.  Blake,  editor  of  the  Mail.  Daniel  M 
Blake  was  a  son  of  Brazella  and  Ruth  Blake,  both  natives  of  Connecti- 
cut. Harriet  E .  Blake  was  born  in  Schenectady,  New  York,  October 
6,  181 1,  and  when  but  one  year  old  she  accompanied  her  parents,  Wil- 
liam and  Lydia  Marsh,  to  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Her  mother  died 
when  Harriet  was  under  three  years  of  age,  and  she  made  her  home  with 
different  relatives  in  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts.  C.  E.  Blake, 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  New  York, 
November  7,  1854.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county,  and 
was  educated  at  the  schools  of  Palmyra.  In  1874  he  came  to  Rock 
Port,  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  He  was  for  a  few  years  engaged  in 
working  at  the  painter's  trade,  but  since  July,  1879,  he  has  owned  a  half 
interest  in  the  office  of  the  Atchison  County  Mail .  He  is  a  member  of 
Rock  Port  Lodge,  No.  125,  I.  OOF.  Mr.  B.  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Orpha  O.  Ruland,  February  4,  1880.  They  have  one 
child,  an  infant.  Mrs.  Blake  was  born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
March  11,  [859.  Her  father,  J .  W.  Ruland,  was  born  in  Carmichael's, 
Greene  County,  Pennsylvania,  September  14,  1828.  He  was  married 
May  15,  1853,  to  Miss  Mary  M.  Dillon,  who  was  born  in  Warren  County, 
Missouri,  July  5,  1832 

JOHN  Y.  BIRD,  M.  D., 

is  a  well  known  medical  practitioner,  of  Atchison  County .  His  residence 
and  its  surroundings,  which  are  most  attractive,  is  located  one  mile  south 
•of  Rock  Port.  Mr.  B.  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Yeager)  Bird, 
both  natives  of  Virginia.  There  John  was  also  born,  May  31,  1818.  He 
was  the  second  child  in  the  family  of  twelve  children,  and  when  he  was 
but  six  months  old,  his  parents  moved  to  Hardin  County,  Kentucky, 
where  he  was  reared  on  a  farm,  there  being  educated  .  In  1840  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  and  in  1842  he  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in 
Andrew  County,  where  he  completed  his  study  with  D .  W.  Peter,  of 
Savannah.  In  1846  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  at 
Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  but  one  year  later  came  to  Atchison 
County  and  settled  in  Linden,  where  he  was  engaged  in  practicing  till 
1856,  excepting  in  1850-1,  when  he  was  in  California.  In  1856  Dr.  Bird 
came  to  Rock  Port,  and  in  1866,  to  his  present  location,  where  he  has  a 
farm  of  227  acres,  which  is  well  improved  and  supplied  with  many 
varieties  of  fruits.  From  1855  till  i860  he  served  as  treasurer  of  Atchi- 
son County,  having  been  appointed  for  the  first  year,  and  elected  for  the 
succeeding  four  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity — also 
of  the  I.   O.   O    F      He  was   married  October  29,  1849,  to  Mrs.  Sarah 


684  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Baird  .  Her  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Stivers,  and  she  was  born  in  Adams 
County,  Ohio,  March,  1823.  They  have  had  six  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living.  Robert  E.,  now  practicing  medicine  in  the  Indian  Territory, 
employed  by  the  government,  Albertine,  Josephine  (deceased),  Eugene 
O.,  George  and  John  L. 

GEORGE  L.  BISCHOF, 

of  the  firm  of  Bischof  &  Traub,  dealers  in  hardware,  stoves  and  tin- 
ware, was  born  in  Germany,  near  Nuremburg,  October  30,  1831.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country,  and  when  fourteen  years 
of  age  he  began  working  in  the  banking  and  commission  business, 
which  he  continued  till  1850.  At  that  time  he  emigrated  to  America, 
landing  at  New  York,  and  from  there  came  to  Atchison  County,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1861 .  After  this  he  was 
for  three  years  occupied  in  freighting  across  the  plains.  In  1864  he 
bought  the  Rock  Port  Mill,  which  he  operated  one  year,  after  which  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  till  1875.  Mr.  Bischof  now  has  a  valuable 
farm  of  forty  acres  adjoining  the  town,  which  is  well  improved,  having 
upon  it  a  fine  orchard  and  vineyard.  In  1875  he  became  a  member  of 
the  present  firm,  and,  in  company  with  Mr.  Traub,  is  doing  a  thriving 
business.  Mr.  B.  was  married  in  the  year  i860  to  Miss  Philipine 
Helmer.  She  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  on  June  20,  1843,  and 
and  came  to  America  in  1859.  They  have  had  nine  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  now  living:  Philipina,  born  September  27,  1863;  Theresa, 
born  October  25,  1865  ;  William,  born  May  27.  1868  ;  Charles,  born 
July  8,  1870  ;  Mary,  born  November  28,  1872  ;  Clara,  born  September  8, 
1875,  and  Frank,  born  October  15,  1879.  Mr.  B .  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

WILLIAM  T.  BUCKHAM, 

recorder  of  deeds  of  Atchison  County,  is  the  grandson  of  Andrew  Buck- 
ham,  who  early  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  America,  and  who  after- 
wards located  in  Kentucky,  where  James  Buckham,  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  born  .  He  was  married  to  Lucinda  Davis,  a  native 
of  Kentucky.  William  T.  Buckham,  their  son,  was  born  in  Union 
County,  Kentucky,  December  22,  1846.  In  1859  ne  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and,  in  1868,  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  trade,  which  he  continued 
till  1872,  after  which  he  was  engaged  in  writing  in  the  circuit  and 
county  clerks  offices  until  the  spring  of  1875.  He  was  then  occu- 
pied in  selling  drugs,  as  one  of  the  firm  of  W.  T.  Buckham  & 
Co.,     continuing  in  this  business  till   June,     1876,    since    which    time 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  685 

he  has  been  employed  in  the  office  of  the  circuit  clerk,  except 
during  the  summer  of  1879,  when  he  was  in  the  mountains,  visiting 
Leadville  and  other  points  of  interest  He  is  a  member  of  Rock  Port 
Lodge,  No.  125,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Buckham  was  married  November  16, 
1881,  to  Miss  Ida  B.  McCallister,  who  was  born  in  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  August  1,  1862.  Her  father,  John  McCallister,  was  a  native 
of  Ohio.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Kirkwood,  was 
also  born  in  Ohio. 

G.  W.  E.  CHAMBERLAIN,  M.  D., 

is  a  native  of  Heidleburg,  Germany,  and  was  born  November  26,  1835. 
His  grandfather,  Charles  J.  Chamberlain,  and  his  wife  now  live  in  the 
same  town,  he  being  109  years  of  age,  and  the  latter  108  years  old. 
They  have  been  married  over  seventy-five  years,  and  have  had  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Their  oldest  child,  Una,  who 
has  been  but  once  married,  now  lives  in  Somerset  County,  Pennsylvania, 
and  has  had  a  family  of  twenty-five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 
The  second  child  of  Charles  J.  Chamberlain,  was  also  named  Charles  J. 
He  is  the  father  of  G.  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  and  came  to  America  in  the 
spring  of  1836,  locating  in  the  town  of  Somerset,  Somerset  County, 
Pennsylvania.  He  now  lives  in  Ravenna,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  and 
follows  the  profession  of  medicine,  having  graduated  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  about  the  year  1852.  He  has  been  for 
several  years  one  of  the  lecturers  in  the  same  institution.  G.  W.  E. 
Chamberlain,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  having  moved  to  Trumbull  County,  Ohio, 
when  about  seventeen  years  of  age.  In  1856,  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  and  afterwards  was  engaged 
in  practicing  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he  entered  the  Second 
Ohio  Cavalry  as  hospital  steward.  He  was  transferred  in  the  spring  of 
1863,  to  the  Fourth  Ohio  Battery,  as  assistant  surgeon,  and  was  fur- 
loughed  in  the  fall  following.  During  the  winter  of  1863-4,  he  attended 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1864,  he  went  to  Washington,  where  he  had  charge 
of  ward  thirteen  of  Harwood  Hospital  till  the  close  of  the  war.  A  short 
time  afterwards  he  located  in  Farmington,  Minnesota,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  till  1872,  after  which  he  was 
graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Keokuk.  In 
the  spring  of  1873,  Dr.  C.  settled  in  Albany,  Illinois,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1876,  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  has  since  been  successfully 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  .  He  also  has  a  partner,  Joseph 
T.  Caveny,  a  graduate  from  St .  Joseph,  who  has  been  studying  with  him 
for  five  years.      He  is    a  member  of  North  West  Lodge   No.  134,  A. 


686  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

O.  U.  W.  also  of  the  S.K.A.O.U.W.  Dr.  Chamberlain  was  mar- 
ried June  i8,  1861,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Johnson,  of  Ohio.  She  died  in  the 
year  1870.  They  had  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Cozella  C  ,  born  March  7,  1863,  and  Carver  C.,born  December  31,  1866. 
He  was  again  married  July  4,  1873,  to  Miss  Maggie  M.  Beaty,  who  was 
born  in  Clayton  County,  Iowa,  September  6,  1852.  They  now  have  two 
children  living:  Austin  W.,born  January  2,  1880,  and  Oscar  M.  C.J 
born  September  4,  1881 . 

LOUIS  C.  CHRISTIAN, 

dealer  in  general. merchandise,  was  born  in  Cocke  County,  Tennessee, 
August  28,  1830.  His  father,  Thomas  E.  Christian,  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  and  his  ancestors  were  from  Virginia.  His  mother,  formerly 
Mary  A.  Doughty,  was  also  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  her  ancestors 
came  from  Maryland.  Louis  C.  was  the  sixth  child  in  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county.  March  24, 
1852,  he  started  for  Missouri,  and  located  in  Atchison  County,  on  a  farm, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  till  1874,  when  he  was 
elected  county  clerk  of  Atchison  County  This  position  he  continued 
to  fill  very  acceptably  till  January,  1879.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace 
from  1858  till  1863,  and  was  county  assessor  from  1859  till  i860.  In 
November,  1878,  he  began  in  his  present  business.  Mr.  Christian  is  a 
member  of  North  Star  Lodge  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M,  of  the  North 
West  Lodge,  No.  134,  A  O.  U.  W,  of  Rock  Port  Legion  No.  12,  S. 
K.  A  O.  U.  W.,  and  the  Oriental  Order  of  the  Palm  and  Shell.  He 
was  married  August  25,  1853,  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Golden^  who  was  born 
in  Howard  County.  Missouri,  March  25,  1837.  She  died  August  3,  1875. 
They  had  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living  :  John  L  ,  William 
B.,  Laura  A.,  James  T,  Lydia  A.  and  Charles  M  He  was  married 
again  August  2,  1876,  to  Mrs.  Charlotte  E.  Squire,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Longenecker.  She  was  born  in  Richland  County,  Illinois,  July  27, 
1842  Her  father,  Levi  Longenecker,  was  a  native  of  Harrisburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  his  father  of  Germany.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Anna  Beckwith,  was  born  in  Elmira,  New  York.  Mrs.  Christian 
was  principally  reared  in  Kansas,  having  lived  there  from  the  time  she 
was  ten  years  of  age,  till  the  year  1869,  when  she  came  to  Rock  Port. 
She  was  previously  married  to  Albert  Squire,  a  native  of  Connecticut. 
By  this  marriage  she  has  two  children,  Alice,  now  Mrs.  L.  W.  Camp- 
bell, and  Hattie  A  Mr  and  Mrs.  Christian  are  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church . 

DA    COLVIN, 

collector  of  Atchison  County,  is  a  native  of  New  York,  and  was  born  in 
Chautauqua  County,  February  24,  1840.      His  father,  Welcome  Colvin, 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  687 

and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elmira  Munn,  were  also  born 
in  New  York.  In  1847  the  family  moved  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
where  they  lived  six  years,  after  which  they  became  residents  of  Brook- 
field  in  the  same  state.  Here  DA  Colvin  was  principally  educated. 
In  1859  ne  came  to  Missouri  and  located  at  Hemme's  Landing,  in  Holt 
County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  clerking  till  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  being  employed  by  F.  M.  Thompson  and  one  other  merchant.  In 
the  spring  of  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  Missouri  State  Militia  for  six 
months,  after  which  he  helped  to  recruit  Company  C,  Fifth  Missouri, 
and  was  made  first  lieutenant.  He  remained  in  service  for  about 
eighteen  months  and  at  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  helped  to  recruit 
another  company  for  the  Twelfth  Missouri,  but  on  account  of  his  father's 
death  he  was  compelled  to  resign  and  stay  at  home  for  the  support  of 
his  mother  and  family  at  Rock  Port.  In  1864  he  went  to  the  mount- 
ains, where  he  was  engaged  in  various  branches  of  business,  mining, 
freighting,  etc.  In  the  summer  of  1865  he  was  elected  county  recorder 
at  Helena,  Montana,  and  was  the  first  recorder  in  that  county.  In  1867 
he  was  located  at  Fort  C.  T.  Smith,  on  the  Big  Horn  River,  where  he 
was  contracting  for  furnishing  hay  and  wood  for  that  post.  In  1868  he 
returned  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  the  same  fall  was  elected 
sheriff  and  collector  of  the  county,  holding  that  office  till  1872,  when  he 
began  in  the  livery  business.  In  connection  with  this  he  ran  a  trans- 
fer line  between  Rock  Port  and  Phelps.  He  followed  this  business  till 
the  spring  of  1882.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  he  now  fills  in  the  fall 
of  1880,  and  has  discharged  his  duties  in  a  most  acceptable  manner. 
Mr.  Colvin  was  married  February  22,  1872,  to  Miss  Ella  Bennett,  a 
native  of  New  York.  She  was  born  in  March,  1848,  and  was  educated 
in  Mississippi  and  Illinois.  Her  father,  Thomas  F.  Bennett,  was  a 
native  of  New  York,  as  was  also  her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Diana  Howard.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  have  one  child:  Welcome  R. 

JAMES  O.  CROSLY 

was  born  in  Clay  County,  Indiana,  August  8,  1830  His  father,  Thomas 
C.  Crosly,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  in  which  state  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Amelia  Spencer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  In  1827  they  moved  to 
Indiana.  James  O.  Crosly  was  reared  in  Clay  and  Vigo  Counties, 
Indiana,  and  in  1849  ne  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Mercer  County. 
In  185 1  he  removed  to  Rock  Port,  and  the  same  year  he  returned  to 
Ohio,  where  he  was  married  August  16,  1852,  to  Miss  Lydia  Prickett. 
Since  1853  Mr.  Crosly  has  lived  in  Rock  Port  and  its  vicinity,  and  has 
been  principally  engaged  in  the  milling  business,  at  which  he  is  now 
occupied.  Previous  to  this,  however,  he  was  interested  in  farming,  at 
which  occupation  he  was  reared       In  1871  he  star-ted  a  lumber  yard  in 


•688  HISTORY  OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Rock  Port,  which  he  continued  one  year.  Mrs.  C.  was  born  in  Cler- 
mont County,  Ohio,  in  August,  1837.  Her  parents,  Elias  and  Maria  E. 
(Clark)  Prickett,  were  natives  of  Ohio.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
C.  consists  of  six  children — Thomas,  William,  Maria,  Mary  B,  Fannie 
and  Rena. 

DR.  WILLIAM  CUNNINGTON, 

proprietor  of  the  only  exclusive  dentistry  establishment  in  the  city  of 
Rock  Port,  is  one  who  is  well  worthy  of  representation  in  a  public  work. 
He  is  a  native  of  County  Peal,  Canada,  and  was  born  November  25,  1844. 
His  father,  William  Cunnington,  was  a  native  of  England,  and  his  mother, 
formerly  Elizabeth  Ceasar,  was  born  in  Ireland.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  reared  and  educated  at  his  native  home.  In  1866  he  began 
the  study  of  dentistry,  and  this  profession  he  followed,  in  Canada,  till 
1869,  after  which  he  was  engaged  in  the  same  calling,  over  the  state  of 
Iowa,  till  the  spring  of  1877.  At  that  time  Mr.  C.  came  from  Dallas 
Center,  Dallas  County,  of  that  state,  to  Rock  Port,  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  and  has  since  been  a  citizen  of  this  place.  He  has  labored 
steadily  in  his  profession  and  is  deserving  of  much  credit,  being  a  skill- 
ful and  careful  dentist,  always  giving  satisfaction.  He  is  a  member  of 
Northwest  Lodge,  No.  134,  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  fraternity.  He  was 
married  August  16,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Miller,  who  was  born  in 
Indiana  County,  Pennsylvania,  September  16,  1853.  Her  father,  Samuel 
Miller,  was  a  native  of  Union  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  her  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Fannie  Mack,  was  from  Indiana  County,  Penn- 
sylvania. The  doctor's  family  consists  of  four  children:  John  N., 
Elizabeth  F.,  Ella  B.  and  Pearl  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  are  members  of 
the  M.  E.   Church. 

DEUSER  &  BROTHER, 

dealers  in  general  hardware,  furniture  and  farm  implements,  are  conduct- 
ing business  in  Rock  Port  and  Fairfax,  and  are  the  leading  merchants  in 
their  line  in  the  county.  This  firm  is  composed  of  George  and  Charles 
Deuser,  they  being  twins.  They  were  born  in  Germany,  October  14, 
1843,  and  in  1850  they  came  to  America  and  located  in  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, where  they  were  educated.  George  Deuser  came  to  Brownville, 
Nebraska,  in  1858,  and  in  1859  Charles  followed.  There  they  learned 
the  tinners'  trade,  and  since  1869  they  have  been  engaged  in  their  present 
business  in  Rock  Port .  George  Deuser  was  married,  March,  1873,  to 
Miss  Eliza  Kuierian,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1855.  They  have 
three  children  :  Willie,  Letta  and  Charlie.  Charles  Deuser  was  mar- 
ried. May  14,  1874,  to  Miss  Fannie  Minnich.  She  was  born  in  Osen- 
berg,  Ohio,  January  20,  185 1.  They  have  had  three  children,  two 
of  whom  are  now  living.  Harry  and  George. 


■ 


<^2L?^*^  o^<^s^*-~~ 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  689 

JOHN  DICKINSON  DOPF. 

John  D.  Dopf,  whose  portrait  appears  in  this  work,  is  one  of  the 
self  made  men  of  this  country,  through  his  own  exertions.  He 
was  born  in  Platteville,  Grant  County,  Wisconsin,  July  18,  1839 
Frederick  Dopf,  his  father,  a  native  of  Baden  Baden,  Germany,  was  a 
miner.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Jane  Mahood,  and  she  was  born 
in  Wythe  County,  Virginia.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  deprived 
of  his  parents  when  he  was  but  seven  years  old,  and  he  was  early  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources .  He  secured  a  limited  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  when  quite  young  was  apprenticed  to  the  blacksmith  trade. 
He  then  moved  to  Lancaster,  Wisconsin,  where  he  served  an  appren- 
ticeship to  the  printing  business.  At  the  expiration  of  his  time,  when 
eighteen  years  of  age,  feeling  the  necessity  of  a  better  education  than 
he  had  obtained  in  the  common  schools,  he  attended  the  Lancaster  Insti- 
tute one  year.  He  worked  for  some  time  as  a  traveling  printer  in  differ- 
ent towns  of  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and  Illinois.  In  i860  he  published  for 
the  term  of  six  months,  the  Independent  Watchman,  a  weekly  newspaper 
in  Mount  Morris,  Illinois.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  moved  to 
Polo,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  the  publication  of  the  Rock  River 
Press,  and  afterwards  of  the  Polo  Advertiser.  In  the  spring  of  1861,  on 
the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  he  enlisted  in  the  Chicago  Zouaves,  and 
was  with  the  first  troops  that  left  the  city.  At  the  end  of  his  three 
months  term  of  service,  he  enlisted  in  the  Eleventh  Wisconsin  regiment, 
from  which  he  was  shortly  after  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  In 
the  spring  of  1862,  he  removed  to  Missouri,  and  settled  in  St.  Louis.  In 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  took  charge  of  the  state  printing  office  at 
Jefferson  City,  remaining  in  that  capacity  till  the  summer  of  1863,  when 
he  returned  to  St.  Louis  and  worked  in  the  Democrat  office  several 
months.  He  then  moved  to  Rock  Port,  with  a  view  of  establishing  a 
Republican  newspaper,  and  in  September,  1863,  issued  the  first  number 
of  the  Atchison  County  Journal,  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  its 
publication.  He  filled,  with  ability,  the  office  of  surveyor  of  Atchison 
County,  from  1864  to  1870.  He  has,  also,  for  some  years  past  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  and  he  has  done  much 
toward  inducing  emigration  to  this  county,  and  otherwise  contributing 
to  its  advancement.  Until  a  few  years  ago  he  was  also  a  member  of  the 
well  known  banking  firm  of  Durfee,  McKillop  &  Dopf — later  Durfee  & 
Wyatt,  and  now  the  Bank  of  Atchison  County.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  State  Militia  ever  since  his  first  arrival  in  the  state,  and  at  one 
time  held  a  lieutenant's  commission  in  the  same.  He  was  among  those 
who  enrolled  during  the  war,  under  the  famous  "  Order  No.  24."  In  1870 
he  united   with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  still  a 

member.     He   has   for  the   past  thirteen   or  fourteen  years  belonged  to 

44 


090  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

North  Star  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Rock  Port,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  Zerubbabel  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  and  Adoniram  Council,  R.  and  S. 
M.,  in  Phelps  City,  Missouri.  In  1864  he  assisted  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
at  the  organization  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Union  League  in  the 
state.  In  politics,  he  has  ever  been  a  conservative  Republican.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1865,  he  married  in  Mount  Morris,  Illinois,  Miss  Mary  A.  Burnette, 
daughter  of  Rodney  Burnette  of  that  place.  He  has  three  children 
living — Minta,  John  R.  and  Paul.  Mr.  Dopf  is  highly  respected  in  the 
community  where  he  resides,  for  his  strict  integrity  and  Christian  virtues. 
He  has  long  been  an  active  member -of  the  Sabbath  School,  and  is  a 
person  who  is  one  of  the  foremost  in  every  good  cause. 

LAWSON  DRAGOO, 

proprietor  of  livery  barn,  was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  February 
24,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  Franklin  W.  and  Susan  (Hawk)  Dragoo,  who 
were  both  natives  of  Brown  County,  Ohio.  Lawson  was  reared  on  a 
farm  in  his  mother  county,  and  there  received  his  education .  In  Octo- 
ber, i86i,he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Seventieth  Ohio  Infantry,  remain- 
ing in  service  for  three  years  and  one  month.  He  participated  in  many 
important  battles,  among  which  was  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  and 
in  all  of  Sherman's  engagements  on  his  march  to  the  sea.  He  received 
one  wound  at  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain.  In  1865  Mr.  D.  came 
to  Atchison  County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  till  the  fall  of  1881, 
when  he  began  in  his  present  business,  in  which  he  has  built  up  a  lib- 
eral patronage,  being  kind,  and  of  an  obliging  disposition.  Mr.  Dragoo 
was  married,  August  31,1859,  to  Miss  Ellen  Anderson,  of  Brown  County, 
Ohio,  who  died  in  October,  1862.  They  had  two  children,  William  E. 
and  Jane  L.  He  was  again  married,  February  19,  1865,  to  Miss  A. 
Mitchell.  She  was  born  in  Mason  County,  Kentucky  in  the  year  1840. 
They  have  two  children,  Anna  F.  and  Ida  L.  . 

FRANCIS  A.   FOSTER, 

undertaker  and  wood  carver,  was  born  in  Amelia  County,  Virginia,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1834  His  father,  Gideon  Foster,  was  born  in  Charlotte  County, 
Virginia.  He  died  in  the  year  1849.  His  mother,  formerly  Sally 
Presize,  was  born  in  Prince  Edwards  County,  Virginia,  and  died  in  1841 . 
Their  family  consisted  of  seven  boys  and  one  girl,  F .  A .  being  the  fourth 
child.  After  his  father's  death,  in  the  year  1849,  he  went  to  Brunswick 
County,  Virginia,  and  was  from  that  time  dependent  on  his  own  resources 
for  his  living.  He  received  a  fair  education,  principally  by  self  applica- 
tion, and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  he  learned  the  carriage  makers 
trade,  which  he  followed  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  at   that  time 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  691 

having  a  large  coach  and  carriage  manufactory.  In  May,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service,  Company  D,  Eighteenth  Virginia 
Infantry,  the  last  year  acting  as  steward  in  a  hospital  at  Richmond. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Brunswick  County,  and  worked 
at  his  trade  till  March,  1868,  when  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
and  located  at  Milton.  February  4,  1874,  Mr.  Foster  settled  in  Rock 
Port.  Since  coming  to  the  county,  he  has  been  engaged  in  his  present 
business,  and  has  done  much  excellent  work.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried ;  first,  February  18,  1867,  to  Miss  Lusett  J.  Giannini,  a  daughter  of 
an  Italian.  She  was  born  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  the  year  1844,  and 
died  in  1870.  They  had  one  child,  now  deceased.  Mr.  F.  was  again 
married,  August  13,  1874,  to  Miss  Bettie  A.  Williams,  who  was  born  in 
Lafayette  County,  Missouri,  in  the  year  1850.  Her  father,  Noah  Will- 
iams, was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  her  mother,  formerly  Mary  Day, 
of  Tennessee.  Mr.  F.  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  Mrs.  F. 
of  the  Christian  Church. 

ANDREW  FOX, 

farmer,  section  35,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  in  Lancas- 
ter County,  October  27,  1832.  His  father,  John  Fox,  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lear  Zimmerman, 
was  also  born  in  Pennsylvania.  They  had  a  family  of  fifteen  children. 
When  John  was  but  a  small  child  his  parents  moved  to  Shelby  County, 
Indiana,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated,  living  mostly  on  a  farm. 
He  resided  in  Indiana  till  1861,  when  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  has  since  continued  to  dwell.  He  now  has  a  valuable 
farm  of  no  acres.  Mr.  Fox  was  married  April  1,  1858,  to  Miss  Mary  C. 
Yager,  who  was  born  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  January  9,  1842. 
When  about  ten  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Shelby  County, 
Indiana.  Her  father,  George  Yager,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  as 
was  also  her  mother,  formerly  Barbara  Carpenter.  They  had  a  family 
of  ten  children  .  Mr .  Fox's  family  consists  of  nine  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living  :  George  W.,  Mahala,  Emeline  and  William  H.  His  farm  is 
well  improved  and  is  in  possession  of  a  successful  agriculturist 

GEORGE  FREIHOFER, 

lumber  dealer,  was  born  in  Germany,  May  8,  1828,  and  was  reared  in 
his  native  county.  His  father  being  a  cloth  manufacturer,  the  son  also 
followed  that  occupation.  In  1852  he  came  to  America,  landing  at  New 
York,  after  which  he  was  stationed  in  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts 
for  three  years,  working  in  a  woolen  mill.  He  then  went  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  obtained  employment   on  a  farm  for  one   year,  subsequently 


692  HISTORY   Of   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

traveling  for  one  year  over  different  states.  He  finally  became  located 
near  Galena,  Illinois,  where  he  lived  till  1861,  at  which  date  he  enlisted 
in  Company  F,  Twelfth  Illinois  Infantry,  remaining  in  service  three 
years.  He  participated  in  many  important  battles,  and  after  he  was 
mustered  out  he  went  to  St.  Joseph.  Here  Mr.  Freihofer  was  engaged 
in  various  branches  of  business  till  1869,  when  he  came  to  Rock  Port, 
and  since  1870  he  has  been  dealing  in  lumber.  He  was  married  August 
14.  1866,  to  Miss  Eliza  Heperli.  She  was  born  in  Switzerland  in  August, 
1842.     They  have  one  child  :  Frank. 

JAMES  B.   GRAY, 

Sheriff  of  Atchison  County,  is  a  native  of  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  and 
was  born  February  19,  1833.  His  father,  William  Gray,  was  a  native  of 
South  Carolina,  and  his  mother,  whose  name  before  marriage  was  Isabel 
Ritchey,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  When  James  was  about  three  years 
of  age,  his  parents  moved  to  Peoria  County,  Illinois,  and  in  the  year  1855* 
located  in  Butler  County,  Iowa.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  made 
his  home  in  Butler  County,  Iowa,  till  1868,  there  being  engaged  in  deal- 
ing in  stock  and  other  property.  During  the  years  1864-5,  he  was  occu- 
pied in  freighting  and  mining  in  the  mountains.  In  1868,  he  came  to 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  located  in  Rock  Port,  where  he  opened 
a  veterinary  stable,  which  he  conducted  for  four  years.  He  was  also 
interested  in  trading,  after  which  time  he  embarked  in  buying  and  ship- 
ping stock  In  the  fall  of  1880,  Mr.  Gray  was  elected  sheriff  of  the 
county,  having  previously  been  marshal  of  Rock  Port,  and  a  more  suit- 
able man  for  the  position  he  now  occupies  could  have  hardly  been  found. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  also  belongs  to  the  1.0. 
O.  F.  Mr.  Gray  was  married  February  n,  1852,  to  Miss  Ann  Quinn. 
She  was  born  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  May,  183 1 .  Her  parents,  John  and 
Rachel  (Nash)  Quinn,  were  both  natives  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Gray's  family 
consisted  of  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Sarah  A., 
Nancy  J.,  John,  Nettie,  Maggie,  Guy  and  Edie. 

MARTIN   GREBE, 

farmer,  section  22,  was  born  in  Hesse,  Germany,  August  22,  1809.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country,  and  when  fourteen  years 
of  age  he  learned  the  cabinetmakers'  trade,  which  he  followed  in  Ger- 
many until  1836.  He  then  came  to  America,  landing  at  New  York 
City,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  two  years,  afterwards  going  to  St. 
Louis,  where  he  continued  to  be  employed,  resuming  work  at  his  trade 
on  his  own  responsibility  till  October,  1847,  when  he  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri.  Here  he  has  since  worked  at  his  chosen  calling  and 
has  also  been  engaged  in  farming,  now  owning  a  farm  of  145  acres.    Mr. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  693 

Grebe  was  married  October   19,  1840,  to  Miss  Augusta  Smith,  who  was 

born  in  Prussia  April  24,  1822.     They  have  had  six  children,  of  whom 

four  are  now  living  :  Martin,  Rudolph,  Willie  and  Lillie.     Mr.  G.  is  an 

experienced  workman  and    has  given   universal   satisfaction    wherever 

engaged. 

JOHN  GRIEVE, 

of  the  firm  of  John  Grieve  &  Co.,  proprietors  of  the  Rock  Port  Flouring 
Mills,  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York,  April  15,  1833.  His 
father,  James  Grieve,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Watson,  were  both  natives  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  John  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  in  1861  he  began  working  at  the 
milling  business,  which  he  has  since  continued.  In  1865  he  came  west 
and  lived  in  Nemaha  County,  Nebraska,  till  1868,  when  he  removed  to 
Rock  Port,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  Mr.  Grieve  was  married  December  15,  1858,  to  Miss  Mary 
J.  Otis,  who  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York,  January  19, 
1834.  Her  father,  John  Otis,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  her  mother, 
formerly  Mary  Graham,  came  from  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  G.  is  turning  out  a  brand  of  flour  second 
to  none  in  Northwest  Missouri,  and  in  quantity,  as  well  as  quality,  is 
surpassed  by  no  mill  in  this  vicinity. 

WILLIAM  J.  HARRINGTON, 

of  the  firm  of  Harrington  &  Millsaps,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  is  a 
native  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  was  born  in  Irish  Grove,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1847.  His  father,  John  Harrington,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Atchison  County  about  the  year  1843.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Mared  Blevens,  and  she  was  also  a  Kentuckian  by  birth. 
William  has  made  Atchison  County  his  home  during  life.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Hamburg,  Iowa,  and  attended  for  sometime  the  college  at 
Stewartsville,  Missouri.  In  1865,  he  began  teaching,  which  profession 
he  followed  till  1874,  when  he  came  to  Rock  Port  and  engaged  in  clerk- 
ing in  a  store.  In  1876,  he  was  elected  county  assessor,  which  office  he 
filled  for  four  years.  In  May,  1881,  he  began  business  as  a  member  of 
his  present  firm.  He  belongs  to  both  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
fraternities.  Mr.  Harrington  was  married  in  March,  1871,  to  Miss  Mag- 
gie Crook,  who  was  born  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri.  Her  father, 
James  Crook,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  as  was  also  her  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Eliza  Christie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, three  of  them  now  living:  M.  B.,  Carrie  and  Jessie. 

WILLIAM    W.  HUDGENS 

is    a   member  of   the   firm  of    Hudgens   &  McMichael,  druggists.     His 
•  father,  James   W.,  Hudgens,   was   a   native  of  Virginia  and  early  emi- 


694  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

grated  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucinda  Roberts,  a 
Kentuckian  by  birth.  William  W.  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  of  that 
state,  July  5.  1 S5 5»  and  when  but  a  child  his  parents  and  the  family 
moved  to  Savannah,  Andrew  County,  Missouri.  In  a  few  years  Iowa 
Point,  Kansas,  became  their  home,  from  whence  they  went  to  Oregon, 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  subsequently  returning  to  Savannah.  In  1862 
they  moved  to  Denver,  but  upon  residing  there  one  year,  they  located 
in  Montana.  Young  Hudgens  was  page  in  the  first  legislature  held  in 
Montana.  After  he  had  lived  in  Montana  for  three  years,  he  returned 
to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he  studied  the  art  of  telegraphy.  This 
he  followed  for  a  period  of  time,  being  employed  by  the  Kansas  City, 
St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  Company.  In  1869  he  began 
clerking  in  the  drug  house  of  Penick  &  Loving,  with  whom  he 
remained  till  1874,  when  he  accepted  a  position  as  traveling  salesman 
with  Samuel  I.  Smith  &  Co.,  wholesale  druggists  of  St.  Joseph.  This 
position  he  held  for  three  years,  after  which  he  became  employed  in  a 
like  manner  by  Sommers,  Lynds  &  Co.,  cf  Quincy,  Illinois.  After 
remaining  with  that  firm  till  May,  1879,  he  then  came  to  Rock  Port, 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  having  one  year  previous  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  a  stock  of  drugs  which  he  opened  in  Rock  Port.  Here  Mr. 
H.  has  since  been  engaged  in  his  present  business.  He  also  conducted 
a  branch  store  in  Blanchard,  Iowa,  from  October,  1879,  till  December, 
1880.  He  now  has  the  leading  drug  trade  in  Atchison  County,  and  his 
is  in  reality  the  oldest  established  store  in  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of 
Northwest  Lodge,  No.  134,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of  Legion,  No.  12,  S.  K. 
A.  O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Hudgens  was  married  August  6,  1881,  to  Miss  Alice 
M.  Shelters,  who  was  born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  the  year 
1861 .  Her  father,  John  L.  Shelters,  was  a  native  of  New  York.  They 
have  one  child,  an  infant. 

JACOB  HUGHES, 

farmer,  section  34,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Baird)  Hughes,  who 
were  both  natives  of  Ohio.  Jacob  Hughes  was  the  oldest  child  in  a 
family  of  fourteen  children,  and  was  born  in  Adams  County,  Ohio* 
November  19,  1822.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1844  came  to  Missouri.  He  was  located  in  Buchanan 
County  till  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  when  he  removed  to  Atchison 
County,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  where  he  has  made  farming  his 
occupation.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  300  acres  of  well  improved  land, 
which  is  worked  by  a  man  who  thoroughly  understands  his  business. 
In  1847  Mr.  Hughes  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  War,  in  Company  C,  Oregon 
Battalion,  and  was  mustered  in  July  4,  remaining  in  service  till  in 
November,  1848.     He  was  married  December  23,  1840,  to  Miss  Malinda 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  695 

J.  Thompson,  who  was  born  in  Callaway  County,  Missouri,  October  21, 
1832.  Her  father,  George  C.  Thompson,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  as 
was  also  her  mother,  formerly  Elenor  Leeper.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes 
had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Joseph  C, 
Alice,  William  P.,  Francis  M.,  Sarah  and  Jacob.  Mr.  Hughes  is  a  mem- 
ber of  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M. 

STOKELY  STRATHER  HUGHES, 

county  surveyor,  first  saw  light  in  Cooper  County,  Missouri,  on  the  6th 
of  April,  1838.  His  parents,  John  W.  and  Susan  (Williams)  Hughes,  had 
previously  come  from  Tennessee,  in  which  state  they  were  born.  Stokely, 
as  he  is  familiarly  called,  is  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of  seven  children. 
He  was  reared  as  a  farmer's  boy,  in  his  native  county,  and  there  attended 
the  common  schools,  afterwards  entering  the  seminary  at  California,  and 
also  at  Boonville.  While  at  school  he  gained  quite  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  civil  engineering  and  surveying,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  began  teaching.  In  the  year  1864,  he  helped  to  survey  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroad  through  Cass,  Johnson,  and  Jackson  Counties,  Missouri, 
and  in  1864  he  went  to  Brownville,  in  this  vicinity,  and  taught  school 
many  terms.  Having  also  learned  the  art  of  telegraphy,  in  the  year 
1865  he  was  employed  by  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  at  a 
station  on  the  plains.  After  this  time  he  lived  in  different  localities  in 
Atchison  County  and  at  Hamburg,  Iowa.  In  1875,  ne  came  to  Rock 
Port,  and  he  has  long  been  regarded  as  the  surveyor  of  Atchison  County, 
having  been  elected  as  such  two  terms.  In  1877,  he  platted  a  map  of 
Atchison  County,  and  is  the  author  of  the  first  public  work  in  the  county. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
Mr.  Hughes  was  married,  February  14,  1869,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  McCoy, 
of  Virginia.  She  died  July  6,  1864.  They  had  two  children,  Julia  and 
John.  Mr.  H.  took  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Jane  Rummerfield,  their 
marriage  occurring  July  1 1,  1868.  Four  children  are  the  fruits  of  this 
union  :  Olive,  Lucy,  Fannie  and  Philo  De  Witt.  Mrs.  Hughes  is  a 
native  of  Cass  County,  Illinois,  was  born  May  29,  1849.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Rodney  Rummerfield,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who,  in  1843,  came 
to  Atchison  County,  and  located  in  Nishnebotna  Township.  There  he 
lived  till  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1874.  His  widow,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Pricie  Keethly,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  now  lives  in  Nishne- 
botna Township. 

WILLIAM  HUNTER 

was  born  in  Scotland,  February  21,  1805.  He  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  country,  and,  about  the  year  182 1,  he  moved,  with  his 
parents,  Robert  and    Jennet  (Carr)   Hunter,  to  Nova   Scotia,  where  his 


696  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

father  died.  About  1828  William  Hunter  left  Nova  Scotia  and,  after 
traveling  through  Maine,  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  he 
finally  located  in  Baltimore,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  distilling  busi- 
ness for  two  years.  He  then  went  to  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  was  interested 
in  the  same  business  for  about  three  years,  after  which  he  moved  to 
Lafayette,  Indiana.  The  livery  business  there  occupied  his  attention  for 
nearly  two  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  came  to  Missouri. 
After  living  in  Buchanan  County  one  year  he  came  to  Atchison  County, 
in  1841,  where  he  has  since  resided,  following  the  occupation  of  farming. 
Mr.  Hunter  now  lives  on  section  9,  township  6,  range  41,  and  has  retired 
from  active  labor,  on  account  of  age.  His  landed  estate  consists  of  900 
acres.  He  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  eight  years  and  as  a 
member  of  the  county  court  for  seven  years.  He  was  married,  in  Indiana, 
in  1839,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Ouschaw,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1807.  She 
died  in  1875.  They  had  six  children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living,  Rob- 
ert T.  and  John  H.  Being  an  old  pioneer  of  this  county  Mr.  H.  is  widely 
known  and  possesses  the  esteem  of  many  acquaintances.  In  the  dis- 
charge of  his  official  duties  he  ever  exercised  care  and  displayed  excel- 
lent judgment.     Though  now  advanced  in  years  he  bids  fair  to  see  many 

more  days. 

JAMES  HUNTER, 

is  an  enterprising  farmer  of  this  township,  his  place  of  abode  being  on 
section  16,  township  64,  range  41.  He  was  born  in  Scotland,  April  23, 
1813.  In  1821,  he  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Nova  Scotia,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  there  engaged  in  farming  till  1846,  when 
he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  located  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides.  His  landed  estate  consists  of  500  acres.  In  1849,  while 
laboring  under  the  gold  excitement,  Mr.  H.  went  to  California,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  mining  for  one  year.  He  was  a  member  of  the  County 
Court  of  Atchison  County  for  eleven  years,  aad  now  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  He  was  married  March  3,  1840,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
McKay.  She  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  August  8,  18 17.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  Scotland.  She  died  April  2,  1875.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Robert,  born  December  26,  1840  ; 
Isabel,  born  February  19,  1844  ;  William,  born  October  21,  1845  ;  James 
A.,  born  August  16,  1848  ;  Janet  K.,  born  January  26,  1852  ;  George  L., 
born  March  15,  1854;  John  W.,  born  January  29,  1857;  Una  J.,  born 
December  31,  1859.  All  of  these  children  are  residents  of  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  the  male  members  of  the  family  are  most  indus- 
trious, and  successfully  situated  in  life. 

ROBERT  HUNTER, 

a  representative  citizen  of  Atchison  County,  and  one  of  the  wealthiest 
merchants  of  the  city  of  Rock  Port,  was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  Nova 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  697 

Scotia,  December  21,  1841.  His  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  Hunter, 
moved  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Atchison  County  in  1847. 
There  young  Robert  received  his  education  in  the  log  cabin  schools  of 
that  day.  He  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  five  sons  and 
three  daughters.  His  brothers  are  William,  a  farmer  of  the  county  ;  Dr. 
James  A.,  a  physician  of  Fairfax  ;  George,  a  partner  in  his  mercantile 
business  in  Rock  Port,  and  John  Walter.  His  sisters  are  :  Isabel,  wife 
of  Jerry  Bush  ;  Mrs.  John  D.  Campbell,  of  Rock  Port,  and  Unie  Jane, 
unmarried.  Reared  in  habits  of  industry,  and  endowed  with  excellent 
perceptive  faculties,  he  early  achieved  success  in  life.  In  1864  he 
embarked,  in  partnership  with  E.  L.  Clark,  in  general  merchandising  on 
the  spot  where  now  stands  his  spacious  and  substantial  brick  business 
house  in  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  and  where  he  has  been  uninter- 
ruptedly engaged  in  business  during  all  that  period.  In  1868  he  married 
Miss  Charlotte  E.  Buckham,  daughter  of  Dr.  Richard  Buckham,  the 
pioneer  physician  of  the  county.  By  this  marriage  he  has  four  daugh- 
ters :  Ella,  Drusa  V.,  Lula  R.  and  May.  He  is  a  member  of  no 
religious  organization.  In  1867  he  was  made  a  Master  Mason  in  North 
Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  in  Rock  Port.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Zerubba- 
bel  Royal  Arch  Chapter.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican. 
His  first  vote  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  Mr.  Hunter  is' the  owner 
of  several  fine  farms  in  the  county.  On  his  home  of  170  acres,  a  part  of 
which  is  included  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Rock  Port,  stands  one 
of  the  finest  and  perhaps  the  most  spacious  residences  in  the  county. 
This  structure  is  of  brick,  and  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  eleven 
thousand  dollars.  Liberal  and  public  spirited,  no  man  in  the  county 
enjoys  a  wider  personal  popularity  than  does  Robert  Hunter. 

GEORGE  T.  HUNTER 

is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  R.  Hunter  &  Brother,,  of  Rock  Port,  and  of 
Hanna,  Hunter  &  Co.,  of  Tarkio,  who  are  extensive  dealers  in  general 
merchandise,  furniture,  agricultural  implements,  etc.  He  was  born  in 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  May  15,  1854,  and  here  he  has  made  his 
home  during  life.  In  1878  he  became  interested  in  each  of  the  present 
firms,  previous  to  this  having  been  engaged  in  farming  and  dealing  in 
stock.  He  is  also  occupied  in  the  stock  business  at  the  present  time. 
Mr.  Hunter  was  married  December  12,  1880,  to  Miss  Hallie  P.  Coale.  She 
was  born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  September  21,  i860.  They  have 
one  child,  Una.  He  is  a  leading  salesman,  and  a  man  possessed  of  excel- 
lent business  qualities. 

JOHNSON  &  SMITH, 

dealers  in  and  manufacturers  of  harness,  boots  and  shoes.  This  firm  is 
composed  of  James  B.  Johnson  and  Edward  C.  Smith.     The  former  mem- 


698  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

ber  of  the  firm  was  born  in  Huntington  County,  Indiana,  August  11, 
1845.  His  father,  William  G.  Johnson,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
his  mother,  formerly  Mary  L.  Delvin,  of  Virginia.  In  1853  they  moved 
to  LaGro,  Wabash  County,  Indiana,  and,  in  1858,  to  Wabash  of  the  same 
county.  In  April,  1864,  Mr.  J.  enlisted  in  Company  G,  One  Hundred 
and  Sixty-seventh  Indiana  Infantry,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Indianapolis.  Previous  to  the  war  he  learned  the  harness 
makers'  trade,  in  Wabash,  to  which  place  he  returned,  remaining  there 
till  1867,  when  he  went  to  Kinderhook,  Illinois.  In  1870  he  came  to 
Atchison  County  and  located  in  Phelps,  where  he  began  in  his  present 
business,  and,  in  1871,  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  carrying  on  business  in 
both  towns.  In  1874  he  was  elected,  by  the  Republican  party,  as  treas- 
urer of  Atchison  County,  and  was  re-elected  in  1876,  discharging  his  offi- 
cial duties  with  scrupulous  care  and  fidelity.  He  is  a  member  of  North 
Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  Mr.  Johnson  was  married 
November  13,  1872,  to  Miss  Nancy  Gray,  who  was  born  in  Knox  County, 
Illinois,  May  4,  1856.  They  have  two  children,  Charlie  and  Oscar. 
Edward  C.  Smith,  the  junior  partner  of  the  firm,  was  born  in  Hamilton 
County,  Ohio,  August  15,  1846.  His  father,  David  Smith,  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  and  his  mother,  Hannah  Shepherd,  came  originally  from 
Ohio.  When  Edward  was  but  a  child  his  parents  moved  to  Miami 
County,  Indiana,  where  he  lived  till  1857,  then  becoming  a  resident  of 
Henry  County,  Iowa.  He  was  educated  at  Mount  Pleasant,  in  that 
county,  and  while  there  learned  the  shoemakers'  trade .  In  1863  he  went 
to  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  and,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  E,  Thirty-ninth  Missouri,  in  the  Federal  army,  and  remained 
in  service  till  the  close  of  the  war,  after  which  time  he  went  to  Beny,  Illi- 
nois. There  he  was  engaged  in  working  at  his  trade,  and  also  in  Kin- 
derhook till  1868,  when  he  came  to  Missouri.  In  August,  following,  he 
began  work  for  the  Burlington  and  Missouri  River  Railroad  Company, 
on  the  line  of  the  western  division.  In  January,  1871,  he  located  in 
Phelps  City,  and  became  a  member  of  the  present  firm.  In  1879  he 
located  at  Rock  Port,  carrying  on  business  in  both  places  till  that  date. 
He  is  a  member  of  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.M.,  and 
of  Northwest  Lodge,  No.  134,  A.  O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Smith  was  married 
March  11,  1873,  to  Miss  Nannie  A.  Templeton.  She  was  born  in  Atch- 
ison County,  Missouri,  March  11,  1853.  They  have  three  children: 
David  M . ,  Ward  and  Kate . 

WILLIAM  KING, 

farmer,  section  10,  postoffice  Rock  Port,  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Eliza- 
beth (Wooley)  King,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  William  was  born 
in  Henry  County,  of  the  same  state,  January  14,  1820,  and  was  the  oldest 


* 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  699 

child  in  a  family  of  eight  children.  When  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  his 
parents  moved  to  Shelby  County,  Indiana,  where  he  lived  till  1843,  then 
coming  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  He  has  made  farming  his  prin- 
cipal occupation  during  life,  but  was  engaged  in  the  milling  business  as 
proprietor  of  what  was  known  as  King's  Mill,  in  Atchison  County,  Mis- 
souri, for  about  twenty-five  years.  His  farm  contains  310  acres  of  excel- 
lent land.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  fraternity.  Mr.  King  wa*s 
married  March  3,  1842,  to  Miss  Zurrelda  King.  She  was  born  in  Henry 
County,  Kentucky,  April,  1823.  They  have  had  eleven  children,  of 
whom  five  are  now  living,  Elizabeth,  Thomas,  Eliza,  Mary  and  Henry. 
Mr.  King  is  an  experienced  farmer  and  miller,  and  thoroughly  merits 
the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  many  friends. 

CHARLES  KLINKHART, 

who  is  now  living  with  his  daughter,  on  section  35,  in  Clay  Township, 
was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  July  5,  1801.  He  was  there  reared  and 
educated,  and  in  September,  1825,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline 
Springer,  who  was  born  in  the  year  1806.  They  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  three  are  now  living  :  Caroline,  Pauline  and  William.  While  in 
Germany  Mr.  K.  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  and  livery  business.  In  1849 
he  emigrated  to  America,  landing  at  New  Orleans,  from  whence  he  went 
to  St.  Louis,  and  in  185 1,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  having  previously 
lived  in  Rushville,  Illinois,  for  a  short  time.  His  wife  died  while  in  St. 
Louis.  He  was  one  of  the  first  German  settlers  to  locate  in  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  started  the  first  brewery  in  the  county,  which  was 
in  the  year  1855,  it  being  located  in  section  32,  of  Clay  Township.  This 
he  continued  to  operate  till  1867,  since  which  time  he  has  made  his  home 
with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Vogler. 

MARTIN  L.  LEE, 

clerk  of  Atchison  County,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  was  born  in  Cass 
County,  April  8,  1840.  His  father.  Caleb  Lee,  was  a  native  of- Virginia, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  relative  of  General  Lee.  Martin's 
mother,  Matilda  Higgins,  was  born  in  Maryland.  She  died  in  the  year 
1847,  and  his  father  in  1847.  Young  Lee  was  reared  in  Illinois,  and 
was  educated  in  the  Wesleyan  University  of  Bloomington,  in  that  state. 
In  the  year  1863,  he  was  graduated  from  Eastman's  Commercial  College, 
of  Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  He  commenced  teaching  school  when  sev- 
enteen years  of  age.  He  continued  that  profession  for  seven  years.  In 
1865,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  first  locating  at  Sonora, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  clerking  and  carrying  on  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  different  locations  in  the  county  till   1870.     Mr.  Lee  then  came 


rV 


700  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

to  Rock  Port,  where  he  resumed  clerking.  In  the  fall  of  1872,  he  was 
elected  state  and  county  collector,  and  was  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1874. 
In  1877,  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  trade,  which  he  continued  till 
1880,  having  been  elected  by  the  Republican  party  as  county  clerk  dur- 
ing the  fall  of  1878.  This  position  he  is  at  present  filling.  He  is  a 
member  of  North  Star  Lodge  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M  ,  and  Rock  Port 
Lodge  No.  125,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Lee  was  married  September  2,  1866, 
to  Miss  Nancy  P.  Trumble.  She  was  born  in  Nicholas  County,  Ken- 
tucky, July  29,  1847 .  They  have  five  children  :  Lulu  L  ,  Don  T . ,  Carrie 
W.,  Martin  L  ,  Jr.,  and  Nannie. 

VALENTINE  LIVINGSTON, 

farmer,  section  16,  was  born  January  26,  1817,  in  Pennsylvania.  His 
father,  Isaiah  Livingstone,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Mary  Boyce,  were 
both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  When  Valentine  was  tu  o  years  of  age 
they  moved  to  Ohio,  where  they  remained  two  years.  His  parents 
then  settled  near  Brookville,  Indiana,  and  after  residing  there  a  few 
years  removed  to  Shelby  County,  Indiana,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm.  He  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  in  1848,  and  here  he  has  since  continued  to  dwell. 
His  landed  estate  consists  of  1,000  acres,  and  he  has  also  given  liberally 
to  his  children.  His  home  farm  consists  of  200  acres  and  has  one  of  the 
best  improved  farms  in  the  county,  there  being  upon  it  an  elegant  resi- 
dence, good  barn,  fine  orchard,  and,  being  an  old  pioneer,  he  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  and  holds  the  respect  of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 
Mr.  Livingston  was  married  January  31,  1839,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Town- 
send,  who  was  born  in  Adair  County,  Kentucky,  September  5»  18 18. 
Her  parents,  John  and  Mary  (Atkins)  Townsend,  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. When  Elizabeth  was  sixteen  years  of  age  they  went  to  Shelby 
County,  Indiana,  where  she  was  married.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  have  been 
blessed  with  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living :  Alfred,  Mary, 
Jane  and  Thomas.  They  are  active  members  of  the  ME.  Church. 
Mr.  L  has  been  a  self  made  man,  as,  when  he  came  to  Atchison 
County,  his  worldly  possessions  consisted  of  a  yoke  of  cattle  and  fifty- 
five  dollars  in  money.  For  four  years  this  was  his  only  team,  and 
served  for  a  plow  team  through  the  week  and  also  to  take  the  family  tq> 
church  on  the  Sabbath. 

CHARLES  F.  LUJA,  M.  D., 

was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  on  May  27,  1837.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  country,  and  in  1857  he  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine.     After  a  usual  preparatory  course,  he  was  graduated  in  1863,  after 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  701 

which  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  till  1865.  Dr.  L. 
then  came  to  America,  and  has  since  been  occupied  in  attending  to  the 
duties  of  his  chosen  calling.  He  first  landed  in  New  York  City,  from 
whence,  after  remaining  one  year,  he  went  to  Richardson  County, 
Nebraska.  In  1875  ne  located  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  in  October, 
1878,  he  came  to  Rock  Port.  Dr.  Luja  was  married  September  6,  1867, 
to  Miss  Eliza  N.  Storey,  who  was  born  in  Highland,  Kansas,  September 
25,  1850.  They  have  three  children  :  Louisa,  Mary  A.  and  Charles  F. 
The  doctor  is  fast  becoming  recognized  as  an  able  and  skillful  practi- 
oner  among  his  medical  brethren,  and  though  not  such  a  great  time 
has  elapsed  since  his  locating  here,  he  has  built  up  a  good  patronage. 

JAMES  J.  MCCARTNEY, 

a  prominent  and  successful  agriculturist  and  stock  raiser,  has  been  a 
citizen  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  since  1856,  except  from  the  year 
i860  to  1863,  when  he  was  in  Kansas.  He  now  resides  on  section  3,  in 
Clay  Township,  and  has  a  landed  estate  of  400  acres,  340  acres  of  it 
being  in  his  home  farm,  which  is  well  improved.  Previous  to  his  emi- 
gration to  Atchison  County  he  had  lived  in  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  to 
which  locality  he  had  moved  from  Crawford  County,  Indiana,  in  the 
year  1854.  He  was  principally  reared  in  Crawford  County,  Indiana, 
having  gone  there  from  Marion  County,  Indiana,  when  ten  years  of  age. 
He  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Indiana,  January  28,  183 1,  and 
when  in  his  third  year  he  was  taken  to  Marion  County.  He  is  a  son  of 
M.  D.  McCartney,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Baylor,  a  native  of  Virginia.  They  had  a  family  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth  child.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  1 .  0.0.  F . ,  belonging  to  Rock  Port  Lodge,  No .  125  . 
Mr.  McCartney  was  married  February  19,  1865,  to  Miss  Martha  J .  Pall, 
and  by  this  union  they  have  seven  children  :  Arthur  M.,  Ida  R.,  Lizzie 
H.,  Earnest,  Walter,  Eva  and  Ellen.  Mrs.  McCartney  was  born  in 
Ripley  County,  Indiana,  May  21,  1846.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
M.  Pall,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Walton,  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 

CALLAWAY  MILLSAPS, 

dealer  in  general  merchandise,  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Harrington  & 
Millsaps.  His  grandfather,  James  Millsaps,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
was  there  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hood  .  They  immigrated  to  Amer- 
ica, and  here  their  son,  William  M.,  was  born  in  East  Tennessee.  He 
was  there  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Clevenger,  a  native  of  England. 
They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  three  boys  and  two  girls,  Callaway 
being  the  oldest  child .      He  was  born  in  Cocke  County,  East  Tennessee, 


702  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

September  26,  1815.  In  1818,  his  parents  and  their  family  moved  to 
Missouri,  and  settled  in  the  section  of  country  now  Saline  County,  and 
in  1820,  they  located  in  what  is  now  Clay  County,  Missouri.  Two  years 
later  they  settled  on  Fishing  River,  in  Ray  County,  where  Callaway 
grew  to  manhood .  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  Ray  County  till  the  year  1839,  when  he  came  to 
Atchison  County,  Missouri.  Here  he  has  since  lived,  and  his  was  the 
first  white  family  to  come  to  the  county  for  a  settlement.  He  had  been 
occupied  in  farming  till  the  fall  of  1881,  when  he  moved  into  the  city  and 
began  in  his  present  business.  From  1855  till  1861,  he  sold  goods  on 
his  farm,  in  section  32,  township  65,  range  41  .  Mr.  Millsaps  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  ior  some  thirty  years.  His  first 
marriage  occurred  May  I,  1834,  to  Miss  Sarah  Handley,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. She  was  born  June  18,  1816,  and  died  January  15,  1874.  They 
had  twelve  children,  ten  of  whom  are  living  :  Joseph,  John,  William, 
Emily,  Sarah  A.,  Robert,  Samuel,  Josephine,  Russell  and  Mary  M.  He 
was  married  to  his  present  wife  (Mrs.  Mary  Entwisel)  August  1,  1879. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Mary  Reed,  and  she  was  a  native  of  Shelby 
County,  Missouri.  Mr.  M  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  Mrs .  M .  of  the  Christian  denomination  .  Although  advanced 
in  years,  he  is  still  hale  and  hearty,  bidding  fair  to  see  many  more  years. 
He  is  a  man  honored  by  all  foV  his  honesty  and  kindness. 

HARRY  MOSES, 

dealer  in  general  merchandise  ;  fine  clothing  a  specialty,  has  one  of  the 
most  complete  stocks  of  goods  in  his  line  in  Atchison  County.  He  is  a 
native  of  Hessen,  Germany,  and  was  born  July  26,  185 1 .  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  country,  and  has  followed  merchandising 
during  life.  In  the  summer  of  1868,  he  emigrated  to  America,  landing 
at  Baltimore,  where  he  remained  till  January,  1869,  after  which  he  came 
to  Rock  Port,  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  He  has  since  made  a  five 
months  trip  to  his  native  country,  which  was  in  1876.  Mr.  M.  has  been 
doing  business  upon  his  own  responsibility  for  four  years,  and  is  known 
by  his  customers  as  an  upright  and  an  honorable  man,  and  one  who  can 
always  please  those  who  patronize  him.  He  is  a  member  of  North  West 
Lodge  No.  134,  A.  O.  U.  W  ,  and  of  the  Rock  Port  Legion  No .  12, 
S.  K.A.O.U.W.  Mr.  Moses  was  married  May  12,  1879,  to  Miss 
Rosa  Silher.  She  is  a  native  of  Konigsberg,  Germany,  and  was  born 
January  2,  1856.      They  have  two  children,  Albert  and  Ethel. 

G.  F    MUINCH. 

farmer,  section  28,  was  born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  July  20,  1826.  He 
was  reared  in  his  native  country  on  a  farm  and  while  there  learned  the 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  703 

coopers'  trade.  June  10,  1853  he  started  for  America,  and,  after  being 
on  the  water  for  nine  weeks,  he  landed  at  New  York  City,  but  soon 
located  in  Osnaburg,  Stark  County,  Ohio.  In  the  fall  of  1871  he  came 
to  Atchison  County,  Missouri  While  in  Ohio  he  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  and  provision  business,  and  also  worked  at  his  trade.  Since 
coming  to  Atchison  County  he  has  followed  farming  as  his  occupation 
and  now  has  100  acres  of  land,  cultivated  in  an  excellent  manner  and 
well  improved.  Mr.  Muinch  was  married  in  March,  1850,  to  Miss 
Matilda  Kuntze,  an  estimable  lady.  She  was  born  in  Germany  in  the 
year  183 1 .  They  have  had  eight  children,  seven  of  them  now  living  : 
Emma  F.,  Adeline,  Paulina,  Lewis,  August,  Ida  and  Charlie. 

L.   S.    MUNSELL,  M.  D  , 

is  a  native  of  Mercer  County,  Ohio,  in  which  locality  he  was  born,  Sep- 
tember 21,  1841 .  His  father,  W.  A.  O.  Munsell,  was  born  in  Ohio,  and 
was  of  English  ancestry.  His  mother,  Deborah  Gray,  was  also  a  native 
of  Ohio.  L.  S.  was  reared  in  his  native  county,  and  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  the  college  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  In  1866  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  under  J.  C  Williamson,  of  Versailles, 
Darke  County,  Ohio,  and  attended  the  Starbury  Medical  College  of  Col- 
umbus, Ohio,  where  he  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1870.  He  then  located 
in  Geneva,  Adams  County,  Indiana,  where  he  continued  the  practice  of 
his  profession  till  the  year  1876,  when  he  became  a  citizen  of  Rock  Port, 
Atchison  County,  Missouri  Dr.  Munsell  is  a  member  of  North  Star 
Lodge  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.M.,  and  North  West  Lodge  No.  134,  A. 
0.  U.  W.  He  was  married  March  1,  1866,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  J,  Young, 
who  was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Ohio,  July  5,  1841 .  Her  father,  Philip 
Young,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  as  was  also  her  mother,  formerly  Lucinda 
Plummer.  They  have  five  children  :  Philip  Dayton,  William  Oliver, 
Pearl  Ettie,  R.  Nettie  and  Grace.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
prominent  practitioner,  and  is  recognized  as  being  possessed  of  the  most 
thorough  qualifications  as  a  physician,  in  Rock  Port  and  vicinity. 

ELIJAH  S.  NEEDELS, 

farmer,  section  17,  was  born  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  February  11, 
1807.  His  father,  John  Needels,  was  a  native  of  Delaware,  and  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Campbell,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania. They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  E.  S.  being  the  fifth 
child.  When  partially  grown  he  moved  to  Hamilton,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  working  at  the  coopers'  trade  for  four  years.  He  then 
located  in  Franklin  County  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  till 
1842,  when  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri.      Since  then  he  has 


704  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

been  occupied  in  tilling  the  soil,  his  farm  containing  325  acres.  He  was 
justice  of  the  peace  from  1844  upwards  of  twenty  years,  exercising 
superior  judgment  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties.  Mr.  Needels 
was  married  February  21,  1839,  to  Miss  Sarah  Covert,  who  was  born  in 
Clark  County,  Indiana,  August  17,  18 14.  Her  father,  Peter  Covert, 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  her  mother,  Catherine  Jones,  of  Ken- 
tucky. They  have  had  eleven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living  : 
America,  Sarah,  Frank,  Julia  A.  and  Fannie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  are 
members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

HENRY  OSWALD, 

farmer,  section  2,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and  was  born  May  4,  1836. 
He  was  educated  in  his  native  country,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  till 
fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  In  1854  he 
immigrated  to  America,  landing  at  New  York  City,  after  which  he  worked 
at  his  trade  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  for  about  three  years.  Mr.  Oswald 
then  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Platte  Countv,  and  in  1864,  he 
removed  to  Stephenson  County,  where  was  engaged  in  working  at  his 
trade  till  1868,  when  he  moved  on  his  present  farm.  This  contains  160 
acres  of  fine  land.  Mr.  Oswald  was  married  April  20,  1863,  to  Miss 
Frances  Unnrissig.  She  was  a  native  of  Germany.  They  have  nine 
children  :  Ernest,  Albert,  Frang,  Anna,  Minnie,  Henry,  Charley,  Willie 
and  an  infant  daughter. 

NICHOLAS  PETRY, 

carpenter  and  undertaker,  was  born  in  Germany,  November  12,  1849, 
and  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country.  He  there  learned 
the  carpenters'  trade,  and  in  1869  he  emigrated  to  America,  and  located 
in  Chicago,  where  he  was  engaged  in  working  at  his  trade.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  or  near  the  vicinity  of  that  city  till  1871,  when  he 
found  employment  for  a  short  time,  in  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  also 
for  one  year  in  Maryville,  Missouri.  After  this  he  came  to  Rock  Port, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  and  has,  in  connection  with  his  trade  been 
engaged  in  the  undertaking  business,  for  seven  years,  in  which  he  has 
built  up  a  liberal  patronage.  Mr.  Petry  is  more  than  an  ordinary  work- 
man, and  deserves  success.  He  was  married  February  8,  1874,  to  Miss 
Carrie  Sommerheiser,  who  was  born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
August  27,  1857.      They  have  two  children,  Pollie  and  Emma. 

GEORGE  A,  PINNELL, 

dealer  in  general  merchandise,  is  a  native  of  West  Virginia,  and  was 
born   in  Greenbrier  County,  April   11,  1838.      His  father,  Hezekiah  G. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  705 

Pinnell  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  of  English  descent.  His  mother, 
whose  name  before  marriage  was  Margaret  Hauver,  was  also  a  Vir- 
ginian by  birth.  George  A.  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
county  and  was  there  engaged  in  blacksmithing.  From  1864  till  the 
close  of  the  war  he  was  in  the  Confederate  service.  In  1868  he  came 
to  Missouri  and  located  in  Atchison  County,  where  he  was  occupied  in 
working  at  his  trade  until  1872,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  with  a  good  degree  of  success  Mr.  P.  is  a 
member  of  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  was 
married  April  23,  i860,  to  Miss  Sallie  B  Feull,  who  was  born  in  Green- 
brier County,  West  Virginia,  March  28,  1840.  Her  father,  John  Feull, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  as  was  also  her  mother,  formerly  Sabel  Hayes. 
They  have  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living  :  John  H.,  Anna  B., 
Leona  S.  and  Carrie  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church. 

H.J.  PINNELL, 

-manufacturer  of  and  dealer  in  fine  harness,  was  born  in  Greenbrier 
County,  West  Virginia,  October  21,  1841 .  He  was  brought  up  and 
attended  school  in  the  county  of  his  birth,  and  when  fourteen  years  of 
age,  he  learned  the  harness  maker's  trade,  which  he  followed  till  1862. 
He  then  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  cause,  in  Company  D,  Nineteenth 
Virginia  Battalion,  Heavy  Artillery,  and  remained  in  service  till  the  close 
of  the  war,  when  he  returned  to  his  native  county.  In  February,  1866, 
he  left  there  and  went  to  Ohio,  and  thence  to  Indiana,  and  in  November 
of  the  same  year,  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  has  since  principally 
made  his  home.  The  greater  portion  of  the  time  he  has  been  engaged 
in  his  present  business,  for  a  few  years  having  been  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery trade.  Mr.  Pinnell  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
also  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  married  in  February,  1874,  to 
Miss  Irene  Blair,  a  daughter  of  George  Blair,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Holt  County,  Missouri.  Here  she  was  born  January  12;  1846  They 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  The  work  which  Mr.  P.  is  capable 
of  turning  out  is  of  the  best  order,  and  finds  a  ready  sale. 

JUDGE  JEREMIAH  PURDUM, 

is  the  son  of  Benjamin  Purdum,  who  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  who 
married  Miss  Katie  Reynolds,  also  of  that  state.  They  had  a  family  of 
eight  children,  Jeremiah  being  the  second  child.  He  was  born  in  Chil- 
licothe,  Ross  County,  Ohio,  April  21,  18 14.  His  father  was  by  occupa- 
tion a  farmer,  and  moved  upon  a  farm  near  Chillicothe  when  Jeremiah 
was  about  three  years  of  age,  consequently,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has 

made  farming  his  occupation  through  life.      He  resided  in   Ross  County, 

45 


706  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Ohio,  till  1832,  when  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Hamilton  County, 
Indiana,  being  a  citizen  of  that  county  till  1838.  He  then  came  to  Mis- 
souri and  located  in  Clay  County,  where  he  was  married  January  6,  1842, 
to  Mrs.  Jane  Allen,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jackson.  She  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  in  1813,  and  died  July  24,  1874.  They  had  a  family  of  nine 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living;  William  T.,  Catharine  (Millsaps)  John 
W.,  George  T.,  Elizabeth  A.  (Stecks)  and  Milton.  All  the  boys  are 
farmers  but  one,  Milton,  who  has  been  engaged  in  teaching  for  several 
year's.  On  account  of  the  overflow  of  the  Missouri  River  in  1844,  Judge 
P.  left  Clay  County,  and  came  to  Atchison  County,  where  he  has  since 
lived,  having  been  actively  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  till  1874,  since 
which  time  he  has  lived  in  his  present  location,  at  Rock  Port.  When 
he  first  came  to  this  county  he  settled  on  government  land,  but  was  not 
able  to  buy  land  after  the  surveys  were  made,  or  it  had  come  in  market. 
He  now  has  a  landed  estate  of  240  acres,  after  having  divided  with  his 
children.  Judge  Purdum  has  served  four  years  as  county  assessor  and 
nine  years  as  public  administrator.  From  January  1,  18/3,  till  January 
1,  1877,  he  was  judge  of  the  probate  court,  discharging  his  various  duties 
very  creditably.  He  was  married  the  second  time  (February  24,  1875,) 
to  Mrs.  Judah  S.  Buckham.  Her  maiden  name  was  Barlow,  and  she  was 
born  in  Shelby  County,  Indiana,  August  5,  1834.  Her  father,  Jeremiah 
Barlow,  was  born  in  Kentucy,  and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Mary 
White,  of  Tennessee.  They  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  Mrs.  Purdum 
being  the  youngest  child.  Her  parents  came  to  Atchison  County,  Mis- 
souri, when  she  was  14  years  of  age. 

CHARLES  F.  RAPP, 

an  enteprising  and  energetic  farmer,  section  35,  was  born  in  Germany, 
November  17,  1842.  In  the  spring  of  1849  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
America  and  located  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  He  has  made 
farming  his  occupation  during  life  and  now  has  a  farm  of  122  acres.  He 
was  married  in  August,  1864,  to  Miss  Leah  Fox,  who  was  born  in 
Shelby  County,  Indiana,  October  31,  1849.  They  have  five  children: 
Mary,  William,  George,  Frederick  and  Martha.  Mr.  R.  has  improved 
his  farm  by  hard  labor  and  now  has  a  good  place,  which  is  carried  on 
under  his  careful  supervision  in  which  he  is  assisted  by  his  worthy  wife. 

CHARLES  REITER, 

druggist  and  grocer,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paschel,  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  city  of  Trier,  on  the  river  Mosel,  Germany,  on  the  23d  of  Septem- 
ber, 1841 .  He  was  reared  in  his  native  town,  and  received  a  very  fair 
education  in  the  German  language.  He  was  also  brought  up  to  play  on 
most  all  musical  instruments.     September  30,  1864,  he  started  for  Amer- 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  707 

ica,  and  after  landing  at  New  York,  he  located  in  Calumet  County,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  music  and  farming  till  the  fall 
of  1 868.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  lived  till  1874, 
then  moving  to  Maryville,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri.  After  leaving 
Wisconsin,  he  was  interested  in  the  saloon  business  till  1878,  when  he 
returned  from  Maryville  to  Rock  Port,  and  here  has  since  been  occupied 
in  the  grocery  business.  In  February,  1880,  he  also  began  in  the  drug 
business,  and  now  has  two  business  rooms.  He  gives  some  attention  to 
teaching  music.  Mr.  Reiter  was  married  April  16,  r868,  to  Miss  Jane 
Mitchell,  a  native  of  Bohemia.  She  was  born  May  24,  1850,  and  came 
to  America  in  the  year  1855.  They  have  six  children  :  John  N.,  born  in 
Rock  Port,  Missouri,  February  28,  1869;  Carl  J.,  born  in  Rock  Port,  Mis- 
souri, January  2,  1871  ;  Frederick  W.,  born  in  Rock  Port,  Missouri,  March 
21,  1873  ;  Clara  W.,  born  in  Maryville,  Missouri,  May  23,  1875  ;  Losa  N., 
born  in  Maryville,  Missouri,  November  23,  1878  ;  Ida  C,  born  in  Rock 
Port,  Missouri,  March  8,  1880.  Mr.  Reiter's  family  are  all  musicians,  and 
all  play  on  different  musical  instruments,  excepting  the  youngest  child. 
He  and  Mrs.  Reiter  both  having  a  talent  for  music,  and  being  expert 
performers  on  a  variety  of  instruments,  their  children  seem  to  be  natural 
musicians. 

CHARLES  RENNER, 

a  leading  merchant  tailor  of  the  city  of  Rock  Port,  was  born  in  Prussia, 
Germany,  August  5,  1818.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
country,  and  has  followed  his  present  trade  since  he  attained  the  age  of 
fourteen  years.  In  1849,  ne  emigrated  to  America,  and  located  in  New 
Orleans,  where  he  lived  till  1854,  when  he  went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  in  1858  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  He  has 
since  been  a  resident  of  the  place,  and  being  an  unusually  excellent 
workman,  commands  a  good  trade.  May  12,  1845,  Mr.  Renner  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Amelia  Schultz,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  March  5,  1821. 
They  have  three  children,  Charles,  Emma  and  Bettie. 

ENOCH  D.  SCAMMON, 

one  of  the  early  pioneers,  and  stiil  (1882)  a  resident  of  Atchison  County, 
was  born  in  South  Coast,  State  of  Maine,  November  17,  1806.  He  is 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  five  children,  five  of  whom  were  sons.  In  early 
manhood  he  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  distant  west,  and  in 
1838  landed  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  at  that  period  a  comparative 
wilderness.  Two  years  after,  allured  by  the  glowing  accounts  of  the  few 
who  had  penetrated  the  distant  border  of  the  Platte  Purchase,  he  deter- 
mined to  make  his  home  in  that  land  of  promise,  and  starting  with  his 
outfit,   in  due  time   reached  the  site  of  his  present  habitation,  in  Clay 


70S  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Township,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside,  two  miles  west  of  the 
city  of  Rock  Port  and  three  miles  east  of  Phelps  City.  Shortly  after  the 
close  of  the  civil  war  he  laid  out,  on  the  site  of  his  farm,  a  town  which 
he  named  Union  City,  a  full  history  and  description  of  which  will  be  found 
in  the  body  of  this  work.  This  was  once  an  important  trading  point,  and 
but  for  the  subsequent  location  of  the  line  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph 
and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  three  miles  to  the  westward  of  its  site,  would 
undoubtedly  have  become  the  commercial  center  of  the  county.  Mr. 
Scammon  was  married  in  January,  1846,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Templeton, 
daughter  of  William  Templeton,  a  native  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  and 
also  a  pioneer  of  the  Purchase.  By  this  marriage  he  has  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  the  following  named  are  still  living  :  Rev.  William 
W.  Scammom,  a  minister  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  born  November  26,  1847  ; 
James  M.,  born  May  15,  1850,  and  for  the  past  eleven  years  a  prominent 
merchant  of  Phelps  City  ;  Mary  C,  wife  of  Lewis  Fleming,  Esq.,  of  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri  ;  E.  Jane,  wife  of  James  A.  Smith,  a  farmer  of  Clay 
Township,  Atchison  County,  and  Mark  Sedwick,  born  in  1866.  Francis 
S.  died  at  the  age  of  three  years,  and  another  child  died  in  early  infancy. 
Mr.  Scammon  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  to  the  sup- 
port of  which  he  has  all  his  life  largely  contributed.  The  church  edifice  in 
Union  City  was  built  by  him  in  Rock  Port  and  moved  to  Union  City  on 
the  establishment  of  that  town  by  him,  in  the  center  of  his  extensive 
landed  possessions. 

C.  SCHNEIDER, 

dealer  in  jewelry  and  sewing  machines.  Among  the  business  enter- 
prises of  Rock  Port,  which  are  ably  represented  by  men  of  business 
tact,  the  jewelry  business  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  rear.  C.  Schneider 
was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  June  26,  1844.  His  parents,  John 
and  Maria  Schneider,  now  live  in  Strawsburg,  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio. 
They  came  to  America  in  the  year  1852,  first  locating  in  Holmes  County, 
Ohio,  but  afterwards  moving  to  Tuscarawas  County,  where  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated.  He  lived  on  a  farm  till  he  was 
six  years  of  age,  when  in  the  fall  of  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  C,  Sixty-seventh  Ohio  infantry,  remaining  in  the  service  until 
in  January,  1865.  He  participated  in  many  important  battles,  among 
which  were  Winchester,  Virginia,  under  McClellan,  on  the  Peninsula,  in 
front  of  Richmond,  Blackwater,  Virginia,  and  in  June,  1863,  in  the  battle 
on  Morris  Island,  where  he  was  wounded  in  his  left  arm.  This  wound 
disabled  him  from  duty  for  six  months,  after  which  he  participated  in 
many  other  battles  and  skirmishes.  He  was  mustered  out  at  Columbus, 
Ohio,  and  then  returned  to  Tuscarawas  County.  One  winter  previous  to 
his  going  into  the  army,  he  had  worked  at  the  jewelry  trade.  He 
resumed  labor  at  the  same  business  in  Canfield.Ohio,  where  he  continued 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  700. 

till  the  fall  of  1866,  when  he  moved  to  Rock  Port,  Missouri.  Here  he  has 
since  been  successfully  engaged  in  his  present  business.  He  is  a  member 
of  Rock  Port  Lodge,  No.  135,  I.  O.  O.  F ;  Rock  Port  Encampment, 
No.  79,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M. 
North  West  Lodge  No.  134,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  Legion  No.  12,  S.  K.  A. 
O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Schneider  was  married  November  8,  1868,  to  Miss 
Lucinda  Wood,  who  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  December  3, 
1849.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  her  mother  of 
Indiana.  They  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living — Charley, 
Arthur,  Jennie,  Willie,  Harry  and  Fred.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church. 

W.  D.  SCHOOLER, 

agriculturist,  section  1,  post  office  Rock  Port,  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
was  born  in  Spottsylvania  County,  January  25,  18 13.  His  father,  Gar- 
rett Schooler,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  B.  Johnson,  were  both  natives 
of  the  same  county  as  himself.  W.  D.  is  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of- 
three  sons  and  two  daughters.  When  but  a  child  his  parents  moved  to 
Louisa  County,  Virginia,  where  they  lived  till  he  was  fourteen  years  of 
age,  then  moving  to  Grayson  .County,  Kentucky.  He  was  reared  a  farm- 
er's boy  and  has  followed  that  occupation  during  life,  except  for  four  or 
five  years,  when  he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  store.  In  1854  he  came 
to  Missouri  and  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  in  Atchison 
County.  This  contains  440  acres  of  excellent  land.  Mr.  S.  was  married 
September  6,  1838,  to  Miss  Polly  D.  Nuckolls.  They  have  had  eleven 
children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living:  Frances  A.,  born  November  5, 
1840  ;  James  E.,  born  September  4,  1843  ;  Ezra  H.,  born  December  18, 
1845  ;  Wyley  K.,  born  October  18,  1848  ;  Ella  T.,  born  September  12, 
1856  ;  Floyd  H.,  born  July  14,  1867.  Mrs.  S.  is  the  oldest  child  in  a  fam- 
ily of  six  sons  and  five  daughters,  and  she  was  born  in  Grayson  County, 
Kentucky,  February  29,  1824.  Her  father,  Ezra  Nuckolls,  was  a  native 
of  Louisa  County,  Virginia,  and  her  mother,  formerly  Lucinda  Hale,  was 
born  in  Grayson  County,  Kentucky. 

CAPTAIN  GEORGE  F.  SMITH, 

farmer,  sections  22  and  23,  was  born  in  Langensalea,  Prussia,  Germany, 
November  15,  1820.  His  parents,  John  G.  and  Louisa  Smith,  were  also 
natives  of  Germany.  George  was  the  eldest  child  of  a  family  of  eight 
children,  and  in  1833  he  came  with  his  parents  to  America,  landing  at 
New  York  City,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then  located  at 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  lived  for  twelve  years,  receiving  good  edu- 
cational advantages.  While  in  St.  Louis  he  learned  the  tanners'  trade, 
and  also  the  trade  of  shoemaker.     In   1844  he  moved  to  Nebraska  and 


710  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

in  1847  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  but  he  did  not  locate  here 
permanently  till  1849.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming 
and  now  has  a  farm  of  220  acres.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  Fifty-eighth  Missouri  Militia  and  was  first  elected  to  lieu- 
tenant and  afterwards  promoted  to  captain.  He  was  subsequently 
appointed  enrolling  officer  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  is  the 
only  man  that  ever  filled  the  position  in  the  county.  Captain  Smith 
was  married  January  20,  1846,  to  Miss  Tracy  Rettinger,  a  daughter  of 
John  G.  and  Lena  Rettinger.  She  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  June 
11,  1828.  They  have  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living: 
George  F.,  born  January  4,  1847;  Clara,  born  November  22,  1848  (now 
Mrs.  Jesse  White,  of  Atchison  County);  Anna,  born  May  31,  1853,  (the 
wife  of  Mr.  Henry  Broughton,  of  this  county);  Louisa,  born  September 
9,  1858,  (now  Mrs.  Marion  Underwood,  of  this  county);  William  H., 
born  February  3,  1861  ;  George  C,  born  August  17,  1863,  and  Emma  A., 
born  December  4,  1870. 

JOHN  W.  SMITH, 

present  (1882)  popular  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  Atchison  County,  and 
for  many  years  a  representative  citizen  of  the  Platte  Purchase,  is  a  native 
of  Madison  County,  Virginia,  where  he  was  born,  December  22,  1823. 
His  ancestors,  originally  from  England,  were  among  the  settlers  of  the 
ancient  commonwealth  in  colonial  days,  and  for  generations  ranked  with 
the  leading  men  of  the  country.  His  grandfather's  name  was  John,  and 
his  father,  Adam  Y.  Smith.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah 
J.  Colvin,  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  a  lady  of  rare  mental  acquire- 
ments, and  great  force  of  character.  Mr.  Smith,  in  early  childhood, 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Culpeper  County,  where  they  resided  on  a 
farm  and  where  John  was  educated.  In  1839,  he  left  home  for  Luray, 
Page  County,  Virginia,  where  he  had  his  first  experience  in  life  as  clerk 
for  his  uncle  Nicholas  Yager.  Ten  years  after  he  secured  a  position  in  a 
wholesale  dry  goods  house,  which  he  continued  to  fill  till  1854,  when 
He  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west.  Landing  in  Mis- 
souri, he  made  his  way  to  Sidney,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  as  one  of  the  firm  of  Smith,  McAllis- 
ter &  Co.  In  the  following  year  he  moved  to  Linden,  then  the  seat  of 
Atchison  County,  where  he  embarked  in  the  goods  business  as  head  of 
the  firm  of  Smith,  Brown  &  McAllister.  In  the  winter  of  1838,  he  moved 
to  Rock  Port,  where  he  engaged  in  the  live  stock  and  grain  business  till 
the  spring  of  i860,  when  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  superintendent 
of  the  United  States  census  of  Atchison  County.  fIn  August,  i860,  he 
was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  sheriff  of  Atchison'  County,  serv- 
ing two  years.     He  filled,  during  the  succeeding  two  years,  the  position 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  71 1 

of  county  assessor.  In  1S65,  he  engaged  in  freighting  on  the  plains,  from 
Nebraska  City  to  Julesburg.  During  the  winter  of  1865-66,  he  was 
employed  in  writing  up  abstract  books  for  Buchanan  County  for  Durfee, 
Pike  &  Davenport.  He  then  went  into  the  wheat  business.  In  1867,  he 
returned  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  till  the 
winter  of  1868.  In  the  fall  of  1869,  he  moved  to  Hamburg,  Iowa,  where 
he  sold  goods  till  1873.  From  April  of  that  year  till  January,  1875,  he 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  deputy  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  Atchison 
County,  at  which  latter  period  he  assumed  the  duties  of  clerk  of  the 
same  to  what  he  had  been  elected  in  the  previous  fall.  He  was  re-elected 
in  the  fall  of  1878,  and  still  (1882)  holds  the  position.  He  is  a  member 
of  North  Star  Lodge  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  Past  Master  of  the 
same.  He  is  also  an  active  member  of  Zerubbabel  R.  A.  Chapter  No. 
59.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Rock  Port  Lodge  No.  125,  I.  O.  O.  F.  On 
the  14th  of  June,  1877,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Susan  P.  Frederick,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Trubb.  She  was  born  in  Pike  County,  Illinois,  in  1836. 
They  have  one  child,  Willie  F.  Both  Mr.  Smith  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

DANIEL  SNYDER, 

proprietor  of  the  Rock  Port  Hotel,  was  born  in  Danville,  Mantour  County, 
Pennsylvania,  April  20,  1827.  His  parents,  Peter  and  Sarah  Snyder,  were 
both  natives  of  that  state.  Daniel  was  reared  to  habits  of  industry  in 
his  native  town,  and  during  his  boyhood  days  worked  on  the  canal.  In 
1849  ne  moved  to  Ohio  and  drove  a  stage  on  the  national  road  till  1852, 
when  he  located  in  Chicago,  where  he  also  drove  a  stage  for  a  period. 
Mr.  S.  then  went  to  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  and  acted  as  office  agent  for  a 
stage  line  till  1857,  when  he  came  to  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri. 
There  he  was  also  agent  for  a  stage  company  for  a  short  time,  after 
which  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  held  the  same  position  till  1865. 
Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  his  present  business.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  October,  1867,  to  Miss  Eliza  Blair,  a  native  of  Holt  County,  Mo. 
Mr.  S.  has  the  name  of  possessing  and  keeping  one  of  the  most  complete 
hotels  in  Northwest  Missouri,  it  being  elegantly  furnished  and  well  kept. 
There  are  few  landlords  who  are  more  popular  with  the  traveling  public 
than  Mr.  Snyder,  he  being  courteous  in  his  manners  and  agreeable  to  all. 

JOHN  E.  SPURLOCK,    • 

present  treasurer  of  Atchison  County,  and  of  the  firm  of  J.  E.  Spurlock 
&  Co.,  druggists,  is  the  son  of  Wesley  and  Mary  (Booton)  Spurlock,  who 
were  both  natives  of  Virginia.  John  E.  was  born  in  Wayne  County, 
Iowa,  March  5,  1845,  and  when  but  a  child  his  parents  moved  to    Mills 


712  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

County,  Iowa.  After  residing  there  a  short  time  Cass  County,  Nebraska, 
became  their  home,  where  they  lived  -some  eight  years,  then  going  to 
Nebraska  City.  Young  Spurlock  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  was  educa- 
ted in  the  common  schools.  While  in  Nebraska  City  he  learned  the 
harnessmaker's  trade.  In  1868  he  went  to  Hamburg,  Iowa,  and  there 
worked  at  his  trade  one  year,  after  which  he  embarked  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness. In  187 1  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  and  has  since  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  a  druggist.  In  November,  1880,  Mr.  Spurlock  was  elected  by  the 
Republican  party  to  fill  the  office  of  Treasurer  of  Atchison  County,  the 
duties  of  which  position  he  has  thus  far  discharged  with  much  satisfac- 
tion to  the  public.  He  is  a  member  of  Northwest  Lodge,  No.  134,  A.  O. 
U.  W.  He  was  married  May  31,  1873,  t0  Miss  Louisa  Pherson,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Pherson.  She  was  born  in  Topeka,  Kansas,  September  20, 
1855.     They  have  two  children,  Lorenzo  and  Nannie. 

MICHEL  STECK, 

farmer,  section  22,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Hackanaw,  Elcers,  France, 
and  was  the  eldest  child  in  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  was  reared  in 
his  native  country,  and  there  learned  the  stonemason's  trade.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1840,  he  came  to  America  and  first  settled  in  St.  Louis,  where  he 
followed  his  trade  for  seven  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri.  Here  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, his  farm  containing  200  acres.  It  is.  most  excellently  improved. 
In  the  year  1850,  Mr.  Steck  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  mining  for  four  years,  after  which  he  returned  home  by 
the  Isthmus.  He  has  been  twice  married,  first  in  183.6,  to  Miss  Magde- 
line  Wolf,  a  native  of  France.  She  died  in  1862,  leaving  six  children — 
George,  Ansel,  Antonio,  Mary  (now  Mrs.  Charlie  Hartman),  Hannah 
(now  Mrs.  George  Hintneck),  and  Betty  (now  Mrs.  George  Gray.  Mr. 
Steck  was  married  again  July  4,  1863,  to  Annie  Rhody,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Annie  Bear.  She  is  a  native  of  Hessia,  Germany.  Mr. 
Steck  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  while  his  wife 
belongs  to  the  Lutheran  denomination. 

CAPTAIN   GEORGE   STECK, 

farmer,  section  24,  a  son  of  Michel  Steck,  Esq.,  a  worthy  citizen  of  this 
county,  was  born  January  17,  1837,  his  native  home  being  France. 
When  three  years  of  age  he  emigrated  to  America  with  his  parents, 
locating  in  St.  Louis,  and  in  1847  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  where 
he  has  since  lived.  He  now  owns  a  farm  of  136  acres.  His  education 
was  received  in  Atchison  County,  he  having  attended  the  first  school 
taught  in  the  county.     During  the  war  he  served  as  captain  in  Company 


v 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  713 

A,  of  the  Missouri  State  Militia,  having  organized  the  first  state  com- 
pany in  the  county.     In  October,  1863,  Mr.  Steck  enlisted  in  Company 

B,  Twelfth  Missouri  Cavalry,  U.  S.  Volunteers,  filling  the  position  of 
second  lieutenant.  In  November,  1864,  he  was  taken  prisoner.  May 
15,  1865,  he  was  mustered  out  as  a  paroled  prisoner.  During  his  term 
of  imprisonment  he  was  in  Andersonville,  Oxford,  Tallahatchie  and 
other  prison  pens.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  also  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Captain  Steck  was  married  June  7,  1862,  to  Miss 
Emily  J.  Howell,  a  native  of  Meigs  County,  Ohio.  They  have  eight 
children  :  Emma,  Effie,  Bertha,  Ora,  Frank  L.,  Michel,  Marcus  and 
Irvin. 

WILLIAM  SUTTER, 

proprietor  of  the  Rock  Port  Brewery,  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and  was 
born  May  26,  1846.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country, 
and  has  followed  his  present  business  during  life.  In  1863  he  came  to 
America,  landing  at  New  York  City.  For  a  number  of  years  he  lived 
in  St.  Louis,  Omaha,  Council  Bluffs,  St.  Joseph,  and  Maryville,  and  in 
1876  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  fine  beer,  in  which  he  is  very  successful.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  February,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  Hartman,  of  Atchison  County, 
Missouri.  They  have  five  children  :  Emma,  Henry,  Willie,  Edia  and 
Johona.  Having  been  so  long  in  his  present  business,  Mr.  S.  must  needs 
have  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  details  of  the  work,  and 
now  has  a    large  trade. 

MRS.  MARY  TAYLOR 

is  the  widow  of  the  late  James  A.  Taylor,  who  was  born  in  Clarke  County, 
Indiana,  November  21,  1825.  He  was  a  son  of  Judson  and  Elizabeth 
(Cassady)  Taylor,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  Judson  Taylor  now 
lives  in  Indiana  and  has  for  many  years  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine.  James  A.  Taylor  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
county,  and  during  his  boyhood  days  his  time  was  divided  between  work- 
ing on  a  farm  and  clerking  in  a  store.  He  was  afterwards  occupied  in 
teaching  school  for  several  years.  November  21,  1850,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Callaway,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  and  of  these  two 
are  now  living,  Eugene  P.  and  Eddie  W.  In  1855  Mr.  Taylor  moved 
from  Indiana  to  Missouri,  and  located  on  section  11,  of  Clay  Township, 
Atchison  County,  where  Mrs.  Taylor  now  resides.  There  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  till  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  September  3,  1878, 
He  then  had  a  farm  of  240  acres,  which  has  since  been  cared  for  by  Mrs. 
T.  and  her  sons.  They  now  have  300  acres  of  choice  land  and  know  how 
to  keep  it  in  cultivation.     During  the  time  of  Mr.  Taylor's  residence  in 


714  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Atchison  County  he  was  for  several  years  a  member  of  the  county  court. 
He  belonged  to  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.M.,  and  was  buried 
by  that  fraternity.  Mrs.  Taylor  was  born  in  Clarke  County  Indiana, 
August  8,  1826.  Her  father,  Samuel  Callaway,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lucy  Cable,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina.     Mrs.  T.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

ROBERT  W.  TRIMBLE 

is  the  present  affable  deputy  clerk  of  Atchison  County.  Robert  Trimble 
his  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  from  which  state  he  emigrated 
to  Kentucky,  settling  in  Bourbon  County.  There  he  was  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  one  of  the  supreme 
judges.  Trimble  County,  Kentucky,  was  named  in  his  honor.  Henry 
T.  Trimble,  the  father  of  R.  W.,  was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky, 
and  studied  the  professions  of  both  law  and  medicine,  but  practiced 
neither.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  Wyatt,  and  from  this  marriage 
there  were  born  four  children,  Robert  W.  Trimble,  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch,  being  the  second  child.  He  was  born  in  Nicholas  County, 
Kentucky,  July  24,  1841,  and  there  lived  till  the  fall  of  1856,  when,  with 
his  parents,  he  came  to  Missouri.  They  located  in  Sonora,  now  a  town 
of  the  past,  which  was  then  in  Atchison  County.  Young  Trimble  was 
principally  reared  on  a  farm.  His  father  died  in  August,  1858,  and  in 
1861  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Colorado,  where  he  was  engaged  in  freight- 
ing to  different  points  in  that  territory,  and  also  Montana.  While  there 
he  was  interested  in  the  photograph  business  for  a  short  time.  Mr.  T. 
returned  to  Atchison  County  in  the  fall  of  1866,  after  which  he  was  for 
six  years  occupied  in  milling  in  different  parts  of  the  county.  For  one 
year  he  was  in  the  mercantile  trade  at  Watson,  being  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Jarne  &  Trimble.  He  then  went  to  Indianola,  Iowa,  and  followed 
the  photograph  business  for  one  year,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he 
was  located  in  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  the  same  business. 
He  soon  again  engaged  in  the  milling  business  in  Holt  County,  but  in 
one  year  returned  to  Atchison  County,  where  he  tilled  the  soil  till  the 
fall  of  1879.  Mr.  Trimble  then  accepted  his  present  position  under  M. 
L.  Lee.  He  is  a  member  of  North  West  Lodge,  No.  134,  A.  O.  U.  W., 
and  of  Rock  Port  Legion  No.  12,  S.  K.  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  was  married  in 
October,  1867,  to  Miss  Martha  E.  Starnes,  by  which  union  they  have  four 
children — Henry,  Willie,  Irene  and  Alma.  Mrs.  T.  was  born  in  Greene 
County,  East  Tennessee,  December  16,  1852,  and  came  to  Atchison 
County  in  1853.  Her  father,  Alexander  Starnes,  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, as  was  also  her  mother,  formerly  Elizabeth  McAdams. 


CLAY     TOWNSHIP.  71 5 

GEORGE  TRAUB, 

was  born  in  Germany,  August  5,  1821,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  he 
learned  the  wagon  maker's  trade,  which  he  followed  till  1846.  After  this 
time  he  served  for  several  years  as  a  soldier  in  the  regular  army.  In 
1849  he  came  to  America,  and  soon  located  in  Atchison  County,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  working  at  the  blacksmith  and  wagonmaker's  trade, 
in  Rock  Port,  from  1852  till  1873.  He  built  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in 
the  town.  In  1869,  he  embarked  in  the  lumber  business,  which  he  con- 
tinued for  eleven  years.  He  is  not  now  engaged  in  any  active  business, 
his  time  being  occupied  in  looking  after  the  interests  of  his  farms.  He 
has  a  landed  estate  of  480  acres.  His  residence  farm,  adjoining  the  town 
contains  80  acres,  and  is  well  improved,  and  upon  it  is  more  than  an 
•ordinary  large  orchard  and  vineyard,  from  which  he  made,  in  1881,  seven- 
teen barrels  of  wine.  As  far  as  the  quality  of  this  article  is  concerned, 
one  has  only  to  taste  to  judge  of  its  purity.  His  home  is  upon  an 
■eminence  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  town.  During  the  late  war  he 
served  in  the  Missouri  State  Militia,  and  acted  as  lieutenant.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Traub  was  married  March  4,  1849,  to  Miss 
Fredrica  Holzwust,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  November  14,  1828.  They 
have  nine  children  :  Frederick,  Louis,  Charles,  Regana,  John,  Mary, 
Louisa,  Gustaf,  and  George,  Jr. 

FREDERICK  TRAUB, 

■of  the  firm  of  Bischof  &  Traub,  dealers  in  hardware,  stoves  and  tin- . 
ware,  is  a  native  of  Untler  Schlechtbach,  Germany,  the  date  of  his  birth 
being  March  9,  1824.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  coun- 
try and  there  learned  the  bakers'  trade,  and  also  the  milling  business, 
which  he  followed  in  Germany  till  1854.  At  that  time  he  came  to 
America,  landing  at  New  Orleans  and  from  there  removed  to  Rock 
Port,  where  he  has  since  lived.  Having  no  money  when  he  came  here, 
!he  worked  at  various  employments  for  a  period  of  time  and  was  after- 
wards engaged  in  the  milling  business,  and  for  eighteen  years  he  was 
•occupied  in  farming.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  eighty-four  acres  east  of 
town  and  at  his  residence  twenty-one  acres,  surrounded  with  fruit  trees 
and  a  vineyard,  besides  other  property  in  Rock  Port.  In  1874  he  began 
in  his  present  business,  which  he  has  since  continued,  and  in  which  he 
has  been  more  than  ordinarily  successful.  Kind  and  courteous  to  all,  he 
•commands  the  esteem  of  many  patrons.  Mr.  Traub  was  married  May 
15,  1849,  to  Miss  Louisa  Buhner.  She  was  born  in  Germany,  August 
J8,  1827.  The  have  one  child,  Louisa  K.  They  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 


7l6  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

ALBERT  TRAUB, 

of  the  firm  of  Albert  Traub  &  Co.,  bakers  and  dealers  in  groceries  and 
confectionery,  was  born  August  7,  1840,  and  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
where  his  father  now  resides.  Albert  was  there  reared  and  educated. 
While  a  boy  he  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  which  he  followed  in  Ger- 
many till  the  spring  of  1868,  when  he  emigrated  to  America,  landing  at 
New  York.  In  a  short  time  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  followed 
his  trade  till  1881,  in  the  fall  of  which  year  he  began  at  his  present  occu- 
pation, and  in  which  he  has  built  up  a  good  trade.  Mr.  T.  was  married 
January  30,  1869,  to  Miss  Sophia  Volkmann,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
November  28,  1840.  They  have  two  children,  Amelia  and  Laura.  They 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

CYRUS  N.  VAN  PELT, 

of  the  firm  of  Van  Pelt  &  Blake,  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  Atchison 
County  Mail,  was  born  in  Versailles,  Woodford  County,  Kentucky, 
March  31,  185 1.  In  1859  he  moved  with  his  parents,  Cyrus  P.  and  Mil- 
dred H.  Van  Pelt,  to  Bath  County,  Kentucky,  and  until  April,  187 1,  was 
a  resident  of  Sharpsburg  in  that  county.  At  the  time  mentioned  he 
moved  to  Missouri  and  settled  at  Watson,  where  he  was  married  on  the 
2d  day  of  February,  1874,  to  Miss  Bettie  Boston,  the  daughter  of  G.  T. 
and  Sarah  A.  Boston.  During  his  stay  in  Watson  Mr.  Van  Pelt  was 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  In  June,  1879,  ne  rnoved  to  Rock  Port, 
and  in  connection  with  C.  E.  Blake  purchased  the  Atchison  County  Maily 
of  which  paper  he  has  since  been  the  senior  editor.  Mr.  Van  Pelt  is  a 
ready  and  able  writer,  bold  and  forcible  on  all  subjects  which  he  deems 
for  the  best  interests  of  the  party  with  which  he  is  identified,  or  the 
moral,  intellectual  and  material  welfare  of  the  people  of  the  county. 
The  Atchison  County  Mail  has  built  up  a  good  circulation,  is  a  live, 
active  and  well  edited  journal,  a  credit  to  the  proprietors  and  to  the  sec- 
tion it  represents.  It  ably  champions  the  interests  of  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  bids  fair  for  a  life  of  usefulness  and  prosperity. 

CHARLES  VOLKMANN, 

of  the  firm  of  Albert  Traub  &  Co.,  grocers,  was  born  in  Germany,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1846.  He  was  there  reared  and  educated,  and  when  fourteen 
years  of  age  he  learned  the  baker's  trade.  He  followed  the  bakery  and 
confectionery  business  in  Germany  till  1866,  when  he  emigrated  to 
America,  landing  at  New  York  in  February.  From  there  he  came  to 
Rock  Port,  and  in  one  year  went  to  St.  Joseph,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  working,  at  his  trade  for  three  years.  Maryville  next  became  his  home 
but  after  he  had  remained  a  few  months  there,  he  returned  to  Rock  Port, 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  717 

and  opened  out  a  bakery  in  connection  with  the  saloon  business,  contin- 
uing both  houses  till  1880.  Mr.  V.  then  spent  one  year  in  Denver,  and 
has  since  been  engaged  in  his  present  calling,  meeting  with  good  suc- 
cess. He  was  married  January  26,  1873,  to  Miss  Eliza  Rhoda.  She  was 
born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  November  22,  185  1.  They  have  two 
children,  Charles  and  Louisa.  The  family  of  Mr.  V.  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

P.  R.  WAGOR, 

insurance  agent,  is  a  native  of  Oneida  County,  New  York,  and  was  born 
April  23,  1843.  His  father,  Samuel  Wagor,  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Rachel  Daniels, 
came  originally  from  Maine.  In  1855  the  family  moved  to  Wheaton, 
DuPage  County,  Illinois,  and  two  years  later,  in  1857,  they  located  at 
Amity,  Page  County,  Iowa,  where  P.R.  Wagor  attended  the  Amity  Col- 
lege till  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  In  June,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  First  Nebraska  Infantry,  which  company  was  formed  in  Page 
County,  Iowa.  He  remained  in  service  till  May  2,  1866,  having  veter- 
anized in  the  cavalry  in  July,  1863.  He  participated  in  a  number  of 
important  battles,  among  which  were  Fort  Donaldson,  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, Corinth  and  others.  During  the  last  three  years  in  service  he  filled 
a  position  in  the  band  as  a  musician.  After  he  was  mustered  out  Mr.  W. 
was  stationed  in  different  localities,  till  1870,  Peoria  and  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois, and  Osceola,  Iowa.  In  1870  he  came  from  Clarinda,  Iowa,  to  Atch- 
ison County,  Missouri,  and  settled  in  Watson,  from  whence,  after  living 
one  year,  he  came  to  Rock  Port.  Here  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business.  In  January,  1875,  he  was  appointed  deputy  county 
clerk,  serving  for  five  years  in  an  acceptable  manner.  For  two  years  past 
he  has  been  engaged  in  writing  the  abstract  books  of  Atchison  County, 
for  John  D.  Dopf.  He  is  a  member  of  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  145,  A.  F. 
and  A.  M.  Mr.  Wagor  was  married  May  31,  1874,  to  Miss  Lucy  E. 
McCrery.  She  was  born  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  January  12,  1840. 
She  was  reared  in  Ohio  and  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1873. 
Her  father,  John  McCrery,  was  a  native  of  Licking  County,  Ohio,  and 
her  mother,  formerly  Emily  Brown,  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagor  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

PETER  WALTER,  Sr., 

farmer,  section  14,  is  a  native  of  Grand  Duke  of  Hessia,  Germany,  and 
was  born  June  26,  1824.  He  emigrated  to  America  in  1832,  landing  at 
Baltimore,  and  then  went  to  Pittsburgh  and  thence  by  keel  boat  to  Cin- 
cinnati, where  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  hat  and  clothing  store  for 
seven   years.      During   the    winter   of    1839-40    he    moved    to    Shelby 


7l8  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

County,  Indiana,  and  there  remained  until  the  fall  of  1855,  when  he 
came  to  Atchison  County,  and  has  since  remained  here  occupied  in 
farming.  His  landed  estate  consists  of  415  'acres,  a  part  of  which  his 
father  entered.  Mr.  Walter  was  married  February  23,  1852,  to  Miss 
Anna  M.  Kizer,  of  Hessia,  Germany.  They  have  had  twelve  children, 
six  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Philip,  Peter,  Henry,  Charlie,  George  and 
John.  Mrs.  Walter  died  in  1870.  Mr.  W.  was  married  again  August  5, 
1871,  to  Mary  Schoval,  whose  maiden  name  was  Peters.  She  is  a  native 
of  Grand  Duke  of  Hessia,  and  was  born  in  December,  1828. 

PHILIP  WALTER, 

farmer,  section  14,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  October  11,  1855.  His 
parents  moved  to  Shelby,  Indiana,  in  the  winter  of  1839-40,  and  there 
he  was  reared  and  educated,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm. 
He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1854,. 
where  he  has  since  resided,  being  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
now  owns  137  acres  of  fine  land.  During  the  late  war  he  served  in  the 
M.  S.  M.  He  was  married  June  14,  1863  to  Miss  Caroline  Fox,  a  native 
of  Shelby  County,  Indiana.  She  was  born  December  13,  1846.  They 
have  been  blessed  with  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living  : 
Leah  M.;  Minnie  B.;  Martha  L.,  and  Ora  J. 

ALFRED    A.  J.  WANNSCHAFF 

was  born  in  Oldenburg,  Germany,  June  22,  1856.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  country,  and  in  1871  he  came  to  America,  making 
Rock  Port  his  destination,  since  which  time  he  has  been  employed  in 
his  present  position  in  the  Bank  of  Atchison  County.  He  became  a 
partner  in  the  firm  in  February,  1882,  and  as  a  financier  is  surpassed  by 
none.  He  is  a  member  of  North  West  Lodge,  134,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of 
Rock  Port  Legion,  No.  12,  S.  K.  A.  O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Wannschaff  was 
married  February  16,  1879,  to  Miss  Vena  Valker,  of  Illinois.  They 
have  two  children  :  Herma  and  Anna.  Mr.  W.  is  a  rising  young  busi- 
ness man,  possessed  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and  a  favorite 
with  all. 

DAVID  WHITMIRE,  M.  D., 

a  prominent  physician  of  Rock  Port,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  was  born 
in  Licking  County.  His  parents,  John  and  Margaret  (Robinson)  Whit- 
mire,  were  both  natives  of  Virginia.  When  David  was  about  five  years 
of  age,  he  moved  with  them  to  Sidney,  Shelby  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood.  He  was  literally  brought  up  to  learn  the  trade  of 
tanning  and  currying.  In  1841  he  went  :o  Virginia,  Cass  County, 
Illinois,  where  he  vvas  engaged  in  teaching  school  and  studying  medicine 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP.  719 

till  1845,  when  he  moved  to  Matamora,  Woodford  County,  Illinois. 
There  he  followed  teaching  and  clerking  in  a  drug  store,  and  continued 
his  study  of  medicine.  During  the  winter  of  1849  anc^  1850  he  attended 
Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  and  was  also  a  student  at  the  same 
institution  in  the  winter  of  185 1-2.  In  1852  he  came  to  Atchison  County, 
where  for  some  time  he  was  interested  in  teaching.  In  the  spring  of 
1854  he  was  graduated  from  Rush  Medical  College,  and  soon  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Rock  Port.  During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1857, 
he  attended  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  Ohio  Medical  College  of  Cincin- 
nati. In  1858,  Dr.  Whitmire  located  in  the  town  of  Saint  Stephens, 
Nebraska,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  till  the 
fall  of  1870,  then  going  to  Rulo,  in  the  same  county.  In  1871  he  returned 
to  Rock  Port,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  married  in  the  spring 
of  1855,  to  Miss  Nancy  Young,  of  Virginia.  She  died  in  1856.  He  was 
again  married  in  January,  i860,  to  Miss  Amanda  L.  Smith,  of  Virginia. 
She  died  in  1873.  They  had  four  children — Mary  E.,  Guss.,  Maude  and 
William  P.  A  physician  of  many  years'  experience  and  practice,  Dr. 
W.  has  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  lucrative  practice,  and  the  esteem  of 
the  citizens  of  this  vicinity. 

ARCHIBALD  E.  WYATT, 

a  leading  business  man  and  a  representative  citizen  of  Atchison  County, 
was  born  April  28,  1833,  in  Scott  County,  Indiana.  His  parents,  Edmund 
S.  and  Sarah  (Dean)  Wyatt,  were  natives  of  the  state  of  Virginia.  The 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  early  manhood  were  spent  in  Ohio,  during 
which  time  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  at  mechanical 
labor.  In  1858,  he  left  Chicago  Illinois,  where  he  had  for  some  time  been 
residing  engaged  in  business,  for  the  then  far  west,  and  the  winter  of 
1858—59  he  spent  in  Nebraska.  In  the  spring  of  1859,  ne  went  to  that 
part  of  Colorado  which  was  known  as  Pike's  Peak.  Returning  to  Nebraska 
in  the  fall  of  1859,  he  came  thence  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  the 
spring  of  i860,  where  he  has  since  continuously  resided.  During  the  war 
he  took  an  active  interest  in  political  matters,  as  a  Republican  and  a 
strong  Union  man.  He  was  made  captain  of  a  company  of  militia,  and 
in  1862  was  elected  sheriff  and  ex-officio  collector  of  Atchison  County, 
and  in  1864,  he  was  elected  his  own  successor  without  opposition.  In 
1866,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  general  assembly  of  the  State  of 
Missouri.  After  serving  one  term  in  the  legislature,  he  retired  trom 
I  political  life,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  lumber  business.  In 
1870,  he  disposed  of  his  lumber  interests  and  embarked  in  the  banking 
business  in  Rock  Port,  which,  together  with  farming  he  has  continued 
to  follow  to  the  present  time.  In  1872,  Mr.  Wyatt  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Senate,  from  the  First  Senatorial  District,  composed  of 


720  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

the  counties  of  Atchison,  Holt,  Andrew  and  Nodaway.  In  1876,  he  was 
a  delegate  from  the  Ninth  Congressional  District  of  Missouri,  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention,  held  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In  1880,  he 
was  the  Republican  candidate  for  Presidential  Elector  from  the  Ninth 
District.  Mr.  Wyatt  has  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  county 
for  over  twenty  years.  To  its  development  and  prosperity  he  has  con- 
tributed largely,  and  now  is  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  most  solid  and 
popular  banking  institutions  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  has  been 
eminently  successful  in  life,  but  his  success  has  been  achieved  by  energy, 
perseverence  and  careful  judgment  in  business  enterprises.  He  is  refined 
and  sensitive  in  his  feelings,  and  in  his  manner  retiring  and  reserved 
and  a  man  whom  one  meets  only  to  wish  for  a  more  extended  acquain- 
tance. Mr.  Wyatt  was  married  on  the  24th  day  of  October,  1861,  in 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  to  Miss  Caroline  H.  Trimble.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Henry  T.  Trimble,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  Nancy  nee 
(Wyatt)  Trimble,  and  was  born  in  Nicholas  County,  Kentucky,  April  29, 
1844.  She  accompanied  her  parents  on  their  move  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  in  1856.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wyatt  have  five  children  :  Grant,  born 
January  21,  1864  ;  Mary,  born  February  16,  1867  ;  Harry  E.  born  May  l] 
1869  ;  Marcus  W.,  born  November  25,  1874  ;  Dean  T.,  born  September 
16,  1877. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CLARK  TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES  —  TOPOGRAPHY  —  BRIDGES-EARLY  SETTLERS  —  SCHOOLS  -  CHURCHES- 
IRISH  GROVE— SECRET  ORDERS  —  MILTON  —  FAIRFAX  —  CHURCHES  —  SECRET 
ORDERS— SCHOOLS-INCORPORATION— BUSINESS  DIRECTORY-TOWN  OFFICERS- 
POPULATION  OF  FAIRFAX -NISHNEBOTNA— BUSINESS  DIRECTORY-EARLY  SET- 
TLERS-COAL—BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Clark  Township,  one  of  the  original  municipal  divisions  of  Atchison 
County  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits  by  the  organization  of  Dale 
Township,  August  23,  1876.  It  is  a  county  division  of  considerable 
extent,  measuring,  in  its  greatest  length  north  and  south,  nine  miles,  and 
in  its  greatest  width  nine  and  a  half,  miles,  east  and  west.  Its  form, 
with  the  exception  of  a  portion  of  its  western  boundary,  which  is  broken 
by  the  sinuosities  of  the  Nishnebotna  River,  is  regular,  and  its  corners 
right  angles.  It  is  bounded  oh  the  north  by  two  miles  of  Clay  Town- 
ship and  six  miles  of  Tarkio  Township  ;  on  the  east,  in  its  entire  dis- 
tance of  nine  miles,  by  Dale  Township  ;  on  the  south  by  Holt  County 
and  in  a  short  distance,  (about  two  miles,)  on  the  southwest  by  the 
Missouri  River,  which  separates  it  from  the  State  of  Nebraska  ;  on  the 
west  by  Benton  Township,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Nishne- 
botna River,  and  in  a  distance  of  four  miles  by  a  direct  line  separating 
it  from  Clay  Township. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The  greater  proportion  of  Clark  Township  is  prairie.  It,  however, 
contains  in  comparison  with  other  townships  of  the  county  a  consider- 
able amount  of  good  timber.  The  bluff  line  extends  through  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  township  in  a  southeasterly  direction  from  the  northern 
line  of  section  26,  town  64,  range  41,  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section 
17,  township  63,  range  40,  a  distance  of  nearly  six  miles.  To  the  east- 
ward of  this  range,  and  generally  from  its  base,  extends  a  body  of  tim- 
ber varying  in  width  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  miles.  This  grove, 
which  includes  a  fine  growth  of  oak,  elm,  walnut,  basswood  and  other 
timber,  growths  proper  to  this  latitude,  embraces  an  area  of  nearly 
seven  thousand  acres.  To  the  eastward  of  this  bluff  range  the  land 
surface  is  hilly  and  broken,  as  is  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  universally 
the  case  in  similar  localities  of  this  section  of  the  state.  Rupe's 
Grove,   in  sections   5,  6,  7  and    8,  of  township  64,   range  40,   contains 

46 


722  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

about  800  acres  of  more  or  less  valuable  timber.  Sections  17,  18,  20, 
21  and  23,  township  64,  range  40,  also  abounds  in  timber,  aggregating 
probably  between  twelve  and  fifteen  hundred  acres  in  one  continuous 
body.  Timber  also  abounds  in  section  1,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
township,  and  small  groves  are  found  in  sections  25  and  26,  township 
64,  range  40,  as  also  detached  spots  of  timber  in  sections  2  and  n,  in 
township  63,  range  40.  The  banks  of  the  Tarkio  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Milton,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township,  are  also  clothed  with  a 
fair  growth  of  timber. 

Clark  Township  has  its  level  as  well  as  its  rough  and  broken  dis- 
tricts of  country.  All  that  portion  of  its  territory  extending  from  the 
base  of  the  bluff  to  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  and  Nishnebotna  rivers  is 
a  dead  level  country,  an  immensely  productive  soil,  embracing  a  por- 
tion of  the  great  corn  section  of  Missouri.  A  stream  of  some  five  or  six 
miles  in  length,  or  probably  double  that  distance,  estimating  it  by  its 
meanderings,  flows  in  a  southwesterly  direction  into  and  through  the 
timbered  region  above  described,  as  extending  from  the  bluff  range  east- 
ward, and  passing  through  the  bluff,  debouches  into  a  long  and  narrow 
lake  or  slough,  which  extends  to  the  westward  of  and  at  the  foot  of  this 
bluff,  in  a  distance  of  considerably  over  two  miles,  heading  in  the  south- 
east corner  of  section  2,  whence  it  leads  to  the  northeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion 14,  and  extending  diagonally  through  sections  12  and  13,  of  town- 
ship 63,  range  41,  and  section  18,  of  township  63,  range  40,  enters  Holt 
County  about  a  mile  above  the  town  of  Corning. 

The  Big  Tarkio  enters  Clark  Township  from  the  north  in  the  center 
of  the  north  line  of  section  3,  township  64,  range  40,  and  flows,  with  tor- 
tuous sinuosities  in  a  generally  southerly  course  through  sections  10, 
15,  22,  27,  and  34  of  said  township  and  range,  and  through  sections  3,  4, 
9,  10,  and  16,  of  township  63,  range  40,  into  Holt  County.  This  con- 
stitutes the  principal  stream  of  the  township.  The  Missouri  and  Nish- 
nebotna are  merely  boundaries,  and  the  other  streams  within  the  limits 
of  the  township,  though  numerous,  are  insignificant  brooks  and  branches. 

BRIDGES. 

There  are  in  Clark  Township  six  and  one-half  bridges,  including 
Groh  bridge  No.  1,  in  section  4,  township  63,  range  41,  which  connects 
said  township  across  the  Nishnebotna  with  Benton  Township.  The 
location  of  several  bridges  of  this  township,  together  with  their  style  of 
mechanism,  extent,  etc.,  appears  fully  in  the  general  chapter  entitled 
"  Bridges." 

EARLY  SETTLERS. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Clark  Township  were  Dr.  William 
Mann,  William  McDaniel,  William  Combs,  Rufus  Young,  Richard  Rupe, 


CLARK    TOWNSHIP.  723 

Major  Pemberton,  James  Green,  Jeremiah  Farmer,  John  Smeltzer,  John 
Seymour  and  others,  some  of  whom  located  in  the  township  as  early  as 
1841,  and  all  before  1848.  At  that  time  land  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Tarkio  could  be  bought  for  fifteen  cents  per  acre.  Many  of  the  early 
settlers  will  be  mentioned  in  giving  a  history  of  the  towns  in  the  town- 
ship. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught  by  Henry  Ward,  in  1844, 
in  a  log  house,  located  about  one  mile  north  of  the  town  of  Milton. 
Among  his  pupils  were  the  wife  of  Dr.  Charles  V.  Snow,  Lina  Mann, 
Licitta  Mann,  William  Mann,  John  Smeltzer's  children — Sarah,  Malinda 
and  Nancy — Edward  Horen's  children,  Richard  Saunders,  now  of  Mary- 
ville,  Missouri,  and  John  and  Leander  Seymour. 

CHURCHES. 

There  are  seven  churches  in  the  township  :  The  M.  E.  Church,  at 
Milton  ;  the  Christian  Church,  on  sections  29,  64  and  40  ;  Old  School 
Presbyterian  Church,  at  English  Grove  ;  M.  E  Church,  at  Rupe's  Grove; 
Old  School  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Fairfax  ;  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church,  at  Turner's  Grove.  The  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church,  at 
Fairfax,  has  just  been  completed  and  an  organization  perfected,  of  the 
following  members  :  S.  P.  Jewell  and  wife,  W.  N.  Curry  and  wife  and  H. 
L.  Allen.  Jewell  and  Curry  are  the  elders  and  H.  L.  Allen  is  the  only 
deacon.  No  minister  as  yet.  The  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church, 
one  mile  southeast  of  Fairfax,  has  been  in  existence  several  years,  and 
among  its  early  members  were  :  James  A.  Campbell  and  wife,  D.  R. 
McDaniel  and  wife,  Elias  Williams  and  wife,  W.  R.  Walkup  and  wife. 
The.  present  elders  are  Campbell  and  McDaniel.  Henry  J.  Norman, 
present  minister. 

IRISH    GROVE. 

Milton,  originally  Irish  Grove,  a  name  by  which  it  is  still  generally 
known,  is  located  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  9,  township  63,  range  40,  in  Clark  Township.  For  many  years 
Irish  Grove  was  a  regular  station  on  the  great  stage  and  daily  mail  route, 
between  Saint  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs.  The  locality  was  originally 
settled  by  an  enterprising  class  of  citizens  from  Ireland,  among  whom 
were  Martin  Murphy,  Sr.,  and  his  son  Martin.  Among  these  were  also 
Thomas  Cochrane,  Thomas  E.  Sayre  and  others.  They  nearly  all  emi- 
grated to  California  in  1844,  starting  from  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  The 
biography  of  Martin  Murphy,  Jr.,  is  given  in  our  chapter  on  early  settlers. 
A  post  office  kept  by  Harvey  Williams,  at  his  residence  on  a  farm  adjoin- 
ing the  present  town  site   of  Milton,  was  established  as  early  as   1850, 


724  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

under  the  name  of  Irish  Grove.  Williams  afterwards  kept  a  store  in 
this  house.  Before  Williams  began  to  sell  goods  in  the  house  in  which 
he  kept  the  post  office,  however,  William  E.  Graves,  since  dead,  opened 
at  Irish  Grove  a  store  in  which  he  sold  goods  for  a  period  of  two  or  three 
years.  He  was  thus  the  first  merchant  to  do  business  in  the  place.  John 
Seymour,  who  settled  here  in  1842,  made  the  first  wagon  that  was  made 
in  the  county,  all  hand  work.  About  this  period,  Dr.  William  Mann 
put  up  a  water  power  saw  and  grist  mill,  about  a  fourth  of  a  mile  from 
the  present  site  of  Van  Gundy's  Mill,  on  the  waters  of  Big  Tarkio.  This 
mill,  several  years  after,  passed  into  the  hands  of  James  A.  Curry,  who, 
after  operating  it  for  some  time,  sold  the  mill  to  John  Van  Gundy.  At 
the  expiration  of  two  years,  Van  Gundy  &  Co.  tore  down  the  old  struc- 
ture of  this  mill,  and  erected  near  its  site,  at  a  cost  of  $15,000,  the  present 
water  power  flouring  mill  which  operates  three  run  of  burrs.  This  was 
about  the  year  1863  or  1864,  and  in  1866,  he  added  a  saw  mill. 

IRISH    GROVE    LODGE   NO.    483,  A.  F.  AND   A.    M. 

was  set  to  work,  U.  D.,  in  August,  1874,  with  the  following  officers  : 
Jesse  Noel,  W.  M.;  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  S.  W. ;  John  Van  Gundy,  J.  W.; 
John  Seymour,  Treasurer,  and  James  H.  Laird,  Secretary. 

The  charter  of  the  lodge  is  dated  October  16,  1874.  The  first  elec- 
tion under  this  charter  occurred  November  9,  1874,  with  the  following 
result  :  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  W.  M.;  J.  J.  Denny  S.  W. ;  Robert  Gallo- 
way, J.  W.;  John  Van  Gundy,  Treasurer,  and  J.  B.  Denny,  Secretary. 

The  second  annual  election  occurred  December  27,  1875,  with  the 
following  result:  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  W.  M. ;  J.J.  Denny,  S.  W. ; 
Thomas  Combs,  J.  W.;  John  Van  Gundy,  Treasurer,  and  J.  B.  Denny, 
Secretary. 

The  third  election  which  was  held  December  27,  1876,  and  resulted 
as  follows  :  J.  J.  Denny,  W.  M.;  James  A.  Hunter,  S.  W.;  Philip  Patton, 
J.  W.;  G.  W.  Beck,  Treasurer,  and  J.  B.  Denny,  Secretary. 

The  fourth  annual  election  was  held  December  27,  1877,  with  the 
following  result:  J.  J.  Denny,  W.  M.;  M.  Koons,  S.  W.;  J.  B.  Denney, 
J.  W. ;  J.  W.  Beck,  Treasurer,  S.  P.  Jewett,  Secretary. 

The  fifth  annual  election  occurred  December  27,  1878,  with  the  fol- 
lowing result  :  Dr.  James  A.  Hunter,  W.  M.;  M.  Koons,  S.  W.;  Samuel 
Van  Gundy,  J.  W.;  James  Scarlett,  Treasurer,  and  S.  P.Jewell,  Secretary. 

December  27,  1879,  occurred  the  sixth  annual  election,  which  resulted 
as  follows  :  J.  J.  Denny,  W.  M.;  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  S.  W.;  Alexander 
Van  Gundy,  J.  W.;  James  Scarlett.  Treasurer,  and  S.  P.  Jewell,  Secretary. 

The  seventh  annual  election,  which  was  held  December  27,  1880, 
was  as  follows  :  M.  Koons,  W.  M.;  R.  P.  Hickman,  S.  W.;  D.  L.  Wil- 
liams, J.  W.;  James  Scarlett,  Treasurer,  and  J.  J.  Denny,  Secretary. 


CLARK     TOWNSHIP.  725 

The  eighth  annual  election  held  December  27,  1881,  resulted  as  fol- 
lows :  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  W.  M.;  James  A.  Hunter,  S.  W.;  John  Sey- 
mour, J.  W. ;  James  Scarlett,  Treasurer,  and  J.  J.  Denny,  Secretary. 

The  lodge  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  with  a  membership  of  forty- 
six.  The  hall  of  this  lodge  occupies  the  second  floor  of  a  frame  building, 
erected  in  the  town  of  Milton  by  John  and  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  and 
completed  in  the  spring  of  1874,  at  a  cost  of  $3,300.  The  hall  above, 
which  is  the  property  of  the  lodge,  cost  them  one-third  of  this  amount. 
It  is  24x50  feet  in  extent,  and  has  a  twelve  foot  ceiling. 

One  the  19th  day  of  November,  1867,  the  town  of 

MILTON 

was  laid  out  by  John  Van  Gundy,  Sr.,  and  wife.  On  the  20th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1870,  there  was  filed  in  the  circuit  clerk's  office  of  Atchison  County 
a  plat  of  Van  Gundy  &  Co.'s  addition  to  the  town  of  Milton,  in  the 
northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  9,  township  63, 
range  40. 

On  the  establishment  of  the  town  in  1867,  Irish  Grove  post  office 
was  moved  from  its  location  about  a  fourth  of  a  mile  distant,  and  its 
name  changed  to  Milton — that  of  the  new  town  in  which  it  was  located. 
The  first  postmaster  appointed  on  this  removal  was  C.  C.  Dragoo,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  an  early  settler  of  the  township.  He  held  the 
office  till  1868,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  A.  Hill,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
who  moved  in  an  early  day  from  Saline  County,  Missouri,  to  what  is 
now  Atchison  County.  Mr.  Hill  held  the  position  till  the  year  1873, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present  (1882)  postmaster,  Samuel  Van 
Gundy,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  also  a  pioneer  of  this  section  of  country. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Seymour  made  here  in  an  early  day  the  first 
wagon  built  in  the  county.  It  was  ironed  by  William  Sickler,  of  Rock 
Port. 

In  1866  Danforth  &  Dragoo  opened  the  first  stock  of  goods  on  the 
present  site  of  Milton.  On  the  laying  out  of  the  town  in  1867  this  firm 
became  Dragoo  &  Moore.  In  the  following  year  A.  Hill,  the  first  post- 
master appointed  for  Milton,  opened  a  general  store  in  the  place.  Hob- 
litzell  &  Judd  began  business  in  general  trade  in  1869. 

Faris  &  Foster,  in  1874,  opened  the  first  drug  store  in  the  place. 

In  1877  Zook  &  Jewell  began  to  sell  goods  in  the  large  store  room 
under  the  Masonic  Hall,  which  was  erected  in  1874.  This  building  cost 
$3,000.  This  store  room  had  previously  been  occupied  by  Denny  Bros. 
&  Co.,  who  opened  their  large  stock  there  in  1874  on  the  first  comple- 
tion of  the  building. 

The  first  blacksmith  to  work  in  Milton  was  Newt  Lytle,  who  set  up 
his  shop  in  the  place  in  1868.  He  afterwards  moved'  away.  Luke 
Lytle,  a  brother  of  his,  is  the  present  (1882)  blacksmith. 


726  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Nearly  all  the  business  of  Milton  has  been  moved  to  the  new  town 
of  Fairfax.  The  only  store  now  left  in  the  place  is  carried  on  by  Wil- 
liams &  Neal. 

The  first  physician  established  in  Milton  was  Dr.  J.  L.  Johnstun, 
now  a  leading  physician  of  Holt  County,  and  located  in  the  town  of 
Craig. 

The  school  building  of  the  town  was  erected  in  1869,  at  a  cost  of 
$1,200.  It  is  a  neat  but  plain  frame  building  well  adapted  to  the 
demands  of  the  district.  The  first  who  taught  in  this  building  was 
Professor  Amos  Purdum,  who  began  his  labors  in  the  same  year  in 
which  the  building  was  completed. 

The  only  church  in  Milton  is  the  Methodist  Episcopal.  The  building, 
which  is  also  a  frame,  was  erected  in  1870,  at  a  cost  of  $1,500.  The  orig- 
inal organizers  of  the  congregation  were  John  Van  Gundy,  Sr.,  Leah 
Van  Gundy,  James  Waits,  Martha  Little,  M.  A.  Van  Gundy,  S.  Van 
Gundy,  M.  H.  Van  Gundy  and  some  others.  The  first  minister  of  this 
church  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Thornton. 

FAIRFAX. 

The  town  of  Fairfax  was  laid  out  in  April,  1881,  by  Charles  E.  Per- 
kins, on  a  part  of  the  west  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  22, 
township  64,  range  40. 

It  is  one  of  the  three  towns  which  have  had  such  a  wonderful  growth 
since  the  completion  of  the  Tarkio  Valley  Railroad  through  the  county. 
Like  Westboro  and  Tarkio,  it  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Tarkio,  ahd  on  the  east  side  of  the  railroad,  while  they  are  located 
on  the  west  side.  Of  its  location,  the  Fairfax  Independent  of  February, 
1882,  says : 

"  Only  nine  short  months  have  come  and  gone,  since  upon  the  ground 
where  the  village  of  Fairfax  is  located,  a  field  of  corn  was  standing.  Less 
than  one  year  has  passed  away  since  the  first  board  was  brought  to  Fair- 
fax ;  since  the  first  nail  was  driven.  Now  we  are  a  little  city,  full  of  life 
and  animation.  Fairfax  is  located  on  the  Tarkio  Valley  Railroad,  just 
midway  between  Corning  and  Tarkio,  and  about  thirteen  miles  from 
Rock  Port,  the  county  seat.  The  town  is  situated  upon  the  east  bank  of 
the  Tarkio  River,  a  beautiful  little  stream  flowing  into  the  "  Mighty  Mis- 
souri," and  on  to  the  sea.  Upon  its  banks  we  have  often  stood  and  in 
our  imagination  listened  to  the  whirr  of  the  flouring  mill  we  hope  to  see 
erected  there  soon.  The  land  upon  which  the  town  is  built  is  a  gradual 
ascent  back  from  the  river.  The  business  part  of  the  town  is  at  the  base 
of  the  slope  and  the  residences  are  further  back  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill.  From  this  point  the  view  is  grand.  We  wish  we  were  a  landscape 
painter  and  could  paint  it  for  you.  To  the  north  lies  one  wide  expanse 
of  prairie  divided  only  by  the  Tarkio  River  and  its  fertile  valley,  dotted  ' 
here  and  there  with  good  substantial  farm  houses.  Looking  toward  the 
south  we  watch  the  graceful  winding  of  the  river  and  the  Tarkio  Valley 


CLARK    TOWNSHIP.  727 

Railroad,  and,  on  in  the  distance,  we  can  just  descry  the  Missouri  bluffs 
in  Nebraska:  To  the  east  we  have^the  rich  upland  of  our  country,  well 
advanced  in  improvement  and  prosperity,  showing  the  neat  and  tidy 
homes  of  the  farmers.  To  the  west  we  have  Irish  Grove,  English  Grove 
and  one  or  two  others.  From  these  groves  we  get  our  wood,  and  here, 
too,  you  will  find  our  oldest  settlers.  The  scene  the  eye  takes  in  from 
this  point  is  picturesque  indeed.  Our  farmers  are  men  who  are  enter 
prising  and  energetic,  most  all  owning  their  farms  and  being  out  of  debt. 
Our  business  men,  we  think,  will  compare  favorably  with  those  of  any 
town  in  Northwest  Missouri.  They  are  men  who  realize  that  upon  them 
depends  the  advancement  and  prosperity  of  our  town.  They  are  men 
who  have  come  intending  to  make  this  their  future  home  and  will  not 
hesitate  to  sacrifice  both  time  and  money  to  see  Fairfax  advance." 

PIONEERS   OF   THE   TOWN. 

The  first  building  erected  in  the  place  was  put  up  by  F.  M.  Lowe  & 
Co.,  who  were  also  the  first  parties  to  receive  an  invoice  of  goods. 

The  first  bill  of  lumber  was  taken  to  the  town  June  15,  1881,  and 
and  the  first  bill  of  goods  received  on  June  23d  of  that  month. 

Cowen  &  Hitt,  W.  R.  Walkup  &  Brothers,  and  Benjamin  Otti  were 
all  early  settlers. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  edifice  in  the  town  is  not  yet  completed. 
Other  denominations,  Christian,  M.  E.  Church,  South,  and  the  M.  E. 
Church  have  organizations  and  contemplate  building  soon. 

INCORPORATION  OF  FAIRFAX. 

On  the  9th  day  of  November,  188 1,  the  town  of  Fairfax  was  incor- 
porated as  follows  : 

"Now  at  this  day  comes  A.  C.  Hitt,  L.  D.  Cowen,  Benjamin  Otti,  T. 
C.  Smith,  A.  J.  Hayes,  J.  T.  Butler,  C.  C.  Bievins.  James  Prater,  James 
A.  Hunter,  Frank  M.Lowe,  Muinch  &  Walkup,  H.  L.  Allen,  J.  F.  Ensley, 
R.  Gullany,  Samuel  Jewell,  Charles  D.  Zook,  W.  L.  Zook,  Sam  Nobs,  M. 
V.  Neighbors,  M.  Coons,  L.  H.  Walkup,  W.  T.  Judson,  J.  L.  Jones,  James 
Sedwick,  R.  Thompson,  Nathan  Baker,  Zard  Bievins,  C.  C.  Ely,  F.  S. 
Hanger,  John  Princehouse,  Marion  Thornton,  T.  A.  Lininger,  J.  J.  Denny 
and  George  H.  Cooper,  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Fairfax,  County  of 
Atchison  and  State  of  Missouri,  and  present  their  petition  to  the  court, 
praying  that  they  may  be  incorporated  and  a  police  established  for  their 
local  government,  and  for  the  preservation  and  regulation  of  any  com- 
mons appertaining  to  said  town,  and  the  court  being  satisfied  that  two 
thirds  of  the  taxable  inhabitants  of  said  town  have  signed  said  petition, 
and  that  the  prayer  of  said  petition  is  reasonable,  it  is  therefore  ordered 
by  this  court  that  said  town  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  incorporated,  and 


728  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

that  said  incorporation  shall  'embrace  the  following  boundaries,  to  wit : 
Situated  upon  the  west  half  of  the  southeast  fourth  of  section  22,  town- 
ship 64,  range  40,  as  shown  by  recorded  plat  of  said  village,  and  the  court 
appoints  the  following  named  persons  to  constitute  the  first  board  of 
trustees  of  said  town,  to  act  until  the  annual  election  for  members  of 
said  board,  to  wit :  Lewis  Muinch,  Jordan  J.  Denny,  James  A.  Hunter, 
Frank  M.  Lowe  and  Samuel  P.  Jewell. 

BUSINESS   DIRECTORY. 

Allen,  H.  L.  &  Co.,  general  merchandise. 

Baker,  N.  V.,  contractor  and  builder. 

Beckett,  William  M.,  Railroad  and  U.  S.  Express  Agent. 

Bright,  Thomas,  city  transfer. 

Cowen  &  McCall,  hardware. 

Combs,  George,  painter. 

Cooper,  J.  M.,  contractor  and  builder. 

Denny,  J.  J.,  drugs  and  medicines. 

Deuser  Bros.  &  Co.,  hardware. 

Green,  William,  boarding  house. 

Graham,  Edward,  blacksmith  and  wagonmaker. 

Hunter  &  Butler,  physicians  and  surgeons. 

Hoblitzell  Bros.,  lumber. 

Jewell,  S.  P.,  postmaster. 

Judson,  W.  T.,  painter. 

Koons,  Marion,  boarding  house.     . 

Lininger  Bros.,  groceries. 

Lowe,  F.  M.,  attorney  at  law  and  insurance  agent. 

Lawrence,  W.,  contractor  and  builder. 

Miller,  Thomas,  boots  and  shoes. 

Neal,  Arch.,  boarding  house. 

Neal  &  Brown,  meat  market. 

Porter  &  Record,  livery. 

Punshon  &  Venon,  furniture. 

Sedwick,  Walter  &  Co.,  general  merchandise. 

Sedwick,  Walter  &  Co.,  stock  and  grain  dealers. 

Turner,  James,  hotel. 

Thornton,  M.  N.,  physician  and  surgeon. 

Thornton,  J.  T.,  drugs  and  medicines. 

Walkup  &  Stouffer,  general  merchandise. 

Walker  &  Perkins,  saloon. 

Wanger,  F.  S.,  harness  shop. 

Zook,  Jewell  &  Emmert,  general  merchandise. 


CLARK     TOWNSHIP.  729 

TOWN   OFFICIALS. 

S.  P.  Jewell,  chairman  of  the  board  ;  James  A.  Hunter,  L.  H.  Muinch, 
J.  J.  Denny,  F.  M.  Lowe,  trustees;  Marion  Koons,  clerk;  George 
Lockey,  marshal ;  B.  W.  Sedwick,  treasurer. 

The  population  of  the  town  is  about  230. 

NISHNEBOTNA. 

The  original  proprietor  of  the  town  site  of  Nishnebotna,  was  Fred- 
erick Volker,  who  in  1877  located  the  town  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  3,  township  63, 
range  41.  It  is  on  the  line  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council 
Bluffs  railroad,  nine  miles  south  of  Phelps  City.  It  is  about  midway 
between  the  bluffs  on  the  east,  and  the  Missouri  River  on  the  west,  and 
was  entirely  submerged  by  water  during  the  overflow  of  1881.  H.  Y. 
Lemon,  emigrated  from  Canada  in  1868,  and  is  the  pioneer  merchant  of 
the  town,  and  was  also  the  first  postmaster. 

O.  A.  Boapts  was  the  second  man  to  do  business  in  the  place.  He 
came  from  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  in  1855,  and  settled  near  the  present 
town  site  in  the  Missouri  bottom,  where  he  followed  farming,  until  he 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Nishnebotna.  A.  J.  Ritter  located 
there  in  1878,  establishing  himself  in  general  merchandise.  He  came 
west  at  an  early  day  from  Vandalia,  Indiana,  about  the  year  1862,  and 
settled  at  St.  Deroin,  Nebraska,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  he 
moved  to  Nishnebotna. 

BUSINESS   DIRECTORY. 

t        Boapts,  O.  A.,  general  merchandise  and  postmaster. 
Lemon,  Henry  Y.,  general  merchandise. 
Ritter,  A.  J.,  general  merchandise. 

The  town  contains  a  population  of  about  twenty-five  persons.  It 
has  a  brick  school  house,  (  Benjamin  Stoffar,  teacher,)  a  depot  building, 
and  one  or  two  vacant  business  houses. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  township,  is  Daniel 
Groh,  from  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  George  Snitker,  from  St.  Louis, 
S.  A.  Roundtree,  from  Kentucky,  John  D.  Campbell,  from  Virginia, 
Thomas  Christian,  from  East  Tennessee,  and  August  Bertram,  from 
Germany. 

COAL. 

In  the  west  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  15,  township 
64,  range  40,  about  one  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  town  of  Fairfax,  in 
Clark  Township,  is  what  is  believed  to  be  a  deposit  of  coal.     This  prop- 


73°  •  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

erty  is  owned  by  a  company  organized  in  the  fall  of  1881.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  company  are  John  J.  C.  Hays,  L.  K.  Hutton,  Bird  Rice, 
Alfred  Rice  and  S.  L.  Boyd. 

They  are  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  latter,  from  Imogene,  Iowa. 
Induced  by  the  appearance  of  an  out-cropping  vein  about  eight  inches 
in  diameter,  they  have  sunk  a  shaft  to  the  depth  of  fifty  feet,  but  so  far 
have  failed  to  meet  with  any  encouraging  success. 


-^\^  is— §^&pti— eT^1 


Sbiograph ical* 


>Of-S®>o 


HENRY  R.  ANDERSON, 

section  23,  was  born  in  Mercer  County,  New  Jersey,  August  21,  1817. 
Joshua  Anderson,  his  father,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Mary  Clark,  were 
also  natives  of  that  state.  Henry  R.  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Trenton  Academy.  He 
afterwards  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey.  In 
1837  he  came  west,  locating  at  Alton,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  at 
the  carpenter  business  for  three  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1841  he  moved 
to  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  working  at  his  trade  there  for  some  six  years. 
He  was  there  married,  on  the  12th  of  April,  1843,  to  Miss  Eliza  Jane 
McCord,  daughter  of  William  McCord.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
December  10,  1820.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  have  three  children  :  Mary  I.  (wife 
of  A.  Bigley),  born  August  27,  1847  ;  Martha  Virginia,  born  September 
10,  1859  5  Lewis  Wallace,  born  July  5,  1862.  In  1848  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  moved  from  Mount  Pleasant  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  resided  there, 
working  at  his  trade,  for  about  five  years.  In  the  spring  of  1853  he  left 
his  family  in  Iowa  and  went  overland  to  California,  where  he  was  inter- 
ested in  mining  and  carpentering  for  three  years,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Iowa,  in  the  fall  of  1856.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  moved  to  Cass 
County,  Nebraska,  and  was  there  engaged  in  farming  and  working  at 
his  chosen  calling  until  the  fall  of  1871,  when  he  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  settling  in  Clark  Township.  He  has  lived  on  his  pres- 
ent place  seven  years  and  now  has  a  farm  of  forty  acres,  all  in  cultiva- 
tion, with  a  young  bearing  orchard  of  200  apple  trees,  besides  peach, 
cherry,  plum  and  pear  trees.  Mrs.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church. 


CLARK    TOWNSHIP.  731 

JOHN  W.  BECK, 

section  5,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Clark  Township,  was  born  in 
Rowan  County,  North  Carolina,  January  5,  1815.  His  parents  were  Samuel 
and  Mary  (Wells)  Beck,  the  former  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  the  latter 
of  Delaware.  In  18 15  the  family  moved  to  Indiana,  settling  in  Wayne 
County.  John  W.  Beck  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  attended  the 
common  district  schools.  He  was  married  in  Union  County,  Indiana, 
in  December,  1845,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Rush,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sarah 
Rush.  She  was  born  in  Union  County,  Indiana,  March  17,  1824.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  B.  have  raised  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living — Sarah  E., 
(wife  of  Drury  Roberts),  born  December  24,  1847  ;  Mary  W.,  born  May 
12,  1849;  Lysander,  born  July  15,  1851  ;  Harriet  M.,  born  January  24, 
1853,  died  March  2,  1877  ;  Elizabeth  A.,  born  September  6,  1854  ;  Nicander 
M.,  born  December  15,  1856;  Hamlin  P.,  born  July  29,  1859;  John  L., 
born  October  26,  i860;  Emma  J.,  born  May  9,  1863;  Martha  H.,  born 
August  8,  1866.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  resided  in  Wayne  County, 
Indiana,  until  1864,  when  he  moved  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Clark  Town- 
ship, Atchison  County,  on  his  present  farm,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
He  owns  320  acres  of  land,  all  fenced,  good  improvements  and  an  orchard 
of  apple,  peach,  cherry,  plum  and  pear  trees  being  upon  the  place.  Mr. 
Beck  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

WILLIAM  A.   BOWER 

is  a  native  of  Howard  County,  Indiana,  and  was  born  May  22,  1848.  His 
father,  H.  A.  Bower,  was  born  March  4,  1821,  in  Clarke,  County,  Indiana, 
as  was  also  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Catherine  B.  Allhands, 
the  date  of  her  birth  being  August  29,  1822.  In  1849  the  family  moved 
to  Mason  County,  Illinois,  where  they  resided  until  1865,  then  going  to 
Des  Moines  County,  Iowa.  They  remained  in  Iowa  five  years,  and 
then,  in  1870,  removed  to  Wayne  County,  where  they  made  their  home 
until  they  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1872,  settling  in  Clark 
Township.  The  youth  of  William  A.  B.  was  spent  in  the  common 
schools,  and  he  afterwards  attended  the  Havanna  High  School.  After 
leaving  school  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  married  in  Wayne 
County,  Iowa,  September  8,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Lewis,  who  was  born 
in  Mason  County,  Illinois,  August  7,  185 1.  They  have  a  family  of  four 
children  :  Norvil  O,  born  November  11,  1871  ;  Cora  O.,  born  September 
1,  1873  ;  Lloyd  F.,  born  November  3,  1875,  and  Floyd  M.,  born  Febru- 
ary 29,  1877.  Mr.  B.  has  120  acres  of  land,  all  improved,  with  a  young 
orchard.     He  resides  on  section  35,  township  64,  range  40. 

CHRISTOPHER    C.  BLEVINS. 

Among  the  young   men  of  worth   and   ability   in    Fairfax   is  C.  C. 
Blevins,    who   was    born    in    the    vicinity   of    Fairfax,   August    19,   1859. 


732  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Daniel  M.  Blevins,  his  father,  was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri, 
and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Margaret  C.  Sandy,  was  a 
native  of  Indiana.  Daniel  Blevin,  Sr.,  the  grandfather  of  Christopher, 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  county,  and  settled  in  Clark  Township 
in  1840  on  the  same  farm  where  C.  C.  was  afterwards  born.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  reared  as  a  farmer  and  received  some  advantages 
for  acquiring  a  common  school  education.  When  sixteen  years  old  he 
entered  the  High  School  at  Rock  Port,  where  he  attended  for  two 
years.  In  September,  1877,  he  engaged  in  teaching,  which  profession 
he  followed  for  eight  months.  He  then  went  into  the  employ  of  J. 
J.  Denny,  at  Milton,  in  the  summer  of  1878  as  clerk  and  bookkeeper. 
In  September,  1881,  he  accompanied  his  employer  to  Fairfax.  Mr. 
Blevins  is  an  excellent  penman  and  bookkeeper  besides  being  a  prac- 
tical druggist  and  pharmacist. 

JAMES  A.  CAMPBELL, 

section  26,  was  born  in  Virginia,  on  the  10th  of  October,  1828,  and  was 
the  son  of  John  D.  and  Hardenia  (Blunt)  Campbell,  who  were  both  Vir- 
ginians by  birth.  In  1833  the  family  removed  to  Missouri  and  settled  in 
Cooper  County,  where  they  lived  for  three  years,  going  thence  to  Mor- 
gan County,  in  the  spring  of  1837.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
on  a  farm,  but  had  limited  opportunities  for  acquiring  an  education.  In 
the  fall  of  1849  he  moved  from  Morgan  to  Atchison  County  and  settled 
in  Clark  Township  and  for  thirteen  years  has  lived  on  his  present  place. 
Mr.  C.  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock  feeders  of  this  portion  of 
the  county  and  now  owns  520  acres  of  land,  all  fenced,  with  good  improve- 
ments and  a  young  bearing  orchard  of  300  trees.  He  has  some  good 
graded  stock  and  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  and  feeding  cattle.  He 
was  married  in  this  county,  in  February,  1859,  to  Miss  Ann  DeWitt, 
daughter  of  William  DeWitt.  They  had  by  this  union  one  daughter, 
Mary  H.,  who  was  born  February  1,  i860.  Mrs.  Campbell  died  in 
November,  1877.  Mr.  C.  was  again  married  May  14,  1878,  to  Mrs.  Nancy 
Jane  Marshall,  who  was  born  in  Bates  County,  Missouri,  September  1, 
1842.  They  have  one  child,  James  A.,  born  October  3,  1879.  Mrs. 
Campbell  has  two  children  by  a  former  marriage,  Beulah,  born  Septem- 
ber 13,  1869,  and  L.  E.  Marshall,  born  May  14,  1872.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C. 
are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  In  the  spring  of 
1852  Mr.  C.  took  a  trip  to  California,  where  he  remained  two  .years.  With 
this  exception  he  has  been  in  the  county  for  thirty-two  years. 

ANTHONY  C.  CHRISTIAN 

was  born  in  East  Tennessee,  May   2,   1822.     Charles   E.    Christian,  his 
father,  and  mother,  formerly  Miss  Mary  Ann  Doughty,  were    born    in 


CLARK    TOWNSHIP.  733 

Cocke  County,  Tennessee.  In  1852,  the  family  moved  to  Missouri,  and 
located  in  Clark  Township,  Atchison  County,  being  among  the  first  set- 
tlers of  the  county.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm, 
obtaining  a  limited  education  at  the  subscription  schools.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Tennessee  in  January,  1843,  to  Miss  Sarah  B.  Walsh.  Mr.  Chris- 
tian has  four  children  by  this  marriage  :  Adaline  E.,  (wife  of  David  Mur- 
phy) born  December  27,  1843  ;  John  W.,  born  December  15,  1845  ;  Eliza- 
beth M.,  (wife  of  Wm.  Edington)  born  September  13,  1848  ;  Mary  E., 
born  April  20,  1852,  and  died  April  5,  1875.  Mrs.  Christian  died  in  Ten- 
nessee, August  15,  1862.  Mr.  Christian  was  again  married  in  Tennessee, 
April  24,  1864,  to  Miss  Martha  J.  Murphy,  who  was  born  in  Carter  County, 
Tennessee,  August  15,  1841.  In  the  spring  of  1866,  he  settled  in  Clark 
Township.  He  mo^ed  upon  his  present  farm  in  the  spring  of  1871,  and 
now  has  133  acres  of  land,  with  90  acres  improved,  having  a  good  house 
and  small  young  bearing  orchard.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christian  have  two 
children  :  Sarah  A.,  born  February  19,  1865  ;  Gustus  H.,  born  April  21, 
1872.  He  resides  in  section  27,  township  64,  range  40,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  farmers  of  the  community. 

ROBERT  E.  CHRISTIAN, 

a  leading  man  of  this  township,  and  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county, 
was  born  in  Cocke  County,  East  Tennessee,  October  25,  1829,  and  was 
the  son  of  Thomas  E.  and  Mary  Ann  (Doughty)  Christian,  who  were 
also  natives  of  Tennessee.  In  1852  the  family  moved  to  Missouri,  locat- 
ing in  Atchison  County,  being  among  the  early  settlers  of  this  county. 
Robert  received  a  common  school  education,  and  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm.  He  was  married  in  East  Tennessee,  January  9,  i86i,to  Miss  Mary 
Jane  Holdeway,  daughter  of  William  Holdeway.  She  was  born  in  Cocke 
County,  Tennessee.  Mr.  Christian  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  1868, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming,  though  he  is  also  interested  in 
the  stock  and  grain  business.  He  has  eighty  acres  of  land,  all  improved, 
upon  which  is  a  good  dwelling  and  a  young  orchard,  his  place  being 
located  on  section  3,  township  63,  range  41.  His  residence  is  at  Nishne- 
botna  Station.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christian  have  seven  children — William 
T.,  born  October  8,  1861  ;  Sarah  E.,  born  in  1867  ;  Olive  Maud,  born 
February  6,  1869;  Wayne  S.,  born  September  21,  1871  ;  Elmer  E.,  born 
February  5,  1872  ;  Flora  N.,  born  March  20,  1876;  Lulie  E.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1882.  Mrs.  Christian  is  a  member  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church.     Mr.  C.  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  fraternity. 

ISAAC  N.  CURRY, 

section  18,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers,  and  has  long  been  numbered 
among  the  prominent  men  of  this  township.     He  was   born  in    Monroe 


734  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

County,  West  Virginia,  August  21,  1827,  his  parents,  James  and  Eliza- 
beth N.  Curry,  both  being  natives  of  the  same  locality.  Isaac  was  reared 
in  Greenbrier  County,  his  youth  being  spent  on  a  farm  and  in  attending 
the  subscription  schools.  He  subsequently  entered  the  High  School  at 
Blue  Sulphur  Springs.  On  the  1st  of  September,  1853,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Curry  to  Miss  Mary  K.  Youel,  a  daughter  of  James  G. 
W.  Youel.  She  was  born  in  Rockbridge  County,  Virginia,  April  30, 
1849.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  have  a  family  of  five  children  :  J.  A.  Youel,  born 
January  16,  1857  ;  Walter  W.,  born  August  3,  1858  ;  Ida  H.  (wife  of  S. 
P.  Jewell,  of  Fairfax),  born  August  23,  i860;  Lillie  N.,  born  May  19, 
1862,  and  I.  Houston,  born  August  20, 1863.  Mr.  Curry  has  one  adopted 
son,  A.  Wallace  Crawford,  who  was  born  January  16,  1858.  In  1856  the 
subject  of  this  brief  narrative  removed  from  Virginia  to  Missouri  and 
located  in  Atchison  County.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  this  por- 
tion of  the  country,  and  now  has  in  his  possession  200  acres  of  land,  all 
fenced  and  improved,  and  with  a  good  orchard.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curry 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  South. 

WILLIAM  N.  CURRY, 

was  born  in  Greenbrier  County,  West  Virginia,  August  16,  1838.  James 
Curry,  his  father,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Ruth  Anderson,  were  both 
born  in  Virginia  ;  the  former  died  in  Greenbrier  County,  West  Virginia, 
May  8,  1880,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age.  William  was  brought 
up  a  farmer  and  was  educated  in  the  common  subscription  schools.  In 
1861,  he  entered  into  the  Confederate  army,  enlisting  in  the  Third  Vir- 
ginia Infantry.  After  serving  in  the  regiment  one  year,  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Sixtieth  Virginia  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  participated  in  numerous  important  engagements,  among 
which  were  Mechanicsville,  Cold  Harbor,  Frazier's  Farm,  Malvern  Hill, 
Cedar  Mountain,  Piedmont,  and  others.  After  the  war  he,  returned  to 
Greenbrier  County,  and  until  1868,  was  engaged  in  farming  and  carpen- 
tering, at  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in 
Tarkio  Township,  Atchison  County,  in  1870,  and  on  his  present  farm  in 
section  23,  in  the  spring  of  1872.  Mr.  C.  owns  160  acres  of  land  in  his 
home  place,  all  improved,  and  upon  it  is  a  fair  residence  and  young 
orchard  of  200  apple  trees,  besides  other  varieties  of  fruit.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Greenbrier  County,  Virginia,  February  2,  1870,  to  Miss  Julia  M. 
Bright,  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Margaret  Bright.  She  was  born  in  that 
county,  February  20,  1848.  They  have  five  children  :  Arthur  Lee,  born 
November  30,  1870;  Maggie  Ruth,  born  September  30,  1873;  Jennie 
May,  born  January  12,  1875  ;  James  Bright,  born  November  8,  1879,  and 
Thomas  Henry,  born  April  8,  188 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curry  are  members 
of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church.     Mr.  Curry  has  upon  his  place 


CLARK    TOWNSHIP.  735 

some  fine  thoroughbred  short  horn  cattle,  and  is  greatly  interested   in 
handling  and  feeding  stock. 

J.  J.  DENNY 

was  born  February  13,  1846,  in  Washington  County,  Indiana.  His 
father,  Christopher  H.  Denny,  and  also  his  mother,  formerly  Phoebe 
Wright,  were  natives  of  the  same  county.  His  grandfather,  John 
Wright,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  preachers  of  Washington  County,  Indi- 
ana. His  uncle,  Jacob  Wright,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  preachers  of  this 
county  and  one  of  the  ablest  debaters  of  his  day.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  received  a  common  school  education. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  went-  into  military  service,  enlisting  in 
the  Fifth  Indiana  Cavalry  in  February,  1864,  in  which  he  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  While  in  the  service  he  participated  in  numerous 
engagements  among  which  were  the  important  battles  of  Chattanooga, 
Ringgold,  Dalton,  Resaca,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Atlanta  and  several 
others.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  Indiana  and  remained  there  some 
two  years,  attending  school  at  May's  Seminary,  located  at  Salem,  Indi- 
ana. March,  1867,  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Holt  County, 
near  Oregon,  where  he  lived  until  the  fall  of  1870,  engaged  most  of  the 
time  in  teaching.  In  the  spring  Mr.  Denny  entered  the  store  of  B.  B. 
Frazer  &  Co.,  at  Mound  City,  as  clerk,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
he  was  employed  in  the  same  business  with  Dr.  Taylor,  who,  at  time 
was  carrying  on  a  mercantile  trade  at  Graham,  in  Nodaway  County.  In 
March  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  L.  Gomel  &  Co.,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business  at  Graham  until  April, 
1872.  Shortly  after  leaving  Graham  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  firm  of 
Denny  Bros.,  at  Corning,  and  was  in  business  at  this  place  two  years. 
In  May,  1874,  he  moved  his  stock  of  goods  to  Milton  and  has  since  been 
a  resident  of  Atchison  County.  Mr.  Denny  bought  the  first  business  lot 
offered  for  sale  in  Fairfax,  erected  a  store  building  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  drug  business.  He  was  married  in  Mound  City,  Mis- 
souri, March  23,  1871,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Hoover,  daughter  of  Peter 
Hoover.  Mrs.  Denny  was  born  in  Indiana  April  29,  185 1.  They  have 
five  children  :  Iola  Ethel,  born  February  7,  1872  ;  Eula  May,  born  June 
30,  1874  ;  Essie  Beatrice,  born  September  4,  1876  ;  Harry  Hoover,  born 
December  18,  1878,  and  Otto  Clifton,  born  July  29,  188 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Denny  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  D.  belongs  to  both 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  Masonic  orders.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  was  nominated  and  elected  by  his  party  as  one  of  the  county 
judges  in  the  fall  of  1878,  serving  for  one  term. 


736  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

CHRISTOPHER  C.  DRAGOO, 

section  2,  was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  October  28,  1840.  Milton 
Dragoo,  his  father,  was  born  in  the  same  county,  and  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Parker,  was  a  native  of  Adams  County,  Ohio. 
C.  C.  Dragoo  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  December  3,  1861,  in  Company 
F.,  Seventieth  Ohio  infantry,  and  was  in  the  service  nine  months,  being 
honorably  discharged  September  5,  1862.  After  being  discharged,  he 
returned  to  Brown  County,  where  he  remained  till  July,  1863,  when  he 
came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  settling  in  Ciay  Township.  He 
bought  a  place  with  his  brother,  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  March, 
1877,  came  on  to  his  present  farm  in  Clark  Township.  Mr.  D.  has  240 
acres  of  land,  all  fenced,  with  160  acres  improved.  He  has  a  young 
orchard  of  130  apple,  100  peach  and  some  cherry,  pear  and  plum  trees, 
besides  small  fruits.  Mr.  Dragoo  was  married  February  23,  1865,  to 
Miss  Needels,  daughter  of  E.  S.  and  Sarah  Needels.  She  was  born  in 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  September  7,  1846.  They  have  five  children 
living — Edward  S.,  born  January  12,  1866  ;  Una  Belle,  born  November 
21,  1867  ;  John  F.,  born  December  15,  1869  ;  Daniel  C,  born  October  30, 
1870  ;  Etna  M.,  born  September  17,  1873.  Two  are  deceased.  Mr. 
Dragoo  makes  a  business  of  dealing  in  and  feeding  stock. 

JAMES    M.  DUNLAP, 

one  of  Clark  Township's  pioneers,  and  a  man  highly  respected,  was  born 
February  7,  1833,  in  Virginia,  his  parents,  John  and  Isabella  A.  (North) 
Dunlap,  both  being  Virginians  by  birth.  James  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm  in  Greenbrier  County,  receiving  his  primary  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  afterwards  attending  the  Lewisburg  Academy.  He 
first  moved  to  Missouri  in  1854,  and  settled  on  his  present  farm,  where 
he  lived  for  five  years,  after  which,  in  1859,  ne  returned  to  Virginia.  In 
that  state  he  resided  until  the  winter  of  1874,  when  he  returned  to  his 
farm  in  Clark  Township,  in  this  county.  His  place  consists  of  140  acres 
of  land,  all  fenced,  and  upon  it  is  a  good  orchard  of  all  varieties  of  fruit. 
Mr.  Dunlap's  marriage  to  Miss  Malinda  E.  Payne  occurred  April  14, 
1854,  in  Bath  County,  Virginia.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Lewis  Payne,  of 
that  locality,  and  was  there  born  on  the  19th  of  November,  1836.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dunlap  have  four  children  :  Mary  L.  R.  (wife  of  B.  W.  Sedwick, 
of  Fairfax)  born  October  3,  1856;  Mildred  I.,  born  October  22,  i860; 
John  N.,  born  October  11,  1867,  and  Lewis  P.,  born  December  19,  1869. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  are  members  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  the  former  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order.  He  resides  on  section  29, 
township  64,  range  40. 


CLARK   TOWNSHIP.  737 

EDWARD  FELLOWS, 

section  II,  was  born  in  Dodge  County,  Wisconsin,  November  10,  1846. 
Isaac  Fellows,  his  father,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  and  his  mother, 
Margaret  (Elmore)  Fellows,  was  a  native  of  Canada.  In  1849  the  family 
moved  to  Waukesha  County,  Wisconsin,  and  subsequently  came  to 
Missouri,  settling  in  Andrew  County  in  the  spring  of  1865.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  supplemented  by  one  term  attendance  at  the  Savannah  graded 
school.  Mr.  Fellows  was  married  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  March 
23,  1871,  to  Miss  Louisa  Miller,  daughter  of  Allen  D.  and  Mary  Miller. 
She  was  born  in  Andrew  County,  Missouri,  April  10,  1849.  They  have 
five  children  :  Alma  M.,  born  August  10,  1872  ;  Allen  D.,  born  April  9, 
1874  ;  Edward,  born  November  10,  1876  ;  Maggie  M.,  born  October  22, 
1880,  and  Pearl,  born  March  14,  188 1.  In  1873  Mr.  F.  moved  from 
Andrew  to  Nodaway  County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  handling  stock 
and  farming  for  four  years.  In  1877  he  came  to  Atchison  County  and 
settled  in  Clark  Township.  He  now  has  a  fine  farm  of  240  acres  of 
land,  all  fenced  and  improved,  with  a  fair  house  and  a  good  young 
orchard.  Mr.  Fellows  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  and  feeding  stock. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 


JOHN  H.  FELLOWS, 

a  native  of  Waukesha  County,  Wisconsin,  was  born  May  10,  1852,  and  is 
the  son  of  Isaac  and  Margaret  (Elmore)  Fellows.  The  former  was  born 
in  New  Hampshire,  and  the  latter  was  a  Canadian  by  birth.  In  1865, 
the  family  removed  from  Wisconsin  to  Missouri,  and  settled  in  Andrew 
County.  The  youthful  days  of  John  H.  were  passed  on  a  farm,  he  for- 
tunately obtaining  a  common  school  education.  During  the  year  1872, 
he  worked  at  the  tinner's  trade  in  Savannah.  May  8,  1878,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  in  Andrew  County  Missouri,  with  Miss  Lida  Condon,  daugh- 
ter of  Harrison  and  Elizabeth  Condon.  She  was  born  on  the  8th  of  May, 
1858,  in  Savannah.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fellows  have  one  child,  Freddie,  born 
December  24,  1880.  In  the  spring  of  1874,  Mr.  F.  moved  from  Andrew  to 
Nodaway  County,  and  was  there  occupied  in  tilling  the  soil  for  four  years. 
In  the  fall  of  1878,  he  again  chose  another  location,  and  came  to  Atchi- 
son County,  settling  in  Clark  Township.  His  farm  contains  200  acres  of 
land,  all  improved,  situated  in  section  15.  He  is  largely  interested  in 
feeding  stock,  in  which  he  also  deals,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent. 

JOHN  W.  GRAVES, 

a  native  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  was  born  June  27,  1847.     William 
E.  Graves,  his  father,  as  also  his  mother,  formerly  Edna  Saunders,  were 


738  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

born  in  Kentucky.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  in  this  county 
on  a  farm,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  was  married 
May  20,  1869,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Angel,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ann 
Angel.  She  was  born  in  Clay  County,  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graves 
have  four  children  :  Carrie,  born  February  29,  1873  ;  Ora,  born  July  26, 
1876  ;  Richard  G.,  born  November  27,  1874,  and  an  infant  daughter,  born 
March  17,  1882.  Mr.  Graves  came  on  his  present  farm  in  May,  1870. 
He  has  250  acres  of  land  in  section  35,  township  64,  range  40,  all  fenced 
and  mostly  in  cultivation,  with  a  young  bearing  orchard  of  200  apple 
trees,  and  other  fruit.  He  at  present  handles  and  feeds  large  quantities 
of  stock.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graves  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church. 

HIRAM  HACKLER, 

was  born  in  Linn  County,  Missouri,  July  3,  1847.  David  Hackler,  his 
father,  was  born  in  Green  County,  and  his  mother,  Matilda  Golden,  was 
a  native  of  Grayson  County,  Virginia.  In  1850,  the  family  moved  from 
Linn  to  Atchison  County,  and  settled  on  the  Missouri  River  bottom, 
near  Phelps.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  in  Atchison  County, 
on  a  farm,  and  received  but  a  very  limited  education  in  the  district 
school.  He  moved  to  his  present  farm,  in  Clark  Township,  in  the  spring 
of  1872,  and  this  place  he  has  improved  himself.  It  contains  eighty  acres 
of  land,  with  a  fair  house  and  a  fine  young  orchard  of  apple,  peach  and 
cherry  trees.  Mr.  Hackler  was  married  October  16,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary 
Beck,  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Elizabeth  Beck.  She  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  Indiana,  May  12,  1849.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackler  have  four  chil- 
dren :  David,  born  March  15,  1872;  Elizabeth  H.,  born  June  2,  1876; 
John,  born  October  27,  1877  ;  Ernest,  born  June  14,  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hackler  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  H. 
is  Democratic  in  politics. 

GEORGE  P.  HAWKINS, 

section  2,  was  born  in  Saline  County,  Missouri,  November  18,  1833,  and 
was  the  son  of  Reuben  Hawkins,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  In  1844 
the  family  moved  to  Atchison  County,  and  settled  in  Clark  Township. 
George  P.  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools. 
He  was  married  in  Atchison  County,  April  24,  1859,  to  Miss  Mary  J. 
Farmer,  daughter  of  Joshua  Farmer.  She  was  born  in  Iowa,  Febiuary 
22,  1843.  Mr.  Hawkins  has  one  daughter,  Mary  P.,  born  March  24,  1865. 
Mrs.  Hawkins  died  May  12,  1865,  and  Mr.  H.  was  again  married  April 
12,  1869,  to  Mrs.  Henrietta  C.  Hawkins,  daughter  of  William  Minter. 
This  lady  was  born  in  Virginia,  February  8,  1833.  By  this  union  they 
have  two    children,  Charles  P.,  born  January  3,   1870,  and  Marinda  A.> 


CLARK  TOWNSHIP.  739 

born  January  31,  1872.  In  1859  Mr.  Hawkins  moved  to  Nebraska,  and 
after  living  there  some  three  years,  he  returned  to  Atchison  County.  He 
has  been  on  his  present  place  eight  years,  and  now  has  eighty  acres  of 
land,  improved,  and  an  orchard  of  assorted  fruit.  Mr.  Hawkins  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order.  In  his  political  preferences,  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat.    Mrs.  H.  is  a  member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

DANIEL  J.  HENDRICK 

was  born  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  March  13,  1843.  His  father,  Jabez  Hen- 
drick, was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1813,  and  his  mother,  Amanda  M. 
(Abbey)  Hendrick,  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  in  1818.  In  1853 
the  family  moved  to  Henry  County,  Illinois.  D.  J.  Hendrick  was  raised 
on  a  farm,  attending  the  common  schools.  In  1863  he  enlisted  in  the 
army  and  served  as  a  soldier  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  first 
enlisted  in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  served  five  months,  after  which  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He 
again  enlisted  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  was  afterwards  transferred  to  Company  A,  Thirty-third 
Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  in  the  engagement  of  Spanish  Fort,  which 
lasted  thirteen  days  and  nights,  and,  after  being  discharged,  he  returned 
to  Henry  County,  where  he  remained  till  the  fall  of  1869  engaged  in 
farming.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Clark  Town- 
ship. Mr.  Hendrick  has  eighty  acres  of  good  land,  all  improved,  with  a 
fine  young  orchard.  He  resides  on  section  II,  township  64,  range  40. 
He  was  married  in  Knox  County,  Illinois,  October  20,  1868,  to  Miss 
Mariah  Cadwell,  daughter  of  George  and  Sallie  M.  Cadwell.  She  was 
born  in  Knox  County,  Illinois,  December  10,  1843.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hen- 
drick have  four  children  :  Lucy  M.,  born  October  31,  1869  ;  Carrie  M., 
born  October  11,  1871  ;  Everett  D.,  born  October  21,  1878,  and  Ira, 
born  December  23,  1880.     Mr.  Hendrick  is  Republican  in  politics. 

1 

PETER  A.  HILL, 

section  1,  was  born  January  12,  1836,  in  Prince  Edward  County,  Vir- 
ginia. His  parents,  James  and  Martha  (Weston)  Hill,  were  born  in  the 
same  state.  In  1837  the  family  m  >ved  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Saline 
County,  from  whence,  after  living  ten  years,  they  came  to  Atchison 
County,  in  1847,  and  located  in  Clark  Township.  Peter  A.  Hill  was  mar- 
ried March  3,  1867,  to  Miss  Grace  W.  Jones,  who  was  born  in  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  February  9,  1849.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  have  had  seven  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living  :  William  A.,  born  July  13,  1868  ;  Herbert, 
born  August  16,  1873  ;  Izetta,  born  November  12,  1877  ;  Lillie  Myrta, 
born  July  1,  1880.     After  his  marriage  Mr.  Hill  settled  in  Clay  Town- 


740  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

ship,  where  he  resided  some  eleven  years,  moving  to  Clark  Township,  on 
his  present  place,  in  1878.  He  has  240  acres  of  land,  nearly  all  fenced, 
with  160  acres  in  his  home  place,  and  80  acres  in  another  tract,  in  Clay 
Township.  He  has  on  his  farm  a  young  and  thrifty  orchard.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  had  very  limited  means  for 
an  education  in  youth.  What  he  now  owns  has  been  obtained  by  his 
own  industry.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  are  members  of  the  Baptist    Church. 

JAMES  A.  HUNTER,  M.  D., 

a  prominent  practitioner  of  this  county,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
Rock  Port,  August  16,  1850.  James  Hunter,  his  father,  and  also  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  McKay,  were  born  in  Scot- 
land, and  his  grandparents  early  emigrated  from  Scotland  and  settled 
in  Nova  Scotia,  when  his  parents  were  children.  In  1847  they  came  to 
the  United  States  and  settled  in  Atchison  County,  near  Rock  Port,  being 
among  the  very  first  settlers  of  the  county.  James  A.  spent  his  youth 
on  his  father's  farm  and  attended  for  a  time  the  common  schools.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  went  to  Macon  County  and  entered  the 
McGee  College,  where  he  spent  three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1871  he 
engaged  in  teaching,  which  profession  he  followed  one  year.  In  the 
fall  of  1872  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  at  Rock  Port,  with  Dr.  J.  L. 
Tracy.  In  the  winters  of  1873  and  1874  he  attended  lectures  at  the  St. 
Louis  Medical  College,  and  also  in  the  winters  of  1874  and  1875,  gradu- 
ating from  this  institution  in  February,  1875.  The  doctor  soon  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Milton,  Atchison  County,  and 
there  he  remained  and  practiced  six  years,  moving  to  Fairfax  in  the  fall 
of  1881,  and  the  winter  following  attended  lectures  at  the  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital College,  and  was  also  graduated  from  this  institution.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  married  in  Milton,  February  29,  1876,  to  Miss 
Amanda  Graves,  daughter  of  J.  P.  and  Ann  Graves.  She  was  born  in 
Kentucky.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Hunter  have  three  children  :  Owen,  Zetta 
and  James  Don.  Mrs.  Hunter  is  a  member  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church.     The  doctor  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

JAMES    T.  HURST, 

was  born  on  the  2d  of  May,  1841,  and  is  a  native  of  Pickaway  County, 
Ohio.  His  parents,  William  E.  and  Charlotte  Hurst,  nee  Duvall,  were 
a'so  born  in  the  same  county.  In  1843,  tne  family  left  Pickaway  for 
Fayette  County,  and  there  they  made  their  home  for  thirteen  years. 
In  1856,  they  moved  to  Clark  Coun'y,  Missouri,  but  after  living  there 
one  year,  came  to  Atchison  County,  and  in  1857  or  1858,  settled  in 
Clark  Township.      The  youthful   days  of  James  T.   were  passed  on  a 


CLARK   TOWNSHIP.  74I 

(arm.  He  received  but  a  limited  education.  September  13,  1864,  he 
was  married  in  this  county  to  Miss  Flavilla  Kimball,  who  was  bcrn  in 
Indiana,  October  22,  1846.  She  died  October  20,  1880,  leaving  a  family 
of  seven  children  :  William  H.,  Hattie  Belle,  Sarah  Florence,  John  T., 
Charlotta,  Ernest  G.,  and  Emma  Villa.  In  1865,  Mr.  Hurst  moved  upon 
his  present  farm,  which  consists  of  160  acres  in  his  home  place,  besides 
80  acres  in  another  tract.  A  good  orchard,  with  a  variety  of  small  fruit, 
adorns  the  place.  In  the  fall  of  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  was 
in  the  state  service  for  six  months.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  he  re-enlisted 
in  the  Fifth  Missouri  Cavalry,  receiving  his  discharge  in  1863.  He  was 
once  wounded,  at  Lime  Creek,  Missouri,  in  August,  1862.  Mr.  Hurst. was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  county,  and  is   widely  and  favorably  known. 

SAMUEL  P.  JEWELL. 

Among  the  prominent  business  men  of  Fairfax,  is  S.  P.  Jewell,  of 
the  firm  of  Zook,  Jewell  &  Emmert.  He  was  born  in  Union  County, 
Ohio,  March  8,  1840,  and  is  the  son  of  Johnson  and  Martha  J.  (Sketo) 
Jewell.  The  youth  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  spent  on  a  farm 
and  in  attending  the  common  schools.  When  in  his  nineteenth  year  he 
came  to  Missouri  and  engaged  in  the  stock  business  in  Cooper  County, 
from  whence  he  removed  to  Clinton,  Illinois,  where  he  continued  the 
stock  business  one  year.  In  July,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-first 
Illinois  infantry,  and  served  for  three  years,  being  discharged  at  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  August  24,  1864.  /He  participated  in  numerous  engage- 
ments during  his  service,  among  which  were  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson 
Shiloh,  sieges  of  Corinth  and  Vicksburg,  and  at  Atlanta.  After  the  war 
Mr.  J.  returned  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Cooper  County,  where  he 
resumed  stock  dealing.  In  1868  he  left  there  and  moved  to  Holt  County, 
locating  at  Oregon,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
for  about  four  years.  In  1872  he  settled  in  Mound  City,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  business  until  1877,  when  he  cameto  Milton,  Atchison  County. 
After  following  the  same  branch  of  trade  here  for  five  years,  he  moved 
to  his  present  location.  Mr.  Jewell  was  married  in  Oregon,  Missouri, 
March  24,  1870,  to  Miss  Louis'a  Von  Lunden,  daughter  of  Charles  Von 
Lunden.  She  died  April  29,  1874.  Mr.  J.  was  again  married  November 
26,  1878,  to  Miss  Ida  S.  Curry,  daughter  of  Isaac  N.  Curry.  She  was 
born  August  23,  i860.  Mr.  Jewell  has  three  children — a  son,  Charles  R., 
by  his  first  marriage,  and  Wilson  Curry  Jewell  and  Grace  G.  They  are 
members  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Mr.  J.  belongs  to 
the  Masonic  and  I.  O.  O.  F.  lodges. 

GEORGE  JOHNSTON, 

a  native  of  Porter  County,  Indiana,  was  born   January  9,  1836.     Jesse 
Johnston,  his  father,  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  was  reared  in  Ohio.     His 


742  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY, 

mother's  maiden  name  was  Rebecca  Pickett.  In  the  winter  of  1856  our 
subject  came  to  Missouri,  then  being  but  twenty  years  of  age,  and  stopped 
one  winter  in  Holt  County,  coming  to  Atchison  County  in  the  spring  of 
1857.  He  was  an  early  settler  here  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  the 
county.  Mr.  J.  was  married  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  January  9, 
1859,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Hurst,  daughter  of  James  Hurst.  She  was  born  in 
Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  October  6,  1840.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  have 
two  children  living:  Lemon  D.,  born  November  10,  1859,  and  Walter  C, 
born  August  19,  1873.  One  child,  Ellsworth,  who  was  born  November 
14,  1867,  died  September  26,  1875.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  J.  settled  in 
Clark  Township,  and,  in  February,  1873,  moved  upon  his  present  farm. 
He  owns  seventy-three  acres  of  land,  with  thirty-eight  acres  in  his  home 
place,  which  is  well  improved  with  a  fair  house,  excellent  barn  and  young 
orchard  of  325  apple  trees.  He  resides  on  section  2,  township  63,  range 
41.  Mrs.  Johnston  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  order. 

HENRY    LEMON, 

the  leading  merchant  of  Nishnebotna  Station,  was  born  in  Canada,  May 
I-,  1829.  Samuel  Lemon,  his  father,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Sov- 
ereign) Lemon,  were  also  Canadians  by  birth.  In  1842,  they  moved  to 
Ohio,  but  only  remained  in  that  state  for  one  year,  after  which  they 
returned  to  Canada.  Henry  passed  his  younger  days  on  a  farm  and  in 
a  blacksmith  shop,  his  education  being  obtained  in  the  common  schools 
of  Canada.  His  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Jarvis  occurred  on  the  27th 
of  April,  1857,  in  his  narive  country.  Mrs.  Lemon  was  born  in  Canada, 
March  18,  1835.  They  have  a  family  of  six  children  :  Sarah  Ann,  (wife 
of  William  Simering,  born  February  14,  1858  ;  William  H.,  born  May 
5,  1859  ;  Mary  Levina,  born  January  20,  1861  ;  Lewis  L.,  born  February 
11,  1864  ;  Eliza  E.,  born  September  24,  1869,  and  Harriet  E.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1875.  In  1840,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  moved  to  the  United 
States  and  soon  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  he  opened 
the  pioneer  store  at  Nishnebotna  Station.  In  1871,  he,  himself,  built  the 
store  which  he  has  since  occupied. 

AMOS  B.  LININGER, 

was  born  on  the  31st  of  March,  1847,  and  is  a  native  of .  Mercer  County, 
Pennsylvania.  His  parents,  Joseph  Lininger  and  wife,  were  also  born 
in  Pennsylvania.  The  subject  of  this  narative  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm  in  his  native  county,  and  attended  for  some  time  the  common 
schools.  In  1867,  he  came  west,  and  for  a  period  was  located  in  Wis- 
consin and  Iowa.  For  about  eighteen  months  he  was  in  Fillmore, 
Andrew  County,  Missouri,  engaged  in  working  at  the  blacksmith  trade, 


CLARK   TOWNSHIP.  743 

after  which  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania.  In  1872,  he  again  came  to 
Missouri,  and  for  one  summer  followed  his  trade  in  Milton,  going  from 
there  to  Rock  Port  in  November,  1872.  He  was  occupied  in  his  chosen 
calling  until  March,  1874,  when  he  moved  to  his  farm  in  Clark  Town- 
ship. In  the  spring  following  he  moved  to  his  present  place,  which  con- 
sists of  160  acres  of  land,  all  fenced,  with  eighty  acres  improved,  and  an 
orchard  of  200  apple,  100  peach,  and  other  fruit  trees.  He  resides  on 
section  23,  township  64,  range  40.  Mr.  Lininger  was  married  in  Atchi- 
son County,  Missouri,  March  3,  1874,  to  Miss  Lydia  Seymour,  daughter 
of  Leander  and  Lizzie  Seymour.  She  was  born  in  this  county  July  8, 
1856.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  have  two  children:  Elmer,  born  April  1,  1876, 
and  Jesse  Lee,  born  August  27,  1877.  Mr.  Lininger  makes  a  specialty 
of  handling  and  feeding  stock. 

DOUGAL  McCALL, 

a  prominent  man  of  this  portion  of  the  country,  was  born  in  St.  Law- 
rence County,  New  York,  April  8,  1835,  and  is  the  son  of  Dougal  and 
Jane  McCall,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  state.  In  1839  the  family 
moved  to  Michigan,  -settling  in  Kalamazoo.  The  youth  of  Dougal 
McCall,  Jr.,  was  passed  in  attending  the  common  schools  and  also  at  the 
Kalamazoo  College,  where  he  received  a  liberal  education.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen  years  he  became  engaged  in  teaching,  which  profession,  in 
connection  with  farming,  he  has  since  continued  to  follow.  In  August, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventy-second  Illinois  Infantry,  known  as  the 
First  Board  of  Trade  Regiment,  and  was  in  service  for  nearly  three 
years.  He  participated,  with  his  command,  in  numerous  important 
engagements  on  or  near  the  Mississippi  River.  At  Natchez  he  met  with 
a  severe  accident,  though  fortunately  escaped  with  his  life.  He  fell  a 
distance  of  fifty-seven  feet,  breaking  both  arms  and  otherwise  bruising 
him.  After  returning  from  the  army  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, at  Leavenworth,  Kansas,,  for  two  years.  While  in  that  city 
Mr.  McCall  was  married,  February  10,  1867,  to  Miss  Margaret  Jane  Mark, 
who  was  born  in  Buchanan  County,  Missouri.  After  his  mariage  Mr. 
McCall  settled  in  Cass  County,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  seven  years, 
coming  thence  to  Clark  Township,  Atchison  County,  in  1874.  He  has 
since  been  occupied  in  farming  and  teaching.  In  April,  1882,  he  pur- 
chased a  hardware  store  at  Fairfax,  and  is  at  present  engaged  in  this 
business,  meeting  with  good  success.  He  is  the  Greenback  orator  of  the 
county,  and  during  the  last  campaign  advocated  the  principles  of  his 
party,  speaking  at  numerous  places  in  the  district.  Mr.  McCall  is  the 
present  county  school  commissioner,  having  been  appointed  in  1881. 
He  has  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  boys  :  Mark  R.,  Frank  A.,  William 
M.,  Hugh  W.,  Edward  D.,  Fred  H.,  Tiberias  and  Charles  Bruce.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 


m 


744  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

GEORGE   OLDFIELD, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  was  born  in  England  November  7,  1840,  his 
father,  John  Oldfield,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Anna  Field,  also  being 
natives  of  that  country.  In  the  fall  of  1847  the  family  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Du  Page  County,  Illinois,  where  George 
was  raised  on  a  farm,  he  receiving  the  benefits  of  a  common  school 
education.  In  the  fall  of  1871  he  left  Du  Page  County  and  came  to 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  settling  in  Clark  Township.  He  now  owns 
120  acres,  all  fenced,  with  a  good  dwelling  and  an  orchard  of  seventy 
apple  and  fifty  peach  trees,  besides  other  fruit.  In  connection  with 
farming  Mr.  Oldfield  is  largely  interested  in  raising  and  feeding  stock. 
He  was  married  October  27,  1866,  in  Du  Page  County,  Illinois,  to  Miss 
Julia  Kendall,  daughter  of  Edward  Kendall.  She  was  born  in  New 
York  State,  March  29,  1844.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  have  two  children  living: 
Minnie,  born  August  27,  1868,  and  Ula  Belle,  born  June  8,  1881.  One 
is  deceased.  Mrs.  O.  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  is  Repub- 
lican in  politics. 

THOMAS  H.  OLIVER, 

section  5,  a  leading  citizen  of  the  township,  was  born  in  Callaway 
County,  Missouri,  November  12,  1841.  Thomas  H.  Oliver,  his  father, 
was  a  native  of  Halifax  County,  Virginia,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Mary  Irvin,  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  Thomas  grew  to 
manhood  on  a  farm,  attending  the  subscription  school  in  his  youth.  In 
November,  1865,  he  came  to  this  region  of  territory,  and  for  three  years 
was  engaged  in  the' saw  mill  and  lumber  business,  after  which,  in  1868, 
he  came  to  Clark  Township  and  settled  on  his  present  farm.  He  has 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  his  home  place,  which  is  well  improved,  there 
being  upon  it  a  good  house  and  orchard.  Mr.  Oliver  also  owns  forty 
acres  in  another  tract.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  and  feeding 
stock.  He  was  married  in  this  county  November  12,  1868,  to  Miss  Eliza 
K.  Young,  daughter  of  Rufus  Young.  Mrs.  Oliver  was  born  April  3, 
185 1,  on  the  same  place  on  which  she  was  married,  and  where  she  now 
resides.  They  have  two  children  :  Otis  Y.,  born  September  16,  1869, 
and  Leona,  born  December  2,  1872.  Mrs.  O.  is  a  member  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church,  and  Mr.  O.  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  fra- 
ternity. He  is  democratic  in  politics,  and  was  nominated  and  elected  by 
his  party  at  the  general  election  of  1876  as  sheriff  of  Atchison  County, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1878,  serving  four  years.  After  his  election  he 
moved  into  Rock  Port,  where  he  resided  during  his  term  of  office, 
returning  to  his  farm  in   1881. 


CLARK   TOWNSHIP.  745 

SAMUEL  PRETTYMAN, 

section  13,  township  64,  range  40,  was  born  on  the  8th  of  May,  1829,  and 
is  a  native  of  England,  in  which  country  also  his  parents,  George  and 
Mary  (Upton)  Prettyman  were  born.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
raised  on  a  farm  at  his  birth  place,  and  in  1857  he  emigrated  to  Canada, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  for  fifteen  months,  after  which 
he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  first  settled  in  New  York  State,  in 
1858,  and  there  continued  to  reside  until  February,  1872,  when  he  came 
to  Missouri,  locating  in  Holt  County,  where  he  lived  some  four  years, 
after  which  Atchison  County  became  his  home.  Mr.  P.  has  been  on  his 
present  farm  for  one  year,  and  now  owns  70  acres  of  land,  all  improved, 
upon  it  there  being  a  good  dwelling  and  fine  orchard.  On  December  8, 
1858,  in  Orleans  County,  New  York,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Pret- 
tyman to  Miss  Phebe  Wiltse,  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Nancy  Wiltse.  She 
was  born  in  Canada,  March  16,  1834.  They  have  two  children  :  George 
G.,  born  April  29,  i860,  and  Susan,  (wife  of  William  Dwyer)  born  August 
15,  1862.  Mr.  P.  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  Mrs.  P.  wor- 
ships with  the  Methodist  denomination. 

N.  C.  RUNDLE 

was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Ohio,  February  3,  1843.  John  Rundle,  his 
father,  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Lydia 
M.  Rush.  In  1848  the  family  removed  from  Jackson  County,  Ohio,  to  the 
State  of  Missouri,  settling  in  Macon  County.  After  residing  in  that 
locality  for  four  years,  Monroe  County,  Iowa,  became  their  home,  and 
there  they  lived  until  coming  to  Atchison  County  in  1857.  At  that  time 
they  settled  near  Rock  Port,  being  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  town- 
ship. The  earlier  days  of  young  Rundle  were  spent  in  a  woolen  mill, 
and  he  also  attended  the  common  schools.  December  11,  1865,  he  was 
married  in  Atchison  County,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Bopst,  daughter  of  O.  A. 
Bopst.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  October  21,  1845.  After  his  marriage, 
Mr.  Rundle  worked  at  the  woolen  business  for  some  nine  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1875,  he  became  engaged  in  farming  near  Phelps,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1880,  he  moved  to  his  present  location.  He  has  eighty  acres 
of  land,  with  sixty-five  acres  fenced,  fairly  improved,  and  with  ninety 
fruit  trees  upon  the  place,  which  is  in  section  26,  township  64,  range  41. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  have  five  children — John  C,  born  October  21,  1869; 
William  A.,  born  June  9,  1873;  Walter  G.,  born  May  6,  1876;  Harry 
F.,  born  June  14,  1878,  and  Luola,  born  June  14,  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rundle  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 


746  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

BRADFORD  RUPE, 

section  6,  was  born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  January  16,  1848,  his 
parents  being  Richard  and  Mary  J.  Rupe,  nee  Renick.  The  former  was 
a  native  of  Howard  County,  Missouri,  and  the  latter  was  a  Kentuckian 
by  birth.  In  1842  they  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled 
in  Clark  Township,  being  among  the  pioneers  of  the  county  and  among 
the  very  first  settlers  of  this  township.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
resides  on  the  old  homestead.  He  has  560  acres  of  land,  all  fenced, 
with  fair  improvements  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  agriculturists 
of  the  township.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  dealing  in  and  feeding  stock. 
Mr.  Rupe  was  married  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  February  26,  1872,  to 
Miss  Bircha  Taylor,  daughter  of  A.  C.  Taylor.  She  was  born  in  Holt 
County,  September  2,  185 1.  Their  family  consists  of  five  children: 
Henry  Y.,  born  September  29,  1873  ;  Elizabeth  C,  born  January  29, 
1875  ;  William  A.,  born  June  24,  1877  ;  Van,  born  October  4,  1879,  and 
Orvil,  born  September  21,  1881. 

JAMES  SCARLETT 

was  born  in  Orange  County,  Indiana,  on  the  20th  of  October,  1827,  and 
was  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Jemima  Scarlett,  nee  Charles,  the  former  of 
Orange  County,  North  Carolina,  and  the  latter  from  Indiana.  James 
Scarlett  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon subscription  schools.  He  was  married  in  Orange  County,  Indiana, 
in  the  summer  of  1849,  to  Miss  F.  C.  Pace,  daughter  of  Edward  Pace. 
She  was  born  in  Tennessee.  In  the  fall  of  1853,  Mr.  S.  moved  from 
Orange  County,  Indiana,  to  Taylor  County,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  for 
ten  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled 
on  his  farm  in  Clark  Township.  He  has  640  acres  of  land,  well  improved 
and  under  fence,  and  a  bearing  orchard  of  500  apple  trees,  besides  a 
variety  of  other  fruits.  His  beautiful  place  is  located  in  section  4,  town- 
ship 63,  range  40.  Mrs.  S.  died  in  Taylor  County,  Iowa, in  i860,  leaving 
three  children  :  Rachel  E.,  Susana  and  Rebecca  Isabelle.  His  second 
marriage  occurred  in  this  county  March  28,  1861,  to  Miss  Sarah  Van 
Gundy,  daughter  of  John  VanGundy,  Sr.  She  was  born  in  Ohio.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  S.  have  four  children  :  William  W.,  John  G.,  Samuel  V.,  and 
James  F.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  while 
Mr.  S.  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order. 

EZRA  H.  SCHOOLER, 

was  born  in  Grayson  County,  Virginia,  December  18,  1845.  W.  D. 
Schooler,  his  father,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  his  mother,  Polly  D. 
Nuckols,  was  born  in   Grayson  County,  of  the  same  state.     The  family 


CLARK   TOWNSHIP.  747 

moved  to  Missouri  in  the  fall  of  1854,  and  settled  in  Atchison  County,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Rock  Port.  Ezra  Schooler,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  attending  the  common  schools  of  the 
county.  He  moved  to  his  present  farm  in  Clark  Township  in  the  fall  of 
1871.  His  place  consists  of  400  acres  of  excellent  land  all  fenced,  with 
fair  improvements,  and  is  located  in  sections  22  and  24,  township  64,  range 
40.  There  is  on  the  place  a  fine  young  bearing  orchard  of  130  apple 
trees,  also  some  peach,  pear  and  cherry  trees  ;  of  small  fruits  there  is  a 
nice  variety.  Mr.  Ezra  Schooler  was  married  in  Atchison  County, 
October  19,  187 1,  to  Miss  Caroline  F.  Walkup,  daughter  of  Daniel  H. 
and  Nancy  Walkup.  Mrs.  Schooler  was  born  January  25,  1854,  in  Ohio. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schooler  have  had  six  children,  of  whom  only  three  are 
now  living  :  Asa  Lee  Schooler,  born  September  21,  1872  ;  Rosamond 
Grace  Schooler,  born  October  29,  1877;  Charles  Henry  Schooler,  born 
March  24,  188 1  ;  Ida  Burdelle  Schooler  was  born  November  25,  1873, 
and  died  September  5,  1880  ;  Albert  Austin  Schooler  was  born  July  30, 
1875,  and  died  September  8,  1880  ;  Hubert  Heath  Schooler  was  born 
November  6,  1879,  ar*d  died  September  14,  1880. 


BENJAMIN  W.  SEDWICK, 


of  the  firm  of  Sedwick,  Walter  &  Co.,  merchants  at  Fairfax,  was  born 
September  25,  1847,  in  Page  County,  Virginia,  in  which  state  also  his 
parents,  Joshua  T.  and  Elizabeth  (Colvin)  Sedwick,  were  born.  It  1857 
the  family  removed  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Holt  County,  near  Ore- 
gon, where  they  resided  for  one  year,  after  which  Forest  City  became 
their  home.  Benjamin  W.  passed  his  youth  in  a  store,  and  for  some 
time  was  an  attendant  at  the  Oregon  High  School,  and  also  the  school 
at  Forest  City.  He  first  began  business  for  himself  at  Corning  with 
H.  Patterson  &  Co.,  and  carried  a  stock  of  general  merchandise,  remain- 
ing in  Corning  until  he  came  to  Fairfax,  in  November,  1881.  This  firm 
was  one  of  the  first  to  purchase  business  lots  in  the  town,  but  have  since 
met  with  great  success,  which  they  richly  merit.  .  Mr.  Sedwick  was 
married,  April  20,  1875,  to  Miss  M.  Louisa  Dunlap,  daughter  of  James 
A.  and  Melinda  Dunlap.  She  was  born  in  Missouri,  October  3,  1856. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  have  two  children  :  Ethel  A.,  born  March  13,  1876,  and 
an  infant  son,  born  October  25,  1881.  Mrs.  S.  is  a  member  of  the  Old 
School  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Mr.  S.  of  the  Methodist  denomination. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

LEANDER  SEYMOUR, 

a  native  of  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  was  born  February  5,  1830,  and 
was  the  son  of  John  and  Levica  Seymour,  nee  Eaton  .      The  latter  was  a 


748  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

native  of  the  state  of  New  York.  In  1838  they  left  Pennsylvania  and  set- 
tled in  Green  County,  Indiana,  where  they  continued  to  make  their  home 
for  four  years,  afterwards  coming-  to  Missouri.  They  located  in  Holt 
County,  where  they  were  among  the  earliest  pioneers,  and,  in  the  spring 
of  1844,  removed  to  Atchison  County,  settling  in  Irish  Grove.  The  youth 
of  Leander  was  passed  on  a  farm  and  in  working  in  a  wagon  and  repair 
shop.  In  February,  1854,  the  marriage  of  Mr.  S.  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Beck,, 
daughter  of  Wilson  N.  Beck,  occurred  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  She 
was  born  in  Berrien  County,  Michigan,  March  31,  1839.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Beck  have  six  children  :  Franklin,  born  December  3,  1854  ;  Lydia,  born 
July  18,  1856;  Lindia,  born  September  26,  1858;  Wilson  N.  B.,  born 
December  28,  i860  ;  Leander,  bom  February  16,  1863  ;  Mary,  born  March 
1,  1868.  After  his  marriage  the  subject  of  this  sketch  settled  on  his 
present  farm-,  which  contains  320  acres  of  improved  land,  280  acres  of 
which  are  under  fence,  with  a  good  dwelling,  barn,  etc.,  and  an  orchard  of 
250  apple  trees,  besides  all  varieties  of  large  and  small  fruits.  Mr.  Sey- 
mour makes  a  specialty  of  dealing  in  and  feeding  stock.  He  resides  on 
section  5,  township  64,  range  40. 

JOHN  SEYMOUR, 

section  5,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Clark   Township,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 12,  1834,  in  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania.     John  R.  Seymour  was  his 
father,  and  his  mother's  maiden   name  was    Levica   Eaton,    she   having 
been  born  in  New  York  State.     In  the   fall  of  1838,  the  family  left  Erie- 
County,   Pennsylvania,  moving  to  Indiana,   where  they  lived  for  three 
years.     After  this  they  came   to   Missouri  and  located  in   Ray  County, 
where  they  resided  for  eighteen  months,  then  selecting  Atchison  County 
as  their  future  place  of  residence.     They   came  to  this  township  in  1843,. 
and  were  numbered  with  the   early  settlers  of  this  vicinity.     John  Sey- 
mour was  raised  on  a  farm,  receiving  a  limited  education  at  the  common 
subscription   schools.     He  was    married   in   this  county  September   25,. 
1856,  to  Miss  Sarah  Jane  Young,  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Marinda  Young. 
She  was  born  in  Missouri,  April  29,  1838,  and  died  September  30,  1869, 
leaving  six  children — Martha    Marinda,   (wife  of  William  Combs),  born 
July  24,   1857;  Mary  L.,  (wife   of  Eugene  Rhodes),  born  July  22,   1859;. 
Pearcy  Ann,  born  December  25,  1861  ;  Joseph  H.,  born  October  12,  1863; 
Emma   J.,  born   March  7,  1866,   and  Rufus  G.,  born  December  29,  1867. 
In  i860  Mr.  Seymour  settled  on  his  present   farm.     He  has  245  acres  of 
land,  nearly  all  fenced,  his  home  place  consisting  of  100  acres,  with  good 
improvements.     He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

,      ANDREW  SHAVER 

was  born   in   Smith  County,  Virginia,  February  8,  1849.     S.  K.  Shaver,, 
his  father,  as   also    his  mother,  formerly  Elizabeth   H.    Kincano,  were- 


CLARK    TOWNSHIP.  749 

Virginians  by  birth.  Andrew  Shaver  was  raised  on  a  farm,  his  time 
being  mostly  occupied  in  working  about  the  place,  but  to  some 
extent  he  attended  the  common  schools.  In  the  spring  of  1868  he  came 
to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Atchison  County,  of  which  county  he  has 
since  been  a  resident.  Mr.  Shaver  was  married  January  20,  1875.  ln 
Smith  County,  Virginia,  to  Miss  Elmira  C.  Ashlin,  daughter  of  Hart- 
well  Ashlin,  Esq.  She  is  a  native  of  Virginia  and  was  born  July  15, 
1853.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  have  three  children:  Etta,  born  September  30, 
1875  ;  Bessie,  born  September  5,  1877,  and  Emeline,  born  January  30 
1880.  In  1877  Mr.  Shaver  moved  upon  his  present  farm  and  now  owns 
eighty  acres  ot  land,  all  improved,  and  upon  it  is  a  small  bearing 
orchard.     He  resides  on  section  35,  township  64,  range  40. 

JUDGE  JOHN  F.  SLY, 

one  of  the  most  enterprising  men  of  this  township,  and  a  man  highly 
respected,  was  born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  February  22,  1828.  His 
parents  were  Henry  and  Ann  Sly,  nee  McCollister,  the  latter  of  Mary- 
land, and  the  former  a  Virginian  by  birth.  The  youthful  days  of  John 
F.  were  spent  on  a  farm,  he  being  reared  to  habits  of  industry,  which 
have  adhered  to  him  during  life.  He  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, and  in  185 1,  he  became  engaged  in  the  handling  and  shipping  of 
stock,  which  business  he  followed  for  five  years.  In  1857  ne  came  to 
Missouri,  settling  in  Clark  Township,  and  for  twenty-four  years  has  lived 
on  his  present  place.  Mr.  Sly  has  330  acres  of  land,  about  220  acres 
being  improved,  and  upon  his  place  is  a  good  brick  dwelling.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  married  in  this  county,  January  18,  1859,  to  Miss 
Mary  J  Stephenson,  daughter  of  William  Stephenson.  She  was  born 
in  Indiana,  February  10,  1830.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sly  have  four  children  : 
Henry  Oscar,  born  December  31,  i860  ;  Lillian,  born  October  10,  1864  ; 
Senoma,  born  October  11,  1868,  and  Mary,  born  January  3,  1872.  Politi- 
cally, the  Judge  is  Democratic,  and  once  received  the  nomination  of 
county  judge,  by  his  party,  being  elected  to  that  position  at  the  general 
election  of  1876.  He  served  for  two  years  very  acceptably  and  credit- 
ably.    The  Judge  is  greatly  interested  in  dealing  in  and    feeding  stock. 

WARREN  W.  STRICKLER 

was  born  in  Adams  County,  Illinois,  August  26,  1844,  and  was  the  son 
of  Wesley  and  Catherine  (Kern)  Strickler,  who  were  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Warren  was  brought  up  to  habits  of  industry,  on  a  farm, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Adams  County.  He 
was  there  married,  February  4,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  V.  Stewart,  who  was 
born  in   Adams    County,    Illinois,    September   30,    1847.     She    was  the 


75°  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

daughter  of  Bradley  Stewart,  Esq.  In  March,  1874,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  removed  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Clark  Township,  on  his  present 
location.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  this  vicinity,  and  now 
has  a  landed  estate  of  880  acres,  all  fenced  and  improved,  there  being 
upon  the  place  an  orchard  of  300  apple  trees,  besides  other  varieties  of 
fruit.  His  good  residence  is  situated  on  section  13,  township  63,  range 
40.  Mr.  S.  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  and  breeding  thoroughbred 
Poland  China  hogs,  and  is  at  all  times  prepared  to  fill  orders  and  supply 
parties  with  this  valuable  stock.  He  and  his  wife  have  two  children  : 
Orie,  born  July  27,  1870,  and  Firman,  born  April  8,  1872.  Mrs.  Strickler 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

CHARLES  T.  TAYLOR, 

proprietor  and  publisher  of  the  Fairfax  Independent,  was  born  in 
Bethel,  Connecticut,  December  21,  1859.  His  parents  were  Theodore 
F.  and  Juliette  Taylor,  nee  Bassett,  both  natives  of  Connecticut.  The 
youth  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  spent  mostly  in  school.  When 
in  his  thirteenth  year  he  entered  a  telegraph  office,  and  there  learned 
the  art  of  telegraphy,  which  he  followed  for  five  years.  In  1877  he 
went  into  the  office  of  the  Bethel  Ledger  and  learned  the  printing  busi- 
ness, remaining  in  that  office  for  one  year,  after  which  he  came  west  and 
located  at  Avoca,  Iowa.  He  was  there  employed  in  the  newspaper 
office  of  the  Delta,  and  in  1880  he  came  to  Corning,  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri. He  acted  as  telegraph  operator  there  and  also  worked  on  the 
Corning  Herald  until  the  spring  of  1882,  when  he  moved  into  Fairfax 
and  started  his  present  newspaper  enterprise.  The  Independent  is  a 
live,  spicy  journal,  and  though  but  a  short  time  here,  Mr.  Taylor  has 
clearly  demonstrated  his  ability  to  give  the  people  of  Fairfax  and 
vicinity  a  paper  of  which  they  may  well  be  proud.  He  was  married  in 
Corning,  Holt  County,  June  4,  1881,  to  Miss  Mollie  L.  Dodds,  daughter 
of  J.  R.  Dodds.  She  was  born  in  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa.  Mr.  T.  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 

JOHN  VAN  GUNDY, 

section  17,  is  another  of  the  early  settlers  of  Atchison  County,  and  espe- 
cially of  Clark  Township.  He  is  a  native  of  Rose  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  born  March  27,  1829,  his  parents,  John  and  Margaret  (Search)  Van 
Gundy,  having  been  born  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1859  the  family  removed 
from  Ohio,  and  located  in  Clark  Township  of  this  coimty.  The  subject 
of  this  biography  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  received  a  common  school 
education.  March  31,  1853,  he  was  married  in  Ross  County,  to  Miss 
Mary   Ann   Jones,  daughter  of  William  Jones.     She    was  born  in  that 


CLARK    TOWNSHIP.  751 

county,  May  12,  1832.  In  1858,  Mr.  Van  Gundy  moved  to  Missouri  and 
settled  on  his  present  farm.  He  has  300  acres  in  his  home  place,  and 
600  acres  elsewhere.  About  600  acres  are  under  fence  and  improved, 
and  upon  it  is  an  orchard  of  700  apple,  besides  other  trees,  including  all 
varieties  of  fruit.  He  has  some  thoroughbred  Cottswold  sheep,  and  is 
greatly  interested  in  feeding  and  dealing  in  stock.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van 
Gundy  have  six  children — Rose  Ann,  (wife  of  John  H.  Hogrefe),  William 
A.,  Emma,  (now  Mrs.  J.  W.  May),  Jane,  David  S.  and  Eliza.  Mrs.  Van 
Gundy  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  lodge. 

ALEXANDER  VAN  GUNDY 

was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  February  9,  1850.  James  VanGundy,. 
his  father,  and  also  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Moore, 
were  natives  of  the  same  county.  In  1865  the  family  removed  to  Atch- 
ison County,  Missouri,  and  located  in  this  township.  Alexander  spent 
his  youth  in  following  agricultural  pursuits,  and  for  a  time  attended 
the  common  schools  of  this  vicinity.  March  16,  1871,  his  marriage  to 
Miss  Susan  E.  Scarlett  occurred  in  this  county.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  James  Scarlett  and  was  born  in  Taylor  County,  Iowa,  January  27,. 
1853.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  VanGundy  have  four  children  :  Mamie  Josephine, 
born  June  2,  1872  ;  Anna  L.,  born  August  11,  1874;  Homer  V.,  born 
October  1,  1878  ;  Rubie  Olive,  born  October  27,  1881.  One  son,  James 
A.,  was  born  November  24,  1876,  and  died  December  15,  1877.  In  March, 
1878,  Mr.  VanGundy  settled  on  his  present  farm,  in  section  6,  township 
63,  range  40.  He  owns  255  acres  of  land,  improved,  but  gives  his  atten- 
tion mostly  to  the  raising  of  fruit-  He  has  an  orchard  of  1,400  apple, 
800  peach,  120  plum  and  some  pear  trees,  besides  750  grape  vines  and 
other  fruit.  He  is  entitled  to  much  credit  for  the  attention  which  he 
has  given  to  this  important  industry  and  is  very  successful  in  his  under- 
taking. His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  belongs  to 
the  Masonic  fraternity. 

WILLIAM  VAN  GUNDY, 

a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  was  born  April  25,  1850,  and  is  the  son 
of  John  and  Leah  Van  Gundy,  nee  Search,  the  former  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  mother  of  Ohio.  The  family  moved  to  Clark  Township,  Atchi- 
son County,  Missouri,  in  1859,  ar>d  are  numbered  among  the  pioneers  of 
this  locality.  William  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  in  this  county,  and 
enjoyed  the  privileges  of  a  common  school  education.  He  was  here 
united  in  marriage  on  November  4,  1875,  to  Miss  Elvina  Baker,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio,  April  6,  1858,  and  a  daughter  of  Z.  C.  Baker.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Van  Gundy  have  two  children  :    Terissa,  born   November    15,.  1876,  and 


75 2     '  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Monta  Ray,  born  February  I,  1880.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  resides 
on  the  old  farm  which  his  father  first  settled  when  he  came  to  the  county. 
This  is  located  on  section  16,  township  64,  range  40,  and  consists  of  640 
acres  of  land,  nearly  all  under  fence,  and  well  improved.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  and  he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Methodist 
Church. 

REASON   WAITS 

was  born  on  the  19th  of  November,  18 19,  and  is  a  native  of  Brown 
County,  Ohio.  Charles  Waits,  his  father,  was  born  in  Kentucky.  He 
married  Mary  Goble.  Reason  passed  his  younger  days  on  a  farm  and 
obtained  common  school  privileges  for  acquiring  an  education.  When 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Shelby  County,  where  for  two  years  he 
was  engaged  in  working  by  the  month  on  a  farm.  In  1840  he  came  to 
Missouri  and  located  in  Ray  County,  where  he  resided  for  about  four 
years.  In  1844  Mr.  W.  was  married  in  Ray  County  to  Miss  Susan  Sipe, 
who  died  in  1855,  leaving  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  living  :  Wil- 
liam F.  and  Asa  Lewis.  Shortly  after  this  marriage  he  came  to  Atchi- 
son County,  settling  in  Clark  Township  in  1844.  In  1858  he  was  again 
married  in  this  county  to  Miss  Melissa  Jane  Clemons,  daughter  of 
David  Clemons.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Waits  have 
six  children,  of  whom  three  are  now  living :  Mores,  Lucinda,  (wife 
of  F.  Hays),  and  Margaret.  Mr.  W.  made  an  overland  trip  to  Califor- 
nia in  1850  and  remained  there  for  nearly  two  years,  occupied  in  min- 
ing. In  1852  he  returned  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  and  New  York  City. 
He  resides  on  section  18,  township  64,  range  40.  Being  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  this  county,  Mr.  W.  is  widely  and  favorably  known  and  has 
hosts  of  friends. 

BENJAMIN    F.  WAKEFIELD, 

a  native  of  Otsego  County,  New  York,  was  born  July  19,  1827.  His 
father,  Samuel  W.  Wakefield,  was  born  in  Vermont,  but  was  raised  in 
New  York,  in  which  latter  state  his  wife,  formerly  Polly  Knight,  was 
born.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm,  and  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  June  8,  1859,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Nellie  A.  Cornell,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Cornell.  She  was  born 
in  Orleans  County,  New  York,  in  October,  1834,  and  departed  this  life 
November  12,  1872,  leaving  three  children  :  Bruce  C,  born  July  20,  i860  I 
Waldo  E.,  born  March  20,  1862,  and  Hattie  E.,  born  June  12,  1867.  In 
February,  1872,  Mr.  W.  moved  from  New  York  to  Missouri,  and  located 
in  Holt  County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  eighteen  months. 
In  1874,  he  came  to  Clark  Township,  Atchison  County,  and  now  owns 
•eighty  acres  of  land  with  fair  improvements.  He  was  married  to  his 
present  wife,  Miss  Sarah  S.  Kendall,  daughter  of  Edward    and  Emily 


CLARK     TOWNSHIP.  753 

Kendall,  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  September  16,  1874.  Two  chil- 
dren were  the  result  of  this  union,  one  of  whom  is  living,  Mary  E.,  born 
August  6,  1878.  Nellie  M.  was  born  September  18,  1876,  and  died  July 
25,  1877.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wakefield  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
The  former  was  in  service  for  nearly  two  years  during  the  war,  enlisting 
January  5,  1864,  and  discharged  October  5,  1865,  having  served  in  the 
Eighth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery.  He  participated  in  several  import- 
ant engagements,  among  which  were  the  battles  of  Cold  Harbor,  and 
three  engagements  in  front  of  Petersburg — Reams'  Station,  Hatcher's 
Run  and  others. 

EDWARD  H.  WHITE. 

Among  the  prominent  farmers  and  stock  raisers  and  feeders  of  this 
township,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  will  bear  more  than  a  passing  notice. 
He  was  born  in  Henry  County,  Illinois,  October  22,  1848,  his  parents 
being  A.  C.  and  Martha  (Hubbard)  White.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Dutchess  County,  New  York,  and  his  mother  was  born  near  Hartford, 
Connecticut.  Edward  was  reared  in  Henry  County,  Illinois,  receiving  a 
fair  education  at  the  Kewanee  High  School.  In  December,  1869,  he 
came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  in  Clark  Township,  and 
since  that  time,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  vicinity.  He  owns  760  acres 
of  excellent  land,  all  fenced,  with  about  380  acres  in  cultivation,  and  a 
good  residence,  orchard,  etc.  Mr.  White  was  married  December  21, 
1872,  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  to  Miss  Adeline  Muinch,  daughter  of 
Frederick  Muinch.  She  was  born  July  18,  1852.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White 
have  four  children  :  Olive  H.,  born  October  14,  1873  ;  Augusta,  born 
October  11,  1875;  Stella,  February  3,  1878;  Orvil  J.,  August  28,  1880. 
Mr.  W.  is  Republican  in  politics,  to  the  .  principles  of  which  party  he 
closely  adheres. 

RICHARD  E.  WHITE, 


one  of  the  respected  pioneers  of  the  county  was  born  in  Iredell  County, 
North  Carolina,  June  11,  183 1.  Joseph  White,  his  father,  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  King,  were  natives  of  the  same  county. 
In  1845  the  family  removed  from  North  Carolina  and  settled  in  Cape 
Girardeau  County,  Missouri,  where  they  lived  for  three  years,  after  which, 
in  1848,  they  moved  to  Buchanan  County.  The  early  days  of  young 
White  were  passed  on  a  farm,  his  education  being  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  In  January,  1856,  he  came  to  this  county,  locating  near 
its  southern  boundary.  February  26,  1857,  he  was  here  married  to  Miss 
Nancy  A.  Parker,  daughter  of  Robison  and  Elizabeth  Parker,  and  who  was 
born  in  Platte  County,  Missouri,  February  8,  1841.  After  his  marriage 
Mr.  White  settled  in  Clark  Township,  and  in  1859  he  removed  to 
Nebraska,  where  he  was  engaged  informing  until  1863,  when  he  returned 


48 


754  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

to  this  county.  Two  years  later  he  went  to  Nebraska  City  and  was 
occupied  in  freighting.  In  1866  he  again  returned  here  and  has  since 
continued  to  be  a  resident  of  Atchison  County.  In  1867  he  engaged  in 
the  stock  business,  which  he  followed  for  twelve  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1873  he  came  to  his  present  farm,  in  section  26,  which  consists  of  140 
acres  of  land,  fairly  improved.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  had  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  now  living  :  George  P.,  born  August  30,  1867  ; 
Walter  K.,  born  December  4,  1869  ;  Oscar  E.,  born  April  17,  1872  ; 
Celestia  Belle,  born  February  28,  1874;  Ann,  born  October  24,  18/7,  and 
Richard  H.,  born  December  20,  1880.  Those  deceased  are  :  Charles 
Q.,  born  October  20,  1858,  died  July  12,  1879  >  Elizabeth  D.,  born  Octo- 
ber 26,  1864,  died  February  15,  1875  ;  Otis  R.,  born  November  18,  1862, 
died  March  21,  1875,  and  Rebecca,  born  June  20,  1863,  died  January  28, 
1865.  Mrs.  White  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.  Mr.  W. 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

DAVID  L.  WILLIAMS, 

was  born  on  the  9th  of  January,  1849,  and  is  a  native  of  Rushville,  Ohio. 
He  is  the  son  of  George  and  Minerva  Williams  nee  Lunsford,  who  were 
born  in  the  same  state.  The  family,  on  leaving  Ohio  subsequently  set- 
tled in  De  Kalb  County,  Indiana.  The  youth  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir  was  passed  in  a  flour  and  saw  mill  and  also  in  a  store,  he  attend- 
ing for  a  time  the  common  schools.  In  1868,  he  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  located  at  Milton,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mill- 
ing business.  In  July,  1869,  returned  to  Ohio,  and  after  making  a  trip 
through  Indiana  and  Iowa,  he  again  came  to  Milton  in  1873,  and  has 
since  continued  to  make  this  county  his  home,  most  of  the  time  being 
interested  in  a  flour  and  saw  mill.  In  November,  1881,  he  embarked  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  Milton,  and  at  present,  (1882)  has  the  only 
store  in  the  place.  He  is  doing  a  thriving  business,  as  he  well  merits. 
September  28,  1875,  Mr.  W.  was  married  to  a  Mrs.  Williams,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Ball.  They  have  two  children:  Minnie  E.,  born  November 
20,  1876,  and  an  infant  daughter  born  May  9,  1881.  One  child,  Virgil  O., 
who  was  born  March  21,  1879,  died  May  28,  1880.  Mr.  W.  is  a  member 
of  both  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  orders. 


CHAPTER  XL 

DALE   TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES  AND   ORGANIZATION— TOPOGRAPH Y-TIMBER— BRIDGES -EARLY   SETTLERS 
-UOTHAN  — ELK  DALE -SCHOOLS-CHURCHES— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

DALE    TOWNSHIP. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1871,  it  was  ordered  by  the  county  court 
that  Clark  Township  be  divided  i;  to  two  voting  precincts,  and  that  the 
west  fork  of  Little  Tarkio  be  the  line  ;  that  all  that  portion  of  said  town- 
ship on  the  east  side  of  said  Little  Tarkio  Creek  be  called  Walkup  Pre- 
cinct, and  that  all  that  portion  of  said  township  on  the  west  side  of  said 
Little  Tarkio  Creek  be  called  Beck  Precinct. 

The  following  is  matter  of  record  : 

"At  the  regular  term  of  the  County  Court  of  Atchison  County,  held 
August  23,  1876,  on  petition  of  William  De  Armond,  Elisha  Harrington 
and  sixteen  other  citizens,  praying  that  part  of  Clark  Township  situate 
east  of  the  range  line  between  ranges  34  and  40,  be  stricken  off  from 
Clark  Township,  and  formed  into  a  separate  township,  no  objection 
having  been  filed  why  said  division  of  Clark  Township  should  be  made, 
it  is  therefore  ordered  that  that  part  of  Clark  Township  lying  east  of 
the  range  line,  between  ranges  39  and  40,  commencing  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  section  18,  township  63,  range  39,  thence  north  on  the  range 
line,  between  ranges  39  and  40,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  section  6, 
township  64,  range  39,  thence  east  on  the  township  line,  between  town- 
ships 64  and  65,  to  the  line  between  Atchison  and  Nodaway  Counties, 
thence  south  on  county  line  between  Atchison  and  Holt,  thence  west  to 
the  place  of  beginning.  Ordered  that  place  of  voting  in  said  township 
be  at  Walkup's  School  House." 

It  thus  appears  that  the  present  limits  of  Dale  Township  include  the 
whole  territory  embraced  within  the  area  of  what  originally  constituted 
Walkup  Precinct  of  Clark  Township,  and  a  small  portion  of  Beck  Pre- 
cinct of  the  same. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Dale  Township  occupies  the  southeast  corner  of  the  county,  and  is 
exactly  square,  measuring  nine  miles  in  each    direction.     It   is  bounded 


756  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

on  the  north  by  Tarkio  Township,  on  the  east  by  Nodaway  County,  on 
the  south  by  Holt  County  and  on  the  west  by  Clark  Township.  In  com- 
mon with  other  districts  of  the  county,  Dale  Township  is  admirably 
watered.  East  fork  of  Little  Tarkio  enters  its  limits  from  the  north,  in 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  5,  township  64,  range  38,  and  flows  in  a 
generally  southwesterly  direction,  through  sections  six  and  seven  of 
township  64,  range  38,  and  onward  through  sections  13,  24,  25,  26 
and  35,  of  township  64,  range  39,  thence  through  sections  2,  10,  16,  and 
the  southeast  corner  of  section  17,  into  Holt  County.  West  fork  of 
Little  Tarkio  enters  the  township  from  the  north,  in  the  northwest 
corner  of  section  3,  township  64,  range  39,  flowing  in  a  southwesterly 
direction  through  sections  4,  9,  17,  20  and  19,  thence  in  a  due  southerly 
course,  through  sections  30  and  31,  entering  township  63,  range  29  in 
section  6,  and  flowing  in  a  due  southerly  course,  through  sections  7  and 
18,  of  the  same  in  Holt  County.  White's  Branch,  flowing  from  Tarkio 
Township,  enters  the  northwest  corner  of  Dale  Township,  in  section  6, 
and  flows  in  a  generally  southerly  course,  through  sections  7,  18  and  19, 
into  the  west  fork  of  Little  Tarkio.  DeArmond's  Branch  rises  in  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  15,  township  64,  range  39,  and  flowing  in  a 
generally  southwesterly  course,  through  sections  22,  28  and  32,  enters 
the  west  fork  of  Little  Tarkio  in  section  31  of  the  same  township  and 
range.  Squaw  Creek  rises  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  33,  town- 
ship 64,  range  38.  and  flows  in  a  southwesterly  course  through  sections  4, 
8,  17  and  18,  of  township  63,  range  38,  from  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  which  last  mentioned  section  it  enters  Holt  County. 
Besides  these,  there  are  in  the  township  some  fifteen  or  twenty  inferior 
streams  or  branches  of  the  above  described  creeks. 

TIMBER. 

Dale  Township  is  almost  wholly  a  prairie  district  of  country,  the  only 
timber  growing  within  its  limits  being  found  on  the  waters  of  the  east 
fork  of  the  LittleTarkio,  and  near  a  small  tributary  of  the  same,  in  sec- 
tions 24,  25,  26,  19  and  30,  of  township  64,  range  39,  and  township  64, 
range  38.  The  entire  area  of  timber  thus  included  does  not  amount  to 
more  than  eight  or  nine  hundred  acres.  Coal  is  believed  by  many  to 
exist  within  the  limits  of  this  township,  but  nothing  sufficiently  definite 
has,  as  yet,  developed  to  point  conclusively  to  such  an  opinion. 

BRIDGES. 

There  are,  in  Dale  Township,  twelve  bridge's  of  greater  or  less  extent, 
all  of  which  are  fully  described  and  located  in  the  chapter  of  the  history 
entitled  bridges. 


DALE    TOWNSHIP.  757 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

Dale  Township  was  settled  more  recently  than  any  other  in  the 
county,  the  majority  of  the  early  settlers  having  located  there  within 
the  past  twenty  years  and  coming  generally  from  the  northern  and  east- 
ern states.  The  most  of  the  cultivated  land  has  been  opened  up  dur- 
ing the  past  ten  years,  so  that  Dale  Township  as  an  agricultural  district 
may  be  considered  in  its  first  stages  of  development. 

Among  the  pioneers  of  the  township  may  be  mentioned  J.  D.Jones, 
Harrison  Wright,  John  Bodkin,  C.  Bodkin,  John  Carter,  Samuel  W. 
Proud,  James  Walkup,  Henry  Wirtz,  Bruce  Walker,  Daniel  Kelly, 
Joseph  Tison,  J.  L.  Conard,  D.  S.  Morris,  James  West,  J.  W.  Steveson, 
Josephine  F.  Cosser,  now  the  wife  of  Nathan  Drummond,  John  Zellars., 
J.  R.  Kaufman  and  others,  who  came  at  a  later  period.  Indiana  is  more 
largely  represented  in  the  early  settlement  of  this  township  than  per- 
haps any  other  state,  and  among  the  foreign  nationalities  none  are 
more  numerous  and  more  influential  than  have  been  the  representatives 
of  Great  Britain.  The  groves  of  timber,  of  which  there  are  several, 
include  some  of  the  first  settlements.  Walkup's  Grove,  on  East  Tarkio, 
contains  about  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  and  takes  its 
name  after  James  Walkup,  who  came  from  Holt  County  and  settled 
there  many  years  ago. 

Hickory  Grove  was  settled  by  Samuel  Proud  from  Indiana,  who 
still  resides  there. 

Robert  Waugh,  originally  irom  Dunbar,  Scotland,  but  to  Atchison 
County  from  Illinois,  located  at  Waugh's  Grove,  about  two  miles  south- 
west of  Walkup's  Grove,  about  the  year  1865.  Mr.  Waugh  is  said  to 
have  been  a  wealthy  and  well  educated  gentleman,  and  owned  besides 
his  country  home  here  an  elegant  residence  in  Chicago,  where  he  lived 
during  the  winter.  He  bought  Waugh's  Grove  chiefly  to  make  a  stock 
farm  out  of  it,  but  sold  it  in  June,  1881,  to  A.  G.  Argo,  from  Ohio.  Mr. 
Waugh  married  in  Chicago,  his  wife  being  the  daughter  of  the  British 
Consul,  and  she  preferring  a  residence  in  Europe,  he  sold  his  posses- 
sions as  above  stated  and  returned  to  Scotland. 

DOT  HAN. 

The  only  business  point  in  the  township  is  Dothan,  which  contains 
a  post  office,  a  store,  blacksmith  and  wagon  makers  shop.  The  first  mer- 
chant, who  went  there  and  began  business  about  two  years  ago,  was  J. 
R.  Collison,  who  was  also  the  first  postmaster.  Van  Dunn  succeeded 
him  as  postmaster,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of —  Long,  who  has  now  the 
only  dry  goods  and  general  merchandise  store  in  the  place,  is  the  pres- 
ent postmaster.  John  Dewy  is  the  blacksmith  and  David  Wagner  is  the 
wagon  maker. 


758  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

There  is  also  a  post  office,  called  Elk  Dale,  located  near  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  township,  and  at  the  residence  of  Dr.  Benson  Bond.  His 
wife  is  postmistress.  Dr.  Bond  settled  there  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
years  since,  and  his  farm  is  now  one  of  the  largest  and  best  improved  in 
the  county.  His  apple  orchard  is  the  largest  in  the  township.  The  doc- 
tor is  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  he  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  leading  and 
most  public  spirited  men  in  the  township. 

The  voting  precinct  for  this  township  is  at  Walkup's  Grove. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  house  was  built  about  the  year  1870,  the  Walkup 
Grove  being  the  first  and  Mount  Salem  the  next.  The  township  has 
eight  schools  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Baptist  Church  at  Walkup's  Grove  was  erected  in  1881,  and 
presided  over  by  Rev.  C.  L.  Butts.     The  organizing  members  were  : 

Duncan  Sellers  and  wife,  John  Sellers  and  wife,  James  Frest  and 
wife,  Martin  L.  Bear  and  wife,  Red.  Woodhouse  and  wife,  George  Wal- 
kup and  wife,  Riley  Walkup  and  wife,  Howard  Christian  and  wife, 
Fountain  Lott,  George  Lott,  J.  L.  Miles,  William  Miles  and  wife,  George 
Creed  and  wife,  Shade  Franklin. 

The  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  is  located  one  mile  south  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  was  built  in  1882.  The  members  present  at  its 
organization  were  :  Timothy  Proud  and  wife,  Silas  Combs  and  wife, 
Philip  Dragoo  and  wife,  W.  J.  Adams  and  wife,  Henry  Walkup  and  wife 
and  William  Poison.     The  minister  is  the  Rev.  C.  L.  Butts. 


*s& 


&— s^^s— <?x 


4-BIOGRAPHI  CAL.4 


ALBERT  G.  ARGO, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  2,  was  born  October  17,  1840,  in  Adams 
County,  Ohio.  James  Argo,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  but 
was  raised  in  Pike  County,  Ohio,  where  his  parents  had  settled  in  1804. 
He  married  Ruth  A.  Matthews,  who  was  born  in  Adams  County,  Ohio. 
In  1865  the  family  moved  to  Marion  County,  Iowa.  Albert  was  raised 
upon  a  farm,  and  was  the  recipient  of  a  common  school  education.     He 


DALE     TOWNSHIP.  759 

was  married  in  Pike  County,  Ohio,  November  9,  186?,  to  Miss  Elsie 
Scowden,  a  native  of  that  county  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Scowden. 
They  have  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  living  :  William  T.,  born 
July  18,  1865,  and  Elizabeth  A.,  born  January  8,  1868.  Mr.  Argo  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  Marion  County,  Iowa,  till  the  fall  of  1873,  when  he 
moved  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  there  being  engaged  in  farming 
for  about  two  years.  In  1875  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  and  has 
since  made  his  home  here.  In  1881  he  bought  his  present  place  (known 
as  the  Waugh  farm,)  which  consists  of  280  acres  of  land,  all  fenced.  There 
is  upon  the  place  an  orchard  of  100  apple  and  25  cherry  trees,  and  a  fine 
burr-oak  grove  to  the  north  and  west  of  the  residence.  Mr.  Argo  makes 
a  specialty  of  feeding  hogs  and  cattle,  and  in  the  same  is  quite  success- 
ful. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  is  Democratic  in 
politics,  and  liberal  in  his  religious  views. 

JOHN    T.  BARKLEY, 

was  born  in  Linn  County,  Iowa,  September  5,  1846,  and  is  the  son  of 
Gabriel  M.  and  Elizabeth  Barkley,  nee  Mclntyre,  both  Kentuckians  by 
birth.  John  T.  was  raised  in  his  native  county,  and  received  a  common 
school  education.  July  2,  1871,  his  marriage  occurred,  in  that  county, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Miller,  daughter  of  A.  K.  and  Jane  Miller.  She  was 
born  in  Indiana,  September  7,  185 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barkley  have  two 
children:  Blanche  B.,  born  April  17,  1872,  and  Roscoe  K.,  born  Decem- 
ber 7,  1877.  After  leaving  Linn  County,  Iowa,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
came  to  Missouri,  and  in  the  winter  of  1872,  located  in  Nodaway  County, 
where  he  continued  to  live  for  three  years.  He  then  became  a  citizen 
of  Atchison  County,  bought  some  land,  and  in  1875,  settled  in  Dale 
Township.  He  has  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  all  fenced,  his  place  being  on 
section  19,  township  64,  range  39.  Mr.  Barkley  is  greatly  interested  in 
the  stock  business.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church. 

GUSTAVUS  BAYHA, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  8,  is  a  native  of  Wurtemburg,  Germany, 
where  he  was  born  November  14,  1834,  his  parents,  Frederick- and  Nanny 
(Cayser)  Bayha,  having  been  born  in  the  same  country.  The  youth  of 
Gustavus  was  passed  in  his  native  country  at  school,  where  he  received 
a  liberal  education.  In  1854  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and 
settled  in  Lake  County,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  After 
remaining  there  till  1877,  he  came  to  this  county,  settling  on  his  present 
place  in  Dale  Township.  This  contains  240  acres  of  improved  land, 
with  a  good  dwelling  and  a  young  orchard  of  300  apple,  100  peach  and 
twenty-five  each  of  pear,  cherry  and  plum  trees,  besides  a  vineyard  of 


760  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

400  grape  vines.  October  15,  1871.  Mr.  Bayha  was  married  in  Illinois  to 
Mrs.  Anna  Holycross,  whose  maiden  name  was  Morse,  and  a  daughter 
of  Isaac  Morse.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  December  23,  1840.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  B.  have  five  children  :  Herman  R.,  born  July  21,  1872  ;  Minnie  S., 
born  March  12,  1874;  Jessie  S.,  born  May  10,  1876;  Christian  T.,  born 
November  11,  1878,  and  Matilda,  born  July  14,  1881.  Mrs.  Bayha  had 
one  child  by  a  former  marriage,  Henrietta  Holycross,  born  March  30, 
1861.  He  is  Republican  in  his  political  views.  He  is  extensively  engaged 
in  the  stock  business. 

WILLIAM  BERTRAM. 

section  21,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  December  11,  1842.  His 
father,  Frederick  G.  Bertram,  as  was  also  his  mother,  formerly  Dora 
Koon,  was  a  native  of  Germany.  William  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  country,  spent  his  younger  days  in  attending  school  and  working 
at  the  blacksmith  trade,  in  the  shop  of  his  father.  When  nineteen  years 
of  age  he  entered  the  regular  German  army,  in  which  he  remained  six 
years.  After  being  discharged  in  1867,  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  near  the  present  site  of  Corning,  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
where  he  engaged  at  his  trade  of  blacksmith.  He  worked  at  this  point 
three  years,  when  he  erected  a  shop  at  Corning,  there  carrying  on  the 
business  some  nine  years.  About  this  time,  or  in  1879,  he  disposed  of 
this  branch  of  industry  and  embarked  in  the  hotel  business  at  Corning. 
After  conducting  a  good  house  for  one  year,  in  188 1  he  purchased  a  farm 
in  Dale  Township,  this  county.  His  place  contains  80  acres,  all  under 
cultivation,  with  a  fair  dwelling,  etc.  February  1,  1878,  Mr.  Bertram 
was  married  in  Corning  to  Miss  Emma  Thiemann,  daughter  of  Christo- 
pher and  Mary  Thiemann.  She  was  born  in  Du  Page  County,  Illinois, 
March  20,  1858.  They  have  two  children  :  Ada  Mary,  born  August  9, 
1879,  and  Henry  A.,  born  August  25,  1881.  Mr.  B.  is  independent  in 
politics. 

THOMPSON  BLACK 

was  born  February  8,  1833,  and  is  a  native  of  Allegheny  County,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  is  of  Irish  descent,  his  parents,  Brice  and  Jane  (Logan) 
Black,  having  been  born  in  Ireland.  In  1839  Thompson  accompanied 
the  family  to  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  lived  for 
twekve  years,  after  which  they  moved  to  Lee  County,  Iowa,  in  185 1. 
That  locality  they  made  their  home  for  five  years,  going  thence  to  Page 
County,  in  1856.  Young  Black  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  attended  the 
common  schools  in  these  different  places.  In  1877  he  moved  to  Atchi- 
son County,  Missouri,  settling  in  Dale  Township,  where  he  now  owns  a 
farm,  in  section  15,  township  63,  range  39,  of  400  acres  of  land,  with  an 
orchard  of  600  apple,  200  peach,  75  cherry  and  other  fruit  trees,  besides 


DALE     TOWNSHIP.  761 

a  vineyard  of  100  grape  vines.  He  is  greatly  interested  in  raising  and 
feeding  stock  for  the  market.  Mr.  Black  has  been  twice  married  ;  first 
in  Page  County,  Iowa,  January  24,  1861,  to  Harriet  Margerum,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1843,  she  being  a  daughter  of  David  Margerum. 
She  died  May  12,  1868,  leaving  a  family  of  four  children  :  Nancy  Jane, 
born  February  1,  1862  ;  Anson  Monroe,  born  November  29,  1863  ;  Ella 
May,  born  May  10,  1866  ;  Thompson,  born  May  12,  1868.  Mr.  B.  was 
again  married  February  18,  1869,  to  Miss  Gizzella  Margerum,  also  a 
daughter  of  David  Margerum.  She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1845.  By  this  union  there  are  two  children  :  Harry  D.,  born 
February  17,  1870  ;  Walter  L.,  born  December  24,  1872. 

JOHN  W.  BOTKIN 

was  born  on  the  8th  of  August,  1839,  and  is  a  native  of  Randolph 
County,  Indiana.  He  was  the  son  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth  A.  Botkin. 
His  mother  was  born  in  Indiana  and  his  father  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee. 
John  W.  Botkin  grew  to  manhood  as  a  farmer  and  received  a  common 
school  education.  He  has  been  twice  married,  first  in  his  native  county 
in  December,  1865,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Mills,  who  departed  this  life  in 
1867.  For  three  years  during  the  war  Mr.  Botkin  was  in  service.  In 
1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Sixty-ninth  Indiana  Infantry,  and  was 
discharged  in  1864,  having  participated  in  several  engagements,  among 
which  were  the  battles  of  Richmond,  Kentucky,  and  Blakely,  Alabama. 
After  being  discharged  he  returned  to  Randolph  County,  Indiana,  and 
was  there  engaged  in  farming  until  1870,  when  he  moved  west,  settling 
in  Holt  County,  near  New  Point.  There  he  resided  for  some  three 
years.  December  26,  1872,  Mr.  B.  was  married  in  Holt  County  to  his 
present  wife,  formerly  Miss  Mary  Meyer,  a  daughter  of  John  Meyer. 
She  was  born  in  Holt  County,  Missouri,  November  12,  1852.  They  have 
one  child,  William  L.,  born  July  3,  1875.  I"  the-  spring  of  1874  Mr.  B. 
came  to  Atchison  County  and  located  in  section  31,  township  64,  range 
38.  He  has  a  farm  of  240  acres  of  land,  all  improved,  and  an  orchard 
of  100  apple,  300  peach  and  other  fruit  trees.  Mrs.  Botkin  is  a  member 
of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church.     Politically  he  is  Republican. 

JAMES  C.  BOTKIN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  30,  was  born  in  Randolph  County, 
Indiana,  February  11,  1846.  His  parents  were  Peter  and  Elizabeth 
(Adamson)  Botkin,  the  former  a  native  of  Knox  County,  Tennessee,  and 
the  latter  of  Indiana.  James  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
county,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  1870  he  came 
west,    and    after    spending  one   season   in    Nodaway  County,  Missouri, 


762  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

engaged  in  farming,  he  removed  to  Atchison  County  in  1871,  settling  on 
his  present  farm  in  1873,  it  then  being  nothing  but  prairie.  He  now 
owns  eighty  acres  of  valuable  land,  all  improved,  and  has  an  orchard  of 
75  apple  and  200  peach  trees.  January  1,  1871,  Mr.  Botkin  was  married 
in  Randolph  County,  Indiana,  to  Miss  Gertrude  Payne,  daughter  of 
William  F.  Payne.  She  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Indiana,  April  8, 
1848.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Botkin  have  two  children,  (twins),  Freddy  and 
Edson,  who  were  born  January  20,  1875.     One  child  is  deceased. 

DANIEL   CARMEAN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  30,  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio, 
December  12,  1849.  Daniel  Carmean,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Jemima  Hirl.  Young  Daniel 
was  reared  in  Ohio,  his  youth  being  spent  on  a  farm,  and  his  education 
was  such  as  the  common  schools  afforded.  He  made  his  home  in  his 
native  state  until  February,  1866,  when  he  came  to  Missouri,  and  settled 
in  La  Fayette  County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  some  four 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1871,  he  moved  to  Atchison  County,  and  located 
in  Dale  Township,  on  his  present  farm,  where  he  owns  a  farm  of  160 
acres,  improved  and  with  a  comfortable  dwelling.  His  orchard  contains 
IOO  apple,  50  peach,  and  50  cherry  trees,  besides  other  varieties  and 
some  small  fruit.  Mr.  Carmean  was  married  in  Cass  County,  Missouri, 
January  5,  1873,  to  Miss  Fannie  Parks,  daughter  of  William  H.  Parks. 
She  was  born  in  Tennessee,  September  27,  1847,  but  was  raised  in 
La  Fayette  County,  Missouri.  They  have  one  child,  Maud  May,  who 
was  born  May  10,  1874.  Mrs.  Carmean  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.     Mr.  C.  is  Republican  in  politics. 

ALEXANDER  CHANCE, 

was  born  near  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  October  29,  [843,  and  is 
the  son  of  William  and  Rosann  (Record)  Chance,  the  former  of  Missouri, 
and  the  latter  a  native  of  Indiana.  The  earlier  days  of  Alexander 
were  passsed  on  a  farm,  his  opportunities  for  acquiring  an  education 
being  very  limited.  In  August,  1862,  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  he 
enlisted  in  the  First  Missouri  Cavalry  of  the  Confederate  army,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  in  numerous  important  battles, 
among  which  were  the  engagements  of  Pea  Ridge,  Corinth,  Grand  Gulf, 
Champion's  Hill,  Black  River,  Mississippi,  and  Atlanta.  After  the  war 
Mr.  C.  returned  to  Holt  County,  and  for  seven  years  was  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1872,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  and  settled  here,  though 
he  has  lived  on  his  present  farm  but  one  year.  He  has  50  acres  of  land, 
improved  and  a  small  orchard,  in  section  34.     Mr.   Chance  was  married 


DALE   TOWNSHIP.  7^3 

January  31,  1869,  in  Holt  County,  to  Miss  Matilda  Taylor,  daughter  of 
Elves  and  Matilda  Taylor.  She  was  born  in  Holt  County,  January  1, 
1850.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  have  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  living: 
Araminta,  born  March  23,  1870,  and  Ernest  A.,  born  May  4,  1871.  The 
two  deceased  are,  William  A.,  born  September  26,  1872,  died  April  5, 
1873,  and  Edgar,  born  June  29,  1873,  died  August  22,  1874.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chance  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  belongs  to  the  A. 
O.  U.  W.  fraternity.     In  his  political  preferences  he  is  Democratic. 

GEORGE  N.  CIES, 

a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  was  born  March  4,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  G.  and  Catherine  Cies,  who  were  also  born  in  that  country.  In 
1852  the  family  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  landed  at  New 
Orleans  in  the  summer  of  that  year.  A  few  days  after  John  G.  Cies  and 
his  wife  both  died  of  cholera.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  taken  and 
raised  on  a  farm  by  one  Thomas  Bates,  of  Bureau  County,  Illinois,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  county,  where  he  lived  till  1869, 
when  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  working  by  the  month  on 
a  farm.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  all  improved,  and  a  good 
orchard  and  dwelling,  situated  in  section  9,  township  64,  range  39.  Mr. 
Cies  was  married  November  3,  1872,  to  Miss  Eldora  F.  DeArmond,  who 
was  born  in  Ringgold  County,  Iowa,  February  15,  1856,  being  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Leah  DeArmond,  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri. 
They  have  four  children  :  Herbert  W.,  born  January  14,  1874  ;  Arthur, 
born  April  6,  1876  ;  Charles  E.,  born  December  22,  1877,  and  Leah  Ann, 
born  August  11,  1879.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cies  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church.     Mr.  C,  politically,  is  a  Republican. 

MICHAEL  S.  COLLINS, 

a  prominent  farmer  of  this  township,  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  having  been 
born  near  Oregon,  Holt  County,  May  10,  1846.  His  parents  were  James 
M.  and  Rebecca  Collins,  nee  Stephenson,  the  latter  of  Indiana  and  the 
former  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  Michael  S.  Collins  spent  his  youth  on  a 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools  for  two  or  three  months  during 
the  year.  In  March,  1875,  he  moved  to  his  place  in  Atchison  County, 
Missouri.  He  owns  200  acres  of  land,  in  section  2,  township  63,  range 
39,  all  under  fence.  His  orchard  contains  300  apple,  500  peach  and  a 
variety  of  other  trees,  with  an  abundance  of  small  fruits.  February  20, 
1868,  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Collins  to  Miss  Milla  Jane  Oliver  occurred  in 
Holt  County.  She  was  born  in  Vermillion  County,  Illinois,  July  9,  1843. 
They  have  five  children  :  Charles  U.,  born  December  18,  1868  ;  William 
Mason,  born  January  7,  1872  ;  Gool  F.,  born  July   14,    1875  ',   Marvin  P., 


764  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

born  February  5,  1877  ;  Minnie  Belle,  born  April  21,  1879.  Charles  U., 
the  eldest  son,  died  in  1871,  when  about  two  and  a  half  years  old.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Collins  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

WILLIAM  DeARMOND 

was  born  in  Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  26th  of  February, 
1826.  His  father,  John  DeArmond,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Campbell,  was  born 
in  Ireland.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  born  in  Ireland,  but  was  of 
French  descent.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  at  the  surrender  of  Yorktown. 
For  his  services  during  that  conflict  he  drew  a  pension  and  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  112  years.  His  son,  John  DeArmond,  and  family 
moved  to  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  in  1846.  William  was  raised  on  a 
farm  and  remained  at  home  for  about  four  years,  after  the  family  had 
located  in  Sangamon  County.  In  1852  he  went  to  California  and  for 
three  years  was  in  the  mining  business,  after  which  he  returned  from 
the  gold  fields  and  settled  in  Ringgold  County,  Iowa,  where  he  lived 
twelve  years.  He  then  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled 
on  his  farm  in  this  township.  He  has  120  acres  of  land  in  his  home 
place  and  an  eighty  acre  tract  in  another  ;  his  land  is  all  well  improved, 
and  his  large  bearing  orchard  contains  1,200  apple,  300  peach  and  fifty 
cherry  trees,  besides  other  varieties.  Mr.  DeArmond  was  married  on 
February  6,  185 1,  to  Miss  Adaline  Carson,  daughter  of*  William  Carson. 
She  was  born  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  July  30,  1829,  and  was  mar- 
riee  on  the  same  place  of  her  birth,  the  land  adjoining  the  place  of  the 
noted  Peter  Cartwright.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  DeArmond  have  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  nine  are  living:  Jacob  E.,  born  November  16,  185 1 
Eldora  F.,  born  February  15,  1856  ;  Rachel  L.,  born  March  17,  1857 
Jerome  C,  born  June  n,  1858;  Cynthia  A.,  born  September  18,  1859 
Charles  D.,  born  April  20,  1861  ;  Winfield  S.,  born  October  9,  1862 
Lenoir  H.,  born  May  4,  1864,  and  George  W.,  born  November  14,  1865. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  DeArmond  are  members  of  the  Missionary  Baptist 
Church. 

JACOB  E.  DeARMOND, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  33,  township  64,  range  39,  is  a  native  of 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  and  was  born  November  16,  185 1,  being  the 
son  of  William  DeArmond.  This  latter  named  person  was  born  in 
Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  February  26,  1826,  and  on  February  6, 
1851,  was  married  to  Miss  Adaline  Carson,  of  Sangamon  County,  Illinois. 
In  1855  they,  with  their  family,  moved  to  Ringgold  County,  Iowa,  where 
Jacob   grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm,  he   obtaining  the  advantages  of  a 


DALE   TOWNSHIP.  765 

common  school  education.  In  1867  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Atchi- 
son County,  Missouri,  and  settled  in  this  township.  Mr.  DeArmond  now 
has  a  farm  of  150  acres,  well  improved,  his  orchard  containing  175  apple, 
200  peach  and  other  fruit  trees.  On  the  6th  of  October,  1872,  he  was 
married  in  this  county  to  Miss  Nancy  D.  Blanchard,  daughter  of  Walter 
and  Elvira  Blanchard.  She  was  born  in  DuPage  County,  Illinois.  They 
have  had  four  children,  but  one  of  whom  at  present  survives  :  Blanche 
A.,  born  July  29,  1874;  Maud  was  born  July  1 1,  1876,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 19,  1877;  William  Walter  was  born  August  10,  1878,  and  died  June 
30,  1879,  and  Ada  Adaline  was  born  August  10,  1878,  and  died  July  15, 
1879.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  DeArmond  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Mr.  DeArmond  politically  is  a  Republican. 

JAMES  M.  DRAGOO 

was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  April  23,  1846,  and  is  the  son  of  Frank- 
lin and  Susan  Dragoo  nee  Hawk,  who  were  both  natives  of  Ohio.  James 
was  brought  up  to  habits  of  industry,  working  on  a  farm  and  attending 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  county.  He  was  there  married  Sep- 
tember 22,  1867,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Redmon,  who  was  born  in  Brown  County, 
Ohio,  February  2,  1849,  being  a  daughter  of  Nevel  and  Jane  Redmon. 
In  1870,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
and  settled  in  Clay  Township,  where  he  continued  to  reside  for  ten  years, 
then  coming  to  his  present  location  in  March,  188 1.  Mr.  Dragoo  has 
200  acres  of  land-in  section  7,  moderately  improved.  He  is  quite  exten- 
sively interested  in  raising  and  feeding  stock,  in  which  he  is  very  suc- 
cessful. Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  have  three  children  living  :  Neal  F.,  born 
June  17,  1871  ;  Clara  B.,  born  September  1,  1873,  and  Susan  J.,  born 
June  25,  1876.  Two  are  deceased.  Mr.  Dragoo  is  independent  in 
politics,  although  his  preferences  were  formerly  with  the  Republican 
party. 

SHADE  FRANKLIN, 

one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Dale  Township,  was  born  in  Surry  County, 
North  Carolina.  July  8,  1832,  his  parents  being  John  and  Nancy  A. 
(Early)  Franklin,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  county.  In  1832  Shade 
accompanied  the  family  on  their  removal  from  North  Carolina  to  Ten- 
nessee, and  settled  in  Roane  County,  where  they  resided  some  four  years, 
moving  thence  to  Cass  County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1837.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  there  passed  his  boyhood  days,  and  received  a 
common  school  education.  He  also  attended  for  a  time  the  High  School 
at  Lone  Jack,  and  the  William  Jewell  College.  In  1853  he  commenced 
reading  law,  which,  in  connection  with  teaching  school,  he  continued  for 
seven  years.     During   this  time,    in     1856,    he  went  to    Texas,    where 


766  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

he  taught  school  for  some  eighteen  months,  after  which  he  began 
the  practice  of  law,  in  Dallas  County,  where  he  was  located  about 
one  and  a  half  years.  In  1859  ne  removed  to  Wayland,  Texas,  and  was 
there  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  for  something  over  a 
year.  In  i860  Mr.  Franklin  returned  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and 
gave  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  February,  1864,  he  made 
a  trip  to  Colorado,  but  returned  in  the  July  following.  In  the  spring  of 
1865  he  moved  to  Iowa,  but  after  living  there  one  year  again  came  back 
to  Missouri  in  1866,  locating  this  time  in  Buchanan  County,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  three  years.  In  1869  he  went  to  Lafayette  County, 
but  in  the  spring  of  1873  came  to  his  present  farm  in  Dale  Township,  of 
this  county.  Mr.  F.  has  200  acres  in  his  home  place,  well  improved, 
good  residence,  etc.,  located  on  section  18.  He  was  married  in  Texas 
to  Miss  Emogen  Eddy,  daughter  of  John  Eddy.  She  died  October  12, 
1866.  By  this  union  Mr.  Franklin  has  a  family  of  six  children  :  John 
E.,  Jessie  F.,  Ella  J.,  Anna  M.,  Mattie  L.  and  Benjamin  G.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he 
was  nominated  and  elected  by  his  party  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace 
of  this  township  at  the  general  election  of  1876.  In  this  capacity,  he  has 
continued  to  serve  very  acceptably  for  the  past  six  years. 

JAMES  R.  FREET, 

farmer  and  stock  dealer,  section  26,  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Missouri, 
October  2,  1845.  His  father,  Joseph  Freet,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  his 
mother,  Martha  Freet,  nee  Riley,  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  In  the  fall  of 
1852  the  family  moved  from  Carroll  County  to  Atchison  County  and  set- 
tled in  Clark  Township,  where  they  still  reside.  They  live  on  the  same' 
place  which  they  improved,  in  what  is  known  as  Irish  Grove.  James  R. 
grew  to  manhood  in  this  county  on  a  farm.  His  education  was  very 
limited,  being  only  such  as  could  be  obtained  while  attending  school  but 
a  few  months  in  the  year.  He  was  married  March  24,  1870,  in  this  county, 
to  Miss  Sarah  Graves,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Ann  Graves.  She  was 
born  in  Spencer  County,  Kentucky,  December  1,  1846.  They  have  two 
children  :  Martha  Ann,  born  January  3,  1871,  and  Wilber,  born  October 
9,  1879.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freet  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr. 
F.  has  been  on  his  present  farm  six  years.  He  owns  120  acres  of  land, 
all  improved,  with  an  orchard  of  100  apple  and  some  cherry  trees 
besides  other  fruit.     He  makes  a  specialty  of  the  stock  business. 

WILLIAM  FULLERTON, 

farmer   and  stock  raiser,  section   18,  was  born  in   Sciota  County,  Ohio, 
October   14,  1834,  being  the  son  of  John  M.  and    Lydia  Fullerton,  nee 


DALE    TOWNSHIP.  767 

Kittle,  both  Virginians  by  birth.  William  spent  his  boyhood  days  on 
a  farm  and  received  a  common  school  education  in  his  native  county. 
In  1856  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Holt  County,  near  where  he 
now  resides.  There  he  lived  for  nineteen  years,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Atchison  County,  locating  on  his  present  place,  on  the  county  line,  in 
the  fall  of  1875.  He  has  eighty  acres  of  land,  all  improved,  with  a  good 
house  and  a  bearing  orchard  of  240  apple,  400  peach,  100  small  budded 
trees,  besides  other  varieties  of  fruit.  This  locality  he  has  made  his 
home  for  twenty-six  years  and  is  well  known  by  all  the  settlers.  Decem- 
ber 27,  1857,  Mr.  Fullerton  was  married  in  Holt  County,  to  Miss  Martha 
Thorp,  who  was  born  in  Pike  County,  April  2,  1836,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  Thorp.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  have  four  children  :  Sophia  K.,  born  April 

3,  1861  ;  George  G.,  born  February  20,  1863  ;  Lucy  J., born  December  18, 
1868  ;  John  W.,  born  January  7,  1872.  Mr.  Fullerton  is  independent  in 
politics. 

JOHN  S.  GIBSON, 

was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  November  17,  1850,  his 
parents,  Stewart  and  Mary  (Bell)  Gibson,  also  having  been  natives  of 
that  state.     The  latter  died  when  John  S.  was  but  four  years  of  age.     In 

1853,  the  family  moved  to  Decatur  County,  Indiana,  where  they  lived  for 
about  six  years,  after  which  Davis  County,  Iowa,  became  their  home,  in 
1859.  Young  Gibson  was  raised  on  a  farm,  his  educational  advantages 
being  very  limited.  He  was  a  resident  of  the  state  of  Iowa  until  1867, 
when  he  went  to  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  there  engaging  in  farming  and 
handling  stock.  He  remained  there  about  nine  years,  and  in  1875  moved 
to  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  there  resuming  farming  and  the  stock 
business,  which  he  continued  till  the  spring  of  1879,  when  he  came  to 
this  county  and  settled  in  Dale  Township.  Mr.  Gibson  now  owns  83 
acres  of  land,  improved,  with  a  comfortable  dwelling,  located  in  section 

4,  and  a  young  orchard.  June  5,  1873,  his  marriage  to  Miss  Ella  E.  Cor- 
ington,  daughter  of  James  C.  and  Mary  Corington,  occurred  in  Buchanan 
County,  Missouri.     She  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  October  3, 

1854.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson  have  three  children  :  Luella,  born  March 
29,  1874;  Emma  Isadora,  born  October  11,  1876,  and  Mary  Inez,  born 
February  3,  1880.  Mr.  Gibson  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order. 
In  his  political  preferences  he  is  a  Republican. 

MYRON  A.  GILLETT, 

section  9,  was  born  September  2,  1826,  and  is  a  native  of  Hartford 
County,  Connecticut,  as  were  also  his  parents,  Almond  and  Laura 
(Adams)  Gillett.  His  grandfather  Gillett  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  for  his  services  drew  a  pension.     Myron  grew  to  man- 


768  HISTORY  OF  ATCHISON    county. 

hood  on  the  farm,  and  for  a  few  months  in  the  year  attended  the  district 
school.  In  1848,  he  went  to  New  Jersey,  where  he  spent  about  three 
years,  part  of  the  time  being  engaged  in  teaching.  He  also  followed  the 
water  as  a  coaster.  After  leaving  that  state  he  moved  to  Indiana,  and 
there  learned  the  trade  of  millwright,  remaining  there  and  in  Ohio  for 
five  years,  working  at  his  trade.  After  this  he  located  in  Galena,  Illi- 
nois, in  the  spring  of  1856.  For  two  years  Mr.  Gillett's  time  was  occu- 
pied there  and  in  Wisconsin  in  carpentering,  saw  milling  and  farming. 
Coming  to  Missouri  in  1868,  he  settled  in  Daviess  County,  on  a  farm 
where  he  resided  for  ten  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Atchison  County. 
He  has  since  lived  on  his  place  in  this  township,  and  now  owns  160  acres 
of  land,  all  fenced,  and  his  orchard  contains  100  apple,  100  peach  and 
other  fruit  trees.  December  29,  1858,  Mr.  Gillett  was  married  at  Galena, 
Illinois,  to  Miss  Ellen  Cutler,  daughter  of  Simon  Cutler.  She  was  born 
in  Windham  County,  Connecticut,  April  24,  1839.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  have 
two  children  :  Alva  B.,  born  August  11,  1861,  and  Stella  D.,  born  Janu- 
ary 6,  1865.  Mrs.  Gillett  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  her 
husband  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity.    Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

REUBEN  P.  GORMAN, 

section  7,  was  born  in  Wyandot  County,  Ohio,  December  7,  1843.  His 
father,  John  Gorman,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Margaret  Alden,  were 
also  natives  of  Ohio.  The  youth  of  Reuben  P.  was  passed  on  a  farm, 
his  education  being  received  in  the  common  schools.  During  the  war 
he  enlisted  in  the  summer  of  1864  in  the  Seventy-eighth  Ohio  Infantry,* 
and  joined  Sherman  at  Marietta,  Georgia,  remaining  with  his  army  till 
the  close  of  the  war.  After  being  discharged,  he  returned  to  Ohio, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  1866,  when  he  came  west  and  settled 
near  Sharp's  Grove  in  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He  was  occupied  in 
farming  and  handling  stock  in  that  vicinity  until  the  fall  of  1869,  when 
he  settled  on  his  present  place  in  Atchison  County.  He  owns  240  acres 
of  land,  all  improved,  with  a  good  orchard  of  300  apple,  200  peach  and 
other  varieties  of  fruit  trees.  He  is  principally  engaged  in  raising  and 
feeding  stock  for  the  market.  Mr.  Gorman  was  married  in  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  to  Miss  Margaret  Wise,  daughter  of  John  Wise.  Mrs.  G.  was 
born  in  Holt  County  August  18,  185 1.  They  have  three  children  : 
Minerva,  born  October  3,  1872  ;  Anna,  born  December  18,  1873  ;  John, 
born  April  7,  1876.  Politically  Mr.  G.  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber in  good  standing  of  the  Masonic  order. 

GEORGE  W.  HALL, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  a  native  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  was  born  on  the  5th 
of  August,    1847.     His   parents   were   Fleming  and   Elizabeth  Hall,  nee 


DALE    TOWNSHIP.  769 

Kiser,  the  latter  of  Ohio  and  the  former  a  Virginian  by'birth.  In  185 1 
George  accompanied  the  family  to  Champaign  County,  Ohio.  He  passed 
his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  During 
the  war  his  father  was  captured  at  Strasburg,  and  died  a  prisoner  at 
Lynchburg,  Virginia.  In  the  fall  of  1865,  the  mother  moved  her  family 
to  Christian  County,  Illinois,  and  there  they  resided  for  nine  years,  after 
which  they  came  west  and  settled  in  Dale  Township,  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  in  the  summer  of  1874.  Mr.  Hall  has  been  on  his  present 
place  for  three  years.  He  has  326  acres  of  land  in  his  home  farm,  and 
120  acres  in  another  tract,  all  fenced  and  improved.  An  orchard  adorns 
each  place — 200  apple  and  about  fifty  other  trees  of  different  varieties, 
on  the  latter  farm,  and  150  peach  and  250  apple  trees  on  the  home  farm. 
An  abundance  of  small  fruit  is  on  either.  Mr.  Hall  was  married  March 
8,  1868,  in  Macon  County,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Herring,  who  was 
born  in  Lebanon  County,  Pennsylvania,  August  28,  1851.  Her  parents 
were  John  and  Mary  A.  Herring.  They  have  had  four  children,  of  whom 
two  are  now  living:  Cora  Lee,  born  April  8,  1874,  and  Morris  V.,  born 
February  24,  1876  ;  Virgil  M.  was  born  September  3,  1879,  and  died 
August  1,  1881,  and  Georgie  E.,  who  was  born  March  27,  1881,  died 
August  5,  1881.  Mr.  Hall  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He 
is  Democratic  in  his  political  preferences. 

OLIVER  HAMILTON, 

a  native  ofGrant  County,  Indiana,  was  born  December  27,  1839.  William 
•Hamilton,  his  father,  was  born  in  New  York,  March  7,  1820,  while  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Drusilla  Branson,  was  a  Virginian  by 
birth,  born  May  13,  1820.  William  Hamilton  had  been  married  in 
Grant  County,  Indiana,  in  1838,  after  which  with  his  family  he  moved 
and  settled  in  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  when  the  town  was  just  laid  out. 
There  they  remained  but  a  short  time  and  then  went  to  Huntsville, 
Randolph  County,  where  they  continued  to  dwell  for  some  seven  years. 
Thence  to  Daviess  County  and  from  there  to  Lawrence  County,  where 
Mrs.  Hamilton  died  shortly  after.  In  the  fall  of  1856  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  came  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he  worked  for  two  years  at 
the  harness  business.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  went  to  Fort  Laramie, 
remaining  there  during  the  winter  and  in  the  spring  located  at  Fort 
Bridger,  Utah,  where  he  spent  the  summer.  In  the  fall  of  1859  ne 
returned  to  Missouri  and  commenced  work  on  a  farm  in  Atchison 
County,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this  locality.  In 
August,  1877,  Mr.  Hamilton  moved  upon  his  present  farm,  which  con- 
tains 160  acres,  all  improved,  and  a  fair  dwelling,  etc.,  located  in  section 
8.     He  was  married   September  2,  i860,   to  Miss   Melinda  S.  Pebbley, 

daughter  of  Thomas  and   Mary  Ann   Pebbley.     She  was  born   in   Clay 

49 


770  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

County,  October  7,  1844.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  living:  Mary,  born  October  30,  1862  ;  Ellen,  born 
July  7,  1864;  Lucy,  born  January  3,  1868;  William,  born  March  26, 
1874;  Lottie,  born  February  22,  1876,  and  Charles,  born  November  2, 
1881.  Mr.  H.  is  extensively  and  successfully  engaged  in  handling  and 
feeding  stock.  He  is  independent  in  politics,  but  was  formerly  Demo- 
cratic. 

JESSE  M.  HAMMOND, 

was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  April  21,  1848,  and  is  the  son  of  W.G. 
and  Mary  E.  (Hatcher)  Hammond.  The  former  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  Jesse  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  in  his 
native  county,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  In  1870  he  came 
westward  and  spent  one  summer  in  McDonough  County,  Illinois,  and  from 
there  moved  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  in  1871,  where  he  purchased 
land  on  or  near  the  Nodaway  River,  below  Skidmore.  After  living  there 
three  years  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  locating  on  his  present  place, 
in  the  fall  of  1874.  He  has  a  good  farm  of  160  acres  in  his  home  place, 
and  80  acres  across  the  line  in  Nodaway  County,  all  of  which  has  been 
improved  by  himself.  He  has  set  out  a  young  orchard  of  100  apple,  80 
peach  and  other  varieties  of  trees.  February  13,  1873,  Mr.  Hammond 
was  martried  at  Maryville,  Missouri,  to  Jennie  E.  Wertz,  daughter  of 
Henry  Wertz,  of  this  city.  They  have  two  children  :  Nettie  May,  born 
February  27,  1874,  and  Edmond,  born  May  18,  1878.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H. 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Hammond  has  some  good  graded  cattle,  and  Poland  China  hogs  on 
his  farm,  which  is  located  on  section  9. 

HENRY  W.  HAWLEY, 

section  II,  was  born  on  February  7,  1848,  and  is  a  native  of  Orleans 
County,  New  York.  His  parents  were  Edward  Hawley,  of  Ohio,  and 
Phenelipa  Hawley,  nee  Hibbard,  who  was  born  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  About  the  year  1855  Edward  Hawley  went  to  California,  since 
which  time  nothing  has  ever  been  heard  from  him.  In  i860  the  family 
moved  to  Jackson  County,  Michigan.  Henry  was  raised  upon  a  farm 
and  received  his  primary  education  in  the  common  schools,  supple- 
mented by  one  term's  attendance  at  South  Bend,  Indiana.  June  28, 
1868,  he  was  married  in  Jackson  County,  Michigan,  to  Miss  Martha 
Beardsley,  of  that  county,  born  August  2,  1849,  an<^  a  daughter  of 
William  Beardsley.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  have  four  children  :  Adah,  born 
April  26,  1869;  Willie,  born  January  15,  1871  ;  Frank,  born  July  10, 
1873,  and  Edwin  L.,  born  March  29,  1877.  In  1868  Mr.  Hawley  moved 
from  Michigan  to  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  but  three  months  later  went  to 


DALE    TOWNSHIP.  771 

Nebraska,  where  he  resided  some  two  years.  In  1871  he  returned  to 
Michigan  and  learned  the  carpenters'  trade,  and  after  a  period  or  two 
years  he  again  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Craig,  Holt  County.  For 
two  years  he  was  engaged  in  working  at  his  trade  there,  coming  thence 
to  Atchison  County  and  settling  in  this  township.  He  has  eighty  acres 
of  land,  all  fenced,  a  good  orchard,  and  he  makes  a  specialty  of  feeding 
stock,  with  a  satisfactory  result.  He  has  lived  in  this  place  for  five 
years. 

ABRAHAM  H.  HAYNES 

was  born  March  27,  1827,  in  Union  County,  Tennessee.  His  father, 
Isaac  Haynes,  was  born  in  the  same  county.  Abraham  grew  to  man- 
hood on  a  farm  at  his  birthplace,  his  educational  advantages  being  very 
limited.  By  self  application  and  hard  study  he  has,  in  later  years, 
obtained  such  a  store  of  knowledge  as  would  do  credit  to  one  of  far  greater 
pretentions.  In  the  spring  of  1861  he  moved  from  Union  County,  Ten- 
nessee, to  Mercer  County,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  for  about  four 
years,  going  thence  to  Nodaway  County.  After  sojourning  six  years  in 
that  county  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  in  the  spring  of  1870,  and  set- 
tled on  his  present  place,  section  16,  of  Dale  Township.  He  owns  200 
acres  of  land,  120  acres  of  which  is  improved  and  adorned  with  186 
apple  and  200  peach  trees,  also  100  grape  vines  and  smaller  fruit.  He 
is  greatly  interested  in  the  raising  and  feeding  of  stock  for  market  and 
has  upon  his  place  good  graded  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs.  Mr. 
Haynes  was  married  March  18,  1857,  in  Union  County,  Tennessee,  to 
Miss  Mary  Lay,  daughter  of  James  Lay.  They  have  ten  children  : 
Elbert,  born  January  5,  1858  ;  James  F.,  born  May  3,  1859  J  Thomas  M., 
born  August  19,  1863  ;  Anna  A.,  born  July  5,  1865  ;  Ibbi  O.,  born  August 
1,  1867  ;  Francis  M.,  born  August  10,  1869;  Tennessee,  born  March  27, 
1873  ;  Ollie  B.,  born  December  12,  1874  ;  Fred  L.,  born  October  20,  1876  ; 
William  E.,  born  January  23,  1879. 

HENRY  HICKEY, 

a  native  of  Jo.  Daviess  County,  Illinois,  was  born  September  7,  1846. 
Edward  Hickey,  his  father,  was  born  in  Canada,  and  was  married  to 
Harriet  Porter,  a  native  of  Ohio.  Henry  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
county,  on  a  farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  In 
the  spring  of  1869  he  moved  from  Illinois  to  Tremont  County,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  two  years,  after  which,  in  the  spring 
of  1871,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  in  this  town- 
ship. Five  years  ago,  he  moved  upon  his  present  farm  in  section  24. 
This  contains  160  acres,  all  fenced,  with  a  thrifty  orchard  of  different 
varieties  of  fruit.     He  makes  a  specialty  of  the  stock  business.     October 


772  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

I,  1869,  the  marriage  of  Henry  Hickey  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Hamblen 
occurred,  in  Fremont  County,  Iowa.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Leven  and 
Mary  Hamblen,  and  was  born  in  Jo.  Daviess  County,  Illinois,  August  6, 
1848.  They  have  four  children  :  William  Harvey,  born  August  3,  1873  ; 
Eldora,  born  October  29,  1876  ;  Cora  Ella,  born  July  22,  1879,  and  Nancy 
D.,  born  September  15,  1881.  One  child,  Walter,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 13,  1870,  died  November  29,  1871. 

CALAWAY  HODGES, 

section  16,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tennessee,  December  21, 
1844,  and  is  the  son  of  Allen  and  Louisa  (Buckingham)  Hodges,  also 
natives  of  Tennessee.  In  1847,  the  family  moved  to  Barren  County, 
Kentucky,  where  young  Calaway  was  raised,  receiving  ordinary  common 
school  advantages.  When  in  his  seventeenth  year,  he  entered  into  mil- 
itary service,  enlisting  in  Company  K,  Thirteenth  Kentucky  Infantry,  in 
1861,  and  receiving  his  discharge  in  January,  1865.  He  participated  in 
several  important  engagements,  among  which  were  the  siege  of  Corinth, 
Perryville,  and  several  encounters  with  Morgan  through  Kentucky,  and 
at  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  where  he  was  wounded  through  the  left  shoulder 
and  breast.  After  being  discharged,  he  returned  to  Barren  County, 
where  he  lived  until  the  fall  of  1868,  then  ccming  west  and  settling  in 
Mills  County,  Iowa.  Mr.  Hodges  was  there  married,  January  14,  1872, 
to  Miss  Margaret  Buckingham,  a  native  of  Washington  County,  Tennes- 
see, born  March  9,  1842.  They  have  one  child,  Minnie  Ville,  born 
November  29,  1S76.  Mr.  Hodges  continued  to  reside  in  Mills  County, 
Iowa,  for  eight  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1875,  he  came  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri.  He  has  a  fine  bearing  orchard  of  100  apple  and  100  peach 
trees,  besides  some  cherry  and  plum.  In  his  political  preferences  he  is 
a  Republican.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 

FRANCIS  HOLBROOK 

was  born  in  England,  May  25,  1843,  his  parents  being  John  and  Jemima 
Holbrook  nee  Wooley,  also  natives  of  England.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  reared  a  farmer  at  his  birth  place,  receiving  a  common  school 
•education.  Emigrating  to  the  United  States,  he  landed  at  New  York, 
December  24,  1863,  but  soon  moved  westward  to  Bureau  County,  Illinois, 
■where  he  was  engaged  in  working  on  a  farm  by  the  month.  Here  Mr. 
H.  was  married  September  9,  1864,  to  Miss  Margaret  Cies,  a  native  of 
Germany.  She  was  born  February  13,  1844,  but  was  raised  in  Illinois. 
They  have  four  children  living  :  Eva,  born  October  23,  187 1  ;  Thomas, 
born  February  22,  1874  ;  Jemima,  born  January  15,  1878,  and  Maud,  born 
June  17,  1880.  Four  are  deceased.  Mr.  Holbrook  resided  in  Bureau  County, 


DALE   TOWNSHIP.  773 

Illinois,  for  seven  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Missouri,  and  settled 
in  Dale  Township,  Atchison  County.  He  has  a  farm  of  80  acres,  all 
improved,  upon  the  place  being  fruit  of  all  kinds  adapted  to  this  climate. 
He  has  a  lease  upon  480  acres  of  land,  and  is  engaged  quite  extensively 
in  handling  and  feeding  stock.  His  residence  is  on  section  5.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Holbrook  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOHN   D.  JONES, 

section  32,  a  native  of  Bath  County,  Kentucky,  was  born  September  3, 
1825,  and  was  the  son  of  James  F.  Jones,  of  Fleming  County,  Ken- 
tucky, who  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Stephens,  a  native  of  Bath  County, 
that  state.  John  D.  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm  and  attended  the  common 
schools,  where  he  received  a  fair  education,  though  the  greater  part  of 
his  knowledge  has  been  obtained  in  later  years  by  self  application.  Mr. 
Jones  was  married  in  Bath  County,  Kentucky,  October  27,  1846,  to 
Martha  Adkins,  daughter  of  Eber  Adkins.  She  was  born  in  Fleming 
County,  August  26,  1828.  In  '1847  Mr.  Jones  moved  to  Randolph 
County,  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  teaching  until 
1868,  when  he  came  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri.  During  the  winter 
of  1868-69  ne  taught  school,  and,  in  the  summer  of  the  latter  year  he 
followed  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  fall  of  1869  Holt  County  became 
his  home,  where  he  taught  school  near  Mound  City  the  succeeding 
winter.  For  three  years  his  time  was  occupied  in  teaching  during  the 
winter  months  and  farming  in  the  summer  season.  In  1872  he  came  to 
his  present  place  in  this  county.  The  farm  as  well  as  the  greater  por- 
tion of  this  part  of  country  was  nearly  all  unimproved.  Mr.  Jones  now 
owns  140  acres  of  valuable  land,  all  under  cultivation,  with  110  apple 
and  300  peach  trees,  etc.,  on  the  place.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  of  Dale  Township,  which  position  he  has 
continued  to  fill  most  acceptably  for  six  years.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  have  had  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are  living  : 
Susan  E.,  born  October  22,  1847;  James  L,  born  October  19,  1849; 
Eber  A.,  born  January  22,  1852;  William  F.,  born  March  10,  1857; 
Orlando  M.,  born  January  20,  i860  ;  Mary  L.,  born  September  20,  1862, 
and  Francis  M.,  born  April  9,  1869.  Mr.  J.  belongs  .to  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. 

DANIEL    KELLY 

was  born  in  Fountain  County,  Indiana,  January  5,  1847,  while  his  father, 
John  Kelly,  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  Daniel's  mother  died  when  he  was 
but  two  years  old,  his  father  departing  this  life  in  1855.  Left  an  orphan 
at  this  early  age,  young  Kelly  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  in  his  native 


774  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

county,  where  he  attended  the  common  schools.  In  i860  he  left  there 
and  moved  to  Iroquois  County,  Illinois,  coming  from  that  locality  to 
Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  April,  1866.  Upon  leaving  here  he  went  to 
Madison  County,  Iowa,  where  he  fed  cattle  during  the  winter  of  1866-67, 
and  in  the  following  spring  he  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
settling  on  his  present  place.  He  has  a  good  farm  of  80  acre's,  improved, 
with  a  good  residence  and  young  orchard  of  100  apple  and  some  40  other 
trees  of  different  varieties,  his  location  being  in  section  2.  December 
29,  1875,  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Kelly  to  Miss  Sarah  Walkup,  daughter 
of  James  Walkup,  occurred  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  She  was 
born  in  Holt  County,  May  23,  1857.  They  have  two  children:  James 
R.,  born  April  15,  1878,  and  Frank,  born  July  25,  1880.  Mr.  Kelly  is 
a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  order. 

JOHN  DAVID  KNESS, 

section  35,  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  May  16,  1832.  George  Kness, 
his  father,  who  was  in  the  war  of  18 12,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  as 
was  also  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lydia  Strawser.  In  1837. 
the  family  moved  to  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  and  after  living  there 
some  three  years,  located  in  Logan  County.  One  year  later,  or  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1842,  Jefferson  County,  Iowa,  became  their  home.  John  D.  passed 
his  youth  on  a  farm,  his  educational  advantages  being  very  limited. 
While  yet  a  young  man,  he  spent  about  four  years  in  traveling  over  the 
different  states  and  territories.  July  7,  1853,  he  was  married  in  Keokuk 
County,  Iowa,  to  Mary  Jane  Webb,  who  was  born  in  Keokuk  County,  in 
March,  1835,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Innocent  Webb.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kness  have  eight  children  living:  George  W.,  Daniel,  Maggie, 
Isaac  A.,  Sarah  A.,  John  C,  Arthur  A.  and  Jerry  F.  Three  children  are 
deceased  :  Martha  J.,  Dora  C.  and  Mary  Isabelle.  After  his  marriage, 
Mr.  Kness  resided  on  a  farm  in  Keokuk  County,  Iowa,  for  some  four 
years,  when  he  removed  to  Kansas,  living  there  for  one  year.  In  the 
fall  of  1859,  he  returned  to  Jefferson  Count}',  Iowa,  and  after  remaining 
there  about  five  years,  he  went  to  Fort  Kearney.  Three  years  later  he 
went  back  to  Jefferson  County,  Iowa,  living  there  until  1874,  when  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  became  his  home.  There  he  continued  to  dwell  one 
year,  after  which  he  came  to  this  county,  and  settled  in  Dale  Township 
on  his  present  place.  He  now  owns  a  farm  of  160  acres  with  a  fair  house, 
and  orchard  of  300  peach  and  130  apple  trees,  &c.  Mr.  Kness  is  Demo- 
cratic in  politics. 

SAMUEL  KNEPPER, 

a  native  of  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  was  born  September  1,  1837, 
his  parents  being  David  and  Mary  C.  (Geesman)  Knepper,  both  of  whom 


DALE   TOWNSHIP,  775 

were  born  in  that  same  county.  The  latter  is  still  living  in  her  native 
county  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-one  years.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  passed  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion in  Franklin  County.  Upon  leaving  there  in  the  spring  of  1864,  he 
went  to  Ogle  County,  Illinois,  where  he  resided  for  about  six  and  a  half 
years,  then  moving  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  October,  1870.  He 
settled  on  the  place  where  he  still  resides,  and  which  he  improved, 
consisting  of  160  acres  of  land  all  fenced,  no  acres  being  under  cultiva- 
tion. This  is  located  in  section  31,  and  upon  the  farm  are  170  apple,  200 
peach  and  a  few  cherry  trees.  During  the  war  Mr.  Knepper  was  in  the 
service  for  ten  months,  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  Pennsyl- 
vania Infantry.  He  was  married  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania, 
December  21,  1863,  to  Miss  Mary  S.  Nicodemus,  daughter  of  John  Nico- 
demus.  She  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  March  1,  1840.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
K.  have  had  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  still  survive  :  Charles  A., 
born  September  12,  1864  ;  Franklin  S.,  born  November  17,  1865  ;  Ida  M., 
born  December  27,  1866  ;  Martha  M.,  born  November  5,  1869  ;  Jennie  M., 
born  April  7,  1871  ;  Anna  E.,  born  May  6,  1875  ;  John  W.,  born  July  ir, 
1876  ;  Burtie  E.,  born  January  20,  1882.     Politically,   he  is  a  Democrat. 

CHRISTIAN  KRUSE 

was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  March  29,  1843.  Henry  Kruse,  his 
father,  also  a  native  of  Germany,  married  Gracie  Bayling,  who  was  born 
in  the  same  country.  The  youthful  days  of  Christian  were  passed  on  a 
farm  at  his  birthplace  and  attending  school,  in  which  he  received  a  com- 
mon education.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  in  1864,  he  immigrated 
to  the  United  States,  and  for  three  months  stayed  in  New  York  City, 
after  which  he  settled  in  Illinois.  For  five  years  he  was  engaged  in  work- 
ing by  the  month  on  a  farm  in  DeWitt  County,  after  which  he  began  that 
occupation  for  himself.  He  continued  to  live  in  DeWitt  County  for  thir- 
teen years,  and  in  March,  1877,.  he  purchased  his  farm  in  Dale  Township, 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  to  which  he  at  once  moved.  He  owns  a 
valuable  farm,  a  large  dwelling  and  an  orchard  of  300  apple,  200  peach, 
and  cherry,  pear  and  plum  trees.  There  is  also  on  the  place  a  vineyard 
of  400  grape  vines  and  small  fruit.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  feeding  stock 
for  the  market,  with  satisfactory  results.  Mr.  Kruse  was  married  April 
29,  1874,  in  DeWitt  County,  Illinois,  to  a  Miss  Miller,  who  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  September  17,  1849,  sne  being  a  daughter  of  B.  C. 
Miller.  They  have  had  three  children,  of  whom  Herman  H.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1875,  and  John  W.,  born  June  9,  1880,  are  living,  and  one 
daughter  is  deceased,  she  having  died  June  25,  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  K. 
are  Protestants  in  their  religious  preferences.  Mr.  K.  is  a  Republican 
in  politics. 


776  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

JOSEPH  M.  KYLE, 

section  6,  was  born  on  May  16,  1842,  in  Delaware  County,  Indiana,  and 
is  a  son  of  E.  D.  and  Angeline  (Grover)  Kyle,  the  former  of  Clermont 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Genesee  County,  New  York.  In  1856 
the  family  removed  to  Howard  County,  Indiana.  Joseph  M.  Kyle  was 
raised  as  a  farmer  boy,  and  was  the  recipient  of  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. August  26,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Indiana  Cavalry,  and 
served  for  nearly  four  years,  being  discharged  August  9,  1865.  During 
this  time  he  participated  in  several  important  battles,  among  which  were 
Shiloh,  Corinth,  Perryville,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga  and  Mission 
Ridge,  besides  numerous  skirmishes  and  minor  encounters — in  all  129 
engagements  on  regimental  record,  thus  acquiring  a  most  enviable 
career  as  a  soldier.  After  being  discharged  Mr.  K.  returned  to  Indiana, 
remained  there  a  short  time,  and  in  October,  1865,  came  west  and  settled 
in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  For  five 
years  he  continued  to  live  in  that  locality  then  went  to  Cass  County  in 
1870,  there  embarking  in  the  saw  mill  business.  In  1875  he  came  to 
Atchison  County,  resumed  that  industry  for  two  years,  and  subsequently 
became  occupied  in  tilling  the  soil.  He  has  a  farm  of  80  acres,  all 
fenced,  and  a  young  orchard  of  90  apple  and  90  peach,  and  other  fruit 
trees.  Mr.  Kyle  was  married  April  26,  1866,  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri, 
to  a  Miss  Meador,  daughter  of  Job  Meador,  and  who  was  born  April  29, 
1846.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  K.  have  had  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  living 
William  D.,  born  March  12,  1867  ;  Harriet  E.,  born  October  16,  1868  ; 
Eva,  born  October  7,  1870;  Angeline  G.,  born  August  12,  1876,  Earl  D., 
born  December  20,  1879,  and  Alma  I.,  born  July  9,  1881.  Mrs.  K.  is  a 
member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  K.  is  independ- 
ent in  his  political  views. 

DAVID  P.  KYLE 

is  a  native  of  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  October  14, 
1844.  His  father,  E.  D.  Kyle,  was  born  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  and 
his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Angeline  Grove,  was  a  native  of 
Genesee  County,  New  York.  About  the  year  1857,  the  family  moved  to 
Howard  County,  Indiana.  David  passed  his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  March  22,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Eighth  Indiana  cavalry,  and  was  in  service  for  three  years,  being  dis- 
charged in  June,  1865.  He  took  part  in  numerous  engagements,  among 
which  were  the  siege  of  Corinth,  battle  of  Stone  River,  Chickamauga 
and  numerous  minor  encounters.  After  being  discharged,  he  returned 
to  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  one  year,  and 
in  March,  1856,  he  came  west,  locating  in   Holt   County,  Missouri.     For 


DALE   TOWNSHIP.  J7J 

two  years  he  gave  his  attention  to  the  drug  business  at  Oregon,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  after  making  that  locality  his  home 
for  some  time,  he  came  to  Atchison  County  in  January,  1876.  He  then 
settled  on  his  present  place  in  section  31,  of  Dale  Township,  where  he 
has  200  acres  of  land,  all  fenced  and  improved,  with  an  orchard  of  120 
apple  trees.  Mr.  Kyle  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  and  feeding  stock 
for  the  market.  May  29,  1869,  he  was  married  in  Holt  County,  to  Miss 
Lydia  J.  Anselment,  daughter  of  Joseph  Anselment.  She  was  born  in 
Marion  County,  Ohio,  July  1,  1849.  They  have  had  three  children,  of 
whom  two  survive  :  Harry  D.,  born  June  25,  1872,  and  Alvaro  J.,  born 
January  10,  1874.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kyle  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  The  former  is  independent  in  politics,  but  was  formerly  a 
Republican. 

GEORGE  W.  LITTLER 

is  a  native  of  Greene  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  July  13,  1834, 
his  parents,  Robison  and  Catherine  (Wilkerson)  Littler,  being  Virgin- 
ians by  birth.  George  W.  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  for  a  while 
attended  the  common  schools  ;  however,  the  greater  part  of  his  educa- 
tion has  been  obtained  since  arriving  at  maturity  and  by  his  own 
energy  and  self  application.  In  1876  he  moved  to  Darke  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  resided  for  three  years,  then  coming  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  in  1879.  He  then  settled  on  his  place  in  section  1,  and  is  now 
in  possession  of  a  fine  farm  of  320  acres,  all  under  cultivation,  with  a 
good  residence,  barn,  granary,  etc.  An  orchard  which  adorns  the  place 
contains  150  apple  and  fifty  peach  trees,  besides  cherry,  pear  and  plum 
trees.  February  28,  i860,  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Littler  to  Miss  Mary  J., 
the  daugther  of  James  Stillings,  occurred  in  Greene  County,  Ohio.  She 
was  born  in  Clinton  County,  Ohio,  January  28,  1835.  They  have  six 
children  living  :  Algernon  W.,  born  January  2,  1861  ;  Rosa  A.,  born 
April  14,  1862  ;  David  R.,  born  February  3,  1864  ;  James  S.,  born  Octo- 
ber 28,  1865  ;  Mary  Ella,  born  December  4,  1869,  and  Josie  May,  born 
January  28,  J876.  Three  are  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Littler  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Church.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Littler  is 
Republican. 

GEORGE  W.  C.  LITTELL 

was  born  in  Greene  County,  Illinois,  May  1,  1840.  His  father,  Aaron 
Littell,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Jane  Brown,  were  natives  of  New 
Jersey.  In  1843  the  family  removed  to  Mason  County,  Illinois,  where 
he  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  attending  for  a  time  the  common  schools. 
In  the  spring  of  1874  he  came  from  Mason  County  to  Nodaway  County, 
Missouri,  after  having  spent  the  winter  in  Linn  County.  Mr.  L.  resided 
in  Nodaway  County  for  nearly  two  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1875,   came 


77%  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

to  Atchison  County.  He  was  married  in  Mason  County,  Illinois,  Feb- 
ruary 15,  i860,  to  Miss  Amanda  Robinson,  who  was  born  near  Manches- 
ter, Ohio,  June  3,  1842,  being  a  daughter  of  Dr.  William  R.  Robinson. 
They  have  nine  children  living  :  Aaron,  born  December  31,  1861  ;  Mar- 
tha A.,  born  March  20,  1863;  William  R.,  born  September  30,  1864; 
Carrie  E.,  born  February  3,  1870;  Fannie  H.,  born  February  20,  1872  ; 
Walter  B.,  born  March  6,  1874  ;  Corwin  Pearl,  born  March  8,  1876 ;  Cath- 
arine E.,  born  March  1,  1878,  and  Weaver,  born  July  12,  1880.  During 
the  war  Mr.  L.  was  in  service  for  three  years,  being  a  member  of  Com- 
pany C,  Second  Illinois  Cavalry.  He  was  on  detached  duty  most  of  the 
time,  and  was  in  numerous  engagements.  He  now  owns  690  acres  of 
land  all  fenced  and  improved,  with  an  orchard  of  150  apple,  200  peach 
and  other  trees  besides  an  abundance  of  small  fruit.  He  is  successfully 
engaged  in  the  feeding  of  cattle  and  hogs  as  well  as  farming.  Politically, 
he  is  independent. 

LYMAN  Z.  LOTSPEICH 

was  born  November  23,  1841,   in   Menard  County,  Illinois.     Eden  Lots- 
peich,  his  father,  was    born  in   Ross  County,  Oh«o,   and  was  married  to 
Melinda  Caldwell,  also  a  native  of  the  state  of  Ohio.     In  1846  they  moved 
to  Des  Moines  County,Towa,  where    they    still  reside.     Lyman  Z.  was 
raised  in  that    county,  his  youth  being  spent  on  a  farm.     His  education 
was  received  in  the  common    schools,  supplemented  with    one    term's 
attendance  at  the    University    of  Mount   Pleasant,    Iowa.     In    1867  he 
moved  to  Wayne  County,  Iowa,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  some  two 
years,  after  which,  in  1870,  he  went  to  Corydon  County,  and  commenced  I 
to  learn  the   blacksmith's  trade.     At  this    business   he    labored    for  two  [ 
years  in  that   county,   when    he   moved   to  Hamburg,  Fremont  County, 
Iowa,  in  the  spring  of  1872.     There   he   resumed  work  at  his  trade,  and  | 
after  making  his  home  in  that  place  for  six  years,    he  came  to  Atchison  I 
County,  Missouri,  in  1878,  and  settled  on  his  present  place  in  Dale  Town- I 
ship,  where  he  has    since    been   carrying  on   farming  and  conducting  a  f 
blacksmith    shop.     He    owns   eighty  acres   of  land,  all  fenced,  with  an 
excellent    new  dwelling,  and  a  small  orchard.     Mr.    L.    was   married  in 
Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  September  30,  1868,  to  Miss  Arminda  Brown, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Sarah    Brown.     She    was  born   in   Des  Moines 
County,  Iowa,  in   March,  18.50.     They  have   three  children  :  Edward  E., 
Charlie  C.   and    Ula  M.     Mr.  and  Mrs.    Lotspeich  are  members  of  the 
Advent  Christian  Church.     He   belongs  to  the  Masonic  order.     In  poli- 
tics he  is  independent,  but  was  raised  a  Republican. 

JAMES  McCASKEY 

was  born  in  Wilcox  County,  Alabama,  November  26,  1843.  and  is  the  son 
of  John  Adam  and  Elizabeth  McCaskey,  nee  Lynch,  the  former  a  native 


DALE   TOWNSHIP.  779 

of  Alabama,  and  the  latter  of  Georgia.  James  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm,  his  opportunities  for  acquiring  an  education  being  exceedingly  lim- 
ited, he  having  attended  only  the  subscription  school.  For  nearly  three 
years  he  served  in  the  Confederate  army,  being  a  member  of  the  Thirty- 
eighth  Alabama  Infantry.  He  was  in  several  important  engagements, 
among  which  were  the  battles  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Mission  Ridge. 
He  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  latter  mentioned  place  and  held  as  such 
for  about  seventeen  months.  After  the  war  Mr.  McCaskey  returned  to 
Monroe  County,  and  after  remaining  about  seven  months  he  moved  to 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  in  the  spring  of  1866.  There  he  remained 
some  three  years,  subsequently  going  to  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  where 
he  resided  till  the  spring  of  1876,  when  he  moved  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri.  He  has  since  been  a  resident  of  this  county  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  100  acres  of  land,  a  small  orchard,  etc.,  his  place  being  located 
in  section  32.  Mr.  McCaskey  was  married  March  7,  1869,  in  Fremont 
County,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Sarah  Barnard,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Nancy  Bar- 
nard. She  was  born  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  December  18,  1853. 
They  have  four  children  :  Mary  Ida,  born  December  25,  1869  ;  Laura, 
born  April  16,  1872  ;  Stella,  born  April  26,  1877  ;  Lottie,  born  June  3, 
1880.  One  child,  John  C,  was  born  January  26,  1875,  and  died  October 
9,  1877.     Mr.  McCaskey  is  Democratic  in  politics. 

ADOLPHUS    McDANIEL, 

was  born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  October  12,  1849.  His  father, 
Abel  G.  McDaniel,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Susan  Swinn,  were  natives 
of  Saline  County,  Missouri.  In  the  spring  of  1847,  the  family  moved  to 
Atchison  County,  and  settled  in  Clay  Township.  Young  McDaniel  grew 
to  manhood  and  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county,  and 
in  1877,  came  to  Dale  Township,  locating  on  his  present  farm  in  section 
7,  township  64,  range  39,  about  one  year  ago.  He  has  160  acres  of  land 
with  fair  improvements,  and  is  engaged  quite  extensively  in  handling 
and  feeding  stock,  as  well  as  farming.  Mr.  McDaniel  was  married  Sep- 
tember 26,  1869,  to  Miss  Lucy  Ann  Angel,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  Angel.  She  was  born  in  Clay  County,  Missouri,  March  14,  1853. 
They  have  six  children  :  James  A.,  born  August  6,  1870  ;  Mandy  Susan, 
born  February  24,  1873  ;  Bertie  R.,  born  October  14,  1875  ;  Perry  D., 
born  February  7,  1878  ;  Floyd  A.,  born  October  18,  1879  ;  Verna  L.,  born 
January  25,  1881.  Mr.  McDaniel  in  his  political  preferences  is  Dem- 
ocratic. 

ALLEN  MANSON 

was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  in  May,  1827,  his  parents  being 
David  and  Mary  Manson,  nee  Mecance,  the  former  a  native  of  Washing- 


y8o  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

ton  County,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Allen  grew  to  man- 
hood on  a  farm  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  obtaining  very  limited 
school  advantages,  having  attended  the  district  schools  but  a  few 
months.  In  1858  he  came  westward  and  settled  in  Clarke  County, 
Iowa,  where  he  resided  until  the  year  1863,  then  removing  to  Caldwell 
County,  Missouri.  There  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for. some  eleven 
years,  when  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1874.  Here  he 
remained  but  a  little  over  one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Barton  County 
and  stayed  one  summer.  In  November,  1875,  he  returned  to  Atchison 
County  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  this  locality.  Mr.  Manson  has 
been  on  his  farm  in  Dale  Township  for  five  years  and  now  owns  240 
acres  of  land,  all  fenced,  with  an  orchard  of  300  apple  trees  and  a  few 
cherry,  pear  and  plum,  besides  small  fruit.  He  is  quite  extensively 
engaged  in  feeding  cattle  for  the  market.  On  the  27th  of  November, 
185 1,  Mr.  M.  was  married  in  Ohio  to  Miss  Jane  Gracy,  and  by  this  union 
there  were  two  children,  one  of  whom  survives,  William  A.,  born  Sep- 
tember 20,  1832.  Mrs.  Manson  died  in  Clarke  County,  Iowa,  March  14, 
i860.  Mr.  M.  was  again  married  November  27,  1862,  to  Miss  Sarah  A. 
Spurlock,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Spurlock.  He 
resides  on  section  9. 

LUKE   MOONEY, 

was  born  in  Canada  West,  September  14,  1844.  James  Mooney,  his 
father,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  was  married  to  a  Miss  Millmo,  who 
was  born  in  England.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  on  a  farm 
in  his  native  country,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.-  In 
1865,  he  immigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  was  engaged  in  working 
by  the  month  on  a  farm  in  Iowa  for  some  two  years.  In  July,  1868,  he 
came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  labored  on  a  farm  in  Clark 
Township  for  two  years.  Mr.  Mooney  was  married  September  17,  1870, 
to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Hinderman,  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  Hinderman. 
She  was  born  in  Nebraska,  February  17,  1853.  After  his  marriage  he 
settled  in  Clark  Township,  where  he  lived  for  some  eighteen  months, 
and  then  moved  to  Clay  Township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
for  three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1879,  ne  came  to  his  present  location, 
section  7,  township  64,  range  39,  and  now  owns  160  acres  of  land,  all 
fenced,  with  a  fair  house  and  thrifty  orchard.  He  devotes  considerable 
attention  to  stock  feeding,  in  which  he  is  very  successful.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mooney  have  had  four  children  :  James  W.,  born  February  15,  1872  ; 
Oscar  S.,  born  November  6,  1875  ;  Frederick  C,  born  September  4,  1877  ; 
Charles  O.,  born  August  19,  1881.  The  latter  two  are  deceased.  Mr. 
M.  is  Republican  in  his  political  preferences. 


DALE   TOWNSHIP.  78 1 

THOMAS  J.  PAYNE, 

section  30,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Indiana,  January  6,  1850,  being 
a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Miller)  Payne,  the  former  a  native  of  Union 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  In  1852  the  family  moved  to 
Tipton  County,  Indiana,  but  returned  to  Wayne  County  in  i8S7-  After 
residing  there  some  three  years  they  went  to  Randolph  County  in  the 
fall  of  i860,  making  this  their  home  for  eight  years,  after  which,  in  1868, 
they  removed  to  Van  Buren  County,  Michigan.  Thomas  J.  Payne 
passed  his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  In  1871  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  for  one 
summer  he  was  occupied  in  farming,  after  which  he  returned  to  Van 
Buren  County  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  In  1874  he  again  located  in  this 
county,  and  in  the  spring  of  1879  moved  upon  his  present  place  in  Dale 
Township.  He  has  40  acres  of  land,  and  a  thrifty  young  orchard. 
March  26,  1879,  Mr.  Payne  was  united  in  marriage  in  Holt  County  to 
Miss  Ellen  Meyer,  daughter  of  John  Meyer.  She  was  born  in  Holt 
County  May  6,  1859.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  have  one  child,  Edith  Meyer, 
born  July  15,  1880.  They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
During  the  war  he  served  for  nine  months  in  the  Nintieth  New  York 
Infantry.  He  is  Republican  in  politics,  but  was  formerly  a  Democrat. 
Mr.  Payne's  grandfather,  Miller,  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  18 12.  He 
died  in  December,  1881,  in  Wayne  County,  Indiana. 

TIMOTHY  H.  PROUD, 

a  native  of  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  was  born  March  31,  1836.  John  Proud, 
his  father,  who  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  married  Sarah  H.  King, 
a  native  of  Fayette  County,  of  that  state.  In  1849  the  family  moved  to 
Howard  County,  Indiana,  where  they  lived  until  1864,  then  emigrating 
to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  and  settling  near  Oregon,  where  they  still 
reside.  The  youth  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  passed  on  a  farm, 
receiving  a  common  school  education.  In  1871  he  removed  from  Holt 
County  to  his  present  place  in  section  34,  of  Dale  Township,  Atchison 
County,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  160  acres  of  good  land,  there  being  on 
his  farm  an  orchard  of  100  apple,  700  peach  and  other  fruit  trees.  Mr. 
Proud  was  married  October  30,  1859,  in  Fayette  County,  to  Miss  E.  E. 
Goldsberry,  daughter  of  Amos  Goldsberry.  She  is  a  native  of  Ross  County, 
but  was  raised  in  Fayette  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Proud  have  had  seven 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living  :  Emmerson  T.,  born  September  9,  i860; 
Anna  W.,  born  October  9,  1864  ;  Sarah  A.,  born  May  20,  1866;  Samuel 
E.,  born  November  12,  1867  ;  Jessie  B.,  born  October  10,  1869,  and  Clark 
W.,  born  October  6,  1872.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Proud  are  members  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church.  In  his  political  preferences  Mr.  P.  is 
Republican- 


782  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

SAMUEL  W.  PROUD, 

section  30,  was  born  on  the  nth  of  March,  1844,  in  Fayette  County, 
Ohio.  His  father,  John  Proud,  and  also  his  mother,  formerly  Sarah 
King,  were  natives  of  Ohio.  In  1849  Samuel  W.  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Howard  County,  Indiana.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  for  a  time 
attended  the  common  schools,  though  the  greater  part  of  his  education 
was  obtained  by  self  application,  after  reaching  his  maturity.  During 
the  war  he  served  for  three  years,  enlisting  when  seventeen  years  of  age, 
in  the  Thirty-fourth  Indiana  Infantry.  His  regiment  was  known  as  the 
Morton  Rifle  Regiment.  While  he  was  in  the  service  his  father  moved 
his  family  to  Holt  County,  in  1863,  and,  after  his  discharge,  at  the  close 
of  the  war,  Samuel  W.  Proud  came  to  Holt  County,  settling  near  Ore- 
gon. There  he  resided  until  the  spring  of  1870,  when  he  removed  to 
Atchison  County,  and  located  on  .his  farm  in  this  township.  He  has  138 
acres  of  land,  all  under  fence,  with  a  good  new  dwelling  and  young 
orchard.  Mr.  Proud  was  married  in  Holt  County,  May  1 1,  1867,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Thorp,  who  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  Indiana,  July  4, 
1843.  They  have  two  children  :  Luella  B.,  born  August  20,  1870,  and 
Dollie  E.,  born  February  26,  1873.     Mr.  Proud  is  Republican  in  politics. 

HARVEY  QUINN 


was  born  in  Xenia,  Ohio,  September  5,  1829,  and  was  the  son  of  John 
Quinn,  a  native  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  Rachel  Quinn,  nee  Nash, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1831  they  moved  to  Warren  County, 
Illinois,  where  Harvey  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  attended  the  common 
schools.  In  1856  he  went  to  ButlerCounty,  Iowa,  and  was  there  engaged 
in  farming  for  two  years,  after  which  he  embarked  in  the  hotel  business 
in  Applington  in  1859.  This  he  continued  until  the  15th  of  August, 
1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Dubuque  Light  Artillery,  which  was 
attached  to  the  Ninth  Iowa  Infantry.  He  remained  in  service  for  some- 
thing over  four  years,  and  was  in  several  important  engagements,  among 
which  were  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Helena,  Little  Rock,  Arkansas 
Post,  Pleasant  Hill  and  several  minor  skirmishes.  After  the  war,  he 
returned  to  Iowa  in  October,  1865.  Mr.  Quinn  was  married  March  28*, 
1866,  in  Butler  County,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Amanda  M.  Bisbee,  daughter  of 
Elisha  and  Mary  Bisbee.  She  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 3,  1836.  Mr.  Quinn  resided  in  Butler  County,  engaged  in  farming 
until  1870,  when  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  the  fall  of 
that  year,  settling  in  Dale  Township,  on  his  present  place.  He  has  a 
valuable  farm  of  205  acres,  improved,  with  fair  buildings,  etc.,  and  a 
bearing  orchard  of  150  apple  and  100  peach  trees,  besides  other  fruit. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quinn  have  had  three  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living  : 


DALE   TOWNSHIP.  783 

John  Arthur  Lee,  born  May  25,  1874.  Mrs.  Q.  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  he  of  the  Christian  Church.  In  politics  he  is  a 
staunch  Republican. 

THOMAS  N.  QUINN, 

section  31,  a  native  of  Warren  County,  Illinois,  was  born  July  28,  1845. 
John  Quinn,  his  father,  who  was  born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  married 
Miss  Rachel  Nash,  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth.  In  1857  the  family 
removed  to  Butler  County,  Iowa.  Thomas  N.  passed  his  early  days 
upon  a  farm  and  received  a  common  school  education.  The  year  1867 
he  spent  in  Hardin  County,  but  came  from  Butler  County,  Iowa,  to 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  the  fall  of  1870,  locating  on  his  farm  in 
Dale  Township  in  March,  1871.  Mr.  Quinn  owns  eighty  acres  of 
land  with  neat  surroundings  and  a  good  bearing  orchard.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Hardin  County,  Iowa,  September  14,  1870,  to  Miss  K.  A.  Taylor, 
daughter  of  O.  P.  Taylor.  She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  November, 
1845.  They  have  two  children  :  Glenn  Arthur,  born  September  1,  1871, 
and  Grace  Agnes,  born  November  17,  1875.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quinn  are 
members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  In  his  political 
preferences  he  is  independent,  but  was  brought  up  a  Republican. 

HIRAM  STEFFEY, 

was  born  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,  July  2,  1847,  ar>d  was  the  son 
of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (Burkett)  Steffey,  who  were  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  In  1849,  tne  family  removed  to  Ohio,  where  they  lived 
for  some  seven  years,  then  going  to  Fulton  County,  Indiana,  in  1856, 
where  they  still  continue  to  dwell.  Hiram  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm, 
and  received  such  an  education  as  the  common  schools  afforded.  In 
February,  1865,  he  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Regiment 
Indiana  Infantry,  and  served  until  August  of  the  same  year,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged.  September  7,  1871,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Steffey  to  Octavia  True,  daughter  of  Nelson  True.  She  was  born  in  Ful- 
ton County,  Indiana,  May  2,  1845.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  have  one  child, 
Leona,  born  July  28,  1872.  About  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Steffey 
returned  to  Indiana,  where  he  remained  some  six  years  working  on  a 
farm,  after  which,  in  1871,  he  came  to  Warren  County,  Missouri.  In  the 
spring  of  1872,  he  located  in  Atchison  County.  He  now  has  a  farm  of 
seventy-three  acres  in  section  18,  township  63,  range  39,  all  improved, 
and  an  orchard  of  1 10  apple,  100  peach  and  other  fruit  trees,  besides 
some  grapes.     He  is  a  very  enterprising  farmer. 

JOSHUA  W.  STEVENSON, 

section  29,  a  native  of  Warren  County,  Ohio,  was  born  December  7,  1843, 
his  parents  being  George  and  Charlotta  Stevenson,  nee  Ward,  who  were 


784  ■  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

also  born  in  Ohio.  Joshua  accompanied  them  to  Randolph  County, 
Indiana,  in  1852,  where  he  was  reared,  attending  the  common  schools 
during  the  winter  months.  September  1,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Thirty- 
sixth  Indiana  Infantry,  and  was  in  the  service  for  eighteen  months,  par- 
ticipating in  several  important  battles,  among  which  were  Perryville  and 
Murfreesboro  ;  he  was  wounded  at  Stone  River,  Tennessee.  After  being 
honorably  discharged  February  26,  1863,  he  returned  to  Randolph  County, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  seven  years.  In  1870,  Mr.  S.  emi- 
grated westward  and  settled  in  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  where  he 
was  occupied  in  tilling  the  soil  for  two  years,  after  which  he  came  to 
Atchison  County.  In  the  spring  of  1872,  he  settled  on  his  present  place 
in  Dale  Township,  and  now  has  in  his  possession  239  acres  of  valuable 
land,  all  fenced,  and  a  most  excellent  orchard  of  184  apple,  and  some  800 
bearing  peach  trees.  Mr.  Stevenson  was  married  December  9,  1865,  in 
Randolph  County,  to  Miss  Nancy  E.  Botkin,  who  died  November  11, 
1866.  He  was  again  married  November  14,  1869,  in  Randolph  County, 
to  Miss  Rachel  A.  Hunt,  daughter  of  Miles  Hunt.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steven- 
son have  two  children  :  George  Tipton  born  November  21,  1871,  and 
Mary  Emma,  born  January  30,  1874.     Mr.  S.  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

ADAM  S.  TIMERMAN, 

a  native  of  Jefferson  County,  New  York,  was  born  July  19,  1828.  His 
father,  Marcus  Timerman,  as  was  also  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Catherine  Smith,  was  born  in  Herkimer  County,  New  York. 
Adam  S.  passed  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm,  receiving  a  liberal  educa- 
tion at  the  Jefferson  County  Institute  and  the  Hartwick  Seminary, 
which  school  was  under  the  charge  of  the  Lutheran  denomination. 
He  attended  that  college  for  about  three  years  and  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  this  church  in  1862,  being  ordained  in  1864.  In  1862  Mr. 
Timerman  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  as  minister  at  Jack- 
son for  five  years,  and  in  1867  he  moved  to  Marshal  County.  In  the  fall 
of  1869  he  came  to  Atchison  County  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Dale 
Township.  He  has  been  twice  married,  first,  in  Jefferson  County,  New 
York,  in  March,  1864,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Ford,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Ford.  She  died  in  Atchison  County,  February  17,  1874.  In  May  of 
that  year  Mr.  T.  went  to  California  on  a  business  trip,  remaining  for 
about  eighteen  months,  when  he  returned  to  this  county  in  December, 
1876.  Soon  after  this,  on  December  17,  he  was  again  married  to  Miss 
Ann  B.  Hanger,  daughter  of  Matthias  Hanger.  She  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, July  23,  1849.  Her  family  emigrated  to  the  United  States  when 
she  was  a  child  and  settled  in  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Timerman  have 
three  children  :  Herman,  born  September  8,  1877;  Percis  Emma,  born 
August  16,  1879,  and  Lillie  R.,  born  April  17,  1881.     Mr.  Timerman  has 


DALE   TOWNSHIP.  785 

eighty  acres  of  land,  all  improved,  with  a  variety  of  small  fruits  and  a 
good  bearing  orchard  on  the  place.  He  resides  on  section  16.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Republican. 

JOSEPH  TYSON, 

farmer  and  sheep  raiser,  was  born  in  England  in  1805,  and  was  the  son 
of  John  Tyson  and  Jennie  Tyson,  {nee  Cooksie),  also  natives  of  that 
country.  Joseph  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  in  1855  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Shelby  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  resided  for  fifteen  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri.  He  then  located  on  his  present  place  in  Dale  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  been  extensively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing for  the  last  twelve  years.  Mr.  Tyson  has  1,800  acres  of  land,  all 
under  fence,  with  about  600  acres  in  cultivation.  He  is  engaged  very 
extensively  in  the  breeding  and  raising  of  fine  Merino  sheep,  of  which  he 
has  at  the  present  time  1,600  head.  He  also  has  some  thoroughbred 
Short  Horn  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs.  There  is  on  the  place  a  fine 
bearing  orchard  of  some  500  apple,  200  peach,  and  other  fruit  trees.  Mr. 
Tyson  is  one  of  the  heaviest  landowners  in  the  county,  and  all  his  farm- 
ing interests  are  conducted  on  a  large  scale.  He  is  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  this  vicinity,  and  one  honored  by  all.  Mr.  T.  was  married  in 
England  in  1838,  to  Miss  Ann  Fleming,  also  a  native  of  England.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Tyson  have  eight  children  :  Jane,  Mary,  John,  James,  Joseph, 
Isaac,  Thomas  and  William. 

BRUCE  WALKER 

was  born  in  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania,  August  18,  1828.  Isaac  Wal- 
ker, his  father,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  married  Miss  Jane 
Reno,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1839  the  family  removed  to 
Dearborn  County,  Indiana.  Bruce  was  raised  on  farms  in  Beaver  and 
Dearborn  Counties,  receiving  ordinary  common  school  advantages.  In 
'  1847  he  entered  the  Mexican  war,  under  Colonel  Brough,  in  the  Fourth 
Ohio,  the  captain  being  George  E.  Pugh.  He  remained  in  service  for 
about  ten  months,  and  during  that  time  was  through  Mexico,  obtaining 
a  very  thorough  knowledge  of  the  country.  After  being  discharged  he 
settled  in  Mason  County,  Illinois,  in  the  spring  of  1848,  where  he  resided 
for  about  twenty-six  years.  Mr.  Walker  then  came  to  his  present  place 
in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1874,  and  here  he  has  a  fine  farm  of  400 
acres  in  his  home  place  and  eighty  acres  in  Nodaway  County.  All  the 
land  is  under  fence  and  improved,  there  being  a  good  dwelling  house 
and  orchard  of  325  apple  and  twenty-five  cherry  trees,  with  about  300 
grapes  and  some  small  fruit.  At  that  time  this  part  of  the  country  was 
almost  a  wilderness,,  while    now    excellently   improved  farms  appear  on 

50 


y86  history  of  atchison  county. 

every  side.  Mr.  Walker  was  married  May  2,  1850,  in  Mason  County, 
Illinois,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Appleman,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  Jan- 
uary 2,  1824,  being  a  daughter  of  John  Appleman.  They  have  five 
children  :  Lewis  R.,  born  October  11,  1854  ;  Anna  Augusta,  born  April 
2,  1857  ;  Lydia  M.,  born  December  21,  1862  ;  Marietta,  born  March  23, 
1866,  and  Harry  B.,  born  July  8,  1870.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church.  In  politics  he  stands  inde- 
pendent, but  was  formerly  a  Democrat. 

LEWIS  E.  WILSON,' 

was  born  December  17,  1843,  m  Loraine  County,  Ohio,  while  his  father, 
William,  was  a  native  of  England.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Elvira  Clisbe,  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  The  youthful  days  of  Lewis 
were  passed  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county,  he  receiving  the  benefits 
of  a  common  school  education.  In  1869,  he  immigrated  west,  and  settled 
in  Fremont  County,  Ohio,  where  for  three  years  he  was  engaged  in  farming. 
In  the  spring  of  1872,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  locating  in 
Dale  Township,  where,  on  section  4,  township  64,  range  39,  he  now  owns  a 
farm  of  250  acres,  mostly  in  cultivation.  His  orchard  is  young  and 
thrifty.  August  23,  1873,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Wilson  to  Miss 
May  Carney,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Phebe  Carney.  She  was  born 
in  Shelby  County,  Indiana,  August  23,  1853.  They  have  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Burton  E.,  born  June  2,  1874;  Everett  E.,  born  May  22,  1875  ; 
Guy  W.,  born  May  19,  1877,  and  Roy,  born  December  24,  1880.  Mrs. 
Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Mr.  W.  makes  a  specialty 
of  handling  and  feeding  stock,  in  which  he  is  quite  successful. 

JAMES  H.  WILLIAMS, 

one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  early  settlers  of  Atchison  County,  is  a 
native  of  Lafayette  County,  Missouri,  where  he  was  born,  April  16, 
1846,  his  parents  being  Harvey  and  Caroline  Williams,  nee  Culp.  The 
former  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  the  latter  in  Germany.  In  1849 
they  removed  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Atchison  County,  being  among 
the  first  to  locate  here.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm  and  received  such  an  education  as  the  common  schools  afforded. 
In  the  spring  of  1882  he  came  upon  his  present  place  in  Dale  Township, 
where  he  has  260  acres  of  land,  mostly  improved,  with  a  good  house  and 
orchard.  There  is  upon  the  premises  an  abundance  of  small  fruit.  He 
is  quite  extensively  and  profitably  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  rais- 
ing and  feeding  large  quantities.  His  farm  is  in  section  10.  Mr. 
Williams  was  married  June  3,  1866,  to  Miss  Rachel  Van  Gundy,  daughter 
of  John  and  Leah  Van  Gundy.     She  was  born  on  the  15th  of  November, 


DALE    TOWNSHIP.  787 

1849,  an<3  is  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio.  They  have  six  children  : 
Jennie  L.,  born  November  5,  1869  ;  Clara  F.,  born  August  20,  1871  ; 
Foster  G.,  born  August  29/1873:  Luverna  O.,  born  March  15,  1876; 
Senator  Floyd,  born  October  3,  1878,  and  an  infant  daughter,  born  July 
17,  188 1.  Mrs.  Williams  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Democrat.     He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order. 

JOSEPH  WEISENBERGER 

was  born  June  7,  1842,  in  Baden,  Germany,  and  was  the  son  of  Mathew 
and  Magdalene  (Houser)  Weisenberger,  who  were  both  Germans  by 
birth.  Joseph's  youth  was  spent  on  a  farm  and  in  attending  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  land.  Emigrating  to  the  United  States,  he  landed 
at  New  York  on  August  27,  1865,  and  there  lived  for  one  and  a  half  years, 
working  by  the  month.  He  then  came  west  and  stopped  in  Chicago, 
where  he  was  employed  in  a  livery  stable  for  three  months.  On  leaving 
Chicago  Mr.  Weisenberger  went  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  to  labor  on  a  farm.  He  continued  to  reside  in  this  and  Taz- 
well  Counties  until  1871,  when  he  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Atchison 
County.  In  March,  1877,  he  moved  upon  his  present  and  now  valuable 
farm  of  80  acres  of  improved  land,  there  being  upon  it  a  fair  dwelling, 
barn  and  orchard-  June  7,  1874,  Mr.  Weisenberger  was  married  to  Miss 
Augusta  Herdenreich,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  November  1,  1856. 
They  have  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living  :  Ernest  J., 
born  September  3,  1867,  and  Anna  May,  born  June  21,  1878.  Emma  was 
born  April  15,  1875,  and  died  August  5,  of  the  same  year  ;  Elenora  was 
born  July  6,  1880;  she  departed  this  life  August  10,  1881. 

WILLIAM  H.  WRIGHT, 

section  31,  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  Indiana,  August  16,  1840. 
His  father,  Empson  Wright,  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  while  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Rachel  Ruble,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina. 
The  youth  of  William  H.  was  spent  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county  and 
in  learning  the  carpenters'  trade,  he  having  commenced  the  study  of 
that  occupation  in  1859,  or  when  nineteen  years  of  age.  This  he  con- 
tinued for  two  years.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  Third  Indiana  Cavalry 
and  served  for  three  years,  taking  part  in  numerous  engagement,?, 
among  which  were  the  battles  of  Corinth,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga, 
Mission  Ridge,  and  several  encounters  about  Atlanta.  He  was  dis- 
charged in  the  fall  of  1864,  when  he  returned  to  Randolph  County,  Indi- 
ana, there  being  occupied  at  his  trade  for  about  five  years.  In  the  fall 
of  1869  he  moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  engaged  in  farming  for  one 
year,  and  then  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  settling  on  his  pres- 


788  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

ent  place  in  Dale  Township  in  the  fall  of  1870.  Mr.  Wright  has  a  good 
farm  of  228  acres  of  improved  land,  a  good  house,  and  an  orchard  con- 
taining 104  apple,  300  peach  and  cherry  trees.  He  has  some  thorough- 
bred Short  Horn  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs,  of  a  high  grade.  Mr. 
Wright  was  married  January  31,  1865,  in  Randolph  County,  Indiana,  to 
Miss  Letetia  Mercer,  daughter  of  John  Mercer.  She  is  a  native  of 
Preble  County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  January  1,  1845.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wright  have  five  children  :  Laura  Edna,  born  June  15,  1868  ;  Mary 
Emma,  born  May  12,  1870;  Bertha  Florence,  born  October  6,  1875  ; 
Thomas  Clyde,  born  August  13,  1880,  and  Hester  Olive,  born  February 
10,  1882.     Mr.  W.  is  Republican  in  politics. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES-TOPOGRAPHY-TIMBER-BRIDGES— EARLY  SETTLERS— CHURCHES —WEST. 
BORO-BUSINESS  DIRECTORY— SECKET  ORDERS— CHURCHES-SCHOOLS-POPULA- 
TION—PIONEERS  OF  THE  TOWN-BIOGRAPHICAL. 

LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP. 

At  the  regular  November  term,  held  November  22,  1871,  it  was 
"  ordered  that  Tarkio  Township  in  Atchison,  County,  Missouri,  be 
divided  into  two  parts,  and  the  territory  thus  stricken  off,  be  called  Lin- 
coln Township,  and  bounded  as  follows,  to  wit :  Commencing  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  section  33,  township  66,  range  38,  at  the  eastern 
boundary  of  Atchison  County,  aforesaid,  thence  west  on  the  south  line 
of  said  township  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  34,  in  township  66, 
range  40  ;  thence  north  to  the  state  line,  thence  east  along  said  state 
line  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  33,  township  67  range  38,  thence 
south  along  the  east  line  of  said  county  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

The  township  of  Lincoln  is  thus  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  State 
of  Iowa  ;  on  the  east  by  Nodaway  County,  Missouri ;  on  the  south  by 
Tarkio  Township,  and  on  the  west  by  Polk  Township.  Its  form  is  that 
of  a  rectangular  parallelogram,  measuring  twelve  miles  east  and  west  by 
seven  miles  north  and  south,  and  including  eighty-four  square  miles. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Though  a  prairie  district,  properly,  Lincoln  Township  is  not  with- 
out its  groves  of  valuable  timber.  These,  which  are  generally  inter- 
spersed throughout  the  limits  of  the  same,  are,  however,  generally  found 
on  the  banks  of,  or  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  streams  and 
water  courses  by  which  its  surface  is  veined.  Tarkio  Creek,  flowing  in  a 
due  southwardly  direction  from  the  state  of  Iowa,  enters  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  in  section  31,  township  6j,  range  39,  of  Lincoln  Township  ; 
bending  thence  to  the  westward  it  enters  section  1,  of  township  66,  range 
40,  on  the  east  side  of  the  northeast  quarter,  and  flows  in  a  southwest- 
wardly  direction,  through  the  northern  part  of  section  12,  from  near  the 
center  of  which  it  flows  in  a  nearly  due  southerly  course,  through  sec- 
tions 13,  24,  25  and  36,  from  which  latter  it  enters  Tarkio  Township. 


790  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Middle, fork  of  Tarkio,  rising  in  the  state  of  Iowa,  enters  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  in  section  34,  township  67,  range  39,  whence  it  flows 
in  a  southerly  direction,  entering  township  66,  range  39,  in  section  3, 
whence  flowing  westward  into  section  2,  it  bends  to  the  southwest 
through  the  northwest  corner  of  section  11,  and  onward,  in  a  generally 
southwesterly  direction,  through  sections  JO,  16,  21,  29  and  31,  from  the 
center  of  the  southern  boundary  of  which  latter  section  it  enters  Tar- 
kio Township. 

East  Tarkio,  a  stream  of  considerable  volume,  flowing  in  a  southerly 
direction  from  the  state  of  Iowa,  enters  Lincoln  Township,  in  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  section  32,  township  67, 
range  38  ;  after  traversing  which,  and  entering  section  5,  of  township  66, 
range  38,  it  flows  in  a  generally  southwesterly  course,  through  sections 
6,7  and  18,  into  and  through  sections  13,  24,  the  northwest  corner  of 
2.5,  and  through  sections  26,  35  and  34,  of  township  66,  range  39,  into 
Tarkio  Township. 

Besides  these  three  principal  streams,  which  divide  the  township 
into  four  nearly  equal  districts,  not  less  than  a  dozen  tributaries  of  the 
same  vein  the  surface  of  Lincoln  Township,  affording  an  abundant  and 
inexhaustible  supply  of  stock  water. 

TIMBER. 

As  before  stated,  Lincoln  Township  includes  within  its  limits  several 
groves  of  timber.  The  most  northern  of  these  is  embraced  in  portions 
of  sections  I,  6,  31  and  32,  embracing  in  its  area  considerably  over  800 
acres,  and  extending  into  the  borders  of  the  state  of  Iowa.  In  the  south- 
western corner  of  the  township,  lying  chiefly  in  section  34,  township  66, 
range  40,  and  extending  westward  into  the  adjoining  section  35,  is  a 
grove  of  400  or  500  acres  of  timber.  Along  the  line  of  the  Tarkio,  in 
sections  13,  24,  25,  and  36,  chiefly  on  the  left  or  east  bank  of  that  stream 
is  a  belt  of  timber  varying  in  width  from  one  fourth  to  one  and  a  half 
miles  in  width.  In  sections  29,  31,  and  32,  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
township  and  generally  on  the  east  side  of  Middle  Tarkio  Creek,  is  a 
body  of  timber  including  not  less  than  1,200  acres.  Timber  in  Lincoln 
Township,  in  small  quantities  is  found  in  sections  17,  18,  13  and  24, 
township  66,  range  39,  on  both  sides  of  and  along  the  banks  of  East  Tar- 
kio, and  also  on  the  waters  of  Long  Branch,  a  tributary  of  East  Tarkio, 
in  sections  19,  20,  29  and  30,  township  66,  range  39,  within  two  miles  of 
the  Nodaway  County  line. 

BRIDGES. 

The  bridges  which  cross  the  streams  flowing  through  the  area  of 
Lincoln  Township  and  into  adjoining  townships,  are  thirty  and  one-half 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  79 1 

in  number.  These,  in  common  with  those  in  other  portions  of  the 
county,  are  of  various  sizes.  The  exact  location,  size  and  character  of 
these  bridges  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  entitled  Bridges. 

LINCOLN   TOWNSHIP   DIVIDED. 

* 

At  the  regular  term  of  the  county  court  of  Atchison  County,  held 
November  25,  1871,  it  was  ordered  that  Lincoln  Township  be  divided 
into  two  election  precincts,  as  follows  :  Commencing  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  32,  township  67,  range  29  ; 
thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  32,  township  66,  range 
39.  That  portion  on  the  east  side  to  be  called  "  East  Tarkio  Precinct," 
and  that  on  the  west  side  of  said  line  to  be  called  "  West  Tarkio  Pre- 
cinct." 

EARLY   SETTLERS. 

Among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Lincoln  Township  were  Ambrose 
Ripley  and  Isaac  Lebo,  who  emigrated  from  Tennessee  in  the  spring  of 
1844,  and  settled  in  what  was  afterwards  and  since  known  as  Waldren's 
Grove.  This  grove  is  located  some  miles  from  the  present  town  of 
Westboro.  They  settled  in  the  timber,  as  all  early  pioneers  did,  broke 
eight  or  ten  acres  of  ground  and  built  their  cabins,  which  were  noticea- 
ble because  of  the  chimney  to  each  stood  at  the  corner  of  the   building. 

After  two  or  three  years,  Lebo  went  to  Oregon,  where  he  remained. 
Ripley  moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  died. 

William  Daniel  came  from  Jackson  County  in  the  summer  of  1844 
and  arrived  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  on  the  4th  day  of  July  of  that 
year.  With  his  wife  and  one  child,  he  traveled  by  land  and  water,  com- 
ing from  Brunswick,  Missouri,  to  Weston  on  steamboat,  and  from  the 
latter  place  by  land.  There  was  only  one  business  house  in  St.  Joseph 
when  he  came  through — the  store  of  Robidoux.  He  located  on  section 
31,  township  67,  range  39,  in  Waldren's  Grove.  His  nearest  neighbors 
were  Ripley  and  Lebo,  mentioned  above.  Like  them,  he  cleared  five  or 
six  acres  in  the  timber  and  raised  a  small  crop  of  corn  the  following 
spring.  At  that  time  supplies  were  meagre,  and  at  an  inconvenient 
distance  from  those  who  had  settled  in  this  portion  of  the  county.  The 
nearest  point  or  trading  post  to  Waldren's  Grove  was  English  Grove, 
about  twenty  miles  away.  Mr.  Daniel  often  carried  provisions  from 
English  Grove  to  his  home  on  his  back,  walking  the  entire  distance.. 
This  however  was  not  at  that  early  day  considered  a  very  great  hard- 
ship, as  the  roads  were  very  indifferent  and  horses  were  scarce.  Oxen 
were  used  almost  exclusively  in  plowing,  hauling,  and  even  traveling. 
In  breaking  ground  they  were  thought  to  be  indispensable. 


792  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Edward  Curry  settled  on  the  Bennett  place,  four  miles  southwest  of 
Westboro.  He  went  to  California  in  1849,  returned  in  185 1  to  Atchison 
County,  and  started  again  to  California  in  1852,  and  died  on  the 
plains. 

David  Price,  from  Kentucky,  was  also  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
Lincoln  Township,  locating  two  miles  below  the  present  town  site  of 
Westboro. 

H.  H.  Caudle,  who  was  also  a  Kentuckian,  arrived  in  the  spring  of 
1844,  and  located  in  what  was  afterwards  known  as  McCollister's  or 
Bailey's  Grove. 

James  Bailey  came  frorn  East  Tennessee  in  the  spring  of  1845,  and 
settled  also  in  Bailey's  Grove,  about  six  miles  southwest  of  Westboro. 

Aaron  Graves,  from  Kentucky,  settled  what  was  known  as  Grave's 
Grove. 

In  the  fall  of  1844,  Alfred  Kimes  emigrated  from  Indiana,  and  set- 
tled in  the  northern  limits  of  what  is  known  as  Center  Grove.  Mr. 
Kimes  now  lives  in  Nebraska. 

James  Roberts  was  from  Indiana,  and  settled  in  Lincoln  Township, 
in  the  fall  of  1844.     He  is  now  dead. 

S.  F.  Roberts,  also  from  Indiana,  located  at  Center  Grove  in  the  fall 
of  1845,  near  the  eastern  limits  of  the  grove,  and  about  five  miles  from 
Westboro. 

John  P.  Dunham  came  from  Johnson  County,  Indiana,  and  

James  was  also  from  the  same  state,  whence  he  came  in  the  fall  of  1844. 

In  East  Lincoln  Township,  some  of  the  original  settlers  were  from 
South  Carolina.     Samuel •  Pettigo  and Smith  were  from  that  state. 

Among  others  from  Indiana  (Marion  County)  was  William  Sawyer, 
who  came  at  a  later  date,  and  settled  in  Center  Grove.  Indiana  was, 
perhaps,  more  largely  represented  in  the  early  settlement  of  Lincoln 
Township  than  any  other  state.  There  were  a  few  English  and  a  few 
Germans.  John,  Thomas  and  William  Zellers  came  from  England  and 
located  at  Waldren's  Grove,  about  six  miles  northwest  of  Westboro. 

These  pioneers  all  preferred  the  timbered  districts,  and  opened  out 
their  farms  at  first  in  and  along  the  edges  of  the  groves,  never  dreaming 
or  thinking  that  the  prairie  soil  was  equal  in  fertility  to  the  timbered 
lands,  nor  did  they  think  that  a  farm  could  be  made  with  half  the  labor, 
on  the  broad,  treeless  prairie  that  was  required  to  make  a  farm  from  land 
on  which  stood  a  heavy  growth  of  timber. 

FRUIT. 

There  are  perhaps,  from  twenty  to  thirty  bearing  apple  orchards  in 
the  township,  which  will,  including  the  young  orchards,  which  are  now 
growing,  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of  most  excellent  fruit. 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  793 

CHURCHES. 

The  most  important  churches  of  the  township,  are  located  at  the 
different  groves  ;  Weslyan  Methodist  Church,  at  Waldren's  Grove,  has 
been  organized  some  fifteen  or  twenty  years.  The  pastor,  Rev.  James 
Lytle,  organized  the  church,  and  still  preaches  for  the  congregation. 
He  now  resides  in  Fremont  County,  Iowa.  Among  the  pioneer  mem- 
bers of  this  church,  are  Edgerton  Peck,  Wm.  Daniel,  George  and  Brown 
Wilkerson,  James  Teague,  David  Peck,  John  Essie,  Sidney  Scrampton 
and  others. 

The  Baptists  hold  services  at  Moulton's  School  House,  in  East  Lin- 
coln Township,  and  the  Christians  at  Center  Grove  school  house. 

MILLS  AND  POST  OFFICES. 

There  is  one  mill  (grist)  within  the  limits  of  the  township  located 
about  a  mile  south  of  the  Iowa  line,  on  the  East  Tarkio  Creek,  and  is 
known  as  Schultz's  Mill.  There  is  a  post  office  called  Powelton  Post 
Office,  Ed.  F.  Powell,  Postmaster. 

WESTBORO. 

In  no  country,  outside  of  a  few  districts  in  Colorado,  has  the  growth 
of  towns  been  so  remarkable  in  so  short  a  space  of  time,  as  in  Atchison 
County,  along  the  line  of  the  Tarkio  Valley  Railroad.  This  railroad, 
one  of  the  branches  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs 
Road,  was  completed  through  the  county  in  1881,  but  scarcely  had  it 
commenced  running  its  trains  when  there  sprang  up,  along  its  track, 
three  towns,  which,  for  beauty  of  location  and  thrifty  growth  are,  per- 
haps, unrivaled  by  any  other  towns  or  settlements  along  its  line.  These 
are  Westboro,  Tarkio  and  Fairfax,  and  will  be  mentioned  in  the  history 
of  the  townships  to  which  they  properly  belong.  At  present  we  shall 
speak  of  Westboro.  The  town  was  laid  out  on  part  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  10,  township  66,  range  38,  the  land  upon  which  it  was 
located  being  the  property  of  Charles  E.  Perkins.  It  is  well  situated, 
the  town  site  gently  sloping  toward  the  east,  and  is  about  midway 
between  the  east  and  west  Tarkio  Creeks,  the  middle  prong  of  the  Tar- 
kio flowing  just  east  of  the  town.  The  country  surrounding  Westboro 
is  one  of  the  best  agricultural  regions  in  the  county,  and  is  especially 
prolific  of  grain  and  live  stoek,  as  the  shipments  for  1881  from  that  point 
amply  testify. 

BUSINESS     DIRECTORY. 

Buck,  O.  W.,  drugs  and  medicines. 
Bowers  &  Cox,  groceries. 


794  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Coe,  Alma  J.,  postmistress. 

Coulder,  James,  drugs  and  medicines. 

Dunlap,  D.  R.,  general  merchandise. 

Davis,  J.  W.,  hardware. 

Davis,  William,  blacksmith. 

Davis,  Henry,  barber. 

Frampton,  Isaac,  groceries. 

Granger,  James  W.,  hotel. 

Herman,  Eli,  blacksmith. 

Hambleton,  physician  and  surgeon. 

Kime,  William,  clothing. 

Lytle,  Job  D.,  hotel. 

McCain,  W.  E.,  millinery. 

Palmer,  George  &  Co.,  lumber. 

Safford,  W.  G.,  physician  and  surgeon. 

Sawyer,  Howard  &  Co.,  general  merchandise. 

Sawyer  &  Wright,  bankers. 

Scranton,  I.  W.,  restaurant. 

Smith,  Frederick,  saddlery  and  harness. 

Sapp,  E.  W.,  livery  stable. 

Sollider,  J.  M.,  depot  agent. 

Ustick  &  Sandell,  general  merchandise. 

Van  Leuvan,  Anson,  saloon  and  billiards. 

Woodward,  T.  A.,  real  estate  and  broker. 

Wright,  T.  J.,  justice  of  the  peace. 

Wood,  Aaron,  hotel. 

SECRET   ORDERS. 

There  are  no  secret  orders  in  Westboro  at  the  present  time  ;  the 
Masonic  order  will,  however,  soon  have  an  organization. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  erected  a  neat  frame  building  in 
1881,  which  cost  about  five  hundred  dollars.  Rev.  Houston  is  the  pastor 
in  charge.  The  church  was  organized  with  the  following  members  :  D. 
R.  Dunlap  and  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  W.  Scranton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edgej*- 
ton  Peck,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  S.  Davis,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Filson,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Charles  Hurst,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  A.  Packard,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McCain,  Ed.  Savage  and  others,  and  has  now  a  membership  of  about 
thirty-five. 

The  Christians  and  Presbyterians  each  have  an  organization,  and 
hold  services  in  the  M.  E.  Church  building. 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  795 

SCHOOLS. 

There  is  no  school  taught  in  the  town.  The  schools,  however,  of 
the  townships,  are  seven  in  number,  and  are  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

POPULATION. 

The  town  contains  a  population  of  two  hundred  and  ten  souls,  rep- 
resenting an  enterprising  and  intelligent  people,  who  look  forward  to 
the  time  when  Westboro  will  rank  second  to  no  other  tewn  on  the  line 
of  the  railroad. 

PIONEERS   OF    THE   TOWN. 

Frank  Lowe,  Esq.,  erected  the  first  house  in  Westboro — a  small 
board  house  for  a  grocery.  This  building  now  stands  on  the  same  lot 
where  it  was  first  put  up,  at   the  end  of  Main  Street,  on  the  south  side. 

The  second  building  was  erected  by  J.  Q.  Morris,  on  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Adams  Streets,  and  is  now  being  repaired  and  remodeled  for 
a  bank.  The  third  house  was  built  by  E.  D.  Credit,  for  a  blacksmith 
shop.     These  buildings,  and  all  others  in  the  town  are  frame. 

SOUTH    BLANCHARD   AND   BERNICE   CITY. 

These  two  towns  are  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  township 
line  and  upon  the  line  between  Iowa  and  Missouri.  North  Blanchard 
is  just  north  of  the  state  line  in  Iowa,  and  South  Blanchard  is  just  south 
of  the  line  in  Missouri.  The  business  is  all  done  in  North  Blanchard  ; 
there  are,  however,  thirteen  private  residences  in  South  Blanchard  of 
citizens  doing  business  in  North  Blanchard.  North  Blanchard  contains 
a  population  of  550  souls.  Bernice  City  adjoins  South  Blanchard  on  the 
west,  and  contains  a  residence  (Dr.  F.  A.  Rogers')  and  doctor's  office 
and  drug  store,  kept  by  one  Adams. 

INCORPORATION   OF   WESTBORO. 

On  the  10th  day  of  January,  1882,  the  town  of  Westboro  was  incor- 
porated as  follows; 

"Now,  at  this  day,  comes  William  Sawyer,  W.  D.  Otis,  G.  T.  Moore, 
James  W.  Granger,  William  B.  Rowland,  J.  Q.  Morse,  A.  M.  Rowan,  I. 
W.  Scranton,  D.  B.  Smith,  R.  E.  Peck,  F.  W.  Smith,  G.  B.  Cook,  W. 
A.  Packard,  J.  M.  Lovelady,  M.  D.  R.  Skinner,  N.  R.  Skinner,  I.  E.  Cra- 
dit,  C.  V.  Ringo,  George  W.  Ray,  W.  G.  Safford,  J.  H.  Tilson,  M.  L. 
Hurst,  W.  B.  Carroll,  T.  E.  D.  Risley,  J.  P.  Rogers,  G.  M.  Bell,  W.  B. 
Vanzant,  J.  L.  Vanzant,  W.  E.  McCain,  W.  R.  Frazier,  A.  Wood,  L.  L. 
Chastain,  G.  W.  Fay,  A.  F.  Van  Luven,  W.  H.  H.  Shofe,  Eli  Heeman,  E. 


7<?6  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

C.  Hale,  William  Millsaps,  L.  F.  Walsh,  E.  W.  Sapp,  Charles  Clark, 
Thomas  W.  Homer,  William  A.  Howard  and  Henry  Davis,  inhabitants! 
of  the  village  of  Westboro,  in  the  county  of  Atchison,  and  State  ofj 
Missouri,  and  present  their  petition  to  the  court  praying  that  they  mayl 
be  incorporated,  and  a  police  established  for  their  local  government  and  J 
for  the  preservation  and  regulation  of  any  commons  appertaining  tol 
said  village;  and  also  setting  forth  the  metes  and  bounds  of  said  vil- J 
lage,  and  the  court  being  satisfied  that  two-thirds  of  the  taxable  inhab-j 
itants  of  said  village  have  signed  said  petition,  and  that  the  prayer  ofl 
said  petitioners  is  reasonable,  it  is  therefore  ordered  by  the  court  that! 
said  village  be  incorporated,  and  that  such  incorporation  shall  embrace  I 
the  following  boundaries,  to  wit: 

Commencing  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  northeast  quarter  ofl 
section  16,  in  township  66,  of  range  39,  thence  north  160  rods  to  the  I 
northeast  corner  of  said  section  No.  16;  thence  west  125  rods  ;  thence 
south  160  rods  ;  thence  east  125  rods  to  the  place  of  beginning,  and 
embracing  the  town  plat  herewith  filed  ;  and  the  court  appoints  the  fol- 
lowing named  persons  to  constitute  the  first  board  of  trustees  of  said 
village  and  until  the  annual  election  for  members  of  said  board,  viz  :  W. 
A.  Howard,  E.  W.  Sapp,  William  Sawyer,  D.  R.  Dunlap,  J.  W.  Granger 
and  W.  G.  Safford. 


^BIOGRAPHICAL^ 


W.  G.  BAKER, 

farmer,  section  12,  is  a  native  of  Licking  County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  in 
1841,  being  a  son  of  Charles  and  Eliza  (Smith)  Baker.  The  former  was 
also  born  in  the  same  county,  May  19,  1814,  and  his  mother  was  a  Penn- 
sylvanian  by  birth.  They  were  married  January  16,  1835.  Mrs.  Baker 
died  December  31,  1845,  and  Mr.  Baker  subsequently  came  to  Missouri 
with  his  son  and  is  still  living.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  accompanied 
his  father  to  Wells  County,  Indiana,  in  1852.  There  he  married  Rebecca 
Lesh,  September  29,  1861.  She  was  a  native  of  Hardin  County,  Iowa, 
and  was  born  in  1842.  In  1866  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  settled  near  Linden.  There  Mrs.  Baker  died 
June  10,  1868,  leaving  one  child,  Jennie.  Mr.  Baker  was  married  the 
second  time  to  Miss  Eliza  Kish,  a  native  of  Atchison  County,  born 
December  5,  1846.  By  this  marriage  they  have  five  children  living 
Alonzo  L.,  Rhoda  B.,  Wm.  N.,  Anna  E.,  and  Lulu. 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  797 

E.  R.  BUNN, 

farmer,  section  10,  is  a  native  of  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  and  was  born 
November  23,  1817,  being  a  son  of  John  and  Rosana  Bunn.  They  were 
born  in  New  Jersey,  and  after  their  marriage  moved  to  Ohio  in  181-2. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good 
education  in  his  native  state.  He  early  learned  the  carpenters  trade,  at 
which  he  worked  for  forty-seven  years.  He  was  married  March  1,  1842, 
to  Miss  Dorcas  Cummin,  a  native  of  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  born  in 
1824.  Her  parents  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  at  an  early  day. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  subsequently  settled  in  their  native  county,  and  there 
remained  till  1863,  when  they  went  to  Illinois,  and  in  1865  settled  at 
Hamburg,  Iowa.  In  1869  they  located  where  they  now  reside.  Their, 
family  consists  of  J.  W.,  E.  F.,  Ella  R.  and  E.  R.  Bunn.  Mr.  B.  is  a  Mas- 
ter Mason. 

JOHN  E.  BUSHER, 

farmer,  section  5,  is  a  native  of  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  was  born 
October  12,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  H.  (Emmerson)  Busher.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Liverpool,  England,  and  when  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  emigrated'to  America  and  settled  in  Virginia.  He  afterwards 
went  to  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  being  a  leather  currier  by  trade. 
A  few  years  later  he  entered  the  harness  business,  which  he  continued 
for  fifty  years.  John's  mother  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and 
with  her  parents  she  came  to  America,  and  settled  in  Sangamon  County, 
Illinois,  where  she  was  married.  She  died  in  February,  1849.  John  E. 
Busher  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  education  in  his 
native  county.  He  worked  at  the  harness  trade  for  three  years,  and  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  Wabash  Railway  for  some  eight  months.  In  October, 
1873,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  at  Hazel  Grove, 
in  Lincoln  Township,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  the  heaviest 
live  stock  shipper  in  Atchison  County.  Becoming  tired  of  the  business, 
he  purchased  a  farm,  and  since  then  has  devoted  his  time  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  Mr.  B.  married  Miss  Sarah  Webster,  December  17,  1876.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Octeve  (Wright)  Webster,  the  former  a 
native  of  Oakland,  Michigan,  born  in  iSJf),  and  her  mother  a  native  of 
Monroe  County,  Indiana.  They  were  married  in  1848,  and  in  i870came 
to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  locating  at  Hazel  Grove.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Busher  have  one  child  living,  Mary,  having  lost  three  :  J.  L.,  Bertha  and 
Jonathan.     Mr.  Busher  is  a  Mason  in  good  standing. 

H.  H.  CAUDLE, 

a  progressive  farmer  of  this  township,  was  born  in  Atchison  County,  Mis- 
souri, May  6,  1852,  his  parents  being  Hugh  H.  and  Mary  (Bailey)  Cau- 


798  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

die.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  his  mother  of  Tennessee. 
After  being  married  they  came  to  Atchison  County,  in  1844,  and  settled 
in  section  34.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  in  this  county  and 
commenced  business  for  himself  in  1876.  He  was  married  October  16, 
1875,  to  Miss  Thurza  L.  Gorden,  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  January  23,  1858. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  David  and  Lydia  Gorden.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C. 
finally  settled  where  they  now  reside,  in  section  19.  They  have  a  family 
of  three  children  :  Clarence,  Sylvea  and  Pearl.  Mr.  Caudle's  farm  con- 
sists of  eighty  acres  of  well  improved  land. 

J.  C.  H.  CHRISTIAN, 

farmer,  section  34,  a  native  of  Newport  Courthouse,  Cocke  County, 
Tennessee,  was  born  March  30,  1838,  being  a  son  of  T.  E.  and  Mary  A. 
(Doughty)  Christian,  who  were  natives  of  the  same  county.  The  father 
was  born  in  1801,  and  the  mother  in  1804.  After  their  marriage  they 
settled  in  that  county,  remaining  there  till  March,  1852,  when  by  wagon 
they  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  located  some  seven 
miles  south  of  Rock  Port.  There  they  continued  to  reside  until  death. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days  in,  Tennessee,  and  with 
his  parent*  came  to  Missouri,  and  since  then  has  devoted  his  time  to 
farming.  He  was  married  February  5,  1857,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Tate,  a 
native  of  Wayne  County,  Kentucky,  born  in  1842.  Her  parents  were 
Samuel  B.  and  Minerva  (Slone)  Tate,  who  were  natives  of  Cocke  County, 
Tennessee.  They  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  185 1,  where 
Mr.  Tate  was  county  judge  for  one  term.  After  their  marriage  Mr. 
Christian  and  wife  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  Missouri  bottoms  and 
remained  till  1864,  when  they  moved  to  where  they  now  reside.  Their 
family  consisted  of  six  children  :  Columbus  A.,  C.  F.,  Maggie  M., 
Thomas  J.  T.,  S.  L.  and  Jessie. 

CHARLES  W.  COE, 

farmer,  section  19,  a  native  of  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 17,  1842,  and  was  a  son  of  Curtis  and  Hannah  (Clark)  Coe.  The 
former,  also  a  native  of  Cayuga  County,  was  born  August  25,  1797.  He 
died  in  1875.  Charles'  mother,  who  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1794, 
died  April  10,  1872.  They  were  married  February  20,  1820,  and  after- 
wards settled  in  Livingston  County,  and  in  1830,  moved  to  Cayuga 
County,  New  York,  where  they  passed  the  balance  of  their  days. 
Charles  W.  was  raised  and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  in  1861, 
went  to  Stark  County,  Illinois.  He  married  Miss  Julia  Bennett,  May 
26,  1862.  She  was  a  native  of  Fort  Wayne,  Allen  County,  Indiana,  born 
March  14,  1842,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  F.  and  Diana  (Howard) 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  799 

Bennett.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  born 
in  1815,  but  he  was  raised  in  Livingston  County.  He  is  now  a  resident 
of  Atchison  County.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Coe,  who  was  born  in  Maine, 
in  1814,  died  in  1852.  They  were  married  in  September,  1836,  and 
moved  to  Indiana  in  1837,  returning  to  New  York  in  1843.  They  went 
to  Stark  County,  Illinois,  in  1856,  and  came  to  Missouri  in  1866.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Coe  subsequently  settled  in  New  York,  and  in  1866,  came  to 
Atchison  County.  They  have  three  children  living  :  Edwin,  Frankie 
and  Fred,  having  lost  one,  Howard. 


D.  M.  COULTER, 


farmer,  section  33,  was  born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  March  31,  1823. 
His  parents  were  David  and  L.  Coulter,  the  former  a  native  of  Armstrong 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  mother  of  Bedford  County,  Pennsylvania. 
They  were  married  in  Richtand  County,  Ohio,  and  afterwards  settled  in 
Indiana  County,  Pennsylvania,  but  soon  returned  to  Richland  County, 
Ohio.  In  1825  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  became  their  home  and  thence 
to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  in  1850.  The  father  died  March  15,  1882,  in  his 
eighty-seventh  year,  and  the  mother  of  D.  M.  died  April  26,  188 1,  aged 
eighty-four.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days  in 
Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  and  began  life  for  himself  in  1844.  He  taught 
school  and  farmed  till  the  year  1849,  when  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
St.  Louis  marble  works  as  collector  in  the  Missouri  Valley.  In  1850  he 
settled  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa.  Mr.  Coulter  was  married  January  21, 
185 1,  to  Miss  Sarah  Bowman,  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  January  29, 
183 1,  she  being  a  daughter  of  James  and  Rachel  Bowman.  With  her 
parents  she  moved  to  Indiana  in  1833,  and  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  in 
1847.  Her  mother  died  in  1848,  aged  thirty-eight  years,  and  her  father 
is  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coulter  resided  in  Iowa  about  eight  years, 
then  moved  to  Plattsmouth,  Nebraska.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  company 
E,  Second  regiment  Nebraska  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  served  in  Dakota. 
He  was  mustered  out  in  December,  1863.  He  then  settled  in  Holt 
County,  Missouri,  and  remained  till  1869,  when  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  and  made  all  improvements.  They  have  a  family  of  eight  children: 
Oscar  B.,  Francis  J.,  James  M.,  Chase  A.,  Howard  M.,  Sarah  N.,  Emma 
G.  and  Laura.  They  have  lost  three  :  Annie  B.,  Ida  R.  and  Garrett  W. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  are  both  members  of  the  Liberal  League. 

WILLIAM  A.  DANIEL, 

farmer,  section  18,  is  a  native  of  Jackson  County,  Alabama,  and  was  born 
April  14,  1842.  William  Daniel,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
county,  born  May  19,  1818.     His  parents  were  natives  of  Kentucky.     He 


8oo 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Alabama,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret 
Mulkey,  July  II,  1838,  she  being  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  October  II, 
18 19.  With  her  parents,  she  moved  to  Alabama  at  an  early  day.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Daniel,  in  company  with  two  families,  procured  a  light  wagon  and  two 
horses,  and  one  morning  in  October,  1843,  loaded  their  goods  and  started 
for  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  The  following  winter  was  spent  in  Car- 
roll County,  Tennessee,  and  in  May,  1844,  they  arrived  at  Brunswick, 
Missouri,  having  disposed  of  their  wagon  and  horses.  Mr.  D.  had  twenty 
dollars  as  his  part,  and  by  boat  they  went  to  Weston.  While  going  up 
the  river,  Mr.  D.  discovered  that  his  twenty  dollars  was  counterfeit,  and 
he  was  put  ashore.  Returning  to  Brunswick,  he  compromised  with  the 
original  purchaser,  and  received  a  gun  and  one  dollar  and  a  half.  After 
this  he  went  to  Weston,  where  he  joined  the  families.  They  were 
obliged  to  walk  to  their  present  home,  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles.  Mr.  D.  commenced  with  nothing  and  is  now  classed  among  the 
wealthiest  citizens  of  the  county.  The  subject  of  this  biography  was 
only  two  years  old  when  his  parents  came  to  this  country.  He  remained 
with  them  till  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Second  Missouri 
Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  was  mustered  out  in  about  nine  months.  He 
soon  re-enlisted  in  the  Forty-third  Regiment  Missouri  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  mustered  out  in  July,  1865.  Mr.  D.  was  married  in 
1865  to  Miss  M.  V.  Ferrill,  a  native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  after  which 
they  settled  where  they  now  reside,  remaining  till  1874.  Then  they 
moved  to  Smith  County,  Kansas,  and  some  five  years  later  returned 
to  their  former  farm.  They  have  but  one  child,  born  July  6,  1876.  Mrs. 
D.  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

JOHN  W.  DAVIS 


is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Davis  &  DeLee,  hardware  merchants  at  West- 
boro.  This  firm  was  established  in  March,  1881,  the  business  having 
formerly  been  conducted  by  Day  &  Bell.  When  the  present  proprietors 
took  charge  the  stock  was  increased  by  adding  a  complete  line  of  gen- 
eral hardware.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  John  W.  Davis,  is  a  native  of 
Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  and  was  born  in  1856,  being  the  son  of  David 
L.  and  Lavina  Davis.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  his 
mother  of  Illinois.  They  settled  in  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  some 
time  after  their  marriage.  John  W.  spent  his  boyhood  and  received  his 
education  in  his  native  county,  assisting  his  father  on  the  farm  till  1877, 
when  he  began  farming  for  himself.  In  1879  ^e  so^  out  and  moved  to 
Essex,  Page  County,  Iowa,  where  he  entered  the  mercantile  business. 
He  was  married,  in  1877,  to  Miss  Lavina  V.  Dodd,  a  native  of  Des  Moines 
County,  Iowa,  and  by  this  union  they  have  two  children,  Lawrence  and 
Grace.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  are  both  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  8oi 

The  establishment  with  which  Mr.  D.  is  connected  is  a  prominent  one 
and  the  members  well  merit  their  success  and  deserve  a  liberal  patronage 
from  the  citizens  ^f  Westboro  and  vicinity. 

NATHAN  S.  DAVIS, 

farmer,  section  8,  was  born  in  Cumberland  County,  New  Jersey,  July  27, 

1839,  being  the  only  son  of  Nathan  and  Hannah  J.  (Barrett)  Davis.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  the  same  county,  born  in  18 12,  and  his  mother  of 
Salem  County,  New  Jersey,  born  January   1,  1817.     The  former  died  in 

1840.  Mrs.  Davis  was  married  the  second  time  to  one  J.  P.  Simpkins, 
and  in  1849,  moved  to  Peoria  County,  Illinois,  and  to  Sarpy  County, 
Nebraska,  in  1856.  She  died  September  1,  1879.  I"  "850,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  went  to  Illinois,  and  later,  with  his  parents  to  Nebraska. 
In  1862,  lie  took  a  trip  to  California,  where  he  remained  till  1865,  then 
returning  to  Nebraska.  April  5,  1868,  he  married  Miss  E.  Minerva 
Woodhull,  a  native  of  Kilworth,  Middlesex  County,  Ontario.     She  was 

orn  October  20,  1846,  and  was  a  daughter  of  J.  and  Eliza  Woodhull. 
r.  W.  was  a  native  of  Canada,  and  her  mother  of  Ne.w  York.  Mrs.  Davis 

with  her  parents  came  to  Atchison  County  in  1857.  The  family  of  Mr. 
nd  Mrs.  Davis  consists  of  three  children  living  :  Loraine  Lee,  born 
une  22,  1869  ;  Melvin  Woodhull,  born  July  16,  1871,  and  Fred  Stennett, 

born  March  26,  1878.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church 

CLARENCE  De  LEE, 

>f  the  firm  of  Davis  &  De  Lee,  hardware  merchants,  Westboro,  was  born 
in  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  in  1861.  His  parents  were  J.  E.  and  A.  C. 
De  Lee,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  Clar- 
ence remained  in  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  till  1868,  when,  with  his 
parents,  he  moved  to  Greeley,  Colorado.  There  he  continued  to  dwell 
till  1874,  when  he  came  to  Essex,  Page  County,  Iowa,  where  he  com- 
peted his  education.  In  1880  he  entered  the  wholesale  grocery  house 
of  Paxton  &  Gallagher,  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  in  whose  employ  he  was  till 
1881.  He  then  assisted  in  his  father's  hardware  store  at  Essex,  Iowa,  till 
March,  1882,  when,  in  connection  with  Mr.  John  W.  Davis,  he  purchased 
their  present  stock  of  goods.  This  is  the  only  house  in  Westboro  that 
confines  itself  to  the  hardware  business.  Mr.  De  Lee  is  an  excellent 
selesman,  and  a  young  man  of  pleasing  address  and  social  manners. 

JOHN  P.  DUNHAM, 

farmer,  section  28.  This  pioneer  is  a  native  of  Brown  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  born  October  6,  1823.  In  1826,  with  his  parents,  he  moved  to  John- 
son County,  Indiana,  and  settled  on   a  farm.     His  father  died    in    1837 

51 


802  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

and  his  mother  still  resides  at  the  old  homestead  in  Indiana,  being  in 
her  eighty-third  year.  John  P.  Dunham  was  married  September  8,  1844, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Mullis,  a  native  of  Washington  Qbunty,  Kentucky, 
born  February  9,  1822.  With  her  parents  she  moved  to  Johnson  County, 
Indiana,  in  1830.  Mr.  Dunham  subsequently  purchased  a  piece  of  tim- 
ber land  in  Indiana,  but  soon  becoming  dissatisfied  with  it,  sold  out  and 
moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1848,  and  to  Atchison  County  in 
1849.  He  then  settled  where  he  now  resides,  having  a  beautiful  farm 
of  200  acres,  well  improved.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  have  seven  children  liv- 
ing :  A.  J.,  Nathan,  John,  Henry,  Alfred,  William  and  Vinna.  Mrs. 
D.  is  a  church  member. 

A.  B.  DUNHAM, 

farmer,  section  27,  was  born  in  Johnson  County,  Indiana,  July  9,  1832, 
and  is  a  son  of  Aaron  and  Elizabeth  (Wheaten)  Dunham.  The  former, 
who  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  died  about  the  year  1839.  The  mother  was 
born  in  New  Jersey.  After  being  married  they  moved  to  Indiana,  at  an 
early  day.  Aaron  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  his  native  county,  residing  with  his  mother  and  family  till  he  was 
twenty-four  years  old,  except  during  the  summer  of  1854,  which  was 
spent  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  He  was  married  November  27, 
1858,  to  Miss  Nancy  E.  Prichard,  a  native  of  Johnson  County,  Indiana, 
born  November  5,  1840.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Susan  (Mar- 
lin)  Prichard,  natives  of  Henry  County,  Kentucky,  but  who  went  to  Indi- 
ana at  an  early  day.  After  their  marriage,  Mr.  Dunham  and  wife  settled 
in  their  native  county,  and  remained  till  1877,  when  they  located  where 
they  now  reside.  The  farm  consists  of  120  acres  of  well  improved  land. 
They  have  eight  children  living :  Loutta,  James  S.,  Emery,  Alfred, 
Albert,  John  M.,  Jennie  M.  and  Ida.  They  have  lost  two,  Emma  and 
Alonzo.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

A.  J.  DUNHAM, 

farmer,  section  27,  is  a  native  of  Johnson  County,  Indiana,  where  he 
was  born  September  3,  1845.  His  parents  were  John  P.  and  Elizabeth 
A.  Dunham,  with  whom  he  moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  in  1848, 
and  to  Atchison  County  in  1859,  settling  near  Center  Grove.  Here  he 
spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  education.  During  the 
late  war  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Forty-third  Regiment  Missouri  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  in  1865,  and  was  mustered  out  June  30,  1865.  He  then 
returned  home  and  devoted  his  time  to  farming,  purchasing  his  present 
place  in  1873.  Mr.  D.  married  March  15,  1877,  Miss  Emma  Coulter,  a 
native  of  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  born  January  8,  1858.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Josiah  and  Mary  Coulter,  natives  of  Ohio.     Her  father  was 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  803 

born  in  1829,  and  her  mother  in  1833.  After  being  married  they  settled 
in  Illinois,  and  in  1865  moved  to  Nodaway  County,  Missouri.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  D.  have  two  daughters  :  Mary  L.,  born  April  6,  1878,  and  Helen, 
born  March  4,  1880.     Mr.  D.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

GEORGE  H.  FOSKET, 

farmer,  section  2,  was  born  in  Lafayette  County,  Wisconsin,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Lucy  (Macy)  Fosket.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  went  to  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  in  1838, 
and  in  1842  to  Lafayette  County,  Wisconsin.  He  died  in  1863.  The 
mother  of  George  H.  died  in  1872,  aged  sixty-three  years.  When  twenty- 
one  years  old  the  subject  of  this  sketch  began  for  himself  as  a  farmer. 
In  February,  1862,  he  married  Miss  Hester  A.  Smith,  a  native  of  Mercer 
County,  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1839.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  Smith,  natives  of  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  who,  after 
their  marriage,  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  moving  to  Lafayette  County,  Wis- 
consin, in  1847.  Her  father  died  in  1876,  aged  sixty-two  years,  and  her 
mother  in  1848.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fosket  finally  located  in  Wisconsin,  and 
in  1870  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  settling  where  they  now 
reside  in  1877.  His  farm  consists  of  120  acres  of  well  improved  land. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  have  a  family  of  three  sons,  Lorin,  Lewis  and  Frank. 
Mrs.  F.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

DAVID  FRAMPTON, 

farmer,  section  30,  was  born  in  Clay  County,  Missouri,  in  185 1,  and  with 
his  parents  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  at  an  early  day. 
Here  he  spent  his  boyhood  days,  and  received  a  good  education,  starting 
out  for  himself  in  1877,  as  a  farmer.  In  1880  he  purchased  his  present 
valuable  farm,  of  200  acres.  Mr.  F.  was  married  November  28,  1880,  to 
Miss  Laura  Pedigo,  a  native  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  She  was 
born  in  1858,  being  a  daughter  of  H.  S.  and  Mary  Ann  (Smith)  Pedigo. 
Her  parents,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia,  were  married  in  1844,  and 
came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1855.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  have  one 
child  :  Delacy,  born  January  2,  1882.  Mr.  Frampton  is  a  representative 
agriculturist  of  this  district,  and  is  respected  by  all. 

SAMUEL  FRANCIS, 

a  prominent  farmer  in  section  31,  was  born  in  1828,  and  is  a  native  of 
Ross  County,  Ohio.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Virginia,  and  settled  in 
Ross  County,  at  an  early  day.  Samuel  spent  his  youthful  days  there 
and  received  a  good  education.  He  was  married  in  1848  to  Miss  Mary 
Strech,  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  born  in  1832.     They  remained  in 


804  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

that  county  till  1852,  when  they  moved  to  Shelby  County,  Illinois,  con- 
tinuing to  dwell  there  till  1866.  Mr.  F.  then  went  to  Peoria  County, 
Illinois,  and  in  1869  came  to  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  a  farm  of 
160  acres  of  fine  land.  Their  family  consists  of  four  children  :  Jane, 
Milton,  Druzella  and  Thomas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  are  both  members  of 
the  M.  E.  Church. 

A.  HILL, 

merchant,  Westboro,  is  a  native  of  Prince  Edward  County,  Virginia,  and 
was  born  January  11,  1834,  being  a  son  of  James  and  Martha  (Watson) 
Hill.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Virginia.  Young  Hill  accom- 
panied them  to  Missouri  in  1837  and  settled  in  Saline  County.  There 
the  father  died.  The  mother  was  married  the  second  time,  after  which, 
with  her  family,  she  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1847,  set- 
tling near  Irish  Grove.  Mr.  H.  started  out  as  a  farmer,  and  continued 
as  such  till  1862,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  freighting  across  the 
plains.  In  1867  he  married  Miss  K.  T.  Rupe,  a  native  of  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  born  in  1842.  She  died  in  1877,  leaving  two  children 
living,  and  one  deceased.  Mr.  Hill  is  an  enterprising  merchant,  and  is 
well  known  and  respected  by  all. 

NELSON  O.  HOPKINS,  JR., 

a  leading  farmer,  stock  raiser  and  feeder  of  this  township,  in  sec- 
tion 6,  is  a  native  of  Atchison  County,  and  was  born  September  5, 
1846,  being  a  son  of  Hon.  Nelson  O.  and  Catharine  (Hughes)  Hopkins. 
His  parents  were  native  of  Kentucky,  and  came  to  Atchison  County 
at  an  early  day.  Young  Hopkins  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received 
an  excellent  education  in  this  county,  commencing  business  life  for 
himself  as  a  farmer.  He  was  married  April  30,  1872,  to  Miss  Mary 
G.  Evens,  a  native  of  Zanesville,  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  born  June 
29,  1843,  being  a  daughter  of  Gabriel  and  Mary  Evens.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1788,  and  died  in  1863.  Her 
mother,  a  native  of  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  1800,  and 
is  still  living.  They  were  married  in  1821,  and  in  1839,  moved  to  Ohio, 
where  Mrs.  E.  now  resides.  After  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  in 
Ohio,  they  came  directly  to  this  county  and  settled  where  they  now 
reside.  His  farm  consists  of  400  acres  of  finely  improved  land,  on  West 
Tarkio.  They  have  three  children  living  :  Frank,  Elizabeth,  and  Nelson; 
having  lost  one  son,  Horace  H.  Mrs.  Hopkins  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church. 

CHARLES  B.  HURST, 

farmer,  section  6,  was  born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  in  1842.  His 
parents  were  James  and  Elizabeth  Hurst,  the  former  a  native  of  Maine, 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  805 

■ 

who,  when  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  with  his  parents,  moved  to  Ohio. 
He  was  a  mason  by  occupation  and  worked  at  that  trade  for  over  fifty 
years.  He  was  twice  married.  The  mother  of  Charles  B.  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  she  early  accompanied  her  parents  to  Ohio.  There 
they  were  married,  after  which  they  settled  in  Pickaway  County,  remain- 
ing till  1852,  when  they  moved  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1853  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  In  the  spring  of  1855  they  located  near 
Rock  Port,  Atchison  County,  and  afterward,  in  1869,  moved  to  Lincoln 
Township.  The  father  died  in  1879  ar*d  the  mother  still  survives.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents.  He  started  out 
in  life  for  himself,  as  a  farmer,  in  1863,  commencing  with  comparatively 
nothing.  He  now  owns  a  fine  farm  of  1 14  acres.  Mr.  Hurst  was  married 
April  8,  1866,  to  Miss  C.  Rich,  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  February, 
1848.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Washington  and  Julia  Rich,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  moved  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H. 
have  five  children  living  :  Linley  S.,  Finley  D.,  Mary  S.,  Sophia  S.  and 
Benjamin  B.,  having  lost  one,  Aara  L.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

H.  P.  HURST, 

farmer,  section  19,  is  a  native  of  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
born  May  13,  1844.  He  was  a  son  of  William  and  Charlotte  (Duval) 
Hurst.  The  former  a  native  of  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  and  his  mother 
of  Ohio.  The  subject  of  this  narrative,  with  his  parents,  moved  to 
Clarke  County,  Missouri,  in  1858,  and  the  following  year  settled  near 
Corning,  Holt  County,  Missouri.  He  started  out  in  life  as  a  farmer,  in 
Clark  Township,  Atchison  County,  in  1865.  In  187 1  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Angeline  Hindman,  a  native  of  Holt  County,  born  April  18,  1850. 
Her  parents  were  John  and  Jane  Hurst.  The  former  a  native  of  Clay 
County,  Missouri,  and  the  latter  of  Holt  County,  Missouri.  They  came 
to  Atchison  County  in  1858,  and  in  that  year  Mr.  Hurst  was  drowned. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurst  have  a  family  of  six  children  :  Bertha  J.,  Willie, 
Oscar,  Clarence,  Arena  and  Jessie.  Mr.  Hurst's  farm  consists  of  545 
icres  of  fine  land,  with  good  buildings  and  surroundings,  indicating  the 
successful  agriculturist. 

JUDGE  M.  KIME, 

farmer,  section  5,  is  the  owner  of  a  landed  estate  consisting  of  about 
1,600  acres,  all  improved.  Mr.  K.  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  North 
Carolina,  May  8,  1820,  and  is  the  son  of  David  and  Nancy  (Tillery) 
Kime,  who  were  of  English  descent,  but  natives  of  North  Carolina. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  with  his  parents  moved  to  Marion  County, 
Indiana,  in  1822,  and  settled  on  a  farm.  He  received  a  good  education 
and  taught  school  for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  1848  came  to  Atchison 


'8o5  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

County,  Missouri,  where  he  entered  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Lincoln 
Township.  In  1850  he  went  to  California,  but  returned  to  Atchison 
County  in  1852.  He  has  served  four  years  as  county  judge  by  the 
choice  of  the  people  and  made  a  most  capable  officer.  Judge  Kime 
found  a  wife  in  the  person  of  Miss  Catherine  Hull,  a  native  of  Mus- 
kingum County,  Ohio,  born  August  15,  1841.  The  event  of  their  mar- 
riage was  celebrated  July  5,  1866,  after  which  they  settled  where  they 
now  reside.  Mrs.  Kime's  parents  were  James  and  Rebecca  Hull,  who, 
after  being  married  in  Ohio,  moved  to  Indiana  in  1856,  and  to  Keokuk 
County,  Iowa,  in  1857,  coming  to  Page  County,  Iowa,  in  i860.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kime  have  six  children  :  William  T.,  David  S.,  James  A.,  Adella 
and  Lillian.  One  daughter,  Leora  R.,  is  deceased.  Judge  Kime  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

CHARLES  W.,  ELIZA  AND  FRANK  LEE, 

who  are  natives  of  Canada,  were  the  children  of  W.  T.  and  Margaret 
Lee,  nee  Woodhull.  The  former  was  born  in  Canada,  February  28,  1838. 
He  there  spent  his  boyhood  days,  and  received  an  excellent  education, 
beginning  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer.  December  5,  1859,  he  married 
Miss  Margaret  Woodhull,  after  which  they  settled  in  Canada,  where 
they  continued  to  reside  until  1870,  then  coming  direct  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  settling  in  section  7,  Lincoln  Township,  May  9, 
1872.  Mr.  W.  T.  Lee  died,  and  subsequently  his  widow  was  married  to 
A.  B.  Wilkinson.  She  departed  this  life  September  3,  1878,  leaving  three 
children  by  her  second  marriage.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee, 
Charles  W.,  Eliza  and  Frank,  now  reside  on  the  old  homestead,  which 
contains  120  acres  of  excellently  improved  land. 

D.  A.  McCOLL, 

farmer,  section  24,  is  a  native  of  Fulton  County,  New  York,  and  was 
born  November  13,  1845,  being  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Agnes  McColl.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  when  but  a  boy  came  to  America 
with  his  parents.  His  mother  was  born  in  New  York.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  raised  and  educated  in  his  native  state,  and  in  1867,  with 
his  mother  moved  to  Marshall  County,  Iowa,  where  he  devoted  his  time 
to  farming.  November  18,  1871,  he  married  Miss  Jane  Pye,  a  native  of 
Livingston  County,  New  York,  born  May  14,  1847.  Her  parents  were 
James  and  Jane  Pye.  She  went  to  Marshall  County,  Iowa,  in  1870.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McColl  settled  in  Iowa  after  their  marriage,  and  in  1872,  moved 
to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  locating  where  they  now  reside.  Mr. 
McColl's  farm  consists  of  200  acres  of  well  improved  land,  in  excellent 
cultivation. 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  807 


JOHN  McCOLLISTER, 


farmer,  section  35,  is  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  was  born  August 
10,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Maria  McCollister.  The  former 
was  a  native  of  Dorchester  County,  Maryland,  born  July  12,  1801,  his 
parents  being  Robert  and  Ann  McCollister.  Andrew  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Ross  County,  Ohio,  in  1802.  He  married,  July  17,  1823,  Miss 
Mariah  Kilpatrick,  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  born  November  17, 
1805.  They  soon  settled  at  the  old  homestead  and  remained  till  June, 
1856,  when  with  their  family  they  went  to  Johnston  County,  Iowa.  The 
following  spring  they  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  located 
where  their  son  John  W.  now  resides.  The  father  died  February  12, 
1872,  and  the  mother  survived  till  September  28,  1881.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  education  in 
Ohio.  He  was  married  March  10,  1857,  to  Miss  Jane  Kirkwood,  who  was 
born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  December  22,  1834.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
•  James  and  Ann  Kirkwood.  Her  father  was  born  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pennsylvania,  April  6,  1811,  went  to  Ross  County,  Ohio,  in  1834,  and 
was  married  in  January,  1834,  to  Miss  Ann  Young.  In  1857,  they  moved 
to  Montgomery  County,  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCollister  came  to 
Missouri  with  their  parents,  and  have  since  lived  here.  Their  family 
consists  of  five  children  :  William  W.,  Belle  I.,  Clara,  Hallie,  and  James 
A.  Mr.  McC.'s  farm  consists  of  320  acres  of  fine  improved  land.  Mrs. 
McC.  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  South. 


HUGH  McINTYRE, 

farmer  and  live  stock  shipper,  resides  in  section  30.  He  was  born  in 
Selkirk,  British  America,  on  North  Red  River.  His  parents  were  born, 
raised  and  married  in  Scotland,  and  his  father  came  to  America  in  the 
employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  in  1812.  He  resided  in  the  above 
mentioned  locality  for  some  time,  and  subsequently  moved  to  Jo.  Daviess 
County,  Illinois.  Hugh  went  to  Illinois  with  his  parents,  and  at  man- 
hood commenced  to  devote  his  attention  to  farming.  He  afterward  went 
to  Jones  County,  Iowa,  where  he  was  in  the  live  stock  business,  in  con- 
nection with  farming,  till  1866.  He  then  sold  out  his  entire  effects  and 
came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  where  he  now  resides. 
His  farm  consists  of  320  acres  of  fine  land,  well  improved.  Mr.  Mclntyre 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge.  He  married  April  26,  1862,  Miss  H. 
A.  Millard,  a  native  of  Lee  County,  Iowa.     They  have  ten  children. 

W.  J.  McKAY, 

farmer,  section  17,  was  born  December  18,  1827,  in  Boone  County,  but 
was  raised  in  Moniteau  County,  Missouri.     He  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and 


808  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Margaret  McKay,  who  were  natives  of  Madison  County,  Kentucky. 
After  being  married  they  settled  in  Howard  County,  Missouri.  His 
father  was  born  in  1788  and  died  in  1833.  His  mother,  who  was  born  in 
1793,  died  in  i860.  The  subject  of  this  biography  started  out  for  him- 
self when  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  as  a  farmer,  supporting  the  mother 
'and  younger  children.  In  1846  they  moved  to  Platte  County,  Missouri, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Weston,  where  they  remained  till  185 1,  then 
moving  to  Graham,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri.  Mr.  McKay  there 
opened  the  first  store  in  the  place,  and  in  i860  moved  near  to  Rock 
Port  and  farmed  till  1862.  Selling  out,  he  returned  to  Graham,  living 
on  a  farm  till  1866,  when  he  again  came  to  Atchison  County  and  located 
near  where  he  now  resides.  He  was  married  in  1853  to  Miss  Cydarilla 
Burris,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born  May  25,  1833.  By  this  union  they 
have  eight  children  :  James,  born  June  23,  1854 ;  Margaret,  born 
November  20,  1856  ;  Nancy,  born  Nove'mber  27,  1858  ;  George,  born 
April  18,  i860  ;  Laura,  born  August  4,  1862  ;  Ida,  born  September  20, 
1865  ;  Robert,  born  March  10,  1869,  and  Elizabeth,  born  June  10,  1878. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKay  are  both  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

W.  J.  MCMILLAN, 

farmer,  section  17,  is  a  native  of  New  York  City,  and,  with  his  parents, 
moved  to  Maysville,  Mason  County,  Kentucky,  in  1850.  There  he 
remained  till  1859,  when  he  went  to  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm.  He  enlisted  in  October,  1864,  in  Company  A,  Ninth 
Regiment  Iowa  Cavalry,  and  participated  in  many  battles,  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  afterward  returned  to  Iowa  and  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  purchased  his  present  farm  of  160  acres  of  fine 
land,  making  all  the  improvements  himself.  Mr.  McMillan  married  Miss 
Jane  McElroy,  in  1875.  She  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  By  this  union 
they  have  three  children,  Bert  E.,  Oliver  M.  and  Cora  M. 

N.  B.  MERRITT, 

lumberman  and  farmer,  section  5,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  County,  New 
York,  April  16,  1834.  His  parents  were  Lewis  H.  and  Hephizah 
(Jewett)  Merritt.  The  former,  who  was  a  native  of  Onondaga  County, 
New  York,  born  July  9,  1809,  married  Miss  H.  Jewett,  January  2,  1832, 
she  being  a  native  of  Deerfield,  Massachusetts,  born  October  14,  1812. 
With  her  parents  she  moved  to  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  in  1824. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good 
education  in  his  native  county.  In  1855  he  went  to  Ashtabula  County, 
Ohio,  and  there  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  H.  Holman,  October  14, 
1857.     She  was   a  daughter  of  Aaron  J.  and  Sarah  Holman.     Mr.  and 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  809 

Mrs.  Merritt  subsequently  settled  in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  and  in 
i860  moved  to  St.  Louis  County,  Minnesota.  Being  a  millwright  by 
trade,  Mr.  M.  worked  at  that  industry  till  1866,  when  he  came  to  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri,  and  remained  till  1870.  He  then  settled  where  he 
now  resides,  owning  a  fine  farm.  Mrs.  Merritt  died  April  24,  1881, 
leaving  a  family  of  four  sons  :  E.  T.,  Frank  W.,  Thomas  A.,  and  Fred- 
erick T.     The  winter  of  1881-82  Mr.  M.  spent  in  Minnesota. 

A.  R.  MERRITT, 

farmer,  section  6,  is  a  native  of  Warren  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
was  born  June  22,  1853.  He  was  a  son  °f  Lewis  H.  Merritt,  who  was  a 
native  of  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  born  July  9,  1809.  He  married 
Miss  H.  Jewett,  January  2,  1832.  She  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Massachu- 
setts, October  14,  1812,  and  with  her  parents  moved  to  Onondaga  County, 
New  York,  in  1824.  A.  R.  Merritt,  with  his  parents,  moved  to  St.  Louis 
County,  Minnesota,  in  1856.  There  he  grew  up  and  was  educated,  and 
with  his  parents  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1876.  His 
farm  consists  of  144  acres  of  fine  land.  Mr.  M.  married  Miss  Susan 
Bullock  December  22,  1877.  She  was  a  native  of  Wayne  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Loreday  (Bullen)  Bullock, 
natives  of  Cornwall,  England,  who,  after  being  married,  came  to 
America  in  1856.  Mrs.  Merritt  died  March  10,  1880,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, James  C.  and  Thomas  A.  Mr.  M.  is,  and  his  wife  was,  a  member 
of  the  church. 

SOL.   D.  OHL, 

farmer,  section  25,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  in  Lehigh 
County,  in  1848.  He  there  spent  his  boyhood  days,  and  received  a  good 
education,  and  in  1868,  began  business  for  himself.  He  was  a  brick- 
mason  by  trade,  and  in  1876,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
where  he  has  since  devoted  his  time  to  farming.  Mr.  Ohl  was  married 
in  1871,  to  Miss  Amanda  Romack,  a  native  of  the  same  county  and  state 
as  himself.  They  have  four  children  :  Alice,  Eddy,  Berime  and  Niles. 
Mr.  Ohl  has  a  good  farm,  and  is  ably  qualified  to  conduct  it  properly. 

E.  E.  PECK, 

section  5,  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  which  consists  of  400  acres  of  finely 
improved  land,  including  good  buildings,  orchard,  etc.  He  is  a  native  of 
Canada,  and  was  born  near  Toronto,  September  3,  1832.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  with  his  parents  moved  to  Canada.  His 
mother  was  born  near  Rochester,  New  York,  and  she  also  moved  to 
Canada  with  her  parents.  There  they  were  married  and  then  settled. 
The  subject  of  this    sketch,  when  at    the  age    of  eight  years,  moved  to 


8lO  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Illinois,  and  in  1845  to  Wisconsin.  He  returned  to  Canada  in  1847,  and 
settled  near  London,  and  in  1850,  with  team  and  wagon,  went  to  Califor- 
nia, scopping  at  Salt  Lake  some  time.  He  built  the  first  cooper  shop 
there.  Mr.  Peck  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  Woodhull,  December  25, 
1855.  She  was  a  native  of  London,  Canada,  born  January  4,  1837,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  J.  and  Eliza  Woodhull.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
Canada,  and  her  mother  of  Schoharie,  New  York.  After  being  married, 
they  settled  in  Canada,  after  which  they  moved  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  in  i860.  The  father  died  in  1873,  and  the  mother  in  1861.  In 
1857  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled 
where  they  now  reside.  Their  family  consists  of  seven  children  :  J.  W., 
Eliza,  Emma,  E.  Frank,  Roscoe,  Carrie  and  George.  They  are  both 
members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

AARON  PERRY. 

farmer,  section  18,  was  born  October  12,  1847,  in  Holt  County,  Missouri, 
His  parents  were  John  and  Hannah  (Kerold)  Perry,  natives  of  Indiana, 
who,  after  being  married,  moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  at  an  early 
day.  The  father  died  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  six  months  old 
and  his  mother  soon  married  again  and  moved  to  Atchison  County.  When 
Aaron  was  seventeen  years  old  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Forty-third 
Regiment  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  August  15,  1864,  and  was  dis- 
charged June  30, 1865.  That  fall  he  entered  the  employ  of  Robert  Hunter, 
and  freighted  to  Denver,  Colorado,  and  the  following  season  freighted  for 
Samuel  Walkup.  He  then  began  farming  in  Clay  Township,  Atchison 
County.  Mr.  Perry  was  married  March  12,  1868,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Millsaps, 
a  native  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  born  February  12,  1850.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Callaway  and  Sarah  (Handlay)  Millsaps.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P. 
soon  settled  near  Rock  Port,  on  a  farm,  and  in  the  spring  of  1876  came 
to  Lincoln  Township.  Mr.  P.'s  farm  consists  of  160  acres  of  fine  land, 
well  improved.  They  have  a  family  of  six  children  :  Viola,  Cora,  Etta, 
Olie,  Minnie  and  Arcratie,  havinglost  one,  George  A.,  aged  eleven  years. 
Mrs.  P.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

E.  F.  POWELL, 

live  stock  raiser,  section  24.  Among  the  prominent  men  in  Lincoln  Town- 
ship engaged  in  this  business,  is  to  be  found  the  subject  of  this  narrative, 
whose  farm  is  a  model  one,  consisting  of  about  1,000  acres  of  finely 
improved  land.  He  is  a  native  of  Chittenden  County  Vermont,  born  in 
1840,  and  was  a  son  of  Welcome  B.  and  Catharine  Powell.  When  five 
years  old,  with  his  parents  he  moved  to  Lehigh  County,  in  the  Lehigh 
Valley,  Pennsylvania,  this  valley  being  one  of  the  richest  and  most  pic- 
turesque regions  of  the  United  States.     Here  he  spent  his  boyhood  days, 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  8ll 

and  received  an  excellent  education,  at  Moravian  College,  of  Nazareth. 
Soon  after  he  accepted  the  position  as  general  superintendent  of  the 
Lehigh  Iron  Works,  located  at  Allentown.  Upon  him  devolved  the 
general  oversight  of  the  production  and  success  attending  its  operations, 
.and  he  now  owns  a  large  interest  in  the  same.  He  found  a  wife  in  the  per- 
son of  Miss  E.  C.  Horn,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1859.  She  was  raised 
in  Lehigh  Valley,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
Horn.  She  received  the  advantages  of  a  good  education  at  Allentown. 
Mr.  Powell  withdrew  from  the  iron  business  in  1877,  and  with  his  family 
came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  he  took  charge  of  a  large 
tract  of  land  situated  in  Lincoln  Township,  belonging  to  the  Lehigh 
company.  He  afterwards  purchased  of  the  above  company  his  present 
farm,  now  well  improved.  Mr.  P.  is  a  Knight  Templar.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Powell's  family  consists  of  four  children  :  Minnie  C,  Welcome  N.,  Arthur 
L.,  Beulah.  Welcome  N.  graduated  March  31,  1882,  at  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  had  the  honor  of  winning  the 
first  prize  given  in  that  institution,  consisting  of  a  case  of  surgeon's 
instruments. 

J.  E.  RANKIN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  18,  is  a  native  of  Mahaska  County,  Iowa, 
and  was  born  December  1,  1855.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
A.  (Bingham)  Rankin,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Indiana.  They 
were  married  at  Indianola,  Iowa,  and  then  moved  to  Kirkwood,  Warren 
County,  Illinois,  in  1866.  There  J.  E.  Rankin  spent  his  boyhood  days 
and  received  a  good  education.  In  1876  he  came  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  and  purchased  his  present  farm  of  280  acres,  it  then  being 
nothing  but  wild,  raw  land.  Now  it  is  one  of  the  model  farms  in  the 
county.  Returning  to  Illinois,  Mr.  R.  was  married,  January  15,  1878,  to 
Miss -Clara  E.  Allison,  a  native  of  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  and  the 
daughter  of  John  M.  and  Sarah  (Rodman)  Allison.  The  former  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  her  mother  in  Kentucky.  They  settled  in 
Henderson  County  at  an  early  day.  Mrs.  R.  spent  her  girlhood  days 
and  received  an  excellent  education  in  Illinois.  They  have  two  daugh- 
ters :  Pearl  B.,  born  September  29,  1878,  and  Bessie,  born  July  10,  188 1. 
Mrs.  Rankin  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church. 

S.  L.  RIDGEWAY, 

one  of  the  most  prominent  and  enterprising  stock  dealers  in  this  vicinity, 
resides  on  section  1.  He  is  a  native  of  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  and 
is  a  son  of  S.  L.  and  C.  A.  (Stout)  Ridgeway.  His  father  was  born  in 
-Danville,  Kentucky,  and  in  1828,  went  to  Sangamon  County,  Illinois. 
.His  mother  is  also  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  in  1826,  removed  to  Sanga- 


8l2  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

mon  County,  Illinois.  There  they  were  married  and  afterwards  settled, 
and  in  July,  1872,  moved  to  Maryville,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  where 
they  now  reside.  The  subject  of  this  memoir  passed  his  boyhood  days 
and  received  a  very  good  education  in  his  native  county.  He  started 
out  in  life  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  in  1871,  came  to  Atchison 
County,  purchased  the  whole  of  section  1,  and  now  he  has  one  of 
the  finest  improved  sections  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  county,  sur- 
rounded and  subdivided  with  Osage  hedge,  and  planted  in  orchard  and 
forest  trees  to  the  extent  of  twenty  acres.  Mr.  Ridgeway  married  Miss 
Laura  Hamlin,  a  native  of  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
H.  N.  and  Evelin  (Scott)  Hamlin.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  her  mother  of  Kentucky,  who,  with  their  parents  early  went  to 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois.  There  they  were  married  and  afterwards 
moved  to  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  where  they  still  reside.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ridgeway  have  one  son,  Samuel  Leslie.  Mr.  R.  is  a  Mason  in  good 
standing. 

WILLIAM   SAWYER, 

president  of  the  bank  and  also  senior  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of 
Sawyer,  Howard  &  Co.,  Westboro.  Few  men  are  more  highly  esteemed 
or  respected  by  all  in  any  community  than  is  William  Sawyer.  He  is  a 
son  of  Nathan  and  Elizabeth  (Roberts)  Sawyer.  The  former  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  and  with  his  parents  moved  to  Kentucky  and 
afterwards  to  Marion  County,  Indiana.  There  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Roberts,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who,  with  her  parents  early 
moved  to  that  county.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Marion 
County,  Indiana,  June  15,  1844.  When  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  he 
began  life  for  himself  by  working  on  a  farm.  He  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  in  i860  and  located  near  Center  Point,  where  he 
devoted  his  time  to  farming,  and  in  1875  entered  into  partnership,  with 
D.  R.  Dunlap,  at  Central  Point  in  the  general  merchandise  business, 
afterwards  coming  here.  Mr.  Sawyer  married  October  22,  1864,  Miss 
Hannah  Daniels,  a  native  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  born  June  9, 
1847.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  Daniels,  natives  of 
Alabama,  who  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  at  an  early  day. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawyer's  family  consists  of  three  children  :  William  N., 
Mary  A.,  and  Charles.  Mr.  S.  is  an  exceptionally  successful  man  and 
in  all  his  dealings  is  honorable  and  straightforward. 

A.  SMITH, 

farmer,  section  20,  was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Tennessee,  December  17, 
1843,  ar>d  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  M.  (Sanders)  Smith,  natives  of 
the  same  county  and  state.  Young  Smith,  with  his  parents,  came  to  Atchi- 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  813 

son  County,  Missouri,  in  1858,  and  settled  near  Linden.  He  went  to 
Nebraska  in  i860,  returned  to  Missouri  in  1878,  and  in  1881,  purchased  his 
present  valuable  farm.  Mr.  Smith  was  married  February  1,  1872,  to  Miss 
Melinda  Ruble,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born  December  11,  1855.  She 
came  to  Missouri  with  her  parents  when  quite  small.  They  have  five 
children  living  :  Mary  M.,  Aaron,  Lusin,  Arceila,  and  Anna  M. 

B.  W.  STEEL, 

farmer,  section  19,  was  born  in  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  and  early 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Vinton  County,  Ohio,  and  to  Stark  County, 
Illinois,  in  1864.  His  father  and  mother  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
who,  after  being  married,  settled  in  Ohio  at  an  early  day.  The  mother 
now  resides  with  her  son.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  life  as  a 
farmer.  In  1870  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  improved  a 
farm  in  Tarkio  Township,  and,  in  1880,  sold  out  and  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm,  in  Lincoln  Township,  consisting  of  240  acres  of  choice  improved 
land,  situated  on  East  Tarkio  Creek.  Mr.  Steel  was  married  in  1870,  to 
Miss  Lavina  Tautz.  She  died  in  1874,  leaving  one  child,  Jennie.  Mr. 
S.'s  second  marriage  occurred  in  1879  to  Miss  Maggie  Tautz,  a  second 
cousin  of  his  first  wife,  and  by  this  union  there  is  one  child,  Charles. 
Mrs.  Steel  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

J.  W.  TEED, 

farmer,  section  10,  was  a  native  of  Cook  County,  Illinois,  born  in  1848, 
being  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Martha  Teed.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  his  mother  of  New  York.  After  being  married  they  set- 
tled in  McLean  County,  Illinois.  During  the  war  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
enlisted  in  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  as  a  drummer.  During  the  years  from  1869  to  1873,  he 
had  the  entire  charge  of  a  fine  herd  of  Short  Horns  belonging  to  J.  M. 
Woodrong,  in  Indiana.  In  1874,  he  entered  the  mercantile  business  at 
Williamsburg,  Indiana,  doing  an  extensive  trade  till  1876,  when  he  sold 
out  and  returned  to  McLean  County,  Illinois.  There  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  till  1880,  when  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  consisting  of  eighty  acres  of  well  improved  land. 
March  31,  1875,  he  married  Miss  Elma  Gale,  a  native  of  Johnston  County, 
Indiana,  born  in  1859.  She  was  a  daughter  of  V.  P.  and  Louisa  Gale, 
who  were  natives  of  the  same  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Teed  have  two 
children,  Alonzo  and  Minnie.     Mr.  T.  is  a  Master  Mason. 

N.  UTTVITS, 

farmer,  section  29,  was  born  in  Zombor,  near  the  Danube  River,  in  Hun- 
gary, December  18,  1839,  being  a  son  of  Marquires  and  Sophia  Uttvitts. 


8 14  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

He  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  country,  and  during-  the  year 
1848,  served  in  the  army.  The  following  year  he  went  to  Vienna  as  an 
assistant  surgeon,  and  remained  some  two  years.  Then  he  traveled 
through  Germany,  and  subsequently  came  to  America.  March  17,  1856,. 
he  married  Miss  Laura  Kobs,  a  native  of  Leipsic,  Germany,  born  Febru- 
ary 19,  1837.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Emily  Kobs,  the  former 
a  Polander,  and  the  mother  of  German  descent.  In  1853,  that  family 
came  to  America  and  settled  at  Elgin,  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  U.  finally 
located  in  Chicago,  and  remained  there  one  year,  then  moved  to  Scott 
County,  Iowa,  and  five  years  later  to  Nebraska  City,  where  they  resided 
till  they  came  to  Atchison  County,  in  Missouri,  in  1866,  and  settling" 
where  they  now  reside.  Mr.  U.  owns  a  fine  farm  of  270  acres,  well 
improved.  Their  family  consists  of  Oscar,  Matilda,  Annie,  Lizzie,  Laura, 
Walter  and  Jennie  living.     They  have  lost  two  :   Helen  and  Robert. 

GEORGE  H.  WILKINSON, 

farmer,  section  36,  was  born  in  Sandusky  City,  Ohio,  February  27,  1830, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Pierce)  Wilkinson.  The  former  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  early  went  to  Yates  County,  New  York, 
and  there  married.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Steuben  County,  New 
York,  and  to  Sandusky  City,  Ohio,  in  1829,  finally  settling  in  Seneca 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  one  of  the  first  anti-slavery  men  in  that 
county.  George's  mother  died  in  1830,  and  his  father  married  the  second 
time  in  1832.  He  died  in  1875.  George  H.  spent  his  boyhood  days  and 
received  a  good  education  in  Seneca  County,  beginning  life  as  a  farmer. 
In  1857  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  purchasing  a  farm.  Then 
he  went  to  Bureau  County,  Illinois,  and  was  married,  October  20  1857, 
to  Miss  Demia  Wilkinson.  With  his  wife  he  returned  to  Missouri,  and 
in  1859  moved  to  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  being  the  first  settler  in  Locust 
Grove  Township.  In  1862  he  returned  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri. 
His  landed  estate  consists  of  about  700  acres  of  finely  improved  land, 
well  watered  and  under  cultivation.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  have  three  chil- 
dren :     Alice,  Frank  and  Elmetta. 

A.  B.  WILKERSON, 

farmer,  section  7,  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm,  consisting  of  440 
acres  of  fine  land.  He  is  a  native  of  Seneca  County,  Ohio,  born  May  5 
1853.  His  parents  were  natives  of  New  York.  A.  B.  passed  his  earlier 
days  and  attended  the  common  schools  in  his  native  state.  He  came 
to  Waldren  Grove,  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1859,  ar>d  since  that 
time  he  has  lived  in  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  and  this  county.  During 
the  late  war  he  enlisted  in  1863  in  Company  E„  Second  Regiment  Mis.- 


LINCOLN  TOWNSHIP.  8l$ 

souri  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  did  service  in  Dakota  Territory  till 
December,  1863.  Mr.  W.  married  in  October,  1874,  Mrs.  Margaret  Lee, 
widow  of  W.  T.  Lee.  Her  maiden  name  was  Woodhull,  a  native  of 
Canada.  She  died  September  13,  1878,  leaving  three  children  :  L.  E., 
Maggie  E.  and  Edna  G.  Wilkinson.  Mr.  W.  is  an  enterprising  farmer, 
and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  those  favored  with  his  acquaintance. 

ISAAC  M.  C.  WOOD, 

farmer,  section  34,  is  a  native  of  Clarke  County,  Indiana,  and  was  born 
April  11,  1835,  being  a  son  of  E.  R.  and  Matilda  (Chambers)  Wood. 
Isaac,  with  his  parents,  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1855.  and 
settled  in  the  Missouri  Bottoms.  He  was  married  May  25.  1861,  to  Miss 
Almira  Morrell.  a  native  of  Edwards  County,  Illinois,  born  January  3, 
1844.  She  came  to  this  county  in  1855.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wood  settled  in  the  river  bottoms.  Mrs.  W.  died  October  5,  1880, 
leaving  four  children:  Elisha  R.,  Ruthie  A,  Elvis  G.  and  Lulu  N.  In 
1881  Mr.  G.,  with  his  children,  moved  to  where  he  now  resides.  Being 
an  old  settler,  he  is  widely  and  favorably  known,  and  holds  the  respect 
of  many  acquaintances. 

CAPTAIN  T.  J.  WRIGHT, 

is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wright  &  Sayer,  bankers  at  Westboro.  This 
house  was  established  on  a  sound  business  basis  March  1,  1882,  and  has 
since  continued  to  do  a  flourishing  business.  Captain  Wright  is  a  native 
of  Clark  County,  Kentucky,  and  was  born  in  August,  1830,  being  a  son 
of  A.  S.  and  Matilda  Wright.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  received  a 
fine  education,  and  while  young  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  at  which 
he  worked  for  many  years.  "In  1850,  he  married  Miss  Mildred  G.  Wil- 
liams, a  native  of  Clark  County,  Kentucky,  born  December,  1828.  Her 
parents  were  D.  B.  and  Mildred  B.  Williams.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright, 
after  their  marriage  settled  in  Clarke  County,  Kentucky,  and  in  1855, 
moved  to  Bloomington,  Illinois.  There  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  con- 
nection with  farming  till  1856,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Estill 
County,  Kentucky.  He  devoted  his  time  to  milling,  but  disposed  of  his 
interests  in  1859,  and  purchased  a  small  farm,  and  tilled  the  soil  till 
August,  1861.  Mr.  Wright  then  recruited  Company  H,  Eighth  Regiment, 
Kentucky  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  elected  second  lieutenant,  and  January, 
1863,  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  June  1,  1863,  to  captain.  He 
was  mustered  out  November  18,  1864,  after  which  he  returned  to  Ken- 
tucky. He  then  sold  his  farm  and  settled  in  Hendricks  County,  Indiana, 
remaining  till  1869,  when  he  came  to   Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and 


8i6 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


bought  a  farm  in  section  25,  township  66,  range  40,  and  devoted  his 
time  to  farming  and  stock  raising  till  January,  1882.  He  then  came 
to  Westboro.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  are  both  members  of  the  Christian 
Church.  In  his  business  transactions,  Captain  Wright  is  exception- 
ally clear  and  transparent,  and  as  a  financier  is  second  to  none  in  the 
county. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

NISHNEBOTNA  TOWNSHIP. 

TOPOGRAPHY-BRIDGE— THE  FLOOD-EARLY  SETTLEMENT-SONORA  LAID  OUT— SONORA 
INCORPORATED-PIONEER  MILL- DR.  WYATT— BUSINESS  ENTERPRISE— PORK 
PACKING-CHUKCHES-SOCIETIES-SAW  MILL-YORKTOWN  -  WATSON  —  POSTMAS- 
TERS-CHURCHES-SCHOOL HOUSE-INCORPORATION  OF  WATiON— ODD  FELLOWS 
-MASONIC-BUSINESS  OF  1882— SHIPPING    INTERESTS— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP, 

one  of  the  five  original  municipal  divisions  of  Atchison  County  was 
reduced  to  its  present  (1882)  limits  by  the  creation  of  Templeton  Town- 
ship, February  22,  1870.  It  is  in  consequence  of  the  extreme  sinuosity 
of  the  streams  between  which  it  lies,  very  irregular  in  the  configuration 
of  its  outline.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north,  in  a  distance  of  about  a  mile 
and  a-half,  by  Buchanan  Township,  on  the  east  by  Polk,  and  a  small 
portion  of  Clay  Township,  on  the  south  and  west,  and  also  on  the  north- 
west, by  the  Missouri  River,  separating  it  from  Nebraska. 


TOPOGRAPHY 


That  portion  of  this  river  on  the  northwest  boundary  of  the  town- 
ship, is  the  old  channel  of  the  same,  and  is  from  one  to  two  and  a-half 
miles  east  of  its  present  (1882)  channel.  Between  these  two  channels  is 
a  sandy  island  about  four  miles  long,  by  two  and  a-half  miles  wide.  In 
the  center  of  this  island,  and  embracing  considerably  over  one-half  its 
area,  is  a  deposit  of  alluvial  soil,  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber. 
The  timbered  portion  of  the  mainland  of  Nishnebotna  Township  occu- 
pies the  western  promontory  of  the  same,  and  embraces  an  area  of  about 
three  thousand  acres.  This  timber  covers,  wholly  or  in  part,  sections 
32  and  33,  of  township  66,  range  42,  and  fractional  sections  22,  27,  28  and 
29,  of  said  township,  and  also  fractional  sections  5  and  6,  of  township  65, 
range  42,  as  well  as  fractional  sections  1  and  2,  in  township  66,  range  43, 
much  of  which  has  disappeared  by  the  caving  of  the  river  banks.  In  the 
extreme  southwestern  corner  of  the  township,  in  fractional  sections  15 
and  16,  is  also  a  small  body  of  timber,  extending  southward  into  the 
northwest  corner  of  Templeton  Township. 

The  balance  of  the  township  is  prairie  land,  and  the  whole  is 
devoid  of   streams  except  those   on   the   line  of   its   boundaries.     The 


8l8  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

extreme  western  projection  of  the  timbered  section  of  this  township, 
which  is  bounded  on  three  sides  by  the  Missouri  River,  is  the  landing  of 
Peru  Ferry,  directly  opposite  the  town  of  Peru,  in  Nebraska. 

BRIDGES. 

There  is  no  stream  absolutely  within  the  limits  of  Nishnebotna 
Township.  The  Nishnebotna  River,  which  separates  it  on  the  east  from 
Polk  Township,  is  spanned  as  set  forth  in  the  general  chapter  on 
bridges,  by  a  substantial  wood  and  iron  structure  130  feet  in  length. 
This  bridge  connects  it  with  Polk  Township  in  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  1,  township  65,  range  41,  about  one  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the 
town  of  Watson.     It  is  generally  known  as  "  Watson  Bridge." 

THE   FLOOD. 

During  the  prevalence  of  the  high  water  in  the  spring  of  18811 
nearly  the  entire  bottom,  with  the  exception  of  a  slightly  elevated  stri] 
of  territory  extending  between  old  Sonora  and  the  town  of  Watson, 
was  submerged,  and,  on  the  subsidence  of  the  waters,  as  elsewhere 
stated,  a  considerable  area  of  the  low  bottom  lands  extending  from 
point  just  north  of  the  site  of  Sonora  and  extending  to  and  beyond  th< 
immediate  neighborhood  of  Peru  Ferry  landing  was  covered  by 
deposit  of  sand  varying  in  depth  from  one  to  six  feet.  This  is  a  tim- 
bered district  of  considerable  extent,  and  is  popularly  known  as  the 
"  Dogwoods." 

The  ravages  of  the  flood  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township, 
between  the  track  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs 
Railroad  and  the  banks  of  the  Nishnebotna  River,  were  overwhelming, 
and  evidences  yet  remain  of  the  consequences  of  this  terrible  visitation, 
notwithstanding  the  prompt  and  energetic  action  on  the  part  of  the  suf- 
ferers, who  began  the  work  of  repair  as  soon  as  practicable  after  the 
subsidence  of  the  waters.  It  appears  that  the  east  and  west  hedge- 
rows, and  in  some  instances  other  fences,  forming  a  temporary  barrier 
to  the  influx  of  the  torrent  from  the  northwest,  accumulated  a  vast 
amount  of  debris  of  all  kinds,  including  corns-talks,  fence-rails,  cord- 
wood,  etc.,  along  its  line,  and  thus  formed  a  temporary  dam  over  which 
the  turgid  waters  ultimately  bursting  with  terrific  violence,  washed  out 
immense  channels  varying  in  depth  across  the  highways  from  three  to 
ten  feet.  These  impediments,  however,  have  long  since  been  removed, 
and  the  public  roads  of  the  townships  are  at  present  in  as  fair  a  condi- 
tion as  those  of  any  other  section  of  the  county. 

We  have  been  led  to  the  consideration  of  these  facts  with,  it  is 
hoped,  a  pardonable  disregard  of  chronological  precedence,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance of  their  intimate  connection  with  the  topography  of  the 
township.     We  now  invite  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  the 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  819 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT 

of  the  township.  The  first  settlers  of  Nishnebotna  Township  were  also 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Atchison  County.  These  were  Samuel  Wilson, 
Samuel  Rich  and  Hank  Roberts,  all  from  Clay  County,  Missouri.  They 
landed  and  effected  a  settlement  in  the  spring  of  1839,  on  what  subse- 
quently became  the  site  of  Old  Sonora.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
came  to  the  same  spot,  a  third  settler  within  the  limits  of  the  county. 
This  was  Callaway  Millsaps,  elsewhere  referred  to  as  the  pioneer  of  Clay 
Township,  and  now  (1882)  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Harring- 
ton and  Millsaps,  in  the  city  of  Rock  Port.  Of  these  original  settlers, 
Wilson  died  many  years  ago,  Samuel  Rich  moved  to  the  far  west,  and 
Hank  Roberts  now  resides  on  McKissock's  Island,  in  the  Missouri  River, 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county.  Millsaps  is  thus  the  only  one 
of  the  original  pioneers,  yet  (1882)  living  within  the  limits  of  the  county- 
Among  the  settlers  of  Nishnebotna  Township,  who  came  shortly 
after  the  above  mentioned,  were  Jacob  Hughes,  from  Clay  County,  Mis- 
souri ;  William  Hays,  still  living  ;  Ben.  Parmer,  a  mulatto,  now  living 
in  California  ;  George  Borchers,  the  pioneer  merchant  of  Holt  County, 
who  afterwards  located  a  mile  and  a  quarter  northwest  of  Sonora- 
Another  German  by  the  name  of  Beuzer  was  also  an  early  settler  of  this 
township,  as  was  James  Cook,  from  Illinois.  Abraham  King  and  Bennet 
King  were  among  the  first  to  settle  on  the  Nishnebotna.-  A.  S.  Jackson, 
from  Clay  County,  Missouri,  was  also  a  very  early  settler.  J.  Hall  and 
R.  Horn  came  in  1850.  R.  Horn  and  his  son,  I.  T.  Horn,  and  John  Kel- 
lison,  were  the  only  parties  living  in  Sonora  in  the  spring  of  185 1,  when 
Isaac  Plasters  and  his  son,  B.  F.  Plasters,  came  to  the  neighborhood. 
The  latter  is  now  (1882)  a  merchant  of  the  town  of  Watson.  Isaac 
Plasters  died  in  1864.  Jesse  York,  step-father  of  E.  Goodwin,  present 
partner  in  business  of  B.  F.  Plasters,  above  mentioned,  came  in  185 1.. 
His  brother,  Archibald  York,  settled  in  the  country  October  20,  1852. 
He  laid  out  Yorktown,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  Watson,  in  1857.  Say- 
bird  Addington,  from  Cass  County,  Illinois,  settled  near  the  Nishnebotna 
River,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Watson,  in  the  fall  of  185 1.  He  died  in 
1881.     William  Durham,  from  Kentucky,  settled  in  Sonora  in  1856. 

SONORA, 

an  ancient  river  town  of  Atchison  County,  was  laid  out  on  the  15th  day 
of  April,  1846,  by  Robert  Wilson.  This  was  on  the  day  following  that  of 
the  laying  out  of  Linden,  the  oldest  town  in  the  county.  In  November, 
1854,  John  Hall  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  purchased  of  Hiram  Rich,  to 
whom  the  place  had  been  sold  by  Wilson,  the  town  site  of  Sonora,  and 
acknowledged  that  they  had  adopted  the  name  and  set  apart  the  entire 


820  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

block,  No.  1 1,  for  the  purpose  of  a  public  square,  to   the   inhabitants  of 
said  town. 

The  site  of  the  town  occupied  the  south  half  of  section  5,  of  town- 
ship 65,  range  42,  in  what  is  now  Nishnebotna  Township,  and  fronted 
the  Missouri  River,  where,  for  many  succeeding  years,  it  enjoyed  the 
reputation  of  an  important  business  point  and  steamboat  landing.  The 
streets  extending  in  an  easterly  and  westerly  direction  from  the  river 
northward  were  Water,  Main,  Market,  Rich  and  Albert  Streets.  The 
intersecting  streets  from  the  east  to  the  west  boundary  of  the  town  site 
were  Elm,  Walnut,  Pine  and  Cedar.  The  lots  were  sixty-six  by  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  feet  deep.  The  streets  were  laid  out  at  a  declina- 
tion of  sixteen  and  a  half  degrees  east  of  the  true  meridian.  On  the  3d 
of  November,  1854,  William  E.  Horn  laid  out,  on  the  west  side  of  this 
survey,  an  addition  of  three  blocks  to  the  eastward  of  Cottonwood  Street. 
Previously  to  this,  January  30,  1852,  Hall's  Addition,  including  two  blocks, 
had  been  laid  out  on  the  west  side  of  the  original  town  site. 

We  state  on  the  authority  of  George  L.  Bischof,  a  merchant  of 
Rock  Port,  who  came  from  Germany  in  an  early  day,  that  he  reached 
Savannah  Landing,  now  Amazonia,  in  1850,  and  walked  thence  to 
Sonora.  On  his  arrival  he  found  the  town  to  consist  of  a  single  building. 
This  was  a  double  log  house,  then  the  property  of  a  widow,  Mrs.  Helvey. 
She  had  two  sons  who  worked  for  Judge  George  Borchers,  who  then  ran 
the  ferry  opposite  Peru.  Sonora,  at  that  period,  was  nothing  more  than 
a  landing,  and,  during  the  year  that  he  remained  in  the  place,  no  addi- 
tional building  was  erected.  The  California  excitement  was  at  its  height( 
and  every  body  was  going  west. 

SONORA   INCORPORATED. 

At  the  March  adjourned  term  of  the  county  court,  for  the  year  1855. 
the  town  of  Sonora  was  incorporated  as  follows  : 

"  And  now  at  this  day  comes  W.  K.  McAdams  and  presents  a 
petition  of  himself  and  others,  praying  that  the  county  court  incorpor- 
ate the  town  of  Sonora,  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  the  court 
being  satisfied  that  said  petition  is  signed  by  two-thirds  of  the  taxable 
inhabitants  of  said  town,  within  the  following  metes  and  bounds,  be  and 
the  same  is  hereby  incorporated  : 

Commencing  at  the  southwest  corner  of  block  16  ;  thence  running 
east  to  the  southeast  corner  of  block  1,  in  Wiley  H.  Harris'  addition 
to  said  town  ;  thence  north  on  the  east  line  of  said  addition,  to  the  north- 
east corner  of  block  3  ;  thence  west  to  the  northeast  corner  of  said 
block  ;  thence  north  along  the  east  side  of  Albert  Street  to  the  east  end 
of  said  street  where  the  same  terminates  with  the  end  of  Cedar  Street ; 
thence  west  to  where  the  same  intersects  Rich  Street ;  thence    north  to 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  .  821 

the  north  side  of  Cottonwood  Street ;  thence  west  down  the  north  side 
of  Cottonwood  Street  to  the  west  side  of  Water  Street  ;  thence  south 
down  the  west  side  of  said  street  to  a  point  opposite  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  block  16,  the  place  of  beginning,  said  incorporation  to  include  the 
whole  of  Elm  Street,  and  also  John  Hall's  addition  to  said  town. 

Ordered,  that  William  S.  Horn,  Thomas  M.  McAdams,  Wilson  M, 
Swan,  I.  D.  York  and  Stephen  South  be  and  are  hereby  appointed  trus- 
tees of  said  town. 

Though  the  town  of  Sonora  was  laid  out,  as  before  stated,  in  the 
spring  of  1846,  it  will  be  seen  by  the  above  statement,  that  four  years 
after,  there  was  but  a  single  dwelling  house  on  the  town  site.  By  the 
opening  of  spring  in  the  year  1852,  A.  S.  Buddington  opened  the  first 
store  established  in  the  town  of  Sonora.  He  continued  to  sell  goods 
there  for  the  period  of  a  year.  The  commercial  interests  of  the  place 
thenceforward  increased  substantially,  and  Sonora  became  extensively 
•known  as  a  business  center.  In  the  fall  of  1856,  Dr.  Solomon  Wyatt,  at 
a  previous  period  a  noted  citizen  of  Rock  Port,  had  a  large  general  store 
in  Sonora. 

PIONEER    MILL. 

He  also  owned  a  steam  po\yer  saw  mill  in  the  place.  This  was 
located  in  a  substantial  two-story  building,  fifty-three  by  fifty-four  feet 
in  size,  in  which  he  afterwards  added  to  the  machinery  a  grist  mill 
with  one  run  of  burrs.  It  continued  to  be  operated  about  two  years. 
The  mill  was  abandoned  in  1858.  The  saw  mill  was  originally  built  by 
John  Hall  and  Abraham  Lyons,  in  the  fall  of  185 1,  and  run  by  them  by 
means  of  horse  power  until  1853  or  1854,  when  they  substituted  steam 
power,  by  which  it  afterwards  continued  to  be  operated.  The  building 
was  many  years  ago  moved  away,  and  its  site  has  long  since  disappeared 
with  the  crumbling  banks  of  the  insatiable  Missouri,  whose  waters  now 
(1882)  flow  over  a  considerable  portion  of  what  was  formerly  included 
within  the  area  of  the  town. 

DOCTOR    WYATT. 

Doctor  Solomon  Wyatt,  the  proprietor  of  the  above  mentioned  mill, 
was  in  his  day  a  noted  character.  He  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  county,  residing  previous  to 
his  locating  in  Sonora,  in  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  where  he  also  prac- 
ticed medicine.  He  is  mentioned  by  those  who  personally  knew  him  as 
a  man  of  honorable  impulses  and  superior  professional  attainments,  as 
well  as  of  untiring  industry  and  enterprise. 

He  settled  in  Sonora  about  the  year  1853,  and  thus  achieved  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  physician  to  practice  in  the  neighborhood. 
Dr.  Wyatt  also  had  a  drug  store  in  the  town,  which  he  owned  in  part- 


822  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

nership  with  Dr.  Jesse  Davis,  who  conducted  its  business.  Dr.  Davis 
was  also  a  practicing  physician  and  a  man  of  fair  standing  in  the  com- 
munity. They  were  both  large  men  physically.  In  a  difficulty  which 
occurred  in  1857,  over  a  business  transaction,  Wyatt  shot  his  partner 
Davis  in  the  wrist  with  a  shot-gun  loaded  with  buck-shot.  The  nature 
of  the  wound  necessitated  the  amputation  of  his  arm.  This  "  unpleas- 
antness" ended  the  partnership.  Dr.  Davis,  on  recovering  from  the  effects 
of  his  wound,  moved  to  Arago,  Richardson  County,  Nebraska.  He  was 
afterwards  killed  in  a  general  fight  in  the  streets  of  Falls  City.  This 
fight,  which  resulted  so  disastrously  to  the  doctor,  grew  out  of  a  dispute 
over  the  county  seat  question.  Dr.  Davis  was  a  native  of  Greene  County, 
Tennessee,  where  his  father  was  murdered  during  the  civil  war.  Dr. 
Wyatt  failed  in  business  and  closed  out  in  1858.  He  then  moved  to 
Nebraska,  where  he  soon  after  laid  out  the  town  of  Middleport.  He 
went  to  Pike's  Peak  during  the  period  of  the  gold  excitement,  in  the 
spring  of  1859,  and  thence  moved  to  Arkansas,  and  ultimately  to  Texas, 
where  he  died. 

BUSINESS  ENTERPRISES. 

In  1857,  A.  Lyford,  who  had  been  selling  goods  in  Sonora  on  com- 
mission for  a  St.  Louis  house,  entered  into  partnership  with  Isom  T. 
Horn,  and  opened  under  the  firm  style  of  Lyford  &  Horn,  a  stock  of  gen- 
eral merchandise  in  the  town.  As  early  as  1855,  and  perhaps  before, 
Thomas  M.  McAdams  and  Rice  H.  Swift  had  blacksmith  shops  in  the 
town. 

Dr.  Henry  T.  Trimble,  father  of  Robert  W.  Trimble,  the  present 
(1882)  popular  and  efficient  deputy  clerk  of  the  County  Court  of  Atchi- 
son County,  was  an  early  settler  among  the  business  men  of  Sonora,  and 
kept  books  in  that  place  for  Dr.  Wyatt  as  early  as  1856.  He  was  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Paris,  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  and  was  a 
graduate  of  Transylvania  University  in  the  faculties  of  law  and  medicine, 
as  well  as  of  the  arts.  Dr.  Trimble  was  also  a  man  of  fine  native  endow- 
ments and  great  powers  of  eloquence.  At  the  period  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  August,  1858,  he  was  commissioner  of  public  instruction  for 
Atchison  County. 

The  Edmondson  Brothers,  Robert  and  Frank,  had  a  large  store  in 
the  place  in  1859.  Sonora  saw  her  best  days  in  1856,  1857  and  1858. 
During  the  latter  year,  there  were,  besides  other  business,  three  large 
general  stores  in  the  place.  These  were  owned  respectively  by  Lyford 
&,Horn,  Edmondson  &  Bro.,  and  N.  V.  V.  Swift.  In  1858  Wylie  Horn 
put  up,  for  the  purpose  of  a  business  house,  a  two-story  brick  building, 
twenty-five  by  sixty  feet  in  extent.  This  was  occupied,  as  soon  as  com- 
pleted, by  Horn,  Cross  &  Co.,  general  merchants,  who  sold  goods  in  the 
house  for  the  period  .of  a  year,  when  they  were  succeeded  by  Poindexter 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  823 

&  Co.  The  latter  firm  are  said  to  have  opened  with  a  forty  thousand 
dollar  stock  of  goods.  They  continued  to  sell  these  till  a  short  time 
after  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  when  Poindexter,  being  regarded 
as  a  southern  sympathizer,  was  robbed  of  his  goods  and  compelled  to 
leave  the  country.  Dr.  Poindexter  had  just  completed  for  a  business 
house,  into  which  he  was  on  the  point  of  moving,  a  large  two-story  frame 
building,  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  brick  house,  which  he  was  then 
occupying. 

The  building  is  among  the  few  which  yet  (1882)  stand  on  what  is 
left  of  the  site  of  this  ancient  and  virtually  deserted  town,  which,  in 
the  days  of  its  prosperity,  had  a  population  of  300.  Its  comparatively 
vast  proportions,  rising  in  gaunt  and  dingy  solitude,  alone  remain  to 
tell  of  the  thronging  life  which  in  bygone  days  bespoke  the  thrift  and 
animation  of  Northwest  Missouri's  rising  river  town,  steamboat  landing 
and  grain  shipping  depot.  Dr.  Poindexter,  on  being  driven  from  Sonora, 
moved  to  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  where  he  afterwards  engaged  in  the  drug 
business.  He  ultimately  moved  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  died.  The  frame 
building,  above  referred  to,  was  afterwards  purchased  by  the  district  and 
converted  into  a  school  house,  a  purpose  which  the  lower  room  now 
(1882)  subserves.  The  bell  of  this  school  once  belonged  to  a  steamboat 
which  sunk  loaded  with  corn,  near  Peru  Landing,  in  1867.  It  has  a 
remarkably  fine  tone  and  was  purchased  from  the  owners  of  the  boat  for 
sixty  dollars.  On  the  final  abandonment  of  the  town,  which  followed 
almost  immediately  after  the  laying  out  of  Watson,  the  spacious  two 
story  brick  building  was  taken  down,  and  the  material  of  which  it  was 
composed  sold  to  different  parties.  Many  of  the  chimneys  and  flues  in 
the  neighborhood,  far  and  near,  are  built  of  the  bricks  which  once  com- 
posed the  walls  of  Sonora's  model  business  house. 


PORK    PACKING. 


Among  the  early  enterprises  which  bespoke  the  enterprise  and 
importance  of  Sonora  was  the  large  pork  packing  establishment  owned 
by  Syfers,  of  St.  Louis,  which,  in  the  winter  of  1852-53,  did  an  unusually 
large  business,  and  achieved  a  fortune  for  the  proprietor. 

CHURCHES. 

Sonora,  up  to  the  period  of  her  final  abandonment,  had  several  reli- 
gious organizations  within  her  limits.  These  included,  with  perhaps 
others,  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  since  moved  to  Watson,  and  the 
Methodists.  No  church  edifice,  however,  was  ever  erected  in  ths  town  ; 
the  different  religious  denominations  holding  their  services  in  school- 
houses  and  other  convenient  places,  as  circumstances  permitted. 


824  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

SOCIETIES. 

Both  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Odd  Fellows  had  organizations  in 
Sonora.  The  former,  Sonora  Lodge,  No.  200,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  were  set 
to  work  April  6,  1867,  in  the  second  story  of  the  large  brick  building 
above  referred  to,  which  said  story  the  order  purchased  from  John 
McNeal,  Cross  &  Horn,  the  proprietors.  This  they  continued  to  occupy 
till  the  removal  of  the  lodge  to  the  town  of  Watson  in  January,  1875. 
Under  the  head  of  "  Watson  "  the  histories  of  both  these  organizations 
will  be  found  fully  considered. 

Sonora  not  only  afforded  an  example  of  a  live  and  stirring  river 
town,  but  in  the  days  of  its  prosperity  bore  the  reputation  of  an  orderly 
and  well  conducted  place.  But  one  atrocious  outrage  is  known  to  have 
occurred  within  its  borders  in  the  annals  of  this  town.  A  detailed 
account  of  this  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  entitled  "  Criminal  Record." 

The  last  merchant  to  sell  goods  in  Sonora  was  Frank  Rother.  He 
closed  out  his  stock  in  1869. 

The  last  enterprise  to  survive  in  the  town  was  the  graded  school, 
which,  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  included  over  one  hun- 
dred pupils,  and  occupied  the  large  two-story  frame  building  above 
referred   to.     In    1869  this  institution   was  presided   over  by  Professor 

Beard. 

SAW-MILL. 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  a  saw-mill  was  set  up 
in  the  heavily  timbered  bottom  above  Sonora  by  Thomas  Green,  a 
settler  from  Indiana.  The  location  of  this  mill  was  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Peru  landing.     It  was  afterwards  moved  further  inland. 

YORKTOWN, 

one  of  the  ephemeral  or  rather  prospective  towns  of  Atchison  County, 
was  supposed  to  exist  about  half  a  mile  west  of  the  site  of  the  present 
town  ot  Watson.  It  was  laid  out  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
3,  township  65,  range  42.  by  Archibald  York. 

The  plat  of  the  survey  of  this  town,  which,  according  to  a  statement 
filed  in  the  circuit  clerk's  office,  by  W.  H.  Dunbar,  surveyor,  May  18, 
1857,  shows  that  the  lots  were  40x120  feet  in  size.  The  north  and  south 
street,  which  was' eighty  feet  wide,  was  styled  Main  ;  the  east  and  west 
streets,  of  which  it  appears  there  were  two,  were  named,  respectively, 
Commercial  and  Nebraska.  The  entire  town,  in  its  best  days,  only  con- 
tained two  buildings,  one  of  which  was  a  blacksmith  shop  and  the  other 
a  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Both  have  long  since  disappeared,  and 
the  town  site  is  now  included  within  the  limits  of  the  farm  of  Hon. 
A.  S.  Campbell,  who  at   one  time  represented    Atchison  County  in  the 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  825 

State  Legislature.  Mr.  Campbell  was  the  author  of  the  celebrated  hog- 
law  passed  mainly  through  his  efforts  by  the  Legislature,  during  the 
session  of  1879-80.  His  residence,  a  neat  and  tasteful  frame  structure, 
is  the  most  elegant  in  Nishnebotna  Township. 

WATSON, 

« 

an  important  shipping  point  and  business  center  of  the  county,  is  now 
(1882)  the  only  surviving  town  within  the  limits  of  Nishnebotna  Town- 
ship. It  is  a  station  on  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs 
Railroad,  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  miles  north  of  Kansas  City,  and 
eight  miles  south  of  Hamburg,  Iowa.  Its  population  is  about  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty.  The  town  was  laid  out  on  the  1st  of  February,  1869,  by 
Marion  Good.  The  only  building  at  that  time  on  the  town  site  was  his 
residence.  The  first  erected  in  the  place  was  a  small,  one-story  frame 
house,  fifteen  by  twenty  feet.  It  was  moved  from  Sonora  by  James 
Odell,  and  set  up  in  Watson  the  year  the  town  was  laid  out.  This  orig- 
inal building  is  now  attached  to  the  rear  of  the  store  house  occupied  by 
Frazer  Allen,  where  it  serves  the  purpose  of  a  wareroom. 

The  first  house  built  in  the  town  was  a  two-story  frame  building,  near 
the  northern  extremity  of  the  street  running  parallel  with  rhe  railroad. 
This  was  put  up  by  William  Cowan  for  a  hotel,  and  was  first  occupied  as 
such  by  C.  Sleeper.     The  building  is  now  the  property  of  John  Knowles. 

The  first  store  opened  in  the  place  was  the  general  stock  of  Harris 
&  Williams,  in  the  building  now  (1882)  occupied  by  Dean,  Dyche  &  Co., 
dealers  in  general  merchandise. 

The  second  store  building  in  the  place  was  built  by  G.  J.  Englehart, 
of  the  firm  of  Lockwood,  Englehart  &  Co.,  of  St.  Joseph.  It  was  long 
occupied  by  M.  E.  Hall  in  general  trade 

The  first  blacksmith  to  locate  in  Watson  was  John  Martin,  who 
opened  his  shop  in  the  place  in  1870  and  still  there  works   at  his  trade. 

Saloon  men  seem,  as  a  general  thing,  to  manifest  more  than  ordinary 
enterprise  in  establishing  their  business  in  new  localities,  and  are  rarely 
second  to  any  one  in  the  accomplishment  of  their  object.  The  extreme 
virtue  of  the  founders  and  early  settlers  of  Watson  resulted,  however, 
in  rendering  the  town  almost  an  exception  to  this  rule.  On  the  day  the 
same  was  laid  out  G.  T.  Boston,  with  the  characteristic  enterprise  of  his 
calling,  moved,  from  Sonora,  a  small  building,  which  he  proposed  to  set 
up  on  the  town  site,  and  open  as  a  saloon.  This  the  settlers  of  the  town 
would  by  no  means  permit,  and  he  was  constrained  to  erect  his  dram 
shop  outside  its  limits,  near  the  southern  boundary  of  the  town  site,  on 
P.  G.  Morgan's  land.  Hence  originated  south  end  addition  to  the  town 
of  Watson,  which  may  thus  be  said  to  have  had  its  birth  if  not  its  bap- 
tism in  whisky. 


826  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY . 

One  of  the  earliest  to  settle  and  build  in  the  town  of  Watson  was 
Dr.  I.  B.  Jones,  who  moved  from  Sonora  on  the  first  laying  out  of  the 
former  town.  He  has  continued  ever  since  to  reside  there,  in'  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  Dr.  Jones  built  the  first  private  residence  in 
Watson. 

POSTMASTERS. 

On  the  removal  of  the  post  office  from  Sonora  to  Watson  M.  E.  Hall 
was  appointed  postmaster.  He  was  succeeded  by  William  Harris,  who, 
in  turn,  was  succeeded  by  Charles  Funk.  The  successor  of  the  latter  was 
S.  C.  Danforth,  the  present  (1882)  official. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Cumberland  Presbyterians  had,  in  Sonora,  an  organization  which 
was  effected  by  Rev.  Jesse  Allen,  long  before  the  war.  As  soon  as  the 
town  of  Watson  was  laid  out,  this  organization  moved  to  the  place. 
This  was  in  1869.  The  Rev.  Isaac  Chivington,  who  subsequently  allied 
himself  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  supervised  the  erection  of 
the  present  elegant  frame  structure  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Watson.  The  building  is  70x50  feet.  It  cost  $3,000.  It  affords 
seating  capacity  for  five  hundred,  and  has  a  present  (1882)  membership 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five. 

The  minister  of  the  congregation,  at  the  period  of  its  removal  from 
Sonora,  was  Rev.  E.  A.  Starnes.  He  had  been  pastor  of  the  church  in 
that  place  for  a  period  of  five  years  next  preceding  the  removal  of  the 
congregation  to  Watson.  The  organization  were  never  provided  with  a 
building  in  Sonora,  but  met,  while  there  in  the  spacious  hall  of  the  pub- 
lic school  house.  A  Union  Sunday  School  has  been  taught  in  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church,  ever  since  its  first  erection,  during  all 
which  period  Dr.  I.  B.  Jones  has  superintended  the  institution.  The 
average  attendance  at  this  school  is  100.  These  are  taught  by  five 
assistant  teachers,  besides  the  superintendent. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Watson,  is  a  neat  gothic  frame 
structure,  directly  east  of  the  railroad  track.  Its  dimensions  are  twenty 
by  forty-four  feet.  The  building  was  erected  in  1879,  at  a  cost  of  $1,300. 
Rev.  H.  C.  Langley  is  minister  in  charge. 

SCHOOL    HOUSE. 

The  public  school  of  Watson  is  a  plain  but  neat  one-story  frame 
building,  in  the  western  part  of  the  village.  It  was  put  up  in  1870,  at  a 
cost  of  $1,700.  The  house  stands  in  a  yard  of  about  a  quarter  of  an 
acre  of  ground.  This  is  set  with  a  grove  of  boxelder  trees,  of  consid- 
erable size,  affording  a  dense  shade  from  the   rays  of  the  summer's   sun. 


NIbHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  827 

INCORPORATION  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  WATSON. 

The  following  appears  on  record  May  22,  1874  :  Now  here  at  this 
day  comes  C.  A.  Funk,  N.  N.  Green,  J.  T.  Workman,  R.  B.  Rhodes, 
John  McNeal,  Jr.,  A.  H.  Rhodes,  T.  J.  Bayless,  A.  E.  Newmeister,  N. 
Jones,  N.  S.  Beners,  W.  Stafford,  D.  W.  Roberson,  J.  W.  Barr,  L.  F. 
Gober,  I.  B.  Jones,  John  Noles,  William  M.  McNeal,  S.  C.  Danforth,  C. 
N.  Van  Pelt,  N.  S.  Hull,  Stephen  South,  Francis  Picket,  John  W.  Stevens, 
Jesse  York,  G.  A.  Bowers,  A.  R.  Sherill  and  D.  J.  McNeal,  inhabitants 
of  the  town  of  Watson,  in  the  County  of  Atchison,  in  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri, and  present  their  petition  to  the  court,  praying  that  they  may  be 
incorporated,  and  a  place  established  for  their  local  government,  and  for 
the  preservation  and  regulation  of  any  commons  appertaining  to  said 
town  ;  and  also  setting  forth  the  metes  and  bounds  of  said  town  ;  and 
the  court  being  satisfied  that  two-thirds  of  the  taxable  inhabitants  of 
said  town  have  signed  said  petition,  and  that  the  prayer  of  said  peti- 
tioners is  reasonable,  it  is  therefore  declared  by  the  court  that  said  town 
be  incorporated,  and  that  such  incorporation  shall  embrace  the  following 
boundaries,  to  wit  : 

Forty  acres  off  the  west  side  of  the  northeast  fractional  quarter  of 
section  three  (3),  in  township  sixty-five  (65),  of  range  forty-two  (42),  and 
also  the  following  addition  :  Commencing  at  a  point  30  feet  south 
of  the  southeast  corner  of  the  said  town  of  Watson  ;  thence  east  141 
feet  ;  thence  south  179  feet  ;  thence  west  to  a  point  209  feet  south  of 
the  southwest  corner  of  said  town  of  Watson  ;  thence  north  to  the  south- 
west of  Watson  ;  thence  east  to  the  southeast  corner  of  Watson  ;  thence 
south  to  the  place  of  beginning,  and  the  court  appoints  the  following 
named  persons  to  constitute  the  first  board  of  trustees  of  said  town  until 
the  annual  election  for  members  of  said  board,  to  wit :  I.  B.  Jones,  C. 
A.  Funk,  George  A.  Bowers,  A.  E.  Neumeister,  and  A.  H.  Rhodes. 

The  present  (1882)  officials  of  the  town  are  Lott  Watts,  F.  J.  Bay- 
less,  Eben  Buck  and  A.  H.  Rhodes.  Of  these  Lott  Watts  is  chairman 
of  the  board,  and  A.  H.  Rhodes,  clerk.     W.  L.  Crocket  is  town  marshal. 

SOCIETIES. 

Watson  Lodge  No.  300,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  first  organized  in  Sonora, 
June  4,  1873,  with  the  following  charter  members  :  Spier  Spencer,  Isaac 
Sharp,  Thomas  N.  Morrow,  George  H.  Kearn,  and  Martin  Fisher. 

The  first  officers  chosen  were  Isaac  Sharp,  N.  G.;  Thomas  Morrow, 
V.  G. ;  George  H.  Kearn,  Secretary,  Spier  Spencer,  Treasurer,  and  Mar- 
tin Fisher,  Warden. 

The  following  have  filled  the  position  of  Noble  Grand  from  the 
periods  indicated  by  the  dates  appended  to  their  several  names  :     W.  P. 


828  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Stafford,  on  the  removal  of  the  lodge  from  Sonora  to  Watson,  June,  1874; 
J.  W.  Hoover,  1875  ;  W.  P.  Stafford,  1876;  J.  A.  Horn,  1877  ;  Joel  W. 
Hoover,  1878  ;  O.  W.  Squires,  1879;  O.  A.  Sharp,  1880  ;  N.  N.  Green, 
1881. 

The  present  (1882)  officers  of  the  lodge  are  N.  N.  Green,  N.  G.; 
James  Casey,  V.  G. ;  George  Dragoo,  Secretary,  and  Joel  Horn,  Treas- 
urer. The  present  membership  is  thirty-two.  The  charter  of  this  lodge 
was  granted  by  Grand  Master  M.  C.  Libby,  June  4,  1873. 

SONORA  LODGE,  NO.  200,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 

was  organized  in  the  town  of  Sonora,  under  a  dispensation  from  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  the  State,  dated  April  6,  1867,  and  was  set  to  work  by 
Rt.  W.  D.  G.  M.  Gee.  The  following  named  constituted  the  original 
membership  :  Rev.  Isaac  Chivington,  David  McNeal,  W.  L.  Reeves, 
Thomas  McAdam,  Stephen  South,  Lewis  Lawrence,  Rev.  A.  A.  Starns, 
Robert  Furguson,  D.  B.  Morgan,  W.  C.  Morgan,  A.  W.  Matthews,  J.  M. 
Cross  and  Sylvester  Hall.  Isaac  Chivington  was  appointed  W.  M.; 
David  McNeal,  S.  W.,  and  W.  T.  Reeves,  J.  W. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1867,  they  assembled  under  their  charter 
granted  October  19,  1867,  and  held  their  first  election  of  officers,  which 
resulted  as  follows  :  W.  L.  Reeves,  W.  M  ;  David  McNeal,  S.  W.;  W. 
H.   Morgan,  J.  W.;  W.  R.  Horn,  Secretary,  and  L.  Lawrence,  Tyler. 

The  second  annual  election  occurred  December  27,  1868,  and  resulted 
as  follows:  W.  L.  Reeves,  W.  M.;  Robert  Furguson,  S.  W. ;  Thomas 
McTlravy,  J.  W.;  John  McNeal  Secretary  ;  John  Jones,  Tyler. 

At  the  third  election,  held  December  27,  1869,  the  following  officers 
were  chosen  :  W.  L.  Reeves,  W.  M.;  C.  W.  Harris,  S.  W.;  Thomas  McTl- 
ravy, J.  W.;  A.  H.  Hunniston,  Secretary  ;  A.  H.  Rhodes,  Tyler. 

There  is  no  record  extant  of  the  election  of  1870. 

It  was,  thereafter,  determined  to  hold  the  annual  elections  on  St. 
John  the  Evangelist's  Day,  instead  of  on  St.  John  the  Baptist's,  as  here- 
tofore. Accordingly,  on  the  24th  of  June,  187 1,  an  election  was  held 
which  resulted  as  follows  :  W.  L.  Reeves,  W.  M.;  W.  H.  Morgan,  S.  W.; 
A.  Predmore,  J.  W.;  A.  S.  Campbell,  Secretary  ;  L.Lawrence,  Tyler. 

The  fifth  annual  election  occurred  June  24,  1872,  with  the  following 
result  :  W.  H.  Morgan,  W.  M.;  B.  F.  Plasters,  S.  W.;  A.  Predmore,  J.  W.; 
C.  O.  Spencer,  Secretary. 

At  the  sixth  annual  election,  held  June  24,  1873,  the  following  were 
chosen  :  W.  H.  Morgan,  W.  M.;  B.  F.  Plasters,  S.  W.;  A.  Predmore,  J. 
W.;  C.  O.  Spencer,  Secretary  ;  T.  M.  McAdams,  Tyler, 

At  the  seventh  annual  election,  held  June  24,  1874,  the  following 
were  elected:  W.  H.  Morgan,  W.  M.;  B.  F.  Plasters,  S.  W.;  W.  P.  Staf- 
ford, J.  W.;    A.  H.  Rhodes,  Secretary,  and  T.  McAdams,  Tyler.     This 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP,  829 

was  the  last  election  held  in  the  town  of  Sonora  for  officers  of  this  lodge. 
The  organization,  on  the  7th  of  January,  1875,  moved  to  Watson,  where 
it  held  its  first  meeting  on  the  16th  of  the  same  month. 

The  eighth  annual  election  of  officers  of  Sonora  Lodge  No.  200,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  was  the  first  which  occurred  in  the  town  of  Watson.  It  was 
held  on  the  24th  of  June,  1875,  with  the  following  result  :  B.  F.  Plasters, 
W.  M.;  J.  A.  Bowers,  S.  W.;  A.  H.  Rhodes,  J.  W.;  S.  South,  Secretary, 
and  J.  J.  Vanderslice,  Tyler. 

At  the  election  held  June  24,  1876,  the  following  were  chosen  :  W- 
H.  Morgan,  W.  M.;  J.  T.  Hudson,  S.  W.;  Thomas  McTlravy,  J.  W.,  and 
S.  South,  Secretary. 

June  24,  1878,  W.  L.  Reeves  was  chosen  W.  M.;  J.  T.  Hudson,  S.  W., 
and  S.  South,  Secretary. 

The  election  of  June  24,  1879,  was  with  the  following  result  :  W.  H. 
Morgan,  W.  M.;  W.  L.  Reeves,  S.  W.;  W.  H.  R.  Dean,  J.  W.,  and  Ste- 
phen South,  Secretary. 

The  election  held  June  25,  1880,  was  as  follows:  W.  H.  Morgan,  W, 
M.;  W.  L.  Reeves,  S.  W.;  W.  H.  R.  Dean,  J.  W.;  S.  South,  Secretary. 

At  the  election  following  (in  1881)  the  following  officers  were  chosen: 
W.  H.  Morgan,  W.  M.;  W.  H.  R.  Dean,  S.  W.;  A.  Rhodes,  J.  W.,  and 
Stephen  South,  Secretary. 

PRESENT   BUSINESS. 

The  present  (1882)  business  of  Watson  is  as  follows  : 

Allen,  P.,  dealer  in  general  merchandise. 

Bayless,  Frank,  dealer  in  drugs  and  grain  buyer. 

Boston,  Granville,  proprietor  of  livery  stable. 

Dansforth,  S.  C,  dealer  in  family  groceries,  and  postmaster. 

Dean,  Dyche  &  Co.,  dealers  in  agricultural  implements,  stoves  and 
hardware. 

Durham,  William,  harness  maker. 

Finney,  Williams  &  Co.,  dealers  in  lumber  and  building  material. 

Good,  Ebner,  dealer  in  general  merchandise. 

Green,  N.  N.,  proprietor  of  the  Senate  hotel. 

Goodwin  &  Plasters,  proprietors  of  meat  market  and .  dealers  in 
groceries. 

Hudson,  Thomas,  blacksmith  and  general  artificer  in  iron. 

Knowles,  John,  proprietor  of  the  pioneer  hotel  of  the  town. 

Martin,  John. 

Rhodes,  A.  H.,  grain  dealer. 

Sneed,  J.  W.,  railroad  and  express  agent. 

South,  Stephen,  justice  of  the  peace. 

Squires,  O.,  hardware  and  agricultural  implement  dealer. 

Warfield,  Samuel,  tinsmith. 


830       •  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTV. 

SHIPPING   INTERESTS. 

The  shipping  interests  of  Watson  constitute  a  considerable  item  in 
the  business  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  railroad, 
in  this  section  of  the  state,  and  the  records  of  this  station  show  that  dur- 
ing the  year  1 881,  there  were  forwarded  from  the  same  of  grain  and  live 
stock,  eight  hundred  and  twenty  car  loads. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The  physicians  of  Watson  are  three  in  number  :  Dr.  I.  B.  Jones,  the 
pioneer  M.  D.  of  the  town,  and  Drs.  Johnson  and  H.  B.  Haven. 


1^* 


Te— l^W^h- <?y 


#-BIOGRAPHI  CAL.4 


AMBROSE   LEE  ADDINGTON, 

farmer,  section  36,  is  the  owner  of  176  acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in 
Cass  County,  Illinois,  January  31,  1832.  His  father,  Saybird  Addington, 
was  from  Tennessee,  as  was  also  his  mother,  who  was  formerly  Frances 
Lee.  While  young,  Ambrose  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  and  in  1852 
came  to  Missouri,  settling  in  this  county.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  religiously  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian.  In  1859  he  married  Miss 
Hannah  Ann  White,  daughter  of  Lawrence  White,  of  this  county. 
They  have  six  children  living  :  James  L.,  Benjamin  B.,  Ida  Frances, 
(wife  of  William  V.  Hudson)  ;  Sarah  Mabel,  Charles  Lee  and  Eliza 
Lee.  After  the  death  of  his  father  Mr.  A.  moved  on  to  the  old  home- 
stead, which  fell  to  him  in  the  division  of  property,  and  now  has  a 
beautiful  and  valuable  home  and  farm.  He  commenced  life  poor, 
worked  at  his  trade  for  many  years  and  gained  an  enviable  reputation 
at  his  business  and  as  a  man.  Now,  with  everything  about  him,  he  is 
enjoying  his  declining  days,  though  not  in  possession  of  very  good 
health.  S.  Addington,  his  father,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  October 
24,  1804.  In  1830  he  moved  to  Illinois,  and  in  1852  came  to  Missouri 
and  settled  in  this  county.  He.  was  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  He  married  Frances  Lee  in  1825. 
Of  this  union  three  children  are  living :  Prilla  M.,  (now  Mrs.  Henry  H. 
Barnhart);  Ambrose  Lee,  and  Milla  Lee,  (wife  of  James  H.  Prather). 
Mary  E.  died  August  25,  1881  ;  Benjamin  C.  died  in  1861  ;  Mr.  Adding- 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  83 1 

ton  died  in  1880.  Lawrence  White,  Mrs.  A.'s  father  died  in  i860.  He 
settled  in  Clay  Township  at  a  very  early  day,  improved  a  good  farm  and 
raised  a  family  of  children,  who  are  an  honor  to  his  name.  Mr.  Adding- 
ton  was  a  pioneer  here,  bought  some  land,  worked  hard  and  was  very 
successful.  When  he  died  he  had  684  acres.  He  was  one  of  the  best 
known  men  in  the  county  and  his  loss  was  regretted  by  all. 

WILLIAM  JACKSON  BARNHART, 

farmer,  section  13,  was  born  in  Greene  County,  East  Tennessee,  in  1837. 
In  the  fall  of  1856  he  came  to  Missouri  with  his  father,  Felix  Barhhart, 
who  bought  a  farm  which  he  improved.  In  1858  William  purchased 
forty  acres  of  the  farm  he  now  owns.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  went  to 
Pike's  Peak  and  remained  for  two  years.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Jane 
Million  October  16,  1866.  They  have  eight  children  :  Nina  Viola,  Ice 
Ander,  Nellie  A.,  Mary  Malissa.  Nora  Persilla,  Samuel  Felix,  John 
David,  and  William  Clarence.  Lost  two  :  Alice  Frances  died  when  three 
years  old,  and  an  infant.  Felix  Barnhart,  who  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
died  when  sixty  years  of  age,  in  August,  1866.  William's  mother,  for- 
merly a  Miss  Bird,  died  when  he  was  a  child.  The  father  was  married 
a  second  time  to  Miss  Polly  Ann  Runnells.  Mr.  B.  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  a  zealous  Baptist.  He  has  an  excellent  farm  of  213  acres, 
and  is  entitled  to  great  credit  for  his  improvements  and  success,  having 
commenced  a  poor  boy.  He  is  now  numbered  among  the  best  and  most 
reliable  citizens  of  the  county. 

HON.  ARCHIBALD  S.  CAMPBELL, 

farmer,  stock  and  grain  dealer,  was  born  in  Greene  County,  East  Ten- 
nessee, May  26,  1836,  and  was  the  son  of  Adam  Peck  and  Susannah 
(McNeese)  Campbell,  both  natives  of  East  Tennessee.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  came  to  Missouri  in  1857  and  settled  in  this  township,  where 
he  has  grown  to  manhood  with  the  growth  of  the  county  and  has  kept 
pace  with  its  needs  and  requirements.  He  early  bought  200  acres  of 
land,  had  limited  means  with  which  to  start,  but  by  good  management 
has  succeeded  in  adding,  from  time  to  time,  to  his  original  purchase, 
until  he  now  has  490  acres,  with  excellent  improvements,  good  residence, 
etc.,  one-half  mile  from  Watson.  The  surrounding  shrubbery,  etc.,  make 
one  of  the  prettiest  places  to  be  found  in  this  district.  Mr.  C.  has  for 
many  years  been  among  the  leading  politicians  of  the  county  and  was 
honored  by  the  people  as  being  their  representative  in  the  State  Legisla- 
ture, in  1878.  In  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties  he  not  only  reflected 
credit  and  honor  upon  himself,  but  upon  his  constituents.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  hog  law,  which  has  been  so  popular  since  in  the  state.     He 


832  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

is  now  engaged  in  farming  extensively,  dealing  in  grain,  buying  and 
feeding  stock,  and  is  known  as  an  honorable  man,  having  the  confidence 
of  all.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  Democrat,  and  belongs  to  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  married  Miss  Nancy  Jones,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Jones,  of  Greene  County,  Tennessee.  They  have  eight  children  liv- 
ing :  Landin  Wayne,  Martha  S.,  William  T.,  Jacob  Newton,  Mary  Helen, 
John  B.,  Robert  Archibald  and  Albert  Brookins.  James  Douglas  died 
when  two  years  old.  Mr.  Campbell  has  endeavored  to  give  his  family 
good  educational  advantages.  L.  W.  Campbell,  of  Rock  Port,  is  his  old- 
est son,  and  is  a  leading  attorney  in  the  county.  His  daughter,  Susan, 
had  the  first  organ  bought  in  the  county.  She  is  a  talented  musician  and 
a  young  lady  of  cultured  refinement. 

SIMEON  CUMMINGS  DANFORTH, 

was  born  in  Atkinson,  Piscataquis  County,  Maine,  on  May  17,  1824,  being 
the  son  of  Simeon  Cummings  and  Abigail  Danforth.  The  former  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  the  latter  of 
Maine.  Simeon  remained  at  his  birthplace  until  seven  years  old,  and 
from  then  until  he  was  twelve,  he  was  in  Merimac,  New  Hamp- 
shire, working  on  a  farm.  He  obtained  about  three  months  schooling 
each  year.  When  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  bought  his  time  of  his 
father,  and  entered  a  cotton  factory  in  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
continued  to  labor  until  eighteen  years  old.  From  that  time  until  he 
was  twenty-one,  he  attended  an  academy  at  Hancock,  New  Hampshire, 
and  was  engaged  in  teaching  and  working  alternately,  acquiring  for 
himself  a  good  education.  In  185 1,  he  and  a  brother  left  Lawrence, 
Massachusetts,  for  California,  where  he  remained  two  years,  working 
hard  in  the  mines,  and  obtaining  enough  to  make  a  start  in  life.  Five 
years  after  returning,  he  went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  made  a  claim  near 
where  Lincoln  is  now  located.  In  i860,  he  came  to  Missouri,  and  settled 
in  Atchison  Count)'.  From  that  time  till  1874,  he  taught  school  here 
except  for  six  months,  while  in  Brownville,  Nebraska,  and  also  for  a 
short  time  spent  in  the  east.  Mr.  Danforth  never  had  to  ask  for  a  school, 
his  services  and  recognized  ability  always  being  called  into  demand.  In 
1867,  he  bought  a  farm  of  120  acres  near  Langdon,  which  he  improved, 
but  in  1873,  he  left  this  farm,  though  he  still  owns  it,  and  moved  into 
Watson  for  the  purpose  of  teaching.  Six  months  later  he  bought  the 
store  he  now  occupies,  and  engaged  in  merchandising.  In  1875,  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  Watson,  which  position  he  still  holds.  For 
three  years  he  served  the  people  as  mayor  of  the  town  in  an  acceptable 
manner.  In  1879,  ^e  received  a  flattering!  offer  from  a  St.  Joseph  firm 
as  traveling  salesman,  and  is  now  acting  in  this  capacity.  His  wife 
tends  to  the  store  and  postoffice  during  his  absence  on  the  road.     Mr. 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  833 

Danforth  has  been  twice  married.  First,  in  Lawrence,  Massachusetts, 
September  21,  185 1,  to  Miss  Harriet  C.  Davis,  who  died  in  this  county  in 
1862.  His  second  marriage  occurred  in  Rock  Port,  February  23,  1865, 
to  Martha  Robinson,  daughter  of  John  Robinson,  of  Decatur,  Ohio.  By 
this  happy  union  they  have  three  children  :  Edwin  C,  born  June  22, 
1869  ;  Evalina  A.,  born  April  30,  1873,  and  Simeon  Guy,  born  Decem- 
ber 6,  1880.  Politically,  Mr.  D.  is  a  Republican,  and  his  religious 
preferences  are  with  the  Universalists.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOHN  FLEMING, 

farmer,  section  28,  is  the  owner  of  258  acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in 
Page  County,  Virginia,  February  6,  183 1.  His  father,  Andrew  Fleming, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  as  was  also  his  mother,  formerly  Mary  E.  Flem- 
ing. His  grandfather,  John  Fleming,  who  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ire- 
land, in  1754,  died  in  1844.  Thomas  Fleming,  a  brother,  came  to 
this  country  in  the  same  ship,  and  also  the  father  of  John's  mother. 
John,  Sr.,had  two  children,  James  and  Andrew,  the  last  being  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  James  died  when  a  child.  John  had  good 
school  advantages  in  youth,  attending  the  Rappahannock  County  High 
School.  He  came  to  this  state  and  county  in  1854,  and  was  engaged  in 
teaching  school  for  two  years  in  Mound  City,  Holt  County,  and  two 
years  in  other  parts  of  the  county.  He  married  Miss  Evaline  Field,  in 
April,  1855,  a  daughter  of  William  D.  Field,  then  of  Holt,  but  now  of 
this  county.  They  have  nine  children  living:  Mary  E.,  John  L.,  Lee 
D.,  Lillian,  Lucy  E.,  Benton  S.,  Andrew  B.,  Mattie  and  Maggie.  Mr. 
Fleming  subsequently  settled  in  Pawnee  County,  Nebraska,  and  was 
active  in  assisting  in  its  organization.  He  was  elected  county  surveyor 
and  county  clerk,  and  was  postmaster  and  notary  public  at  different 
times  during  his  residence  there.  He  bought  a  claim,  and  afterwards 
entered  it.  In  1862  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Denver,  Colorado,  where 
he  entered  into  trade  and  commission  business  in  the  "Elephant  Cor- 
ral," so-called.  He  continued  to  live  there  until  1869,  doing  a  large  and 
extensive  business,  then  returned  to  this  county  and  purchased  a  saw 
mill,  which  was  located  near  where  he  now  lives.  He  bought  large 
tracts  of  land,  sawed  off  the  timber,  and  from  a  portion  of  it  he  has  a 
beautiful  farm.  Mr.  Fleming  is  one  of  the  best  posted  men  in  the  county 
upon  mills  and  mill  powers,  excavations  and  public  works.  He  is  well 
known,  and  his  advice  is  often  sought  for. 

JOSEPH  B.  FREDE,  Jr., 

farmer  and  stock  dealer,  was  born  in  Putnam  County,  Ohio,  February  9, 
1845.     His  youth  was  spent  at  hard  work,  his  educational  advantages 

S3 


834  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

being  limited.  In  April,  1845,  he  came  to  this  state  and  county. 
He  married  Miss  Catharine  Giesken,  April  18,  1871.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  John  Giesken,  of  Putnam  County,  Ohio.  They  have  'five 
children  living  :  Clementine,  John  Burnett,  Harmon  Ferdinand,  Carl 
and  Florentine  Caroline.  Mr.  F.  has  185  acres  of  land,  on  section  4, 
some  of  the  finest  in  the  county.  He  lived  with  his  father  until  he  was 
twenty-six  years  old,  at  which  time  he  commenced  farming  for  himself. 
He  was  given  the  old  homestead,  which  he  has  improved  in  good  con- 
dition, adding  much  to  his  original  tract.  His  time  is  principally  occu- 
pied in  buying  and  dealing  in  stock,  in  which  he  has  been  very  success- 
ful. In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  Catholic.  Mr.  F. 
has  been  a  prominent  candidate  for  county  judge,  and  has  many  warm 
friends  in  all  parts  of  the  county.  John  Henry  Frede,  farmer,  is  the 
owner  of  forty  acres  of  land  on  section  4,  and  was  born  in  Putnam  County, 
Ohio,  February  1 1,  185 1.  He  married  Clara  Giesken,  in  1873.  They 
have  three  children  :  Mary,  Harmon  Henry  and  Joseph.  Like  all  the 
sons  of  Joseph  B.  Frede,  Sen.,  John  Henry  is  an  honest,  industrious, 
economical  and  progressive  farmer.  He  has  a  good  home.  William 
Frede  lives  on  section  4.  He  was  born  in  Putnam  County,  Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1853.  He  married  Miss  Winie  Buck,  of  this  township,  in  1876. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Eben  Buck.  Joseph  Barnet  Frede,  Sen.,  farmer, 
section  14,  has  606  acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in  Prussia,  March  25, 
1823,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1833,  settling  with  his  father  in  Put- 
nam County,  Ohio,  where  he  grew  up,  working  very  hard.  The  new  canal 
then  being  built  through  Henry  County  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  afforded  work  for 
many  men  at  very  low  wages  ;  yet  he  worked  at  $1  per  day,  supporting 
his  family  and  purchasing  forty  acres  of  heavy  timbered  land,  upon  which 
they  went  to  work.  After  his  father  died,  Joseph  bought  the  interests 
of  the  two  heirs.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  he  moved  to  Nebraska,  and 
remained  one  year,  and  in  1865,  he  came  to  this  county,  settling  one 
mile  west  of  Watson,  where  he  improved  a  fine  farm.  He  resided  upon 
this  until  1873,  when  he  came  to  the  farm  he  now  occupies.  In  1844,  he 
married  Miss  Clara  Maria  Rhinemere,  daughter  of  Christian  Rhinemere. 
They  have  eight  children  living  :  Joseph  Barnet,  Jr.,  Clara,  (Mrs.  Mar- 
tin Fisher,)  Catharine,  "  Katie,"  (now  Mrs.  William  Eickholt),  John  Henry, 
William,  Mary,  John  and  Frank.  Anna  was  born  January  22,  1861,  and 
died  June  16,  1882.  She  was  a  young  lady,  universally  beloved.  When 
Mr.  Frede  came  to'Missouri,  he  invested  in  good  land,  and  with  the  help 
of  his  sons  has  made  fine  improvements.  He  is  one  of  the  solid  men  of 
the  county,  has  settled  his  children  on  farms  as  they  have  gone  out  from 
home,  and  now  his  family  are  among  the  most  prosperous  in  this  vicinity. 
He  has  a  large  farm  in  Worth  County,  upon  which  he  has  located  a  son- 
in-law,  Mr.  John  Giesken.  He  is  a  Catholic,  and  in  politics  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  835 

FREDERICK   GARST,   . 

farmer,  section  n,  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  55°  acres.  He  was  born  in 
Virginia,  January  4,  1830.  His  father,  Frederick  Garst,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  mother,  Sarah 
Garst,  nee  France,  was  a  Virginian  by  birth.  Fred  spent  his  early  life 
in  Tennessee.  He  came  to  this  state  and  county  in  i860.  He  married 
Miss  Mahala  Adaline  Miller,  November  27,  1854.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Charles  Martin  Miller.  They  have  six  children :  Charles  Martin, 
(who  married  Bell  Hall),  Frederick  Melvin,  Rueben  Arnold,  George 
Washington,  Mary  Jane,  and  Frances  Ella.  Mr.  G.  went  in  debt  for  his 
first  eighty  acres  of  land,  had  bad  luck,  was  sold  out  of  house  and  home, 
and  was  obliged  to  again  commence  entirely  new,  with  a  family  of  six 
children  to  support.  Determined  to  succeed,  he  bought  another  piece 
of  land,  went  to  work,  and  by  economy  and  good  management  was  for- 
tunate to  obtain  enough  to  pay  for  his  first  purchase.  He  bought  more 
land  from  year  to  year,  until  now  he  has  a  splendid  farm,  well  improved, 
with  one  of  the  most  desirable  residences  of  the  town,  a  large,  excel- 
lent barn  and  many  outbuildings.  Though  his  educational  advantages 
were  much  neglected,  Mr.  G.  now  ranks  as  one  of  the  solid  farmers  of 
the  county,  and  is  a  man  universally  respected.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  in  his  religious  preferences  a  Dunkard. 

PETER  GARST, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  35,  was  born  in  Roanoke  County,  Vir- 
ginia, in  October,  1837,  and  when  two  years  old  his  father  moved  to 
Tennessee,  where  he  grew  up.  He  came  here  in  1858  and  bought  a 
claim  on  some  school  land.  In  1862  he  took  a  trip  to  Idaho,  remaining 
there  for  three  years,  mining,  etc.  He  returned  with  money  enough  to 
pay  the  interest  on  the  land,  and  went  to  work  with  his  brother  John 
improving  the  160  acres  which  they  had  bought.  He  first  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  worked  at  it  for  two  years.  Selling  his  school 
land  to  his  brother  John,  he  bought  the  farm  he  now  occupies  in  1875, 
containing  180  acres.  He  worked  several  years  at  his  trade  and  built 
many  of  the  best  residences  and  business  blocks  in  and  about  Watson. 
Mr.  Garst  married  Miss  Malinda  J.  McNeal  in  1866.  They  had  two 
children  only,  one  of  whom  is  now  living,  Frances  Edna.  Mrs.  Garst 
died  in  March,  1872.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Miss  Cordelia  H. 
Morrow,  daughter  of  Thomas  N.  Morrow,  of  Watson,  in  September, 
1876.  They  have  by  this  happy  union  three  children  :  George,  Luther 
and  Lora.  Mr.  G.  has  a  well  located  farm  a  short  distance  from  Wat- 
son, and  with  his  brothers,  is  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  the  county. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  Dunkard. 


836  HISTORY    OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN  GARST, 

farmer,  etc.,  section  11,  is  the  owner  of  300  acres  of  land.  He  was  born 
in  Washington  County,  Tennessee,  April  3,  1847.  He  was  deprived  of 
school  opportunities  when  young,  but  by  self  application  has  become 
one  of  the  best  posted  men  in  the  neighborhood.  He  came  to  this  county 
with  his  brother  Fred  in  i860,  and  in  1864  and  1865  they  went  to  Wyo- 
ming, where,  by  hard  work,  he  secured  sufficient  money  to  enable  him  to 
make  a  start.  They  returned  to  this  county  and  township,  where  they 
bought  their  first  land,  which  they  improved.  Mr.  Garst  has  been  one  of 
the  most  fortunate  young  farmers  in  the  township.  His  additions,  from 
time  to  time,  with  most  excellent  improvements  upon  them,  together 
with  his  dwelling  and  surroundings,  renders  his  place  one  of  the  most 
desirable.  He  married  Miss  Arminta  Hackett,  September  10,  1868.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  S.  H.  Hackett.  They  have  four  children  :  William 
Tell,  John  Barton,  Josephine  and  Jesse  Oden.  Mr.  Garst,  on  com- 
mencing business  life,  rented  a  farm,  secured  a  crop  of  corn,  which  he 
husked  and  cribbed,  but  it  was  set  on  fire  and  burned  up  by  an  incen- 
diary. This  left  him  in  debt  for  the  rent,  but  since  that  time  his  success 
has  been  remarkable.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church. 

marion  Mcdonald  good, 

farmer  and  dealer  in  stock  and  grain,  is  the  owner  of  ninety-three  acres 
of  beautiful  and  finely  cultivated  land  on  section  3,  adjoining  the  town 
of  Watson.  He  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tennessee,  March  2, 
1840.  He  had  a  common  education,  and  was  raised  a  farmer.  In  1856, 
he  came  with  his  father  to  Missouri,  and  settled  north  of  Watson,  where 
he  improved  a  good  farm,  and  in  1879,  the  father  died.  In  1867,  Marion 
bought  the  farm  he  now  occupies,  which  at  that  time  included  the  village 
of  Watson  and  the  railroad  grounds,  and  contained  134  acres.  After  the 
railroad  was  located,  he  sold  the  village  plat  to  a  company,  of  which  he 
held  one-quarter  of  the  stock.  Mr.  James  McNeal  bought  of  Mr.  Good 
one-half  of  the  railroad  plat,  and  presented  it  to  the  railroad  company. 
In  1870,  Mr.  G.  built  an  excellent  residence  on  his  place,  and  made  other 
valuable  improvements.  His  yard,  shade  trees,  shrubbery,  &c,  all  show 
culture  and  good  taste.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Brainard,  August 
30,  1 867.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Sylvester  Brainard,  Esq.,  of  Cass  County, 
Illinois.  They  have  two  children  :  Willie  Henry,  born  October  27,  1868  ; 
John,  born  February  3,  1874.  He  is  Republican  in  politics,  and  relig- 
iously a  Cumberland  Presbyterian.  In  1862,  he  joined  the  Thirty-fifth 
Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  E.,  and  after  serving  five  months, 
he  was  mustered  out  on  account  of  disability,  receiving  an  honorable 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  837 

discharge.  Mr.  Good  is  liberal  in  his  gifts  to  the  needy,  and  as  a  farmer 
is  above  the  ordinary,  having  been  taught  by  his  father,  who  has  been 
considered  by  many  to  be  one  of  the  most  successful  agriculturists  in  the 
county. 

SAUL    HICKS  HACKETT, 

farmer,  stock  dealer  and  feeder,  was  born  in  Bath  County,  Kentucky, 
February  II,  1827.  His  father,  Daniel  D.  Hackett,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  a  farmer  by  calling.  He  died  when  Saul  H.  was  only 
two  years  old.  The  mother  was  formerly  Maudalina  Hicks,  born  in 
Kentucky,  who,  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  moved  the  family  to 
Crawford  County,  Illinois,  in  1829.  There  they  were  raised.  At  that 
early  day  school  advantages  being  very  limited,  what  learning  the 
children  had  was  obtained  at  home.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
youngest  of  five  children,  and  from  his  earliest  recollections  saw  many 
hard  times,  and  was  deprived  of  many  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  all 
its  luxuries.  He  grew  up  with  industrious  habits,  and  with  a  determina- 
tion to  succeed,  but  poor  in  pocket.  He  soon  bought  a  tract  of  land, 
improved  it,  and  in  1865  sold  out  and  came  to  this  state  and  county, 
purchasing  a  part  of  his  present  farm.  Upon  this  he  made  extensive 
improvements,  built  a  substantial  dwelling  and  other  buildings,  besides 
making  large  additions  from  time  to  time.  He  has  become  one  of  our 
heaviest  stock  dealers  and  feeds  large  numbers  of  cattle  and  hogs 
yearly,  having  as  good  facilities  and  lots  adapted  to  that  business,  as 
any  one  in  this  township.  He  has  314  acres  of  land  and  lives  on  sec- 
tion 12.  Mr.  Hackett  married  Miss  Polly  Watts,  March  1,  1849.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Lott  Watts,  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  long  a  resi- 
dent of  Illinois.  They  have  six  children  :  Arminta  (now  Mrs.  B.  F. 
Garst),  Mary  Ann  (now  Mrs.  George  L.  Hughes),  Morton  F.,  Zerelda 
(wife  of  John  L.  Harrison,)  William  Levi  and  Phcebe  Emma.  He  has 
raised  quite  a  family  of  children,  given  them  good  advantages  for  an 
education  and  started  them  in  life  under  favorable  circumstances.  Mr. 
H.  religiously  was  raised  a  Methodist  and  is  very  zealous  in  advancing 
the  interests  of  the  church,  giving  much  towards  its  support.  He  has 
for  many  years  been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  After  hav- 
ing made  a  successful  start  in  life  he  was  induced  in  1868  to  help  the 
railroad  and  in  the  enterprise  he  suffered  a  loss  of  $6,000,  which  nearly 
ruined  him.  But  with  his  characteristic  energy  he  succeeded  in 
re-establishing  himself  on  a  firm  basis,  and  is  now  one  of  the  solid  and 
reliable  men  of  the  county.  His  father  died  in  October,  1829,  and  his 
mother,  who  was  born  May  21,  1797,  is  living  with  him.  Though 
deprived  of  her  sight,  she  is  enjoying  good  health  for  one  of  her  years. 
She  has  two  sons  living:  Felix  Grundy  Hackett,  living  in  Illinois,  and 
the    subject    of  this  shetch.     Mr.   H.   has    taken  four  children  to   raise: 


838  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

William  Hale,  Henry  R.  Hale,  Sarah  Collins,  a  very  capable  young 
lady,  and  Owen  Hale. 

'SYLVESTER  HALL, 

farmer,  stock  raiser  and  feeder,  is  the  owner  of  330  acres  of  land,  his  res- 
idence being  on  section  15.  He  was  born  in  Bureau  County,  Illinois,  Octo- 
ber3i,  1837.  He  received  a  good  district  school  education  and  worked 
hard  at  home,  helping  his  father,  John  Hall,  to  improve  a  large  farm.  In 
185 1  the  elder  Hall,  desiring  to  help  his  children  to  obtain  some  land, 
selected  the  Platte  Purchase,  sold  his  valuable  farm  in  Illinois  and  moved 
to  this  county,  where  he  bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  in  and  about  Sonora, 
there  making  a  good  place.  In  1858  he  gave  his  son  Sylvester  120  acres 
of  land,  which  is  now  a  part  of  his  large  and  valuable  farm.  Few  young 
men  made  better  use  of  their  time,  or  the  small  means  at  his  command. 
With  the  additions  made  to  his  original  gift  not  many  men  in  the  county 
have  as  good  a  home.  Mr.  Hall  was'  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth 
Horn,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  C.  Horn,  in  1861.  They  have  seven 
children  living  :  Melvina  Isabel  Garst,  Mary  Ann,  Elizabeth  Caroline, 
James  Edward,  Zuritha,  Cora  L.  and  Robert  Crawford.  Malissa  died 
when  three  years  old  and  two  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  H.  is  a  Democrat  in 
his  political  views  and  an  active  member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge  in  Watson.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  men  of  the  county,  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
building  up  schools,  churches,  and  all  enterprises  calculated  to  make  the 
world  and  community  better  for  his  having  lived  in  it.  John  Hall,  his 
father,  was  born  in  Georgia,  but  was  raised  in  Kentucky.  He  was  among 
the  earliest  settlers  in  Sonora  and  did  much  to  help  build  up  that  town. 
He  first  erected  a  saw  mill,  with  horse  power,  and  afterwards  built  a  fine 
steam  mill,  a  large  warehouse  and  started  a  store,  working  hard  to  make 
a  business  town.  At  the  same  time  he  was  improving  his  large  farm, 
these  improvements  being  commenced  in  185 1.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Kellums,  of  Indiana.  They  had  thirteen  children  :  Wesley,  Louisa  B. 
Brown,  Charlton,  Elizabeth  South,  Sylvester,  Irena  Buckham,  Elijah  and 
Elisha  (twins),  and  William  M.  Mr.  Hall  died  near  Sonora,  in  the  spring 
of  1861.     Mrs.  Hall  died  in  the  fall  of  1875.     He  was  an  active  Methodist. 

NATHANIEL   HAYS, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tennessee,  in  1805,  and  came 
to  this  state  and  county  in  1857.  His  wife  was  Mrs.  Anna  Bayless  Mil- 
lion, a  daughter  of  Reuben  Bayless,  of  Tennessee.  They  had  four  sons  : 
Samuel  Moore,  William  Alexander,  Hugh  H.  and  Nathaniel  B.  Mrs. 
Hays'  first  husband  was  Edward  Million,  who  died  August  19,  1837, 
leaving  five  children  :     Joseph  J.,  Malinda  E.,  Mary  Jane,  John  Asa  and 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  839 

Reuben  E.  Mr.  Hays  moved  to  this  state  and  county  in  1857,  an^  died 
in  1867,  leaving  a  fine  farm  of  200  acres  on  section  29.  However,  this 
was  partly  unpaid  for,  as  he  commenced  here  with  very  limited  means,, 
and  had  to  work  hard  and  alone  to  obtain  a  start.  He  had  his  land 
improved  and  was  an  energetic  farmer  and  worthy  citizen.  His  sons,  as 
they  grew  up,  took  hold  of  the  work  with  a  will  to  help  their  mother  pay 
the  debt,  and  for  this  are  entitled  to  much  credit.  They  have  labored 
together,  assisting  each  other  in  business  and  in  their  speculative  enter- 
prises have  been  successful.  The  old  farm  was  divided  between  the  sons, 
the  mother  living  with  and  keeping  house  for  William  A.  Mr.  Hays 
was  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the  township,  and  had  hosts  of  friends 
because  of  his  honorable  course.  He  was  Democratic  in  his  political 
views,  and  religiously  a  Baptist.  William  Alexander  Hays,  the  second 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Anna  Hays,  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  on  section  35 
containing  113  acres  of  choice  land.  He  was  born  in  Washington  County, 
East  Tennessee,  July  27,  1847.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  had 
very  poor  school  advantages,  but  in  later  life  has  been  quite  studious,  so 
that  by  his  own  exertions  he  has  acquired  a  liberal  business  education. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  much  promise.  Hugh  Hezekiah  Hays,  the  third 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Annie  Hays,  was  born  in  Washington  County, 
East  Tennessee,  October  2,  1852.  He  has  a  good  farm  of  113  acres  on 
section  34,  finely  improved.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Hays, 
June  8,  1869.  Her  father  is  Hamilton  Hays,  of  this  township,  but  a 
native  of  Tennessee.  They  have  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are 
are  living  :  Daniel  Franklin,  and  Alonzo.  Mr.  H.,  like  his  brothers  has 
worked  hard,  been  economical  and  is  now  among  the  successful  farmers 
and  feeders  of  the  township.     He  is  a  Democrat. 

JOEL  AYERS  HORN 

was  born  in  Cass  County,  Illinois,  July  15,  1830.  His  father  was  Red- 
dick  Horn,  of  Logan  County,  Kentucky,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Milly 
Stribbling,  was  also  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  She  died  in  1859.  Joel  came 
to  this  state  and  county  in  the  spring  of  185 1,  and  settled  in  Sonora, 
where  he  has  lived  for  most  of  the  time  since.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he 
took  a  trip  to  Montana  and  was  engaged  in  mining  and  the  grocery 
business.  After  remaining  there  for  two  years  he  sold  out  and  returned, 
in  the  winter  by  the  overland  route,  suffering  many  hardships.  He  went 
to  Nebraska  in  an  early  day  and  made  several  claims,  but  subsequently 
sold  them,  and  finally  returned  to  Sonora,  where  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1882,  when  he  came  to  Watson.  He  has  bought  and  sold  sev- 
eral farms,  and  has  been  occupied  in  dealing  in  stock  etc.,  very  success- 
fully. His  farm  of  sixty-four  acres  is  well  improved.  Mr.  H.  is  one  of 
the  reliable  men  of  Watson,  and  is  interested  in  every  enterprise  looking 


84O  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

towards  the  improvement  of  Watson  and  its  society.  In  all  his  business 
affairs  he  has  retained  an  honorable  name,  and  no  man  in  the  commu- 
nity has  a  better  standing  for  integrity.  He  is  a  constant  attendant  of 
the  church,  and  has  the  confidence  of  the  community  to  a  great  extent. 
Mr.  Horn  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Union  Democrat.  He  married  Miss  Addie  L.  Crockett,  in  August,  i860. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Leander  Crockett,  of  this  town.  They  had  two 
children  :  Lee  Reddick,  born  in  Nebraska  City  in  1867,  and  Carrie  Lam- 
buth,  born  in  Sonora  in  1869.  Mrs.  Horn  died  September  11,  1869,  at 
Chillicothe,  and  was  buried  at  Sonora.  Reddick  Horn  was  a  preacher 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  organized  the  first  church  in  Sonora.  He 
afterwards  moved  to  Pawnee  City,  Nebraska,  then  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Pawnee  County,  where  he  died  in  1858. 

DR.  ISAAC  BARTON   JONES, 

the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Greene  County,  East  Tennessee, 
July  18,  1834.  He  commenced  to  receive  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  completed  it  at  the  Tasculum  College,  in  Tennessee.  In 
1858  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Young,  of  Greenville, 
Tennessee,  with  whom  he  studied  and  practiced  for  three  years  and  a 
half,  attending  medical  lectures  at  the  University  of  Nashville.  Before 
the  close  of  the  term  the  University  was  discontinued  on  account  of  the 
war,  and  he  failed,  as  did  all  the  students,  to  graduate.  In  1862  he  came 
to  Missouri  and  settled  in  the  then  flourishing  village  of  Sonora,  in  this 
county,  where  he  was  soon  in  possession  of  a  lucrative  practice,  which 
has  steadily  increased  until  now  he  is  the  oldest  experienced  physician 
of  this  part  of  the  county,  and  to  a  large  extent  has  the  confidence  of 
the  community.  Being  among  the  oldest  practitioners  here,  he  is  one  of 
the  most  successful.  He  married  Miss  Drucilla  E.  Hill,  daughter  of  H. 
S.  Hill,  Esq.,  in  1867.  They  have  one  child  living,  Vernon  Wayne, 
born  November  15,  188 1.  The  have  living  with  them  Emma  Keele,  a 
niece  of  Mrs.  Jones,  whom  they  took  while  an  infant  and  have  cared  for 
and  educated  her.  She  is  now  an  interesting  young  lady  of  six- 
teen years.  They  lost  two  children  in  infancy.  In  politics  the  doctor 
is  a  Democrat,  and  in  his  religious  views  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  belongs  to  the  old  Sonora 
Lodge.  He  has  been  Sunday  School  superintedent  here  for  seventeen 
years,  and  is  one  of  the  most  active  Sunday  School  workers  in  the 
county  and  a  zealous  Christian  man.  He  carries  his  religion  into  his 
every  day  business  and  acts  it  out  in  his  every  day  life.  When  he  came 
to  Sonora  he  had  no  means  except  his  profession.  He  has  been  kind  to 
the  poor  and  accommodating  to  all,  and  his  life  work  has  been  a  finan- 
cial success.     When  Sonora  became  depopulated  and  this  city  was  built 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  84I 

on  its  ruins  with  a  railroad  running  through  it,  he  moved  here  and  built 
a  fine  residence.  He  has  done  much  toward  the  erection  of  a  fine  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  has  assisted  the  Methodists  in  building  their  house 
of  worship. 

ADAM  LIESS, 

farmer,  section  22,  was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of  Bavaria,  Germany,,  in 
March,  1826.  He  was  well  educated,  and  was  brought  up  a  farmer,  com- 
ing to  this  country  in  1854,  and  settling  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he 
bought  a  farm.  He  remained  there  for  five  years,  then  moved  to 
Nebraska  City  and  rented  a  farm,  and  in  1865,  he  came  to  this  township 
and  rented  land  of  Mr.  Grosebeck.  In  February,  1866,.  he  bought  eighty 
acres  of  prairie  and  forty  of  timber,  earning  this  money  by  hard  work. 
He  brought  some  means  from  Germany,  but  lost  it  all  in  Ohio.  He 
chose  one  of  the  best  selections  of  land  that  can  be  found  in  this  town- 
ship, has  made  many  valuable  improvements  and  additions  to  his  farm, 
and  now  owns  315  acres.  His  residence  is  a  good  one,  and  his  vineyard 
embraces  three-quarters  of  an  acre.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  Mr.  Leiss  married  Miss  Catha- 
rine Hildabrandt,  in  Germany,  in  1853.  She  died  in  1873,  leaving  five 
children  :  John  Adam,  Anna  Barbara,  Ernst  Christian,  Louisa  and  Fred- 
erick. His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Amelia  Folk,  of  St.  Joseph,  whom  he 
married  in  1873.  She  has  one  child  by  her  former  husband,  Emma.  By 
this  latter  union  there  are  five  children  :  George,  Joseph,  Julia,  Mina  and 
Mary.  Mr.  L.  was  a  faithful  soldier  for  four  years,  entering  the  cavalry 
in  1849,  in  one  of  the  eastern  wars. 

LORENTZ  LUTZ, 

farmer  and  dealer  in  stock  and  grain,  section  25,  is  the  owner  of  eighty 
acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  in  the  year  1834,  and  came  to 
this  country  with  his  father  in  1839,  settling  in  Cass  County,  Illinois, 
where  the  senior  Lutz  entered  some  land,  which  he  improved.  On  this 
he  remained  until  his  death,  in  1845,  his  wife  dying  in  1846.  They  left 
two  children  :  Catharine  Dorrity  (now  Mrs.  Welch),  and  Lorentz,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  In  1852  he  came  to  Missouri,  and  in  1856  bought 
his  present  farm.  In  1858  and  1859  he  was  engaged  in  freighting  for  the 
Government  to  Salt  Lake  and  other  western  posts,  and  also  driving  stock 
to  Fort  Randall,  etc.  This  he  continued  for  four  years  successfully, 
when  he  returned.  He  married  Miss  Catharine  Wilson,  January  27, 
1867.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Hon.  Isaac  Wilson,  of  this  county.  They 
have  six  children  :  Sarah  Ann,  Edmund  Lee,  Lillian  Stella,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  Lulu  Onie,  and  William  Dudley.  Hon.  Isaac  Wilson,  Mrs. 
L.'s  father,  was  born   in  Virginia,  December  24,    1794,   and  subsequently 


842  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

moved  to  Indiana,  and  in  1854  to  Missouri,  locating  near  Linden,  then 
the  county  seat,  improving-  a  good  farm.  He  married  Ann  Townsend, 
also  of  Virginia,  born  January  3,  1801.  She  died  December  24,  185 1,  and 
May  27,  1874,  he  died.  They  had  thirteen  children,  Mrs.  Lutz  being  the 
youngest  of  the  family.  Mr.  Wilson  was  elected  to  represent  this  county 
in  the  State  Legislature  in  1850,  and  made  an  honorable  and  faithful 
member.  Mr.  Lutz,  on  commencing  life  for  himself,  worked  for  the 
senior  Addington  at  $10  per  month.     He  now  has  a  good  farm. 

DANIEL  BARTLETT  MORGAN, 

farmer,  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  May  16,  1829.  His  father, 
Ralph  Morgan,  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  was  a  farmer  by  calling.  His 
mother  was  formerly  Nancy  Ann  Stergess,  of  North  Carolina.  Daniel's 
early  life  was  spent  at  school  and  on  his  father's  farm.  He  came  to  Mis- 
souri in  1855,  settling  in  this  county  in  April,  1858.  He  married  Miss 
Tacy  Baxton,  daughter  of  Peter  Baxton,  February  5,  1854.  They  have 
four  children  living  :  James  T.,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Marquis  Lafeyette 
and  George  H.  Four  are  deceased.  Two  died  in  infancy.  Marcellus, 
at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  died  in  1881,  and  Leonidas  died  in  1881,  aged 
ten  years.  Mr.  Morgan  has  366  acres  of  land  and  lives  on  section  2.  He 
commenced  life  poor,  was  for  two  years  a  resident  of  Gentry  County, 
after  which  he  sold  out  his  small  farm  and  came  to  this  place,  locating 
on  lands  which  are  now  beautifully  improved  and  situated  on  the  banks 
of  the  Nishnebotna.  His  large  dwelling  and  splendid  barn  and  other 
valuable  improvements  attest  the  fact  that  he  has  not  been  an  idler,  or 
spent  his  time  in  vain.  He  is  a  good  farmer,  is  ever  making  valuable 
improvements,  and  is  now  numbered  among  the  wealthy  men  of  the 
county.  Mrs.  M.,  a  practicable,  economical  woman,  is  one  calculated  to 
make  life  happy  and  home  desirable.  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  Mason  in  good 
standing,  belonging  to  Sonora  Lodge.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and 
religiously  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian. 

JUDGE  WILLIAM  HENRY  MORGAN, 

section  3,  was  born  in  Owen  County,  Kentucky,  in  October,  1840.  He 
received  a  common  school  education.  In  1844,  he  moved  with  his  father, 
Presley  Morgan,  to  Morgan.  County,  Illinois,  where  the  father  made  a 
farm  and  lived  until  1856.  He  then  sold  out  and  came  to  Worth  County, 
thence  to  Nodaway,  and  finally  to  Atchison  County,  the  same  year,  and 
purchased  the  farm  where  his  son  William  now  lives.  In  1861,  W.  H. 
Morgan  married  Miss  Mary  Bushong,  the  daughter  of  Zach  and  Louisa 
Bushong.  She  died  in  1862,  leaving  one  child,  Louisa,  who  also  died  in 
the  winter  of   1881,   aged  eighteen  years.     His  second   wife  was  Miss 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  843 

Amanda  Good,  whom  he  married  in  1864.  They  have  four  children 
living  :  Laura  May,  Agnes  E.,  Henry  W.  and  Richard  Marion.  In  March, 
1882,  Mrs.  Morgan  accompanied  these  children  to  Lincoln,  Logan 
County,  Illinois,  where  the  Lincoln  University  is  located,  and  where  she 
remains  while  her  children  are  obtaining  an  education.  Judge  Morgan 
is  Republican  in  politics,  and  religiously  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian. 
He  is  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Council. 
He  was  elected  county  judge  and  served  for  four  years  very  acceptably. 
He  is  a  thoughtful,  candid  and  enterprising  man,  and  has  a  beautiful 
farm  of  166  acres  adjoining  the  town,  with  good  improvements.  His 
father,  Preston  G.  Morgan,  married  Miss  Susan  Cox,  also  of  Kentucky. 
They  moved  to  Illinois  in  1844,  and  then  to  this  state.  He  died  here  in 
1874,  and  Mrs.  Morgan  died  in  1857,  leaving  eight  children  :  D.  C,  I.  S., 
William  H.,  Jennie,  J.  P.,  C.  R  ,  R.  P.  Jacob  and  Susan. 

EDWARD  JACKSON  MILLION, 

farmer,  is  the  owner  of  329  acres  of  land,  and  resides  on  section  26.  He 
was  born  April  6,  1838,  in  Washington  County,  East  Tennessee.  His 
father  was  John  Million,  of  East  Tennessee,  and  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Alice  Adilla  Bayliss,  was  a  native  of  the  same  state. 
Edward  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  to  habits  of  industry,  and  received  his 
•education  at  the  common  schools.  He  came  to  Missouri  May  2,  1857, 
locating  in  this  county  in  1864.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  his  religious  sympathies  are  with  the  Baptists.  He  married  Miss 
Nancy  Broyles,  August  21,  1858.  She  was  the  daughter  of  William  W. 
Broyles,  of  Tennessee.  They  have  six  children  :  William  Franklin,  John 
W.,  Martha  Jane,  Washington  L.,  Charles  Bird,  and  Olive  Mabel.  Mr. 
M.  is  improving  his  stock  with  the  pure  Holstein  breed.  John  Million, 
his  father,  settled  in  Nodaway  County  in  1857,  bought  a  farm  and 
improved  it,  and  became  a  prosperous  farmer.  When  Edward  was 
twenty  years  old,  he  went  to  work  at  making  brick  with  a  brother. 
They  worked  hard  all  summer,  lost  their  time,  and  came  out  two  hun- 
dred dolhrs  in  debt.  He  then  rented  a  farm  for  two  years,  and  made 
two  crops,  one  being  a  failure.  Although  the  most  of  young  beginners 
would  have  been  discouraged,  he  knew  no  such  word  as  fail,  and  soon 
bought  eighty  acres  of  land  on  time,  which  he  improved  and  in  two 
years  sold  it  and  rented  a  farm.  In  the  fall  he  disposed  of  his  crop  and 
stock,  which  made  the  first  payment  on  200  acres  of  this  farm,  which  he 
then  bought,  going  into  debt  for  the  remainder.  He  came  here  in  1869, 
and  finding  the  land  so  rich  he  determined  to  make  this  his  home,  and 
'or  many  years  he  worked  hard  and  successfully.  He  raised  large  crops 
of  corn  and  grain,  fed  it  to  his  herds  of  stock,  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
head  yearly,  tor  twelve  years,  built  a  splendid  residence  and  other  neces- 


844  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

sary  buildings.  His  farm  contained  473  acres,  making  one  of  the  most 
valuable  farms  in  the  county.  Mr.  M.  is  now  assisting  his  children  to 
homes  and  giving  them  good  educations.  His  second  son,  John  W.,  is  a 
fine  scholar,  and  taught  the  district  school  to  the  great  satisfaction  of 
all.  He  is  eighteen  years  old  and  is  determined  to  obtain  an  education, 
hoping  to  enter  college  the  coming  fall  and  take  a  regular  course  of 
study.  Mr.  Million  is  deserving  of  great  credit  for  what  he  has  done, 
not  only  for  his  own  profit  and  pleasure,  but  for  the  improvement  and 
beautifying  of  the  county. 

JAMES  H.  PRATHER, 

farmer  and  stock  and  grain  dealer,  section  36,  owns  390  acres  of  land. 
He  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Kentucky,  March  15,  1837,  and  in  1857 
came  to  this  state.  He  worked  a  piece  of  land  on  shares  for  a  year  and 
then  labored  out  for  several  years.  He  married  Miss  Nellie  L.  Adding- 
ton,  daughter  of  Saybird  Addington,  April  13,  1861.  They  have  two 
children  living:  Rosa  J.  and  Laura  One  son  died  in  infancy.  In  1876 
Mr.  P.  went  to  Southwest  Missouri  for  the  health  of  himself  and  wife, 
and  remained  five  years,  working  in  the  meantime  on  rented  land.  He 
returned  and  settled  on  40  acres  of  land,  which  his  wife  received  from 
the  father's  estate.  He  then  commenced  to  improve  land,  and  has  been 
very  successful  in  life,  having  accumulated  a  fine  property.  He  has  for 
several  years  been  in  ill  health  ;  not  able  to  do  much  .work.  As  a  man 
he  is  respected,  and  has  the  best  wishes  of  all.     He  is  a  Democrat. 

STEPHEN  SOUTH, 

farmer  and  justice  of  the  peace,  Watson,  is  the  owner  of  ninety  acres  of 
land,  and  lives  on  section  4.     He  was  born  November  26,  1829,  in  Mad-i 
ison  County,  Ohio.     His  father,  Samuel  South,  was  born  in  Lynchburg,! 
Virginia,  and  was  a  carpenter  and  builder  by  trade.     His  mother,  for- 
merly Marada  Ann   Bascom,   was  a  native   of  Vermont.     Stephen   was 
deprived  of  the  advantages  of  an  education  in  youth.     He    learned  the 
carpenters'  trade  and  in  185 1,  came  to  this  state  and  county.   He  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Lodge,  and  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.     He  is^aj 
Republican  in  politics.     Mr.  South  married  Miss  Mary  M.  Hall,  in  1852. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  John  Hall,  Esq.,  an  early  pioneer.     They  havej 
six  children  living  :  John  F.,  Augustus  W.,  Robert  E.,  Steven  Stewart, 
Melvina  Mary,  and  William  L.  Mr.  South  came  here  with  means  enough 
to  enter  170  acres  of  land,  and  after  improving  a  part  of  it  he    bought 
some  680  acres    of  the  county,  which    is  now  where  the  village  of  Wat- 
son stands.     He  has  always  been   accommodating,  and  for  many  years 
before  the  war  had  become  security  for  several  persons.     When  the  wai 


NISHNEBOTNA     TOWNSHIP.  845 

came  on,  the  most  of  the  men  left  the  country,  and  Mr.  S.  had  the  debts 
to  pay.  To  do  this  he  was  obliged  to  sell  his  valuable  lands  and  begin 
again.  He  now  has  a  good  home  which  he  can  enjoy.  He  has  been 
the  principal  acting  justice  of  the  peace  here  for  14  years,  and  in  his 
decisions  and  conduct  of  his  cases  all  have  great  confidence.  He  went 
to  Denver  in  1870,  and  has  traveled  through  Texas,  each  time  returning 
to  Atchison  County,  better  satisfied  with  his  home  than  before. 

ROBERT  WATTS, 

farmer,  section  5,  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Illinois,  November 
25.  1828.  He  was  raised  a  farmer,  and  in  the  fall  of  1865  he  came  to  Mis- 
souri and  settled  in  the  place  he  now  occupies,  where  he  has  made  a 
beautiful  and  valuable  farm.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-eighth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  with  the  Fourteenth  Corps.  He 
engaged  in  all  the  hard  fought  battles  of  the  Cumberland  Army,  from 
the  battle  of  Crabtree  Orchard  to  the  battle  of  Chicamauga,  when  he  was 
taken  prisoner.  He  was  confined  in  Andersonville,  Danville,  Libby 
and  Florence  (S.  C.)  prisons  for  fifteen  months  and  suffered  everything 
but  death  itself.  He  there  contracted  diseases  which  will  cling  to  him 
during  life.  In  1864 he  was  exchanged  and  shortly  after  received  an  hon- 
orable discharge,  after  which  he  returned  home.  He  soon  came  to  Mis- 
souri and  has  since  remained  on  his  farm  of  145  acres.  Mr.  Watts  mar- 
ried Miss  Susannah  Leach,  in  1848.  Her  father  was  Ezekiel  Leach,  of 
Crawford  County,  Illinois.  She  was  born  in  Virginia.  They  have  two 
children,  Alfred  and  Rosetta  (now  Mrs.  Dean).  Mrs.  Watts  died  in  185 1. 
His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Jane  McClird  Hess,  whom  he  married  Jan- 
uary 20,  1853.  They  have  five  children  living  :  Jerry  T.,  Elmer  E.,  Mar- 
tha A.  (now  Mrs.  John  Noble),  Archibald  F.  and  Charles  H.  Mrs.  Watts 
had  one  child  by  her  former  husband,  Mary  Ellen  (wife  of  John  W.  East- 
ridge).  Mr.  E.  died  January  8,  1881,  leaving  two  children,  Elmer  F.  and 
Nora  Bell.  Mr.  Watts  belongs  to  the  Christian  Church  and  is  an  active 
Republican.  He  is  entitled  to  great  credit  for  the  improvements  he  has 
made,  the  substantial  dwelling  and  barn  he  has  built,  his  orchard,  etc. 
His  children  are  industrious  and  have  good  opportunities  for  obtaining 
an  education. 

LOTT  WATTS, 

dealer  in  grain  and  agricultural  implements,  was  born  in  Crawford 
County,  Illinois,  on  June  27,  1843.  His  father  was  Lott  Watts,  a  native 
of  Virginia,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Eaton, 
was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  Lott  received  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion, and  in  1866  he  came  to  Missouri,  settling  in  this  county.  In  August, 
1862,  he  joined  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Mounted  Infantry,  with  whom 


846  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

he  remained  until  July,  1865.  He  participated  in  many  of  the  hard 
fought  battles  of  the  war  from  the  engagement  of  Stone  River,  Mur- 
freesboro,  Chickamauga,  etc.,  performing  his  duty  in  a  manner  becom- 
ing a  soldier.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  married  Miss  Phoebe 
Ann  Good  in  November,  1868.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy 
Good,  of  this  county.  They  have  three  children  :  Alonzo  Allen,  Amy 
Iola  and  Ida.  Mr.  W.  has  413  acres  of  land  in  two  good  farms.  He 
came  here  without  means  and  first  entered  the  store  of  Mathews  & 
Hackett,  of  Sonora.  In  eighteen  months,  his  health  failing,  he  entered 
a  farm  and  went  to  work.  After  three  years  agricultural  labor  he  came 
here  and  commenced  to  buy  grain  and  deal  in  farm  implements.  He 
succeeded  for  a  time  beyond  his  anticipations,  but  by  a  confidential 
clerk  lost  $1,650,  which  left  him  in  a  bad  condition.  He  resumed  busi- 
ness against  much  opposition  in  1873,  and  since  that  time  has  accumu- 
lated a  good  property.  The  first  year  of  his  business  he  handled  50,000 
bushels  of  grain.  In  1874  he  bought  a  stock  of  goods  with  Dr.  Hardy, 
of  St.  Joseph,  but  sold  out  in  January,  1875,  and  in  1876  they  leased  a 
lead  mine  in  Mound  City  for  six  months.  This  also  they  sold  out  hav- 
ing been  quite  successful.  In  1880  Mr.  Watts  bought  the  farms  he  now 
owns,  upon  which  his  two  brothers  are  living.  In  every  good  enter- 
prise, something  in  which  the  community  is  interested,  Mr.  Watts  is  to 
be  found  lending  his  influence  and  means.  He  has  a  grain  house  at  this 
point  and  is  agent  for  the  McCormicks  machinery.  His  father,  Lott 
Watts,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1793,  and  during  his  boyhood  he 
moved  to  Overton  County,  Tennessee,  where  he  remained  until  18 18. 
He  then  went  to  Crawford  County,  Illinois,  where  he  improved  a  farm. 
He  served  through  the  war  of  1812  and  received  an  honorable  discharge. 
In  18 19  he  married  Miss  Nancy  Eaton,  formerly  of  Overton  County, 
Kentucky,  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Eaton.  They  had  fifteen  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  died  in  infancy  and  eight  died  after  they  were 
grown  ;  four  are  now  living:  James  Harvey,  Polly  (now  Mrs.  S.  H.  Hack- 
ett), Benjamin  Franklin  and  Lott.  Mr.  Watts  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Crawford  County,  Illinois,  and  took  an  active  part  in  its  organization. 
He  was  the  county  judge  for  fifteen  years  and  justice  of  the  peace  for 
thirty-five  years.  In  1854,  in  company  with  his  son,  James  H.,  and  John 
Downey,  his  son-in-law,  they  started  for  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
and,  upon  arriving  in  Knox  County,  Missouri,  he  was  taken  sick,  as  was 
also  Mr.  Downey,  they  both  dying  within  six  hours.  Benjamin  Eaton, 
the  father  of  Mrs.  Watts,  moved  to  Illinois  from  Overton  County,  Ken- 
tucky, in  18 12,  and,  on  account  of  the  Indian  troubles,  they  were 
obliged  to  live  in  a  fort  for  six  years,  or  until  the  Black  Hawk  war  was 
over.  Mrs.  Watts  was  born  August  5,  1798,  and  has  lived  with  her  son 
Lott  since  she  came  to  this  state  in  1866.  She  is  now  in  the  .enjoyment 
of  good  health. 


NISHNEBOTNA    TOWNSHIP.  847 

JOE  HAYES  YOUNG, 

stock  dealer,  at  Watson,  was  born  in  East  Tennessee  May  nth,  1836. 
His  father,  Joseph  Young,  who  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  was  a  farmer 
and  stock  dealer  by  occupation.  His  mother  was  formerly  Mary  Hayes, 
of  Cherokee  County,  Georgia.  The  youth  of  J.  H.  Young  was  spent  at 
school  and  in  helping  his  father  on  the  farm.  He  was  a  student  at  the 
Painseville  School  for  six  years.  In  1857,  he  came  to  Missouri  and  set- 
tled in  Clay  County,  and  in  1865  located  in  Irish  Grove,  this  county, 
moving  to  Watson  in  September,  1876.  He  learned  the  carpenter  and 
and  wagon  making  trades  in  youth  ;  was  deputy  sheriff  of  Clay  County 
some  time,  and  made  a  faithful  officer.  In  1861,  he  joined  the  Fifth  Mis- 
souri Confederate  Infantry  from  Buchanan  County  ;  he  was  made  ser- 
geant of  his  company,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Springfield, 
Lexington  and  Pea  Ridge.  He  was  then  commissioned  by  the  Secretary 
of  War  as  recruiting  officer,  and  before  he  arrived  home  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  April  2,  escaping  May  1.  He  was  recaptured  and  imprisoned 
at  St.  Louis,  and,  after  a  few  months,  sent  North  and  exchanged.  He 
then  was  ordered  to  organize  a  company,  which  he  recruited  and  which 
consisted  of  those  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  and  exchanged  with 
him.  He  was  elected  their  captain  and  ordered  to  report  to  E.  Kirby 
Smith,  but  before  he  could  do  this  occurred  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
They  were  all  surrendered  with  Pemberton's  command  on  the  4th  of 
July,  and  were  subsequently  sent  to  Dunapolus,  to  Parole  Camp,  where 
they  were  exchanged  on  the  9th  of  September.  They  next  engaged  in 
active  service  with  Joe  E.  Johnston's  command,  and  went  through  the 
Atlanta  campaign  and  afterwards  with  Hood.  Mr.  Y.  was  at  the  battles 
of  Franklin  and  Nashville,  and  late  went  to  Mississippi  and  Alabama, 
where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  For  valuable  services,  he 
was  breveted  major.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he  has  been  an  elder  for 
15  years.  He  married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Cox,  July  30th,  1856.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Wm.  Cox,  Esq.,  of  Tennessee.  They  have  two  children, 
James  Marcellus,  born  May  7th,  1857,  and  Robert  Fianklin,  born  April 
15th,  i860  ;  two  sons  and  a  daughter  have  died,  Mr.  Young  has  made 
stock  dealing  his  life  business,  and  is  the  only  exclusive  dealer  in  Wat- 
son. He  is  an  active  worker  in  the  church  and  Sunday  schools,  and  is 
an  enterprising  citizen. 


■ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

POLK  TOWNSHIP. 

TOPOGRAPHY— WATER  COURSES-BRIDGES— EARLY  SETTLERS-LINDEN— FIR->T  HOUSE- 
FIRS1'  PHYSICIAN-FIRS!  BLACKSMITH-POSTMASTERS  -  RELIGIOUS  ORGANIZA- 
TIONS-ORIGINAL COURT  HOUSE— HOTEL— ODD  FELLOWS-LINDEN  OF  TO  DAY- 
NEIGHBORHOOD  OF  LINDEN— MILLS -COUNTRY  CHURCHES-HIGH  CREEK  BAPTIST 
CHURCH-GRANGE    HALL— BIOGRAPHICAL 

Polk  Township,  one  of  the  original  municipal  divisions  of  Atchison 
County,  at  the  period  of  its  first  organization,  included  about  one-half 
the  present  (1882)  territory  of  Clay  Township,  all  of  East  Buchanan,  and 
a  portion  of  the  western  part  of  the  present  territory  of  Lincoln  and  Tar- 
kio Townships.  It  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits  at  the  period  of  the 
organization  of  Lincoln  Township,  in  November,  1871.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  north,  in  a  distance  of  six  miles,  by  the  state  of  Iowa  and  by  about 
four  miles  of  East  Buchanan  Township  ;  on  the  east  by  seven  miles  ofj 
Lincoln  and  two  miles  of  Tarkio  Townships  ;  on  the  south,  in  a  distance 
of  a  mile  and  three-fourths,  by  Tarkio  Township,  and  by  six  and  three- 
fourths  miles  of  the  north  line  of  Clay  Township,  and  on  the  west  by 
Nishnebotna  Township,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Nishnebotna 
River. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The  general  aspect  of  Polk  Township  is  that  of  a  highly  diversified 
landscape.  The  western  portion,  in  its  northern  and  southern  districts, 
presents  two  distinct  classes  of  territory.  In  the  southwest  corner,  and 
extending  northward  a  distance  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  the  bluff  range 
in  the  township  approaches  the  banks  of  the  Nishnebotna.  This  bluff 
line,  extending  thence  in  a  northward  by  easterly  direction  and  the 
course  of  the  river  being  generally  southwesterly,  a  bottom  of  considera- 
ble extent  is  thus  created  within  the  limits  of  Polk  Township  ;  the  bluff 
range,  which  constitutes  the  western  boundary  of  the  timbered  region, 
receding,  as  ic  extends  northward,  from  the  banks  of  the  Nishnebotna. 
This  not  inconsiderable  body  of  timber,  which  includes  a  large  amount 
of  the  best  specimens  of  the  growth  indigenous  to  this  latitude,  extends 
wholly,  or  in  part,  through  sections  21,  22,  27,  28,  29,  32,  33  and  34,  of 
township  66,  range  41,  sections  1  and  12,  of  township  65,  range 
42,  and  sections  4,  5,  6,  7,  8  and  8,  of  township  65,  range  41,  includ- 


POLK    TOWNSHIP.  849 

ing  considerably  over  8,000  acres,  in  Polk,  of  a  body  of  timber 
which  extends  in  an  unbroken  grove  several  miles  into  Clay  Township. 
Some  four  or  five  small  groves  of  timber  are  interspersed  through  the 
northern  and  eastern  sections  of  this  township.  The  largest  of  these, 
which  lies  in  sections  \2  and  13,  of  township  66,  range  41,  and  sections  7 
and  18,  fn  township  66,  range  40,  includes  probably  not  over  400  or  500 
acres. 

WATER    COURSES. 

Besides  the  river  bounding  it  on  the  west,  Polk  Township  is  veined 
with  several  important  streams.  Rock  Creek,  rising  in  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  4,  township  66,  range  40,  flows  in  a  generally  south- 
westerly course,  through  sections  9,  17,  20,  29  and  31,  into  the  northwest 
corner  of  section  1,  and  through  sections  2  and  II,  of  township  65,  range 
41,  into  Clay  Township.     It  has  several  insignificant  tributaries. 

High  Creek,  flowing  in  a  southwesterly  course  from  the  State  of 
Iowa,  enters  Polk  Township  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  31, 
township  67,  range  40,  and  flowing  through  section  36,  of  township  67. 
range  41,  continues  on  through  sections  1,  2,  10,  15,  22,  21,  20,  30  and  19, 
of  township  66,  range  41,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  which  latter  sec- 
tion it  enters  the  Nishnebotna  River. 

McElroy's  Branch,  flowing  in  a  southwesterly  course  from  Buchanan 
Township,  enters  Polk  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  20,  and  flows  into  High  Creek  in  the  southeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion 19,  of  township  66,  range  41.  , 


BRIDGES. 


There  are  across  the  streams  within  the  limits  and  along  the  borders 
of  Polk  Township,  nineteen  and  a-half  bridges  of  various  span  and  char- 
acter of  construction,  all  of  which  will  be  found  specifically  located  and 
described  in  the  general  chapter  of  this  work  concerning  bridges. 

EARLY   SETTLERS. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Polk  Township  were  Justus  Hall,  a  Ger,- 
man,  whose  son,  Edward  Hall,  kept  a  saloon  on  the  town  site  of  Linden 
before  the  public  sale  of  lots  in  the  place.  C.  Clipfiel,  also  a  German, 
since  dead,  settled  in  1842,  as  did  also  John  George  Woolf,  who  settled 
on  the  town  quarter  of  Linden.  John  Branstein,  another  German,  came 
in  an  early  day.  Lawrence  White  and  Thomas  Martin,  trom  Ohio  ; 
Moses  Beal,  who  died  in  1852  ;  A.  McElroy,  one  of  the  original  county 
judges  ;  Judge  McDonald  and  Joshua  McDonald,  from  Ohio,  (the  latter 
was  a  noted  fiddler  at  the  popular  hoe-downs  and  shin-digs  of  the 
early  days  of  Atchison   County)  ;  Thomas  Stafford,  and  a  man  by  the 


850.  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

name  of  Rafferty,  both  of  whom  moved  to  the  State  of  Oregon,  in  an 
early  day,  came  in  with  the  first  settlers  of  the  township  ,-  Dr.  Richard 
Buckham,  from  Kentucky,  who  located  in  the  township  before  Linden 
was  laid  out  ;  Peter  Low,  from  the  State  of  New  York,  was  also  a  very 
early  settler  ;  James  Low,  his  son,  went  to  the  State  of  Oregon,  then  a 
territory,  in  1846,  and  then  to  California,  whence  he  returned  to  Linden, 
near  which  town  he  built  a  steam  saw  and  grist  mill  ;  Judge  Jere  Pur- 
dum,  formerly  of  the  county  bench,  and  now  (1882)  a  resident  of  the  city 
of  Rock  Port,  came  from  Ohio  in  1844,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  the 
southern  part  of  Polk  Township  ;  Asa  Jackson,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  now  a  resident  of  Texas,  settled  in  the  township  in  1842;  John 
Stoner  settled  there  in  the  same  year  ;  Lewis  Hays,  of  Indiana,  (since 
dead,)  came  in  1843  ;  Abraham  King  and  Bennet  King,  both  from 
Indiana,  settled  there  in  1845  ;  two  years  before  this  period  Isaac  Wal- 
lace, who  did  the  carpenter  work  on  the  Linden  courthouse,  settled  in 
the  township. 

Dr.  Robert  Buckham,  from  Caseyville.  Kentucky,  was  the  first  phy- 
sician to  settle  in  Polk  Township.  He  moved  from  Fugitt's  Mill  to 
Linden  on  the  first  laying  out  of  the  town,  where  he  kept  the  first  drug 
store  established  in  the  place.  He  afterwards  erected  for  an  office  and 
drug  store,  the  only  brick  building  ever  put  up  in  the  town.  It  was  a 
small  one-story  house,  and  was  destroyed  in   1871  by  an    accidental  fire- 

LINDEN. 

The  following  appears  on  record  in  the  clerk's  office  of  the  county 
court. 

"January  21,  1846. 

"  To  the  Honorable  Judge  of  the  Twelfth  Judicial  Circuit  of  the  State  of 
Missouri : 

The  undersigned  commissioners  appointed  to  locate  a  county  seat 
for  the  county  of  Atchison  and  state  of  Missouri,  having  attended  to  the 
duty  assigned  them  according  to  law,  make  report  as  follows  :  That 
they  have  selected  as  a  site  for  the  seat  of  justice  for  said  county  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  34,  township  66,  range  41. 

WILLIAM  BROWN, 
JAMES  MILLER. 
JOSEPH  WALKER." 

Said  report  having  been  considered  by  the  court,  is  approved.  The 
following  appears  on  record  April  14,  1846  : 

"  The  undersigned  commissioner  of  the  county  seat  of  Atchison 
County,  submits  the  following  as  a  report  of  his  proceedings  :  Said 
county  seat  has  been  laid  off  as  follows  :  The  public  square,  180  feet 
square  ;  the  four  principal  streets  crossing  the  public  square  at  right 
angles,  sixty-six  feet  wide,  the  lots  laid  off  60x120  feet  ;  the  back  streets 
laid  off  fifty  feet,  and  the  alleys,  sixteen  and  a  half  feet  wide.     The  rem- 


POLK    TOWNSHIP.  8 '5  V 

nant  of  land  laid  off  in  small  lots,  streets  and  alleys,  is  forty-five  acres-,, 
no  roods  and  thirteen  perches.  A  number  of  out  lots  have  also  been 
laid  off  of  various  sizes,  amounting  in  all  to  twenty-seven  acres,,  one: 
rood  and  fifteen  perches. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

F.  M.  VVARNCASTLE. 

At  the  October  term  of  1846  the  county  court  borrowed  of  Daniel 
McKissock  the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars,  for  six  months,  at  the  rate  of 
fifteen  per  cent,  per  annum,  for  the  purpose  of  entering  the  town  quarter. 

At  the  November  term,  1846,  the  said  $200  was  reported  paid  by- 
Daniel  Lowber,  Commissioner  for  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  to  Bela  M. 
Hughes,  receiver  at  the  land  office  in  Plattsburg,  the  entry  price  being 
$1.25  per  acre. 

The  town  included  the  following  named  streets  :  The  public  square 
which  occupied  the  centre  of  the  town,  was  bounded  by  Polk  and  Market 
Streets,  running  north  and  south,  and  by  Jackson  and  Jefferson,  running 
east  and  west.  The  streets  running  north  and  south  beginning  at  the 
west  were  Liberty,  Wood,  Penn,  Polk,  Market,  Oak,  Prairie  and  East. 
The  cross  streets  running  east  and  west  beginning  at  the  north  are  Wolf, 
Bluff,  Jackson  and  Jefferson.  Besides  these,  there  were  out  lots  on  the 
north,  south,  east  and  west. 

At  the  April  term  of  the  county  court  for  the  year  1847  the  super- 
intendent of  construction  of  the  court  house  submitted  his  plan  for  the 
same,  which  was  approved  and  the  contract  let  accordingly  to  Isaac  F.r 
Wallis  for  $475-  A  detailed  description  of  this  primitive  structure 
will  be  found  under  the  head  of  public  buildings.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
however,  that  this  initial  structure  in  the  way  of  a  temple  of  justice 
was  not  erected  on  the  public  square,  but  on  an  adjoining  street,  the 
center  of  the  square  having  been  reserved  for  the  future  and  permanent 
court  house  which,  however,  in  consequence  of  the  removal  of  the 
county  seat  to  Rock  Port,  nine  years  after,  was  never  built. 

Of  the  exact  date  of  the  sale  of  lots  in  the  town  of  Linden  by  the 
county  the  records  fail  to  make  mention.  A  statement  filed  in  the 
clerk's  office  at  the  April  term  shows  the  following  report  of  funds  paid 
into  the  treasury  by  Daniel  D.  Lowber,  commissioner  of  the  county 
seat : 

Sale  of  town  lots $131    14 

Amount  borrowed  from  Internal  Improvement  Fund 181  49- 

Amount  borrowed  from  Road  and  Canal  Fund 3 1    18 

$343  81 

Expenditures $200  00 

Six  months  interest  on  same 12  67 

$212  67 


852  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

On  the  day  of  the  lot  sale  there  were  but  two  buildings  in  Linden  : 
Hall's  unfinished  saloon  shanty  and  Warncastle's  sixteen-foot  square 
log  cabin. 

It  would  seem  from  the  number  of  claimants  allowed  compensa- 
tion by  the  county  court  at  the  August  term,  1846,  for  laying  out  the 
county  seat,  that  not  a  few  were  required  to  perform  that  seemingly 
arduous  undertaking.  In  the  first  place,  Henry  H.  Bruce,  the  surveyor, 
was  allowed  $22.50  for  laying  out  the  town.  Under  the  head  of  "  For 
Labor  Performed  in  Laying  out  the  Town  of  Linden  "  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing :  John  Gard,  $6.37;  George  Wolf,  $10.87;  Justus  Hall,  $4.87; 
Alexander  McElroy,  $6;  Samuel  Rafferty,  $2.50  ;  William  Frame,  $1  ; 
Robert  World,  $2  ;  Edward  Hall,  $4.87  ;  Robert  World  for  furnishing 
stakes,  $2.  Samuel  Rafferty's  claim  for  labor  performed  was  in  crying 
of  lots.  The  nature  of  the  labor  performed  by  the  others  the  sale  we 
must  leave  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader. 

On  the  third  Monday  in  June,  1846,  court  met  for  the  first  time  in 
the  town  of  Linden.  This  meeting  was  in  pursuance  of  an  order  made 
at  the  April  term  of  the  same  year.  It  occurred  before  the  building  of 
the  court  house,  and  the  temporary  quarters  of  the  honorable  body  in 
Warncastle's  log  cabin  were  of  an  exceedingly  primitive  character. 

Conrad  Clipfiel  and  John  George  Woolf  were  the  first  settlers  of 
Polk  Township.  Woolf  settled  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  34 
(the  town  quarter)  and  Clipfiel  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  34, 
township  66,  range  41.  The  widow  of  Conrad  Clipfiel  still  resides  on 
this  original  homestead.     They  both  located  there  in  1842. 

George  Klaus,  from  Ohio,  settled  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
34,  townsip  66,  range  41,  where  he  still  (1882)  resides,  and  on  which  he 
has  one  of  the  best  barns  in  the  county. 

Daniel  Lowber,  from  Indiana,  taught  in  1844,  the  first  school  estab- 
lished in  Polk  Township.  On  the  laying  out  of  Linden,  four  years  after, 
Lowber  taught  the  first  school  in  that  town.  This  was  in  the  same  cabin 
which  was  moved  from  its  original  site,  one  mile  northwest. 

FIRST    HOUSE. 

The  question  as  to  who  built  the  first  house  in  the  town  of  Linden  is 
not  fully  determined,  the  credit  of  that  distinction  bei  g  claimed  both 
for  Ed.  Hall,  the  father  of  the  whisky  business  in  the  town,  and  also  for 
F.  M.  Warncastle,  the  pioneer  attorney  for  the  same.  It  is,  however,  the 
general  opinion  that  while  Hall  was  the  first  to  commence  business,  he 
did  so  before  his  saloon  was  roofed  in,  while  Warncastle's  business  being 
of  a  less  pressing  nature,  he  had  ample  time  to  complete  his  building,  a 
log  house  sixteen  feet  square,  and  was  comfortably  housed  before  his 
more  successful  competitor  for  the  distinction  of  priority  in  architectural 


POLK     TOWNSHIP.  .  853 

enterprise,  could  afford  leisure  from  his  remunerative  business  to  cover 
in  his  roof. 

The  first  circuit  court  which  assembled  after  the  erection  of  these 
buildings  in  Linden,  met,  as  before  stated,  in  Warncastle's  house,  the 
same  being  of  the  two,  the  larger  structure  in  the  budding  city.  Both 
edifices  were  erected  a  short  time  before  the  town  was  laid  out.  The 
records  of  the  county  court  at  the  April  term,  1846,  declare  that  Edward 
Hall  is  granted  a  license  to  keep  tavern  in  the  town  of  Linden,  and 
gives  bond  in  the  sum  of  $500.  Tavern  here  means  saloon.  Ed.  Hall, 
after  doing  a  prosperous  business  for  some  time  in  Linden  moved  to 
California.  Success  seems  to  have  crowned  his  efforts  in  life  and  he  now 
(1882)  resides  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  possession  of   immense  wealth. 

The  first  store  in  Linden  was  started  in  the  spring  of  1847  by 
Nuckols  &  Hail.  The  second  mercantile  establishment  in  the  place  was 
a  small  concern  owned  by  Smith  &  Tootle  and  conducted  by  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Booth.  It  was  moved  to  Linden  from  the  vicinity  of  Fugitt's 
Mill  shortly  after  the  starting  of  the  town.  Thomas  Zook,  from  Oregon, 
in  Holt  County,  also  had  a  small  store  in  the  town  of  Linden.  While 
others  at  different  periods  sold  goods  there,  there  never  were,  at  anyone 
time,  more  than  three  stores  in  the  place. 

Warncastle's  sixteen  foot  square  log  cabin  subserved,  in  its  earlier 
day,  many  purposes.  It  not  only  accommodated  the  circuit  court  up  to 
the  period  of  the  building  of  the  court  house  in  Linden,  but  afforded 
office  room  for  the  only  physician  in  the  neighborhood,  as  well  as  for  the 
solitary  attorney,  by  whom  it  was  built.  A  shed  was  afterwards  added 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  grand  jury. 

On  the  completion  of  the  court  house,  the  Warncastle  building 
was  converted  into  a  saloon. 

The  first  physician  to  settle  in  the  town  of  Linden  was  Dr.  Robert 
Buckham,  the  pioneer  physician  of  Atchison  County  before  referred  to. 
He  had  originally  (in  1845)  located  at  Rock  Creek,  near  Fugitt's  Mill. 
On  the  laying  out  of  the  county  seat,  in  1846,  he  moved  to  the  place,  and 
has  since  continued  to  make  Linden  his  home  where  he  still,  (1882,) 
though  advanced  in  years,  continues  to  reside  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

Peter  Christian  opened  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  Polk  Township. 
This  was  in  Linden  the  year  the  town  started.  Shortly  after,  a  Mormon 
by  the  name  of  Turpin  started  a  shop  in  the  town.  John  Hall,  a  brother 
of  Justus  Hall,  had  the  first  wagon  shop  in  Linden. 

The  first  postmaster  of  the  town  of  Linden  was  A.  A.  Bradford,  the 
circuit  clerk.  He  was  appointed  in  1846.  The  second  to  hold  the  office 
was  Edward  Hall,  of  the  firm  of  Nuckols  &  Hall,  merchants.  He  was 
appointed  in  1849.  ^  1S  uncertain  who  succeeded  him.  Thomas  Schrack 
had  the  office  from  1861  to  1864,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  A.  Millsaps. 


$54  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

In  1866  J.  G.  Lewis  succeeded  to  the  position,  which  he  continued  to 
hold  till  1868,  when  he  was,  in  turn,  succeeded  by  John  Woodberry.  In 
1869  the  Linden  postoffice  was  discontinued,  and  for  a  period  of  ten 
years  there  was  no  direct  mail  communication  with  the  place.  At  last, 
in  1879,  a  post  office  to  which  weekly  mail  is  sent  was  established  for 
Linden.  The  original  name,  however,  was  ignored  and  that  of  Magnet 
substituted.  A.  S.  Jones  was  appointed  postmaster.  He  was  succeeded 
by  the  present  (1882)  official,  A.  Millsaps. 

RELIGIOUS    ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  first  sermon  preached  in  Linden  was  delivered  by  Elder  John 
Mullis,  Sr.,  of  the  "  Christian"  Church.  This  was  in  a  very  early  day. 
The  first  church  to  effect  an  organization  in  the  town  of  Linden  was  the 
Methodist  Episcopal.  They  were  at  no  time,  however,  provided  with  a 
building,  and  have  long  since  ceased  to  exist  as  a  local  church  in  the 
place.    • 

The  present  organization  of  the  Christian  Church  of  Linden  was 
effected  by  Elder  John  O.  White,  in  December,  1858,  with  the  following 
members  :  Henry  B.  Barger,  Phoebe  Barger,  Mary  Barger,  William  H. 
Barger,  Zerilda  Barger,  J.  Q.  Adcock,  Peter  Redick,  Rachel  Redick  and 
Nancy  Redick.  The  present  (1882)  membership  is  about  100.  Elder 
D.  A.  Quick  is  pastor  of  the  church.  Prior  to  the  year  1877  the  congre- 
gation was  without  a  church  edifice  and  met  at  school  houses  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  present  neat  building,  an  unpretending  frame,  22x50 
feet,  was  erected  in  1877,  chiefly  by  voluntary  contributions  of  labor  and 
money  on  the  part  of  members  and  others.  It  stands  in  the  center  of 
the  public  square,  the  site  designed  for  the  second  court  house  building, 
which,  unfortunately  for  Linden,  was  never  erected  in  her  midst. 

THE    ORIGINAL   COURT    HOUSE 

building  was  purchased  by  the  citizens  of  the  district  for  the  sum  of  $225. 
It  was  cut  down  from  a  two  to  a  one  story  building,  and  moved  across 
the  street,  where  it  still  stands,  converted  into  a  public  school  house. 
This  was  accomplished  on  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Linden, 
in  1856. 

HOTEL. 

Conrad  Clipfiel  ran  the  first  hotel  in  Linden.  The  building  in  which 
he  kept  was  a  good  frame  house,  which  he  erected  for  that  purpose.  This 
house  continued  to  be  kept  as  a  hotel  as  late  as  1862.  It  was  afterwards 
moved  away  from  the  town  site  to  his  farm  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood and  converted  into  a  residence.  It  is  still  (1882)  occupied  as  a 
dwelling  by  Mrs.  Clipfiel,  the  widow.      The  farm  on  which  this  building 


.      POLK    TOWNSHIP.  855 

stands  is  one  of  the  best  improved  in  this  section  of  the  country.  It 
includes  an  orchard  of  1,500  bearing  apple  trees  and  is  the  largest  in  the 
county. 

THE   ODD    FELLOWS 

had  the  only  secret  benevolent  society  in  the  town  of  Linden.  Though 
no  definite  record  of  the  institution  yet  remains,  it  is  said  to  have  been, 
in  its  day,  a  prosperous  organization  with  a  full  membership.  It  was 
known  by  the  name  and  style  of  Linden  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  was 
chartered  about  1856.  In  1863  its  charter  was  surrendered.  John  W. 
Smith,  the  present  circuit  clerk,  was  the  first  Noble  Grand  of  this  lodge. 

Linden,  as  a  commercial  center,  existing  during  the  first  decade  of 
the  county's  history,  a  period  when  the  neighborhood  was  sparsely  set- 
tled, though  prosperous  to  the  full  extent  of  its  business,  never  at  any 
one  time  had,  within  its  limits,  more  than  three  stores. 

At  the  period  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat,  Smith  &  Moore 
kept  one  of  these  and  Tootle  &  Doughty  the  other.  These  firms  were 
both  engaged  in  general  merchandise. 

Dr.  Buckham,  the  pioneer  physician,  was  also  at  that  period  selling 
drugs. 

The  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Moore  was  John  W. 
Smith,  the  present  (1882)  efficient  clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  and  one  of 
the  most  popular  men,  both  as  an  official  and  private  citizen,  that  ever 
made  his  home  in  Atchison  County. 

Dr.  J.  Y.  Bird,  a  prominent  physician  and  representative  citizen  of 
the  county,  moved  from  Linden  to  Rock  Port  on  the  removal  of  the 
county  seat,  in  June,  1856. 

LINDEN  OF   TO-DAY. 

The  population  of  Linden  in  its  palmiest  days,  never  amounted  to 
fully  two  hundred.  At  present  the  town  site,  which  appears  in  every 
respect  a  desirable  location,  affords  an  aspect  of  decay  and  almost  of 
desertion.  The  two  small  stores  in  the  place  are  kept,  one  by  Aydlott 
Millsaps,  the  postmaster,  for  Mrs.  Clipfiel,  and  the  other  by  C.  O. 
Porter.  They,  in  common  with  most  of  the  original  buildings  of  the 
town,  are  ghostly,  antiquated  looking  structures  of  the  Noah's  Ark  order 
of  architecture,  and  stand  in  gloomy  contrast  to  the  modern  and  spacious 
two-story  frame  residence  of  Dr.  Buckham,  on  the  west  side  of  the  public 
square,  and  the  neat  white  frame  edifice  of  the  Christian  Church  in  the 
center  of  that  enclosure.  James  M.  Hull,  established  there  in  1880,  is 
the  blacksmith  of  the  place. 

The  neighborhood  of  Linden  is  generally  a  rolling  surface,  and 
where  it  has  not  been  cleared  for  cultivation,  it  is  heavily  timbered  with 
some  of   the  best   specimens   of  forest  growth  found  in   this   country. 


856  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Some  of  the  best  improved  farms  in  the  county  are  also  found  here.  One 
of  these  is  the  property  of  Daniel  Lowber,  the  pioneer  school  teacher  of 
the  township.  To  George  Klaus'  and  the  widow  Clipfiel's  farms  refer- 
ence has  already  been  made.  The  neighborhood  of  the  town  seems 
specially  adapted  to  the  growth  of  fruit  trees,  and  though  this  character 
of  enterprise  seems  yet  to  be  in  its  infancy  here,  this  portion  of  the 
county  bids  fair  at  no  distant  day  to  become  a  fruit  growing  region.  The 
first  apple  orchard  in  Atchison  County  was  planted  in  1843,  by  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Wood.     This  is  about  two  miles  south  of  Linden. 

MILLS. 

There  is  but  one  mill  in  Polk  Township.  This  is  known  as  Muir's 
Mill,  from  the  name  of  the  present  owner.  It  stands  oh  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  29,  township  65,  range  41,  on  the  waters  of  High  Bridge 
Creek,  which,  at  this  point,  has  a  sufficient  fall  to  afford  the  power  neces- 
sary for  operating  the  machinery.  It  was  first  built,  in  1848,  by  Stofford 
&  Rafferty,  for  a  saw  mill  and  was  operated  many  years  as  such.  In 
1862  Godsey  Stiner  converted  it  into  a  grist  mill,  and  ran  it  eight  or  nine 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  period,  R.  V.  Muir,  the  present  (1882)  pro- 
prietor, who  had  previously  been  a  partner  with  Stiner  in  the  owner- 
ship of  the  mill,  purchased  the  latter's  interest  and  has  since  continued 
to  run  it.  It  is  now  a  two  run  grist  mill,  with  a  saw  mill  attachment. 
These  mills  are  operated  both  by  water  and  steam  power.  The  latter 
has  been  recently  added.  The  site  of  the  mill  is  about  half  a  mile  east 
by  south  of  the  High  Bridge. 

COUNTRY   CHURCHES. 

The  Centennial  Church,  a  neat  frame  structure  twenty-six  by  forty 
feet  in  extent,  within  the  limits  of  the  Rock  Port  circuit  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  was  built  by  that  denomination,  during  the  year 
1876,  and  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  $900.  It  is  located  in  Polk  Town- 
ship on  section  26,  township  66,  range  41,  in  a  northeasterly  direction 
from  Linden. 

The  church  was  dedicated  on  the  24th  of  December,  1876,  by  the 
Rev.  D.  B.  Lake,  now  (1882)  minister  of  the  church  in  Chillicothe, 
Missouri. 

The  edifice  was  erected  by  the  High  Creek  class  of  which  Rev.  E.. 
Edmonds,  of  the  Rock  Port  circuit,  was  then  minister. 

This  High  Creek  class  was  organized  in  1864.  The  records  of  the 
church  at  that  period  show  in  this  class,  a  membership  of  twenty-five. 
The  principal  men  in  the  building  of  this  church  were  James  Low,  John 
Zuck,  Jacob  Branstein,  and  Ransom  Smith. 


POLK    TOWNSHIP.  857 

HIGH    CREEK   BAPTIST   CHURCH 

on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  29,  township  66,  range  41,  two  and 
a  half  miles  northwest  of  Linden,  and  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
Muir's  Mill  and  the  High  Creek  bridge,  is  a  handsome  gothic  frame- 
structure,  thirty  by  fifty  feet  in  extent.  The  building  was  completed  in 
1882  at  a  cost  of  $2,600,  and  is  one  of  the  handsomest  in  the  county. 
The  organization  of  this  church  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  county.  For 
many  years  previous  to  the  building  of  their  house  of  worship,  they  held 
services  in  the  spacious  public  school  building  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  the  new  church.  The  organization  of  High  Creek  Baptist 
Church  is  of  comparatively  remote  date,  and  has  been  the  mother  of 
several  off-shoots  which  have  since  developed  into  prosperous  churches- 
The  Rev.  H.  J.  Latour,  late  of  Maryville,  Missouri,  is  present  (1882)  pas- 
tor of  this  church. 

GRANGE    HALL. 

Four  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  the  town  site  of  Linden,  and 
within  the  limits  of  Polk  Township,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  18,  township  66,  range  80,  is  located  a  neat  frame 
building,  50x28  feet  in  size,  and  with  a  16  foot  ceiling.  This  structure, 
which  was  erected  in  1876,  by  the  Grangers  to  accommodate  the  ses- 
sions of  their  order  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  twelve  hundred 
dollars.  It  stands  on  what  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  farm  of  N.  O. 
Hopkin's,  who  donated  to  the  order  a  five  acre  tract  of  ground  within 
the  enclosure  of  which  stands  the  hall.  This  surrounding  tract  also 
includes  a  cemetery.  The  ha*ll  is  used  for  religious  and  for  other  meet- 
ings.     • 

Sbiographica  hM 


WILBER  F.  BAKER, 

farmer  and  breeder  of  fine  hogs,  section  6,  is  a  native  of  Knox  County, 
Illinois,  and  was  born  in  1849,  being  a  son  of  Rev.  Jacob  and  Mary  A. 
(Chesney)  Baker.  The  former  was  born  in  Virginia,  January  16,  1806, 
and  subsequently  with  his  parents  moved  to  Tennessee.  When  eighteen 
years  old  he  went  to  Union  County,  Indiana,  and  was  there  married. 
Mrs.  Baker  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  but  with  her  parents  early  moved 


858  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

to  Indiana.  In  1853,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  moved  to  Fremont 
County,  Iowa,  where  his  parents  now  reside.  He  received  his  education 
at  Tabor.  In  1870,  he  purchased  his  present  farm.  March  12,  1872, 
Mr.  B.  married  Miss  Alice  H.  Hopkins,  a  native  of  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  born  March  31,  1855.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Hon.  N.  O.  and 
Kitty  (Hughes)  Hopkins.  She  was  educated  at  Rock  Port.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baker  have  four  children  living  :  Emma,  Mary  A.,  George  C, 
and  Kitty.  They  have  lost  one,  Anna  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  are  both 
members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  His  farm  consists  of  290  acres  of  good 
land. 

G.   BEAL, 

farmer,  section  20,  is  the  son  of  G.  M.  and  Phebe  M.  Beal,  and  was  born 
in  Atchison  County  in  1854.  His  father  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
where  he  was  reared,  but  later  removed  to  Illinois,  and  thence  to  Indi- 
ana, coming  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1841,  where  he  purchased 
over  2,000  acres  of  land  unexcelled  in  the  Union  for  productiveness.  He 
was  a  successful  agriculturist  up  to  1854,  when  he  was  killed  by  light- 
ning. He  left,  besides  his  widow,  three  children  :  Lucretia  (now  Mrs. 
Rudasil)  ;  Lucinda  (now  Mrs.  Taylor),  and  G.  Mrs.  Beal  afterwards 
became  Mrs.  Ford.  She  died  in  1873,  leaving  one  daughter,  Belle.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  owns  about  900  acres  of 
good  land,  well  improved.  He  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Edmona 
Poindexter,  a  native  of  Atchison  County.  They  have  two  children, 
Myrtle  and  Iva. 

WILLIAM    BENEDICT, 

farmer,  section  15,  is  a  native  of  Venango  County,  Pennsylvania,  was 
born  March  12,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Alvin  and  Julia  Benedict,  who  were 
natives  of  New  York.  William  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a 
good  education  in  Pennsylvania.  November  2,  1853,  he  married  Mahala 
O.  Dunham,  a  native  of  Venango  County,  Pennsylvania,  born  May  9, 
1837.  Her  parents  were  John  and  Elizabeth  Dunham,  the  former  of 
whom  was  drowned  in  1850.  Her  mother  was  married  the  second  time 
to  one  Mr.  G.  Hall.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  finally  settled  in  Pennsylvania  and 
afterwards  moved  to  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  living  there  during  1865. 
He  then  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  purchased  his  present 
farm,  consisting  of  eighty  acres  of  finely  improved  land.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
B.  have  five  children  living  :  Frank  E.,  Charles  O.,  Flora  E.,  M.  W., 
and  John  S.  They  have  lost  two  :  Flora  D.  and  Effie  M.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  B.  are  church  members. 

DR.  R.  S.  BUCKHAM, 

is  one  of  the  oldest  medical  practitioners  in  Northwest  Missouri.     He  is 
a[native  of  Sumner  County,  Tennessee,  and  was  born  on  the  6th  day  of 


POLK     TOWNSHIP.  859 

September,  1 809,  and  is  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Charlotte  (Taylor)  Buck- 
ham.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by 
trade.  While  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  very  young,  his  parents 
removed  to  Kentucky,  where  his  boyhood  days  were  spent  on  a  farm, 
which  business  he  followed  for  some  time  in  connection  with  dealing  in 
grain.  He  selected  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  profession,  and  applied 
himself  diligently  to  his  studies  in  the  science  of  the  healing  art,  and 
after  preparing  himself  thoroughly,  in  July,  1845,  he  came  to  this  county, 
where  he  has  since  become  so  widely  known,  and  whose  presence  and 
skill  have  gladdened  the  homes  of  many  a  pioneer  settler  of  Atchison 
and  adjoining  counties  in  relieving  the  sufferings  of  their  loved  ones. 
His  rides  at  first  extended  over  a  wide  extent  of  country,  but  of  late 
years  he  has  confined  himself  to  patrons  in  his  immediate  vicinity.  Dr. 
Buckham  was  married  in  1862,  to  Miss  Irena  M.  Hall,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois. They  have  two  daughters  :  Highland  Mary  and  Lucinda.  They 
lost  one  daughter,  Adaline. 

JUDGE  WILLIAM  CAMPTON, 

section  9,  a  representative  citizen  of  this  district,  is  a  native  of  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  where  he  was  born  May  21,  1838.  His  parents  were  James  V.  and 
Phebe  Campton.  The  former  was  a  native  of  Morgan  County,  Ohio, 
who,  in  1836,  went  to  Iowa,  where  he  was  married.  Mrs.  Campton  was 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  went  to  Iowa  with  her  parents.  His  father  had  the 
first  blacksmith  shop  at  Dubuque,  Iowa.  He  died  in  1845,  and  in  1848 
William's  mother  died  also.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  took  care  of  him- 
self after  he  was  ten  years  old,  and  when  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  went  to 
live  with  J.  J.  Vanmeter,  an  uncle,  in  La  Fayette  County,  Wisconsin. 
From  the  age  of  eighteen  years  till  he  was  twenty,  he  attended  school, 
and  then  devoted  his  time  to  farming.  He  was  married  November  13, 
1861,  to  Mrs.  Phebe  A.  Dyer,  (maiden  name  was  Cox),  a  native  of  Suf- 
folk County,  Long  Island.  She  was  born  May  1,  1832,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Stephen  and  Mary  (Hallock)  Cox.  In  1850  she  moved  with  her 
parents  to  Iowa  County,  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  soon  settled  in 
Iowa  County,  and  in  1867  moved  to  La  Fayette  County,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  remained  till  1869.  He  then  returned  to  Iowa  County.  Leav- 
ing the  family  there,  he  went  t.o  Woodson  County,  Kansas,  and  pur- 
chased land.  He  went  back  for  the  family,  and  while  on  the  road  to 
Kansas  concluded  to  locate  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  he  now 
resides.  His  farm  consists  of  400  acres  of  well  improved  land.  Mr.  Camp- 
ton was  elected  county  judge  in  1880.  Their  family  consists  of  six  chil- 
dren :  Thomas  J.,  William  D.,  George  C,  Charles  C,  Fanny  and  Louise  A. 
Judge  C.  is  a  Mason.  His  official  duties  he  ever  discharged  with  scrupu- 
lous care  and  fidelity,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all. 


860  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

J.  B.  GIBSON, 

farmer,  section  15,  is  a  native  of  Ontario  County,  New  York,  was  born 
in  183 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Chattin)  Gibson,  who  were 
born  and  raised  in  New  Jersey.  Some  time  after  being  married,  they 
settled  in  Ontario  County,  New  York,  and  in  1837,  moved  to  New  Jersey, 
where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days,  and  received  a 
good  education.  In  the  summer  of  1856,  he  went  to  Des  Moines,  remain- 
ing there  till  March,  1857,  when  he  visited  Nebraska.  In  February, 
1863,  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Regiment,  Nebraska  Volunteer  Cavalry, 
and  served  in  Dakota  till  December,  1864.  He  was  engaged  in  the  mill- 
ing business  at  Otoe,  Nebraska,  till  the  fall  of  1866,  after  which  he  came 
to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  purchased  his  present  farm  consisting 
of  240  acres  of  well  improved  land.  June  11,  1866,  Mr.  Gibson  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Hannah  M.  Benedict,  a  native  of  Venango  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  July  26,  1847.  She  with  her  parents  came  to  Atchison 
County,  in  1858.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson  are  both  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 

JUSTUS  HALL, 

farmer,  section  8,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and  was  born  April  16,  1836. 
His  father,  Andrew  Hall,  was  a  shepherd  by  occupation.  Justus  lived 
in  his  native  country  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  in  1853  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  arriving  here  early  in  1854.  He  soon 
found  employment  working  on  a  farm  until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  Fifth  Iowa  Cavalry  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  fatiguing  campaigns  of  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Georgia 
and  Alabama.  He  was  taken  prisoner  near  Newton,  in  Georgia,  on  the 
McCook  raid  and  'experienced  the  privations  of  the  southern  prisons  for 
months,  first  in  Andersonville,  Savannah,  Florence  and  others.  After 
his  discharge  he  returned  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  in  1865 
was  married  to  Miss  Ursula  Ruedy.  She  was  born  in  Switzerland. 
They  have  a  family  of  four  children  :  Mary,  Willie,  Lizzie  and  Charlie. 
His  farm  contains  eighty  acres. 

HON.  N.  O.  HOPKINS, 

farmer  and  cattle  feeder,  section  18,  is  a  native  of  Bath  County,  Ken- 
tucky. He  was  born  April  22,  1823,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Margaret 
(Murphy)  Hopkins.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the  same  county  and 
when  quite  young  commenced  to  read  lav/.  He  practiced  for  many  years 
in  Bath  County.  He  was  married  in  Kentucky  and  after  a  few  years 
moved  to  Carrollton,  Illinois,  where  he  died.  Young  Hopkins  went  to 
Jackson  County,  Missouri,  in  1836,  and  the  following  year  to  Clay  County, 


POLK    TOWNSHIP.  ,  86 1 

Missouri,  he  being  educated  at  Liberty.  Mr.  Hopkins  was  married  at 
Plattsburg,  Clinton  County,  Missouri,  May  10,  1840,  to  Miss  Kitty 
Hughes,  a  native  of  Nicholas  County,  Kentucky,  born  May  3,  1823.  Her 
parents,  William  and  Peace  (Hopkins)  Hughes,  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
but  raised  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  moving  to  Clay  County,  Mis- 
souri, in  1830,  and  settling  near  Liberty.  Her  father  died  in  1838  and 
her  mother  in  1865.  Mr.  Hopkins  later  settled  in  Clinton  County  and  in 
1842  moved  near  Corning,  Holt  County,  Missouri,  where  he  remained 
till  1843,  then  coming  into  Atchison  County.  He  located  near  the  Mis- 
souri River,  and  in  1846  settled  where  they  now  reside.  His  landed 
estate  consists  of  some  2,000  acres  of  finely  improved  land.  They  have 
nine  children  living:  Joseph,  Eliza,  Mary,  Nelson  O.,  William,  Emma, 
Alice,  Lulu  and  James.  They  have  lost  one.  In  1847  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  nominated  and  elected  by  a  large  majority  to  represent  this 
county  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  also  in  1882.  This  important 
position  he  filled  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned  and  with  credit  to 
himself. 

JOSEPH  A.  HOPKINS, 

farmer,  section  7,  was  born  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  February  21, 
1841,  and  was  the  eldest  son  of  Hon  N.  O.  and  Kitty  Hopkins.  Joseph 
spent  his  boyhood  days  and  received  a  good  education  in  that  county. 
He  began  business  for  himself  as  a  farmer  in  i860.  September  2d  of 
the  same  year  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Barger,  a  native  of  Callaway 
County,  Missouri,  born  in  1839.  She  was  a  daughter  of  H.  B.  and 
Phcebe  Barger,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  mother  of 
Tennessee.  They  came  to  Missouri  at  an  early  day,  and  in  1855  settled 
in  Atchison  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  finally  settled  where  they  now 
reside,  the  farm  consisting  of  160  acres  of  well  improved  land.  They 
have  a  family  of  ten  children  living  :  James  G.,  John  W.,  Laura  J., 
Phcebe  C,  Joseph  B.,  Charles  O.,  Bob,  Henry,  Louisa  and  Myrtle.  Three 
children  are  deceased  :  Orlando  N.,  Mary  A.  and  Bettie.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
H.  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

gp:orge  KLAUS, 

farmer,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and  was  born  on  the  25th  day  of  May, 
1823.  His  youth  until  twelve  years  of  age,  was  spent  at  his  birthplace. 
His  father,  Jacob,  and  his  mother,  Ann  Eliza  Klaus,  emigrated  to  America 
with  their  family  in  1835,  and  settled  in  Lorain  County,  Ohio.  The 
senior  Klaus  was  a  miller  by  trade,  but  was  engaged  in  farming, 
and  in  October,  1844,  ne  became  a  resident  of  Atchison  County.  The 
son  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  has  since  made  agricultural  pursuits  his 
life  vocation,   in  which   he  has   been  very  successful.     In    1849  he  was 


862  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

influenced  by  the  report  from  California  in  relation  to  the  discovery 
of  gold  to  visit  the  new  Eldorado.  He  made  the  trip  accross  the  plains 
and  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  mining  with  a  fair  degree  of  success. 
He  returned  to  the  states  in  185  I  by  the  way  of  Central  America.  In 
1852  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Hall,  a  native  of  Ohio.  Mrs.  Klaus  died 
in  1874,  leaving  ten  children  :  Louis,  Louisa,  (now  Mrs.  Van  Meter), 
Lucretia,  (now  Mrs.  White),  Levi,  Loretta,  (now  Mrs.  Low),  Lavina, 
Lucinda,  Luella,  Lelia,  Lunolla.  They  lost  one  son,  Lafayette.  Mr.  K. 
married  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Adaline  Barger,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Burns,  in  1876;  she  is  a  native  of  Lafayette  County,  Missouri. 
Their  family  by  this  marriage  consists  of  two  children  :  Flora  and 
Charlie.  Mrs.  Klaus  has  four  children  by  a  former  marriage  :  Melissa, 
(now  Mrs.  Jenkins),  Henry  B.,  Lydia  and  Viola.  Few  men  are  more 
widely  or  favorably  known  throughout  the  county.  He  has  never 
sought  or  held  a  public  office,  nor  is  he  a  candidate  for  popularity  or 
public  fame.  He  is  a  plain,  unassuming  farmer,  social  and  obliging  as  a 
neighbor,  kind  and  warm  hearted  as  a  friend,  law  abiding  as  a  citizen, 
hospitable  and  generous  to  all  ;  a  citizen  of  whom  his  adopted  country 
may  well  be  proud.  His  farm  contains  350  acres,  with  excellent 
improvements. 

THOMAS  McTLRAVEY, 

farmer,  section  11,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  was  born  in  January,  1831. 
His  parents  were  Thomas  and  Mary  (Higgison)  McTlravey.  Thomas 
remained  in  his  native  country  till  1852,  when,  with  his  mother,  he  came 
to  America,  landing  at  New  York.  He  went  direct  to  Beardstown, 
Cass  County,  Illinois,  devoting  his  time  to  farming.  October  5,  1858, 
Mr.  McTlravey  married  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Morrow,  a  native  of  Greene 
County,  Illinois,  born  January  31,  1836.  They  soon  settled  at  Lancas- 
ter, Cass  County,  Illinois,  remaining  there  till  1863,  when  he  moved  to 
Nebraska.  After  living  there  a  short  time  he  settled  in  the  river  bot- 
toms in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  till  1877.  He 
then  purchased  his  present  farm,  consisting  of  320  acres  of  fine  land, 
well  improved.  They  have  seven  children  living  :  John  A.,  Thomas  A., 
Rebecca  E.,  Charles  A.,  Eliza  J.,  Maggie  and  Franklin  D.  One  is 
deceased,  Mary  Louisa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McTlravey  are  both  members  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.     He  is  a  Master  Mason. 

H.  P.  MOORE,  M.  D., 

is  one  of  Atchiscn  County's  most  worthy  and  re&pected  citizens.  He 
was  born  in  Yates  County,  New  York,  May  31,  1823.  His  father,  Wil- 
liam Moore,  was  a  native  of  the  same  state,  as  was  also  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Phillips.     H.  P.  lived  at  his  birth  place 


POLK    TOWNSHIP.  863 

until  twelve  years  of  age,  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  to  Carroll 
County,  Indiana,  where  he  was  reared  on  a  farm  until  eighteen  years  of 
age.  His  education  until  this  time  had  been  confined  to  the  common 
schools  of  the  vicinity.  He  then  entered  the  State  Institution  at  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois.  After  selecting  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  profes- 
sion, he  commenced  reading  with  Dr.  James  M.  Justice,  an  eminent 
physician  of  Logansport,  Indiana.  He  attended  lectures  at  the  Cincin- 
nati Medical  College,  also  Rush  Medical  College,  of  which  he  was  a  grad- 
uate. He  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  first  in  1847,  and  in  1855, 
made  it  his  home,  where  for  twenty-seven  years  he  has  been  a  leading 
medical  practitioner.  He  is  well  known  throughout  the  county,  and  the 
respect  shown  him  is  as  wide  as  his  acquaintance,  and  to  his  most 
thorough  qualifications  as  a  physician  he  adds  promptness  and  dispatch 
in  professional  duty,  and  is  ever  ready,  regardless  of  distance  or  weather 
to  attend  to  the  wants  of  the  afflicted.  He  is  a  man  of  kindly  feelings 
and  his  heart  as  well  as  his  judgment  prompts  him  to  be  very  attentive 
to  the  sick  and  suffering.  He  has  served  the  citizens  of  the  county  as  a 
member  of  the  county  court,  and  proved  himself  a  prompt,  reliable  and 
efficient  official.  He  is  largely  interested  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
owns  1,200  acres  of  land.  Dr.  Moore  was  married  in  1856,  to  Miss  Eliza 
Matthews,  a  native  of  Platte  County,  Missouri,  who  came  with  her 
parents  to  Atchison  County,  they  being  among  its  first  settlers.  Their 
family  consists  of  seven  children  :  Gobryas,  George,  Lincoln,  Mary, 
Henry,  Jennie  and  Frank.  The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, and  an  active  member  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

W.   D.  MORROW, 

farmer,  section  10,  was  born  in  Greene  County,  Illinois,  June  21,  1836, 
and  was  the  youngest  son  of  Allen  and  Lizzie  (Robertson)  Morrow. 
His  father  was  born  in  1783,  and  died  in  1854.  His  mother,  who  was 
born  in  1794,  died  in  1853.  They  had  settled  in  Greene  County,  Illinois, 
in  1833.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days,  and  was 
educated  in  his  native  county.  October  15,  1866,  he  married  Miss  Lizzie 
Allen,  a  native  of  Greene  County,  Illinois,  born  March  11,  1841.  When, 
five  years  old  she  moved  to  Mason  County,  Illinois,  where  she  was 
raised.  Upon  the  death  of  her  father  she  went  to  Cass  County,  Illinois, 
where  she  was  married.  In  1870  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrow  came  to  Atchi- 
son County,  Missouri,  and  settled  where  they  now  reside.  Their  family 
consists  of  five  children  living:  Edna,  Jesse,  Naomi,  Ruth  and  George 
W.  Lillian  Ann  is  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrow  are  both  church 
members. 


864  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

C.  H.  MILLER, 

farmer  and  carpenter,  section  9,  is  a  native  of  Wayne  County,  Michigan, 
and  was  born  on  the  3d  day  of  February,  1837.  His  father,  Richard  D., 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a  wagonmaker  by  trade.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  Whitaker,  and  she  was  born  in  England.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch,  when  quite  young,  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Wayne  County,  Indiana,  where  his  youthful  days  were  spent  on  a  farm 
and  in  learning  the  carpenters'  trade.  In  1858  he  emigrated  to  Nebraska, 
and  during  the  late  war  he  enlisted  in  a  batallion  of  Nebraska  cavalry, 
which  was  afterwards  consolidated  with  scattering  companies  and  was 
known  as  the  Fifth  Iowa  Cavalry.  They  participated  in  the  campaigns 
through  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Mississippi.  After  the 
war  he  settled  in  Atchison  County,  and  has  since  worked  at  his  trade 
and  conducted  his  farming  operations.  His  farm  contains  no  acres  of 
choice  land.  Mr.  Miller  was  married  August  3,  1871,  to  Miss  Deborah 
Postlewaite,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1837.  Her  father,  Joseph  Postle- 
waite,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  her  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Margaret  Gilson,  was  born  in  Maryland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller's 
family  consists  of  two  children  :     Joseph  R.  and  Mary  C. 

A.  S.  NOBLITT, 

farmer,  section  1 1,  a  native  of  Grayson  County,  Virginia,  was  born 
August  2,  18 16,  and  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth  (Nuckles)  Nob- 
litt,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia.  The  father  was  born  in  1772  and 
died  in  1838.  His  mother,  who  was  born  in  1777,  died  in  1836.  The 
subject  of  this  memoir  remained  in  Virginia  till  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  when  he  went  to  Campbell  County,  Tennessee,  there  devoting  his 
time  to  farming.  He. was  married  on  May  21,  1838,  to  Miss  Nancy  Gib- 
son, a  native  of  Russell  County,  Virginia,  born  August  28,  18 18.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Noblitt  remained  in  Tennessee  till  the  spring  of  1838,  when 
they  moved  to  Ray  County,  Missouri,  and  in  1848  he  came  to  where  he 
now  resides.  Mrs.  N.  died  leaving  six  children  :  I.  C,  James  S.,  Charles 
V.,  Lucinda,  W.  J.  and  George.  Mr.  N.  was  married  the  second  time  to 
Fatima  Holly,  a  native  of  East  Tennessee,  born  April  15,  1835.  She 
came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1856.  By  this  union  they  have 
a  family  consisting  of  Sarah  E.,  Etha  L.,  Mollie,  John,  and  Lillia  May, 
having  lost  Addison,  Dartholla  and  Bert. 

J.  S.   NOBLITT, 

farmer,  section  10,  was  born  in  Ray  County,  Missouri,  on  October  13, 
1842,  being  a  son  of  A.  S.  and  Nancy  (Gibson)  Noblitt.  Young  Nob- 
litts  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  with  his  parents  in  1848,  where 


POLK     TOWNSHIP.  865 

he  was  raised.  He  married  May  8,  1870,  Miss  Emma  McLaughlin,  a 
native  of  Ray  County,  Missouri,  born  January  16,  1848.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Pulaski  McLaughlin,  natives  of  Tennessee,  who 
came  to  Missouri  in  1842.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  subsequently  settled  where 
they  now  reside.  They  have  four  children  living  :  Jettie,  Fanny, 
Alfred  and  Nettie.  Lilourn  and  Bertie  are  deceased.  Being  an  old 
pioneer,  Mr.  N.  is  well  known  throughout  this  county. 

DON.  C.  PATTEN, 

farmer,  section  3,  was  born  in  Lee  County,  Iowa.  His  father,  Charles 
W.,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Campbell,  early 
moved  from  Iowa  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Caldwell  County,  on  a  farm. 
After  a  residence  here  for  a  time  he  removed  to  Iowa  and  lived  there 
four  years.  After  residing  in  Iowa,  Kansas  and  different  parts  of  Mis- 
souri he  came  to  this  county,  in  i860,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
farming  and  stock  raising.  He  owns  347  acres  of  choice  land  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  leading  and  substantial  farmers  for  which  Atchison 
County  is  noted.  Mr.  Patten  was  married,  in  1869,  to  Miss  Catharine 
Stoner,  a  daughter  of  John  Stoner,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
the  county.     She  was  born  May  10,  1849. 

JOHN  PURDUM, 

farmer,  section  9,  is  a  native  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  was  born 
May  29,  1847.  His  father,  Jeremiah  Purdum,  is  one  of  Atchison  County's 
oldest  and  most  respected  citizens.  John's  boyhood  days  were  spent  on 
his  father's  farm,  and  he  has  made  it  his  life  vocation.  He  owns  a  farm 
of  120  acres.  He  has  been  twice  married,  first,  in  1874  to  Miss  Susan 
Barlow  ;  she  died  in  1877.  His  second  marriage  occurred  in  March, 
1878,  to  Miss  Sophia  Moore  a  native  of  Pike  County,  Illinois.  They 
have  two  children  :  Freddie  and  Geneva.  Mr.  P.  is  an  excellent  agri- 
culturist, and  conducts  a  good  farm. 

JOHN  RICHARDS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  34,  is  a  native  of  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
and  was  born  on  the  3d  day  of  November,  1837.  His  father,  Solomon 
Richards,  was  of  Welsh  descent.  The  maiden  name  of  his  mother  was 
Matilda  Mclntyre.  His  Grandfather  Richards  was  born  in  Wales  and 
immigrated  to  America  at  an  early  day.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  revo- 
lutionary war  and  was  with  Gen.  Washington  when  he  crossed  the  Del- 
aware River,  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey.  He  died  at  the  remarkable  age 
of  one  hundred  and  four  years.  Although  urged  to  accept  a  pension  he 
steadfastly  refused,  a  marked  contrast  to  the  unworthy  recipients  of  this 


866  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

much  abused  provision  for  those  it  was  intended  to  benefit.  Mr.  Rich- 
ards grandmother  was  of  German  extraction.  John's  youth  was  spent 
at  the  place  of  his  birth  until  he  attained  the  age  of  sixteen.  Up  to  this 
period  his  education  was  confined  to  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  then 
went  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  and  remained  in  school  two  years,  after 
which  he  had  recourse  to  the  occupation  of  all  aspiring  youth,  school 
teaching.  After  teaching  one  year  in  Fountain  County,  Indiana,  he,  in 
1857,  immigrated  to  Nebraska,  but,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  out- 
look, he  retraced  his  steps  to  Missouri  and  the  same  fall  located 
in  Atchison  County.  His  wealth  at  this  time  was  only  twenty-five 
cents.  He  found  employment  at  cutting  wood  at  fifty  cents  per 
day.  He  soon  after  secured  a  school  and  for  several  years  his  time  was 
divided  between  working  on  a  farm  in  summer  and  teaching  school  dur- 
ing the  winter  months.  He  purchased  a  piece  of  land  which  he  improved 
and  has  added  to  it  from  time  to  time,  until  his  landed  estate  consists  of 
640  acres.  Mr.  R.  was  married  December  24,  1862,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Hays,  daughter  of  John  Hays,  who  settled  in  Atchison  County,  in  1844. 
Mrs.  Richards  was  born  in  Indiana.  Their  family  consists  of  eight  chil- 
dren :  Matilda  Jane,  Sarah  Ellen,  Eliza  Eveline,  Emmet  Earl,  Bret  Allen, 
Rilla  May,  Frank  Lee  and  an  infant  unnamed.  Mr.  Richards  has  been 
closely  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  county  and  holds  the  office  of 
public  administrator. 

H.  O.  ROBERSON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  22,  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Ten-I 
nessee,  October  27,  1850,  and  is  the  son  of  Jesse  and  Elizabeth  Rober- 
son.  The  former  was  born  in  Alabama  and  the  latter  in  Kentucky.  In 
1856  H.  O.  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Missouri,  where  he  remained 
until  after  the  war.  In  1865  he  made  his  home  permanently  in  Atchi- 
son County,  and  by  industry  and  good  management  he  has  secured  323 
acres  of  land,  with  good  improvements,  and  is  one  of  the  large  stock 
feeders  of  the  vicinity,  and  in  his  farming  operations  he  has  been  very 
successful.  He  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Lucinda  Noblitt,  a  native 
of  this  county,  and  a  daughter  of  one  of  Atchison  County's  pioneers. 
They  have  four  children  :     Rosa  Belle,  Charles  O  ,  Berl  O.  and  Lulu. 

JOHN  STONER, 

is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Northwest  Missouri,  and  has  been  a  resident  of 
Atchison  County  about  forty  years.  He  was  born  in  Cumberland  County, 
Pennsylvania,  October  6,  1816.  His  parents,  George  and  Polly  Stoner, 
were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  John  was  reared  in  his  native  place 
until  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  then  removed  to  Starke  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  lived  for  three  years.     He  then   came   to  Sangamon   County, 


POLK     TOWNSHIP.  867 

Illinois,  making  that  locality  his  home  until  1843,  when  he  moved  to 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  purchased  a  farm.  To  this  he  has  added 
from  time  to  time,  until  he  now  owns  1,100  acres,  and  has  proved  him- 
self one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Atchison  County.  In  1850,  he 
went  to  California,  and  for  two  years  was  engaged  in  mining.  He  then 
returned  home,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to  his  farm  and  stock 
interests.  Mr.  S.  was  married  April  20,  1846,  to  Miss  Ellen  Martin,  who 
was  born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio.  They  have  a  family  of  fourteen 
children  living  :  Crosby,  Catharine  (now  Mrs.  Patten),  Mary  E.  (now 
Mrs.  Brown),  Genevieve,  Van  Doren,  Lucretia,  John  G.,  Lillie  J.,  Austin 
F.,  Nelson  O.,  Ulysses  G.,  William  M.,  Mollie  F.,  Sarah  V.  Lost  two: 
Venetia  and  Charles  C.  Mr.  Stoner  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters,  and  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  Baptist  Church,  with 
which  he  is  connected. 

REUBEN  MOORE  TAYLOR, 

deceased,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tennessee,  in  August,  1840. 
His  father,  Arthur  Taylor,  also  of  Tennessee,  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Bayless,  a  native  of 
Washington  County,  Tennessee.  Reuben  spent  his  youth  at  home  work- 
ing on  the  farm,  and  attending  the  district  school.  He  completed  his 
education  at  the  Washington  College  in  Tennessee.  He  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  his  political  views,  and  a  zealous  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
He  married  Miss  Lucinda  Beal,  in  December,  187 1.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Moses  Beal,  of  Schoharie  County,  New  York.  Mr.  Taylor  came  here 
while  a  young  man,  in  1859,  and  bought  a  farm  with  his  father  in  Sonora, 
where  he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1872.  They  then  sold  out  and  bought 
a  large  tract  of  land  in  Buchanan  Township.  He  had  but  very  little 
means  in  his  possession  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  soon  went  to  the 
mountains  of  Colorado,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  and  also  conducted 
a  ranch.  He  remained  there  two  years,  making  a  small  start,  then  returned 
and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  settled.  For  the  few  years  he 
was  permitted  to  live,  but  few  youn^  farmers  had  as  prosperous  a  his- 
tory. He  was  industrious,  and  with  his  rich  land  he  soon  began  to  reap 
the  fruit  of  his  toil.  His  farm  of  750  acres  on  section  31,  was  finely 
improved,  and  upon  it  he  built  one  of  the  most  substantial  bank  barns 
in  the  township.  He  had  made  arrangements  to  erect  an  excellent  resi- 
idence,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  December  9,  1880.  Since 
that  time  Mrs.  Taylor  has  sold  her  interest  in  the  farm  and  has  moved 
on  to  a  farm  of  400  acres,  where  she  has  built  a  fine  barn  etc.  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor's father,  Moses  Beal,  of  this  township,  was  born  in  Schoharie  County, 
New  York,  in  1805.  He  married  Phoebe  Moore,  of  the  same  place,  and 
afterwards  moved  to  Missouri,  settling  at  High  Creek,  in    Polk  Town- 


868  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

ship,  in  1841.  His  early  history  will  be  remembered  by  the  pioneers  of 
the  county,  with  great  pleasure.  He  always  took  an  active  part  in 
county  matters,  assisting  in  the  organization  of  the  county  and  township 
and  was,  perhaps,  the  first  postmaster  in  the  county,  being  appointed  as 
such  at  High  Creek.  He  was  also  one  of  the  first  Masons.  Their  children 
were  Lucretia,  (wife  of  P.  J.  Rudasill);  Lucinda,  (now  Mrs.  R.  M.  Taylor.) 
and  Gobryas  Beal.  Mr.  Moses  Beal  was  killed  by  lightning  in  1854. 
In  i860,  Mrs.  Beal  was  married  to  Mr.  James  M.  Ford.  They  had  by 
this  happy  union,  one  child,  Bell.  Mrs.  Ford  died  in  1873.  Mr.  Ford 
died  in  1877.  In  their  deaths  the  children  lost  their  kind  and  affection- 
ate parents,  and  the  community  two  of  its  most  esteemed  citizens.  Miss 
Bell  lives  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Taylor.  She  has  taken  a  three  years 
course  of  study  at  Dr.  Dulin's  Female  College,  St.  Joseph,  and  for  one 
year  attended  the  Baptist  Female  College,  at  Lexington,  Missouri.  She 
is  a  young  lady  of  rare  ability,  culture  and  refinement. 

ELBERT  ZUCK, 

a  leading  farmer  in  section  15,  is  a  native  of  Carroll  County,  Missouri, 
where  he  was  born  December  20,  1849.  His  parents  were  William  L. 
and  Abbie  Zuck,  and  with  them  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
.in  1856.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm,  and  received  a  good 
education,  starting  out  for  himself  in  1869  on  the  place  where  he  now 
resides,  having  a  farm  of  215  acres  of  good  land.  Februry  29,  1872,  Mr. 
Zook  married  Elizabeth  Smith  Gibson,  a  native  of  Jasper  County,  Mis- 
souri. She  was  born  January  26,  1856.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Z.  have  three 
children  :  Washington,  Susan  A.  and  Clarence.  They  are  both  church 
members. 

REV.  J.  S.  ZUCK, 

is  at  present,  (1882),  residing  on  his  farm  in  section  15.  He  was  born  in.' 
Carroll  County,  Missouri,  January  19,  1852,  and  was  a  son  of  William  L 
and  Abbie  (Woolsey)  Zuck.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Michigan. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  with  them  to  Atchison  County  in  1856, 
and  here  he  grew  up  and  was  educated.  He  began  life  as  a  farmer  in 
1872  ;  December  5,  of  that  year,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ada 
Egbert,  a  native  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  born  January  17,  1856. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Egbert.  After  their 
marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Z.  settled  where  they  now  reside.  They  have 
two  children  living  :  William  E.  and  Harry.  They  have  lost  four  :  Arthur, 
Marvin,  Lewis  and  Elvira.  Mr.  Z.  was  ordained  as  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  November  23,  1874,  and  is  an  excellent 
expounder  of  God's  word. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARY-WEST  BUCHANAN  TOWNSHIP -TOPOGRAPHICAL  FEATURES-BRIDGES-THE 
PIONEER  AND  HIS  INDIAN  PROGENY-SUKSEQUENT  EARLY  SETTLERS-EL  PASO- 
SACRAMENTO  CITY— MILLS-FIRST  SCHOOL— CHURCHES  AND  RELIGIOUS  ORGANI- 
ZATIONS—THE GREAT  OVERFLOW— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP. 

The  present  municipal  division  of  Atchison  County  known  as 
Buchanan  Township,  and  occupying  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
county,  is  divided  into  two  precincts,  known  respectively  as  East 
Buchanan  and  West  Buchanan.  The  original  township  of  Buchanan, 
which  includes  all  of  what  is  now  known  as  East  Buchanan,  was  erected 
May  17,  1858,  as  is  thus  set  forth  in  the  records  of  that  date  : 

"  And  now  at  this  day  the  court  proceeds  to  strike  off  from  the 
townships  of  Polk  and  Nishnebotna  a  portion  of  their  territory,  and 
erect  of  the  portions  thus  stricken  off  a  township  to  be  called  Buch- 
anan, and  bounded  as  follows  :  Commencing  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
section  15,  township  66,  range  42,  thence  west  on  said  line  to  the  south- 
west corner  of  section  15,  in  township  66,  range  41  ;  thence  on  the  west 
line  of  said  section  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  state.  It  was  thus 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  state  of  Iowa  in  a  distance  of  five  miles  ; 
on  the  east  by  Polk  Township  in  a  distance  of  four  miles  ;  on  the  south 
four  miles  by  Polk  and  three  miles  by  Nishnebotna  Township  ;  on  the 
west  it  was  bounded  in  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  three-quarters  by  the 
Missouri  River,  separating  it  from  Nebraska  and  by  two  and  a  quarter 
miles  of  Bluff  Township,  from  which  it  was  separated  by  the  Nishne- 
botna River.  This  stream  after  the  overflow  of  1867  cut  through  and 
now  flows  into  the  old  channel  of  the  Missouri  River,  in  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  10,  township  66,  range  42.  Fully  one-half  of  sec- 
tions 10  and  15  below  this  new  or  upper  mouth  of  the  Nishnebotna  has 
caved  into  what  is  now  the  old  channel  of  the  Missouri  River. 

WEST    BUCHANAN. 

Some  time  after  the  organization  of  Buchanan  Township,  as  above 
set  forth,  the  small  strip  of  territory  in  the  extreme  northwestern  corner 
of  the  county,  which  comprised  the  original  municipal  division  known 


870  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

as  Bluff  Township,  and  erected  as  such  at  the  period  of  the  first  organi- 
zation of  the  county,  April  14,  1845,  was  annexed  to  Buchanan  Town- 
ship, and  designated  as  West  Buchanan,  in  contra  distinction  to  the 
original,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  styled,  East  Buchanan  Township.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north,  in  a  distance  of  six  miles,  by  the  State  of  Iowa  ; 
on  the  east  by  the  original,  or  East  Buchanan  Township,  and  on  the 
south  and  west  by  the  former  and  present  channel  of  the  Missouri  River, 
separating  it  from  the  State  of  Nebraska. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The  territory  of  East  Buchanan  occupying  portions  of  the  old  Mis- 
souri and  Nishnebotna  River  bottoms,  which  are  generally  a  dead  level, 
as  well  as  over  six  miles  of  bluff  range,  together  with  a  more  or  less 
broken  or  rolling  territory  to  the  eastward  of  the  same,  as  well  as  some 
magnificently  lying  country,  necessarily  presents  a  varied  and  in  many 
localities  pleasing  aspect. 

Her  Branch,  rising  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  3 1 ,  township  66, 
range  41,  near  the  Iowa  and  Missouri  state  line,  flows  in  a  southwesterly 
and  westerly  course,  through  sections  36  and  35,  and  empties  into  the 
Nishnebotna  River  about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  northern  boundary  line 
ot  the  state. 

McElroy's  Branch  rises  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  4,  township  66,  range  41,  and  flows  in  a  southerly  by 
westerly  direction,  through  sections  9  and  16  and  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  17,  in  Polk  Township.  The  other  streams  of  this  township  are 
inconsiderable  tributaries  of  these  branches  and  are  nameless  and  un- 
worthy of  mention. 

TIMBER. 

Near  the  waters  of  McElroy  Branch,  in  sections  16  and  17,  of  town- 
ship 66,  range  41,  is  a  body  of  timber,  containing  some  two  or  three 
hundred  acres.  This  includes  all  in  that  section  of  the  township.  The 
other  and  main  body  of  timber  in  East  Buchanan  Township  lies  in  sec- 
tions 31  and  32,  of  township  67,  range  41.  in  townships  35  and  36,  of 
township  67,  range  42,  and  the  northern  portions  of  sections  1,  2  and  3, 
of  township  66,  range  42,  the  whole  including  considerable  over  2,000 
acres  of  wood  land. 

The  surface  of  West  Buchanan  Township,  originally,  as  before  stated, 
Bluff  Township,  is  composed  entirely  of  bottom  land,  and  is  immensely 
productive  of  corn  and  the  other  staples  grown  there.  Though  at  no 
period  of  its  existence  as  a  township  very  extensive,  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  this  territory  has  yielded  to  the  encroachments  of  the  Missouri, 
and    to-day    the    narrow  strip    extending    in  a    distance    of  six    miles, 


BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP.  87 1 

between  the  banks  of  the  Nishnebotna  and  the  Missouri,  and  known  as 
West  Buchanan  Township,  embraces  but  little  over  nine  square 
miles.  It  is  a  dead  level  surface,  and  though  encompassed  on  three 
sides  by  the  waters  of  the  Missouri  and  Nishnebotna  Rivers,  has  within 
its  limits  no  running  streams. 

Timber  abounds  in  the  fractional  sections,  1,  2  and  35,  and  in  the 
west  half  of  section  36,  of  township  66,  range  43.  This  grove  also 
extends  into  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  6,  township  66,  range  42, 
The  whole  tract,  which  occupies  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the 
county,  embraces  about  one  thousand  three  hundred  acres  of  timber,  of 
different  growths  and  qualities. 

BRIDGES. 

Buchanan  Township  has,  crossing  the  streams  within  and  bordering 
on  its  limits,  eleven  bridges  of  various  spans  and  character  of  workman- 
ship. These  will  be.  found  specially  noted  in  the  general  chapter  on 
bridges. 

THE   PIONEER   AND    HIS   INDIAN    PROGENY. 

Buchanan  Township,  though  not  settled  to  the  same  extent,  at  as 
early  a  period,  as  some  of  the  other  portions  of  the  county,  yet  claims  a 
pioneer  within  its  limits,  as  early  as  1839.  This  settler  was  a  Frenchman, 
by  the  name  of  Joseph  Bernard,  but  almost  universally  known  through 
this  section  of  the  country  by  the  nick-name  "  Faw-faw."  He  built  in 
1839  the  first  house  within  the  present  limits  of  Buchanan  Township. 
This  was  a  log  cabin  on  the  Nishnebotna  River,  at  a  point  known  as  the 
Narrows  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  site  of  old  El  Paso.  Here  he  estab- 
lished, and  for  many  years  after,  operated  the  first  ferry  within  the  limits 
of  what  is  now  Atchison  County.  This  was  a  noted  crossing  of  the 
Nishnebotna  River  on  the  great  stage  and  mail  route  between  Saint 
Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs.  Bernard  or  "  Faw-faw"  as  he  was  popularly 
styled,  had  a  squaw  wife  by  whom  he  had  several  children.  The  eldest 
of  these,  a  son,  assisted  his  father  tor  several  years,  in  operating  the 
ferry.  On  the  death  of  the  old  man,  however,  the  Indian  instinct  pre- 
ponderating over  his  white  proclivities,  he  abandoned  the  ferry,  and 
crossing  the  Missouri  into  what  is  now  the  State  of  Nebraska,  he  joined 
the  Otoes.  The  intelligence  acquired  by  a  life  association  with  the 
whites,  coupled  with  that  peculiar  sagacity  which,  in  the  red  man,  savors 
so  powerfully  of  the  unerring  promptings  of  instinct,  rendered  him 
doubly  welcome  among  his  new  and  barbarous  friends,  among  whom  he 
soon  rose  to  the  rank  of  chief,  in  which  exalted  position  he  afterwards 
succeeded  in  achieving  the  distinction  of  being  the  most  unmitigated 
scoundrel  of  any  half-breed  on  the  border. 


872  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

OTHER   EARLY    SETTLERS. 

The  second  settler  to  locate  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  Buch- 
anan Township  was  Augustus  Borchers,  who,  with  his  brother  George, 
was  also  the  first  to  sell  goods  within  the  limits  of  Holt  County.  Mr. 
Borchers,  one  of  the  most  successful  as  well  as  enterprising  of  the  early- 
pioneers  of  the  Platte  Purchase,  settled  in  what  is  now  Buchanan  Town- 
ship, in  1840.  He  subsequently  founded  the  present  populous  and  pros- 
perous city  of  Hamburg,  Iowa,  whose  limits  extend  to  within  half  a  mile 
of  the  northern  boundary  of  Atchison  County,  and  of  which  he  is  still 
(1882)  an  honored  citizen.  Simon  Fleury,  who  afterwards  moved  to  the 
state  of  Oregon,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Lamoroux,  also  came  in 
the  same  year. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Atchison  County,  is  Thomas  Rash, 
Esq.,  a  native  of  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  who,  on  his  first  arrival  in 
the  county,  in  1842,  located  in  what  is  now  included  within  the  limits  of 
the  Country  of  Fremont,  and  State  of  Iowa,  about  six  miles  north  of  the 
present  northern  boundary  of  Atchison  County,  but  in  that  day  included 
within  the  confines  of  Holt  County,  Missouri,  which  then  embraced,  or 
was  supposed  to  embrace  not  only  all  of  what  is  now  Atchison  County, 
but  a  strip  ten  miles  in  width  off  what  is  now  the  southern  part  of  the 
state  of  Iowa.  Esquire  Rash  afterwards  moved  south,  and  enjoys  the 
distinction  of  having  been  the  first  to  fill  the  office  of  mayor  of  the  city 
of  Rock  Port.  'Squire  Rash  was  the  first  man  married  in  Atchison 
County.  The  event  occurred  June  29,  1842.  His  bride  was  Miss  Cassa 
Ann  White,  daughter  of  Hezekiah  White,  deceased.  In  l86i,  he  settled 
in  his  present  (1882)  home  in  Buchanan  Township.  Monroe  George  set- 
tled in  the  neighborhood  in  1842.  In  1844,  came  Major  John  Worlen, 
from  Germany,  who  laid  off  El  Paso,  as  elsewhere  referred  to.  In  the 
same  year  Ira  Maxon,  from  New  York,  (since  dead)  settled  in  what  is 
now  the  northern  part  of  the  .township.  Gideon  Bennett,  who  also  set- 
tled there  in  1844,  afterwards  emigrated  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
In  1845,  came  Gilbert  Woolsey  and  his  brother,  G.  W.  Woolsey,  the 
former  since  dead,  and  the  latter  living  in  1882.  G.  Cronog,  from  New 
York,  was  also  a  very  early  settler  of  the  township.  He  went  west  with 
the  California  emigration  of  1849.  Robert  Anderson,  of  Virginia,  since 
dead,  was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  section.  Major  Charles  C. 
Walkbaum,  who  afterwards  moved  to  Nebraska,  where  he  died,  settled 
within  the  limits  of  the  township  in  1845. 

Rev.  J.  F.  Duncan,  a  Christian  minister,  was  also  a  pioneer  in  this 
section  of  the  county,  and  was  for  several  succeeding  years  a  leading 
spirit  in  the  neigborhood. 

Jacob  McKissock  was  also  an  early  settler  of  what  was  formerly 
known  as  the  northern  part  of  Holt  County.     That  portion  of  the  county 


BUCHANAN    TOWNSHIP.  875 

in  which  he  settled,  however,  was,  on  the  ultimate  reduction  of  the 
limits  of  Atchison  County,  included  within  the  boundaries  of  the  State 
of  Iowa.  It  is  not  known  that  he  ever  resided  within  the  area  of  what  is 
now  Atchison  County,  though  he  owned  large  landed  possessions  there, 
and  built  and  owned  a  warehouse  at  old  Sacramento  City.  Granville 
Cox,  from  South  Carolina,  came  in  1848.  In  1850,  came  William  Lewis 
from  the  State  of  Ohio.  He  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sacramento 
City,  near  the  Narrows,  and  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  was  a  noted 
character,  engaging  in  acts  of  lawlessness  to  which  reference  will  be 
found  in  the  criminal  record. 

Major  Charles  A.  Holly  was  also  an  early  settler  of  that  neighbor- 
hood, as  was  John  A.  Holly,  of  Tennessee  (since  dead). 

A.  Beattie,  from  Kentucky,  was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this 
section,  as  was  also  Charles  Zachariah,  a  German. 

Washington  Zuck,  from  Kentucky,  Captain  Hunter,  Joseph  Pritch- 
ard,  Ephraim  Reed,  Stephen  Clavton  and  Enoch  Ingleman,  all  came  to 
the  county  prior  to  1862. 

EL     PASO. 

El  Paso,  the  original  town  of  Buchanan  Township,  was  laid  out  by 
Major  John  Worlen  and  wife.  The  plot  of  the  survey,  which  was  run  by 
Cornelius  Schubert,  a  civil  engineer  and  one  of  the  original  German 
colony  which  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  city  of  Rock 
Port,  and  to  which  full  reference  will  be  found  under  the  head  of  Clay 
Township,  was  filed  in  the  clerk's  office  of  the  circuit  court  of  Atchison 
County,  July  4,.  1853.  The  town,  which  has  long  since  disappeared,  was 
laid  out  at  the  Narrows,  between  the  Nishnebotna  and  Missouri  Rivers, 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  2,  township  66,  range  42,  and  con- 
tained 27t6q3q-  acres.  The  streets  ran  in  a  northeasterly  and  southwes- 
terly direction,  and  were  intersected  at  right  angles  by  others.  The 
principal  of  these  were  Main,  Second,  Third  and  Fourth.  The  cross 
streets,  two  in  number,  were  styled  respectively  John  and  Matilda.  The 
only  store  in  the  place  was  finally  kept  by  Major  John  Worlen.  There 
was  also  a  blacksmith  shop  in  the  town.  This  was  run  by  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Andrew  Howber. 

El  Paso  was,  for  several  years,  a  noted  trading  point.  Rudasill, 
Cooper  &  Co.  first  sold  goods  there.  This  firm  was  succeeded  by  Major 
Worlen,  who  was  the  company  of  the  concern  above  referred  to.  They 
also  had  a  warehouse  just  below  the  site  of  Sacramento.  This  was  called 
the  Linden  warehouse,  and  the  place  was,  for  a  considerable  period,  an 
important  steamboat  landing  and  shipping  point  on  the  Missouri  River. 
The  first  and  only  post  office  ever  established  in  the  township  was  kept 
by  Major  Worlen,  in  his  store  at  El  Paso.  Some  time  after  the  laying 
out  of  this  town  the  cutting  through  of  the  Nishnebotna,  at  the  Narrows, 


874  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

injured  the  Linden  landing,  which  was  its  entrepot  on  the  Missouri 
River,  and  a  landing  was  established  a  short  distance  above.  This  was 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  10,  township 
66,  range  42.     A  town  was  laid  out   here,  and  dignified  by  the   name  of 

SACRAMENTO   CITY. 

It  was,  for  the  period  and  locality,  a  noted  business  center  and  an 
important  steamboat  landing.  It,  at  one  time,  contained  about  a  dozen 
houses.  The  Rev.  J.  F.  Duncan,  who  laid  out  the  town,  was  the  first  to 
sell  goods  in  the  place.  Some  time  after,  J.  T.  Davis,  afterwards  a  prom- 
inent business  man  and  banker  of  the  city  of  Hamburg,  Iowa,  sold  goods 
there.  Mike  Toulan  kept  the  first  saloon  in  the  place.  Some  time  after 
Charles  Zachariah  sold  whisky  there.  Sacramento  City  never  had  a 
blacksmith  shop  nor  a  post  office.  A  large  two  story  warehouse,  which 
was  built  by  Jacob  Mc'Kissock,  at  El  Paso  landing,  was  afterwards  moved 
to  Hamburg,  Iowa.  Sacramento  afforded,  lor  some  time,  a  steamboat 
landing,  both  for  Sidney,  Iowa,  and  for  Linden,  Missouri. 

The  change  in  the  channel  of  the  Missouri  put  an  end  to  the 
importance  of  both  localities,  and  the  laying  out  of  the  city  of  Ham- 
burg by  Augustus  Borchers  in  1857  completed  their  destruction  as  busi- 
ness points. 

About  1872  the  town  of  El  Paso  was  vacated  by  act  of  the  county 
court  and  the  town  site  reverted  to  the  farm  owned  by  the  widow  of 
Major  John  Worlen,  now  Mrs.  Pritchard.  Sacramento  about  the  same 
period  was  also  vacated  and  all  the  buildings  worth  moving  were  taken 
to  Hamburg. 

MILLS. 

Woodruf  &  Co.  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  Buchanan  Township,  in  a 
very  early  day.  This  mill  was  located  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
township  at  a  period  when  the  same  was  known  as  Bluff  Township. 
Ransom  Parmeter  afterwards  had  a  saw  mill  in  the  timber  above  the 
Narrows.  Saw  mills  in  different  localities  of  the  township,  at  differ- 
ent periods,  were  owned  and  operated  by  Fletcher  Bros.,  A.  W.  Cooley, 
Samuel  A.  Hunter  and  Henry  A.  Lewis.  Carmichael  &  La  Teer  also 
operated  a  saw  mill  in  the  township  in  a  comparatively  early  day. 
About  1857  or  1858  one  small  run  of  burrs  was  attached  to  Fletcher 
Bros.'  saw  mill.  This  was  the  only  approach  to  a  grist  mill  ever 
attempted  in  the  township,  and  the  undertaking  failed  to  prove  either 
a  permanent  or  remunerative  enterprise.  Both  the  Fletcher  brothers 
are  dead.  Ransom  Parmeter's  saw  mill  was,  in  its  day,  rather  a  noted 
institution  of  its  kind.  The  locality  in  which  it  stood  rejoiced  in  the 
euphonious  cognomen  of  Hog-thief  Bend. 


(I 


BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP.  875 

FIRST    SCHOOL. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught  in  a  log  cabin  above 
the  Narrows,  known  as  the  Wallbaum  school  house.  The  pioneer 
teacher  was  Professor  Howell.  Henry  Lowe's  school  house,  built  in 
1852,  on  the  Lowe  place,  was  also  one  of  the  earliest  institutions  of  the 
kind  in  the  township. 

CHJRCHES. 

The  earliest  religious  organization  within  the  limits  of  Buchanan 
Township  was  effected  by  the  Missionary  Baptists  as  early  as  1848. 
The  Rev.  Elias  Finley  was  their  preacher.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the 
civil  war  he  left  the  country  and  went  south.  Though  including  a  con- 
siderable membership  they  were  never  provided  with  a  house  of  wor- 
ship of  their  own. 

The  first  edifice  erected  for  a  place  of  worship  in  the  township  was 
a  frame  structure  built  in  1878  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  one-half  of  the  cost  of  which  was  paid  by  Moses  W.  Payne,  of 
Boone  County,  Missouri,  and  the  other  half  by  the  members  of  the  con- 
gregation. It  is  known  as  Cox's  Chapel,  and  cost  about  $1,000.  Rev. 
Mr.  Hedgepeth  is  the  present  minister  in  charge. 

The  Christians  or  New  Lights  have  an  organization  near  McKis- 
sock's  Grove  and  hold  services  at  Sellers'  school  house.  Rev.  Mrs. 
Maggie  Wallace,  formerly  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  is  minister  in  charge. 

THE   OVERFLOW 

of  the  spring  of  1881,  was  not  without  its  disastrous  consequences  in  the 
bottom  lands  of  this  fertile  and  well  improved  section  of  the  county. 
The  rapid  and  continuous  rise  of  the  waters  soon  flooded  almost  the 
entire  area  of  the  wide  expanse  of  bottom  lands,  stretching  westward 
from  the  bold  peaks  and  headlands  which,  in  a  continuous  chain  of 
greater  or  less  elevation  and  distance  from  the  river,  afford  a  barrier  to 
the  encroachments  of  the  too  often  turbid  Missouri,  in  a  distance  of 
almost  its  entire  length.  This  overflow  was  peculiarly  disastrous  in  its 
effects  in  Atchison  County,  and  not  less  so  in  the  bottom  lands  of 
Buchanan  than  in  other  border  townships.  The  inhabitants  of  these 
fertile  and  well  improved  lands  were  compelled  to  fly  in  the  suddenly 
extemporized  boats  and  floating  arks,  with  whatever  necessaries  could 
be  collected,  and  seek  refuge  in  the  uplands,  where  they  remained  till  the 
surging  waters  had  subsided,  and  they  were  thus  enabled  to  revisit  their 
desolated  homes.  Among  the  inconveniences  incident  to  this  overflow 
was  one  of  a  nature  peculiarly  disastrous,  and  of  such  character  that  its 
only  possible  remedy,  anomalous  as   it  may  sound,  rests  in   the  contin- 


876  HISTORY   Of   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

gency  of  another  overflow  as  powerful  in  its  action,  and  as  complete  in 
its  results,  as  the  one  to  which  we  refer.     This  is  a  vast  deposit  of  sand 
covering  in  a  depth  of  from  one  to  six  feet,  several  hundred  acres  of  valu- 
able farming  lands  in  the  neighborhood,  extending  between  old  Sonora 
and  Peru  landing. 

The  wonderful  resources  of  this  inexhaustibly  fruitful  soil,  however, 
seem  generally  p^oof  against  any  ordinary  assault  of  fortune,  and  few 
amid  the  present  manifestations  of  thrift  and  prosperity,  would  dream 
of  the  disastrous  consequences  that  so  recently  accrued  to  this  favored 
land,  from  the  presence  of  a  desolating  flood.  Washed  out  highways 
were  reconstructed  as  speedily  as  the  nature  of  the  incurred  damage 
would  warrant ;  bridges  of  a  superior  character  of  construction  took  the 
place  of  the  old  crossings  swept  away  by  the  booming  surges  of  the  flood  ; 
private  enterprise,  following  in  the  wake  where  it  had  not  already  led 
the  van  of  public  improvement,  bespoke  the  energy  and  prompt  deter- 
mination of  an  awakened  people,  and  on  every  hand  the  hum  of 
industry  was  heard  in  the  revival  of  business  and  work  of  reconstruction. 
Less  than  a  year  has  now  (1882)  elapsed  since  the  period  of  that  terrible 
visitation,  and  its  very  memory  with  its  departed  consequences,  is  becom- 
ing a  vague  incident  of  the  past,  and  bids  fair  at  no  distant  day,  to  be 
mentioned,  if  mentioned  at  all,  with  the  great  flood  of  1843,  as  a  long  ago 
incident  in  the  history  of  a  great  and  prosperous  country. 


A^i^. 


^BIOGRAPHICAL.* 

CHARLES  HENRY  CARPENTER, 

farmer,  section  16,  was  born  in  Virginia,  September  29,  1833.  He  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  in  youth,  which  has  been  a  portion  of  his  life-work. 
April  20,  1856,  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Linden,  Atchison 
County,  where  he  made  his  home  for  several  years,  doing  quite  an  exten- 
sive business  in  building,  some  of  the  best  structures  in  this  vicinity 
being  specimens  of  his  work.  In  i860  he bought"i20  acres  of  his  present 
farm  and  made  nearly  all  the  present  improvements,  and  has  bought 
land  adjoining  from  time  to  time  until  his  is  one  of  the  celebrated 
farms  of  the  county,  having  450  acres  of  land.  September  5,  1858,  Mr. 
Carpenter  married  the  accomplished  Miss  Mary  L.  Livingston,  daughter 
of  Valentine  Livingston,  of  Rock  Port,  but  formerly  of  Indiana.     They 


BUCHANAN  TOWNSHIP.  877 

have  seven  children  living  i  Lucy  Miller,  William  Preston,  Lillie  Bell, 
Mollie  May,  George  Burt,  Anna  Bessie  and  Daisy  Maud  Muller.  Mr.  C. 
has  an  orchard  of  450  choice  fruit  trees  on  ten  acres  of  land.  Special 
mention  should  be  made  of  Mrs.  C.'s  cultivated  taste  in  her  flower  and 
house  plant  department.  Her  endless  variety  of  roses,  with  other  rare 
flowers  selected  from  Father  Vick's  collection,  together  with  her  house 
plants,  renders  her  garden  and  grounds  a  beautiful  spot.  Her  daugh- 
ters, too,  are  being  educated  to  their  mother's  tastes.  Mr.  C.  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat.  In  his  farm- 
ing operations  he  has  been  more  than  usually  fortunate,  and  is  ably* 
qualified  to  fill  any  position  to  which  he  might  be  called,  endowed  as  he 
is  with  the  Jeffersonian  qualifications,  honesty  and  capability.  He  is  a 
friend  to  all,  and  has  many  acquaintances.  Before  long  he  contemplates 
building  a  model  dwelling. 

ALBERT  CASEY. 

section  35,  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  in  August,  1836.  His  father, 
Edward  Casey,  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  this  county  near  Phelps, 
in  1849.  He  bought  a  claim  and  improved  a  farm,  and  the  boys  although 
young,  worked  hard  with  their  father  to  make  a  good  home.  Mrs. 
Casey  was  formerly  Jeanette  Hunter,  a  sister  of  Uncle  Billy  and  Jimmy 
Hunter,  who  were  among  the  oldest  settlers  here.  They  were  married 
in  Nova  Scotia,  in  1835,  and  had  fifteen  children,  six  now  living: 
Albert,  Levi,  Lafayette,  Miram,  Annie,  Mary,  (now  Mrs.  James  M. 
Scammon).  Hiram,  a  young  man,  was  killed  in  a  well.  In  1868,  Albert 
married  Miss  Lydia  Tate,  the  daughter  of  Judge  Samuel  B.  Tate,  who 
was  from  Kentucky.  He  settled  in  the  county  in  1849.  He  married  Miss 
Jane  Sloan,  in  Kentucky  ;  they  had  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing :  Cecelia,  James  and  Samuel,  (twins),  Charles,  Mary,  Margeret  and 
Lydia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Casey  have  but  one  child  :  Don  Guy,  born  June 
19,  1871.  Mr.  Casey  subsequently  moved  upon  his  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
which  he  improved  ;  it  is  easy  to  work  and  sure  of  a  crop,  and  is  situated 
on  the  old  bed  of  the  Missouri  ;  very  little  of  it  washes.  Mr.  Casey  is  a 
general  favorite  with  everybody  and  is  candid  and  reliable.  Fifty  yards 
from  his  door  is  the  landing,  where  the  steamboats  used  to  stop  for 
wood,  and  now  what  was  once  the  bed  of  the  immense  Missouri  River, 
is  a  pasture  for  his  stock.  He  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  State 
Guards,  Second  Regimeht,  during  the  war,  and  was  with  General  Price 
for  eleven  months,  when  he  entered  the  battery  service.  He  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  lost  an  eye  at  the  battle  of  Three  Creeks, 
in  Arkansas.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  south,  and  is  Demo- 
cratic in  his  political  views.  In  1853,  Mr.  Casey  went  to  California  and 
was  engaged  for  some  time  in  the  mines,  and  in  herding  cattle.     This 


878  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

was  his  first  trip  from  home  and  he  experienced  a  severe  time  in  the  cold 
winter,  while  crossing  the  mountains. 

HENRY  H.  CLAYTON, 

farmer  and  fruit  grower,  section  1 1,  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  Indi- 
ana, February  3,  1849,  an<^  in  1852  came  with  his  father,  Stephen  Clay- 
ton, to  Logan  County,  Illinois.  In  1856  they  removed  to  Missouri  and 
settled  in  this  county  and  township.  Stephen  Clayton  bought  240  acres 
of  land,  which  he  improved,  built  substantial  buildings  and  made  a  good 
home.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Ray,  in  Indiana,  in  1847.  They  had 
five  children  :  Henry  H.,  John  Robert,  Stephen  F.,  Charley  McC.  and 
Mary  Jane.  Mr.  C.  died  in  1867  and  his  wife  in  1872.  In  1869  Henry 
moved  on  to  his  land,  near  Tarkio,  and  improved  eighty  acres,  remaining 
there  until  after  the  death  of  his  mother,  when  he  sold  out  and  returned 
home  and  took  charge  of  the  old  farm.  Here  he  continued  to  dwell  until 
the  children  grew  up,  when  Robert  bought  the  most  of  the  homestead. 
Henry  then  bought  his  present  farm  of  229  acres,  where  he  has  made 
large  improvements,  building  a  fine  residence,  barn,  etc.  On  his  farm 
was  an  orchard,  set  out  by  James  White,  of  2,000  trees  of  the  choicest 
varieties  of  fruit.  Mr.  Clayton  married  Miss  Louisa  Spellebery,  August 
23,  1867.  She  was  the  daughter  of  John  Spellebery,  of  Germany,  but 
now  of  this  county.  They  have  three  children:  William  Kinney,  Paul 
Bert  and  an  infant.  In  politics  Mr.  C.  is  a  Republican.  He  has  been  a 
very  successful  farmer  and  spends  much  of  his  time  in  his  orchard,  the 
largest  in  the  county.  He  sold,  the  past  year,  $1,500  worth  of  apples.  In 
1877  he  went  to  the  Black  Hills,  in  the  freighting  business,  and  in  1879 
to  Salt  Lake,  entering  into  the  stock  business. 

ALFRED  COPPAGE, 

farmer,  section  4,  was  born  in  Scott  County,  Kentucky,  in  1832.  His 
father,  Paton  Coppage,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  his  mother  whose 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Barlow,  w>as  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  Alfred 
came  with  his  father  to  Brown  County,  Illinois,  where  they  improved  a 
farm  and  remained  until  1866.  Young  Coppage  then  moved  to  Iowa, 
and  one  year  later  came  co  Missouri,  and  settled  in  this  county,  where 
he  now  resides,  after  renting  farms  for  five  years  to  make  a  good  start. 
He  has  a  farm  of  160  acres,  and  is  one  of  the  most  industrious  and  inde- 
pendent farmers  in  the  township.  He  married  Emeline  Lynn,  of  Illinois,, 
in  1858.  Her  father  was  Newton  Lynn.  Their  children  are  Eliza  Jane, 
now  Mrs.  A.  T.  Athen,  Mary  and  Alice.  Mr.  C.  belongs  to  the  Christ- 
ian Church,  (New  Light)  and  is  a  Union  Democrat.  He  has  been  very 
successful  in  a1!  his  undertakings,  and  is  a  man  universally  respected.. 


BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP.  879 

GRANVILLE  H.  COX, 

farmer,  section  36,  was  born  in  Grayson  County,  Virginia,  November  29, 
1822.  His  father,  Samuel  Cox,  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  his 
mother,  formerly  Susan  Fender,  was  born  in  Ashe  County,  North  Caro- 
lina. Granville  Cox  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  He  subsequently  set- 
tled in  Ashe  County,  North  Carolinia,  and  there  married  Nancy  Cornelia 
Choat  in  1843.  Her  father  was  Richard  Choat,  of  Ashe  County.  They 
have  eight  children  living  :  Martha  Jane,  Joshua  Carter,  Sarah  Ann, 
(now  Mrs.  S.  S.  Choat)  ;  Charity  Lucinda,  (now  Mrs.  J.  Smith)  ;  Susan, 
(now  Mrs.  F.  Johnson) ;  Samuel,  Fanny  and  Phoebe.  Four  died  in  infancy, 
Marion  died  in  1864  in  Denver,  aged  eighteen,  William  Tolbert  died  in 
1864,  aged  sixteen,  and  John  C.  died  in  1879  when  thirty  years  of  age. 
In  1855  Mr.  C.  sold  his  farm  in  North  Carolina  and  came  to  this  county 
and  bought  the  claim  of  his  present  farm,  which  consists  of  252  acres, 
and  upon  it  he  has  made  beautiful  and  substantial  improvements.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  South,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 
He  is  liberal  in  assisting  to  improve  society,  build  churches,  encourage 
the  best  schools  and  endeavors  to  make  the  world  better  for  his  having 
lived  in  it.  Mrs.  Cox  died  January  16,  1879,  and  in  her  death  a  great 
loss  was  sincerely  felt  by  hosts  of  her  former  friends. 

WILLIAM  EICKHOLT, 

farmer,  section  31,  was  born  in  Putnam  County,  Ohio,  December  28 1 
1848.  His  father,  Barney  Eickholt,  was  born  in  Germany,  and  his  mother 
was  formerly  Elizabeth  Neiman.  William  received  a  good  education  in 
Ohio.  Barney  Eickholt  had  a  very  valuable  farm  in  Ohio,  which  was 
divided  at  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1876.  His  wife  is  now  living 
with  her  son,  in  Nodaway  County.  William  came  to  this  county  in 
1869,  and  worked  out  and  rented  land  for  several  years,  until  he  bought 
the  farm  he  now  owns  of  H.  H.  Clayton,  containing  140  acres.  He  has 
erected  a  good  house  and  barn,  and  made  many  other  valuable  improve- 
ments. His  farm  is  a  good  one,  and  he  knows  how  to  conduct  it 
properly.  Mr.  Eickholt  is  a  man  calculated  to  lend  his  influence  in  sup- 
porting all  good  works.  He  married  Miss  Katie  Frede  in  1879.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Joseph  B.  Frede,  Sr.,  of  Watson.  They  have  one  child, 
a  son,  Joseph,  born  July  6,  1879.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
religiously  a  Catholic. 

DANIEL  GERMANN, 

farmer,  section  4,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  in  November,  1820.  While 
in  his  native  country  he  worked  in  a  slate  mine.  In  August,  1840,  he 
came   to  this  continent  and   settled    in    Princeton,   Canada,  where    he 


880  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

learned  the  chair  and  furniture  business.  After  remaining  there  some 
three  years  he  moved  to  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  built  a  shop  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  two  years.  He  there  also  learned  the  millwright 
trade  and  followed  that  occupation  for  several  years.  In  185 1  he  bought 
a  saw  mill  in  Whitley  County,  Indiana,  and  worked  it  for  five  years. 
He  then  went  to  Hillsdale  County,  Michagan,  erected  a  saw  mill,  which 
he  operated  until  1858,  when  he  sold  out.  He  returned  to  Whitley 
County,  and  in  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  joining. the  One  Hundredth 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  At  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge,  in  the  fall 
of  1863,  he  lost  his  left  arm,  and  in  the  battle  the  steel  clasp  of  his 
money  purse  saved  a  severe  wound  in  the  thigh,  and  a  spent  .ball  hit  the 
other  lower  limb.  His  arm  was  amputated  and  he  now  receives  a  pen- 
sion. He  obtained  an  honorable  discharge  at  Indianapolis  at  the  close 
of  the  war.  In  1868  Mr.  G.  moved  to  Grant  County,  Wisconsin,  and 
partially  improved  120  acres  of  land.  In  1872  he  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Missouri  and  settled  in  this  county,  where  he  bought  his  farm  of  120 
acres  and  has  made  a  fine  place.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
religiously  a  Baptist.  He  was  married  in  Whitley  County,  Indiana,  to 
Elizebeth  Graves  on  April  19,  1855.  There  are  five  children  living  by 
this  union  :  Edmond,  James  Walter,  Ester  Ellen,  Daniel  Grant  and 
Elizabeth.  Three  children,  William  T.,  Susanna  L.  and  Frank  Ells- 
worth, are  dead.  Mrs.  Germann  died  February  24,  1876.  Mr.  G.  is 
giving  much  attention  to  the  raising  of  the  Catalpa  tree,  said  to  be  the 
best  for  growth,  groves  and  for  fence  posts. 

JOHN   GOOD, 

•deceased,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  East  Tennessee,  in  January, 
1812.  His  wife  was  Susanna  Harmon,  of  East  Tennessee,  born  October, 
30,  1816,  and  whom  he  married  July  25,  1833.  He  came  to  Missouri  in 
1854,'  and  settled  at  Sonora,  but  very  soon  bought  300  acres  of  land  on 
the  Tarkio,  entrusted  a  supposed  friend  to  $1,100  in  notes  and  money 
to  build  and  make  certain  improvements,  etc.,  but  the  title  was  defective, 
and  the  friend,  who  proved  to  be  a  rogue,  ran  away  with  the  money  and 
sold  the  notes  to  innocent  parties.  In  after  years,  Mr.  G.  had  the  notes 
to  pay,  thus  beginning  in  the  world  anew  and  in  debt.  He  bought  eighty 
acres  of  his  old  farm,  moved  a  shop  from  Sonora  upon  it  for  a  house,  in 
which  he  lived  for  many  years.  He  and  his  noble  wife  both  worked 
hard,  were  blessed  with  good  success,  and  in  a  few  years  he  added  to  his 
farm,  and  became  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in  the  county,  own- 
ing 340  acres  at  the  time  of  his  death.  They  had  fourteen  children  : 
Marion,  McDaniel,  Adam  H.,  Andrew  Jackson,  Elbert,  Charles  Mont- 
gomery, Salina,  (Mrs.  B.  Plasters)  Amanda,  (Mrs.  N.  H.  Morgan)  Phoebe, 
(Mrs.    Lott    Watts)    Sarena    E.,     Mrs.  George  Bowers.     Two    died    in 


BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP.  88 1 

infancy.  Mr.  Good  died  April  23,  1878.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  Democrat  in  politics.  Few  men 
have  left  a  better  family  of  intelligent,  industrious  children,  or  a  more 
honorable  mame. 

ANDREW  JACKSON  GOOD, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  owner  of  245  acres  of  land,  his  home  being 
on  section  15.  He  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tennessee,  in  March, 
1847,  and  in  1857  came  to  Missouri,  with  his  father,  who  settled  in  this 
county.  He  grew  up  at  home,  helping  his  father  to  improve  a  beautiful 
farm.  He  married  Miss  Minnie  Noble,  November  9,  1872.  She  was 
the  daughter  or  Frederick  Noble,  of  Nebraska,  and  died  in  Texas  in  1877. 
There  are  by  this  union  two  children  living,  Susan  Pearl  and  Charles 
Winfred.  Joseph  C.  died  when  three  years  old.  Mr.  Good  commenced 
life  with  forty  acres  of  land,  given  him  by  his  father.  To  this  he  has 
added,  from  time  to  time,  until  he  is  one  of  the  large  farmers  of  the 
county.  He  has  a  fine  residence,  barns  and  other  improvements.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  religiously  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian. 
Few  young  farmers  stand  higher  in  society  than  Mr.  Good.  His  home 
and  surroundings  show  culture  and  taste.  The  senior  Good  gave  each 
of  his  sons  forty  acres  of  land,  which  they  are  all  improving  and  to  which 
they  are  continually  adding. 

MATHEW  HOUSTON  HATTEN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  12,  was  born  in  Kanawha  County,  West 
Virginia,  July  18,  1838.  His  father,  William  Dunbar  Hatten,  was  of 
Amhurst,  Virginia,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Eliza  Meeks,  of  Rockbridge 
County,  Virginia.  Matthew  came  to  Holt  County,  Missouri,  with  his 
father,  in  1852.  In  1865  he  went  to  Nebraska,  returning  in  1870.  He 
has  served  four  years  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics and  belongs  to  the  Baptist  Church.  He  married  Miss  Nancy  Jane 
Norvell,  January  9,  1861.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Norvell,  of  Holt 
County,  but  formerly  of  Kentucky.  Four  children  were  the  result  of 
this  union  :  William  Price,  Katie,  Alvera  Belle  and  an  infant.  Mr.  H. 
commenced  life  poor,  and  has  by  his  own  industry  made  a  farm  which  is 
among  the  best  ones  of  the  township,  containing  250  acres.  His  place 
is  well  adapted  for  both  stock  and  grain  purposes,  and  he  is  well  known 
and  respected.  He  is  a  consistent  christian  worker,  and  with  his  excel- 
lent wife  there  are  but  few  who  are  doing  more  good  in  their  community. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  H.  was  one  of  the  real  pioneers  of  Holt  County,  and 
was  also  among  the  first  to  organize  a  church.  After  Mr.  H.  married  he 
rented  land  for  several  years,  and  in  1865  he  went  to  Nemaha,  County, 
Nebraska,  and  settled  on  school  lands,  improving  his  place  for  several 

56 


882  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

years.  He  then  returned  to  this  county  and  rented  a  farm  from  William 
Patten,  and  in  the  meantime  bought  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He 
erected  the  buildings,  and  well  knows  the  value  of  time  and  the  neces- 
sity of  work  to  be  successful. 

DAVID  PINCKNEY  HOLLY, 

farmer,  section  6,  was  born  in  Henderson  County,  Tennessee,  May  22, 
1841.  He  accompanied  his  father,  John  Holly,  to  Missouri,  he  settling 
on  the  place  his  son  now  owns.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  commenced 
to  work  by  the  month  and  upon  obtaining  enough,  he  bought  forty  acres 
of  the  farm  he  now  owns.  This  he  improved,  and  his  hard  work  has 
brought  its  reward.  In  due  time  he  bought  the  forty-acre  tracts  until 
now  he  is  among  the  large  farmers  of  the  county,  having  450  acres.  He 
has  two  fine  dwellings  and  good  improvements.  Mr.  Holly  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Bougers,  of  North  Carolina,  November  3,  1867.  Her  father  was 
Richard  Bougers.  Of  this  union  there  are  five  children  living  :  Mills, 
Cread  B.,  John  Richard,  Nellie  May  and  Sarah  Ann.  William  Pinckney 
died  February,  1879,  aged  six  years.  Richard  Bougers  came  here  in 
1854  and  settled  on  High  Creek,  where  he  remained  until  he  died  in 
December,  1879.  Mrs.  B.  died  Octcber,  1880.  John  Hawley  died  May 
23»  l%79-  Mr.  H.  is  a  Greenbacker  in  politics  and  belongs  to  the  Chris- 
tian Church.     His  life  has  certainly  been  a  perfect  success. 

JAMES  SMITH  HOWELL, 

farmer,  teacher  and  surveyor,  is  the  owner  of  100  acres  of  land,  on  sec- 
tion 1,  and  also  has  a  farm  in  Nebraska.  He  was  born  in  Orange  County, 
New  York,  February  12,  1822.  He  had  but  limited  opportunity  for 
acquiring  an  education,  but  was  a  great  student  from  early  childhood. 
He  commenced  to  teach  a  common  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
He  has  studied  and  taught  for  forty  years,  and  has  become  a  thorough 
scholar  and  an  accomplished  and  practical  teacher.  He  was  elected 
county  surveyor,  in  1876,  and  served  four  years  with  great  credit.  He 
owned  a  farm  and  lived  in  High  Creek  for  several  years,  also  in  Iowa 
and  Nebraska.  Mr.  Howell  married  Eliza  Jane  Pound,  in  1843.  She 
was  the  daughter  ot  Isaac  Pound,  of  Orange  County,  New  York.  Her 
mother  was  Elizabeth  Davis,  of  Orange  County,  who  is  now  ninety-five 
years  old  and  in  good  health.  They  have  nine  children  living  :  Sarah 
Mariah  (now  Mrs.  Austin  Humphrey),  Margaret  (wife  of  L.  D.  Sturde- 
vant),  Josephine  (now  Mrs.  J.  H.  Smith),  Eliza  J.  (now  Mrs.  W.  H.  Spur- 
lock),  Amanda  (wife  of  C.  W.  Lizotte),  James  W.,  Jesse  E.,  Minnie  May 
and  Rosetta.  DeWitt  C.  was  drowned  in  the  Mississippi  River,  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa.     Arabella  died  in  Nebraska,  when  two  years  old.     They  have 


BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP.  88g 

seventeen  grand  children,  many  of  whom  are  among  the  most  promis- 
ing youth  of  the  country.  A  grand  daughter,  Miss  Julia  E.  Humphrey, 
of  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Lincoln  High  School,  and  a 
talented  young  lady,  she  being  among  the  most  accomplished  musicians 
of  the  state.  The  life  of  Mr.  Howell  has  been  a  grand  success,  as  all  will 
acknowledge. 

ANTHONY  JOSEPH    KAISER, 

farmer,  section  i,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  in  July,  1842,  and  in  1844 
emigrated  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Davenport,  Iowa.  His  father 
worked  at  the  cabinet  trade  for  several  years.  Anthony  attended 
school  and  became  a  good  scholar.  In  i860  he  was  employed  by  Major 
Randle  &  Co.  in  driving  a  freighting  team  across  the  plains,  and  thus 
worked  for  two  years.  He  then  went  to  Idaho  and  California,  and  for 
four  years  was  engaged  in  mining.  After  returning  he  went  to  work 
on  the  farm  on  which  his  father  settled  and  made  many  improvements, 
among  which  was  the  erection  of  a  new  residence,  and  he  now  has  a 
desirable  farm  of  156  acres.  Mr.  Kaiser  married  Miss  Frances  Eliza- 
beth English,  September  22,  1867.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Stephen  C 
English,  and  was  born  in  this  township  February  26,  1849.  They  have 
six  children  :  Stephen  Christman,  Elizabeth,  Sarah  Ann,  Mary  Isabelle, 
David  and  Ida  Jane.  From  the  piece  of  land  which  Mr.  K.'s  father  left 
him  he  has  acquired  a  good  property.  Mrs.  K.  is  the  daughter  of  one 
)f  the  early  pioneers  of  the  county,  and  was  brought  up  when  neigh- 
>ors  and  schools  were  scarce.  Mr.  K.  is  a  Catholic.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  He  has  a  thrifty 
>rchard  of  600  trees,  besides  cherry,  plum,  etc.  He  has  held  the  office 
)f  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years  and  is  a  leading  man  of  the 
township. 

JOHN  WESLEY    MAPES, 

farmer,  section  6,  was  born  in  Dearborn  County,  Indiana,  April  23,  1829. 
His  advantages  for  obtaining  an  education  were  very  limited,  yet  he  has 
been  a  student  all  his  life  and  is  well  informed  on  all  important  subjects. 
[e  was  raised  a  farmer.  July  4,  1849,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Stickel, 
the  daughter  of  Peter  Stickel,  of  Jennings  County,  Indiana.  As  his  father 
md  also  his  father's  father-in-law  were  millers,  Mr.  Mapes  also  learned 
that  trade.  He  rented  a  mill  with  his  father-in-law,  in  Indiana,  which  he 
operated  for  several  years,  when  they  came  to  Adams  County,  Iowa  and 
bought  a  mill,  conducting  it  for  seven  years.  He  also  ran  a  saw  mill  for 
a  long  period.  Mrs.  Mapes  died  in  Iowa,  on  the  8th  of  February,  1866, 
leaving  five  children  :  Charles  W.,  Arthur  Wilson,  Manuel  S.,  John  E. 
and  George  W.  He  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Julia  Ann  (Hughes:) 
Athens,  March  3,  1867.     They  have  by  this  union  five  children  ;  Edgar, 


884  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Bird  and  Edmond  Fry  (twins),  Cora  Lee,  and  Ora  Prentice.  Mrs.  M. 
had  three  children  by  her  first  husband,  Mr.  James  S.  Athens  :  Oswell 
Thomas,  Lenora  N.  (now  Mrs.  R.  Millsaps),  and  James  S.  Mr.  Mapes 
is  a  leading  Republican,  and  belongs  to  the  Christian,  or  New  Light 
Church.  Mr.  Mapes  has  a  good  farm  of  ninety-six  acres,  and  a  fine  new 
dwelling. 

JOHN  MARKLEY, 

the  owner  and  occupant  of  "  Bloody  Island,"  was  born  in  Marion  County, 
Ohio,  October  10,  1827.  He  early  moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  spent  his 
youth,  and  in  1857  came  to  Missouri,  settling  in  Gentry  County.  In  1866 
he  located  in  this  county  and  moved  upon  this  island.  Though  it  was 
covered  with  heavy  timber,  he  has  by  hard  work  cleared  it  and  made  a 
perfect  garden.  He  has  erected  good  buildings,  and  has  an  orchard  of 
fine  fruit,  grapes,  peaches,  etc.  Mr.  M.  married  Rebecca  Bird,  of  Indi- 
ana, in  1852.  They  have  seven  children  :  John  Harvey,  Garrett  G., 
Aaron  S.,  Mary,  (now  Mrs.  Solomon  Hoffin),  Albert  and  Alfred,  (twins), 
and  David  George.  He  was  in  the  State  Militia  during  the  war,  and 
served  faithfully.  He  is  one  of  the  honest  and  reliable  men  of  the  com- 
munity, and  attends  to  his  own  business.  When  the  Government  sur- 
veyed the  State  of  Missouri,  their  boundary  line  on  the  west  was  the  Mis- 
souri River,  and  when  the  State  of  Nebraska  was  surveyed  the  river  had 
changed  its  channel  one-half  mile  west,  and  Nebraska  ran  to  the  new  chan- 
nel, and  consequently  an  island  was  left,  which  neither  belongs  to  one  state 
or  the  other,  nor  to  the  Government.  Mr.  M.  is  one  of  the  most  indepen- 
dent men  living.  In  an  early  day,  when  this  island  was  covered  with 
heavy  timber  there  was  quite  a  great  strife,  and  a  rough  set  settled 
there.  Upon  one  occasion  one  party  who  destroyed  the  house  of 
another  was  arrested  and  had  a  trial,  and  one  of  the  party  called  for 
three  cheers  for  "  Bloody  Island."     Thus  the  name. 


JAMES  A.  POINDEXTER, 

section  9,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  East  Tennessee,  April  11, 
1859.  His  father,  William  Poindexter,  moved  to  Missouri  and  settled  at 
Sonora  in  the  fall  of  1859,  at  which  time  he,  with  his  brother,  E.  S.,  opened 
a  store.  During  the  war  they  were  broken  up  by  the  Jayhawkers,  their 
store  and  goods  being  destroyed.  They  then  bought  160  acres  of  land  near 
Sonora,  on  credit  and  improved  it.  In  1864  William  Poindexter  died, 
leaving  his  portion  of  land,  eighty  acres,  to  his  two  children  :  James  A. 
and  Edmonia  S.,  (now  Mrs.  G.  Beal).  The  mother  of  James  A.  died  in 
1873,  and  thus  James  and  his  sister  were  left  alone.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
years,  he  went  to  live  with  his  uncle,  R.  M.  Taylor,  who  had  one  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  county.     Mr.  Taylor  was  a  good  man,  and  James  being 


BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP.  885 

an  industrious  boy,  was  greatly  encouraged  by  him.  He  was  presented  • 
with  two  pigs,  his  first  start  in  life,  and  from  this  small  beginning  the 
income  was  increased  from  time  to  time.  He  soon  commenced  to  buy 
young  stock,  and  when  he  was  twenty  years  old,  he  had  saved  money 
enough  to  purchase  eighty  acres  of  land,  stock  and  other  things  to  start 
a  farm.  He  married  Miss  Lillie  Jane  Stoner,  daughter  of  John  Stoner, 
Esq.,  February  16,  1879.  They  have  one  child:  Daisey  Dean,  born 
April  3,  188 1  ;  one  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  P.  worked  hard  on  his  new  farm 
and  after  making  a  good  start,  he  sold  out  at  a  good  profit  and  bought  a 
second  place  on  which  he  lived  for  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1882,  he 
bought  his  uncle's  large  estate  of  the  widow,  (his  uncle  having  died)( 
disposed  of  his  place  and  moved  on  the  farm  where  he  had  been  brought 
up.  He  now  has  one  of  the  best  places  in  the  county,  containing  480 
acres  of  land.  Mr.  P.  has  made  what  he  now  has  in  a  short  period,  and 
has  established  a  high  reputation  for  honesty,  industry,  and  of  being 
more  than  an  ordinary  farmer.  In  his  political  affinities  he  is  Demo- 
cratic, and  religiously  a  Baptist.  He  contemplates  building  a  new  resi- 
dence and  otherwise  improving  his  farm. 

HENRY  B.  ROBERTS, 

farmer,  is  the  owner  of  600  acres  of  land  on  McKissock's  Island,  Missouri. 
He  was  born  in  Henry  County,  Kentucky,  October  18,  18 10,  and  in  1822, 
removed  to  Illinois.  He  was  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  in  1832,  remain- 
ing in  service  until  its  close.  After  his  return  he  was  appointed  by 
General  Jackson  to  a  lieutenancy  in  the  United  States  Rangers,  to  guard 
the  western  frontier.  He  went  with  his  company  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
and  in  the  spring  the  company  was  ordered  to  guard  a  train  to  New 
Mexico.  In  the  fall  of  1833,  he  resigned  his  commission  for  the  purpose 
of  herding  with  the  Comanche  Indians.  He  returned  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth to  attend  a  court  martial,  and  remained  there  through  the  winter. 
He  was  appointed  commissary  during  the  Florida  War,  and  went  with 
Colonel  Morgan.  They  returned  in  the  spring  of  1838,  to  Liberty,  Mis- 
souri, after  being  discharged.  In  April,  1838,  in  conformity  to  a  law  of 
congress,  forts  were  to  be  established  at  different  points,  among  which, 
one  to  be  at  Table  Creek,  where  Nebraska  City  now  is.  Mr.  Roberts 
and  A.  G.  Williams  were  to  supply  the  future  fort  with  beef,  corn  and 
hay.  So  they  made  a  claim  of  a  tract  of  land  where  Sonora  now  stands, 
in  Atchison  County,  broke  100  acres,  and  planted  it  in  corn,  &c.  This 
was  in  the  spring  of  1838,  and  it  is  claimed  by  some  that  it  was  the  first 
settlement  made  in  the  county.  They  built  a  house,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1839,  Charles  Beacham  bought  out  Thomas  Wilson,  and  in  December  of 
the  same  year,  Mr.  Beacham  went  to  Ray  County,  Missouri,  after  some 
hogs.     There  he  fell  in  with  Callaway  Millsaps  and  his  wife,  and  two  of 


886  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

.her  brothers,  and  also  Alexander  Hawley.  He  brought  them  to  Sonora, 
to  keep  house  and  work  on  the  farm.  Mr.  R.  gave  the  city  of  Sonora  its 
name,  it  meaning  Rising  Sun  in  Spanish.  Mrs.  Millsaps  gave  birth  to 
the  first  child  in  the  county,  at  Mr.  R.'s  house.  The  child  is  now  Wil- 
liam Millsaps.  Mr.  R.  subsequently  went  to  California,  but  returned 
and  made  a  claim  in  Nemaha  County,  Nebraska.  He  afterwards  sold 
out,  and  in  1870,  he  bought  land  on  the  island,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  married  Mary  King  in  1846.  They  have  six  children  living:  Eliza- 
beth Ann,  Nancy  R.,  Benoni  B.,  George  Albert,  Nancy  Alice,  and  Wil- 
liam Tillman.  They  have  lost  four.  Mr.  Roberts  having  spent  his  entire 
life  on  the  border,  has  seen  and  experienced  true  pioneer  life.  He  has  a 
good  farm  on  the  island,  and  a  good  range  for  stock.  A  bill  is  now 
pending  before  congress  to  have  this  island  attached  to  Missouri,  as  it 
now  is,  it  not  being  in  either  Nebraska  or  Missouri. 

JOHN  WOERBER 

was  the  owner  of  600  acres  of  land  and  lived  on  section  2.  He  was  born 
in  Germany,  August  11,  181 1,  and  when  thirty  years  of  age  he  emigrated 
to  this  country.  He  received  a  thorough  education  in  that  country  and 
Became  a  leader  of  the  Reform  party.  He  was  imprisoned  by  the  Loy- 
alists and  would  have  been  put  to  death  had  they  found  his  papers,  which 
were  secreted  in  a  bottle  and  buried.  After  receiving  much  trouble  and 
persecution  from  the  government  he  was  banished  to  this  country,  and 
from  that  time  on  his  whole  life  was  devoted  to  the  promotion  of  our 
American  institutions  and  becoming  a  useful  and  successful  citizen.  He 
came  to  this  county  in  1840,  and  bought  a  claim  and  also  purchased  the 
ferry,  which  he  kept  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  which  was  known  as 
Woeber's  Ferry,  on  the  Nishnebotna  River.  In  1841  or  1842,  he  started 
a  store,  near  the  ferry,  on  section  3,  there  doing  a  thriving  business. 
During  the  Mormon  emigration  and  the  great  freighting  lines  for  Cali- 
fornia, Salt  Lake,  etc.,  this  ferry  was  the  one  mostly  used.  In  1845  Mr. 
W.  married  Miss  Maiy  Matilda  Mathews,  daughter  of  John  Mathews,  of 
English  Grove,  who  was  born  in  England,  in  1799.  Miss  Mary  was 
born  September  7,  1826,  in  Gloucestershire,  England,  eight  miles  from 
London.  In  1830  she  came  to  this  country,  with  her  father,  who  stopped 
ia  Baltimore  four  years,  moving  thence  to  Pittsburg,  and  in  1835  he 
came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Clay  County,  where  he  remained  until 
1837.  He  then  ventured  to  move  his  family  on  to  the  Platte  Purchase, 
in  Platte  County,  where  he  made  a  claim,  built  a  small  house  and  went 
to  work.  In  a  year  or  so  this  house  was  burned.  In  1839  ne  moved  his 
stock  to  English  Grove,  Holt  County,  now  Atchison  County,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1840,  with  two  families,  Mr.  Lamfield  and  William  Mooney, 
located  in  the  grove.     The  name  of  the  grove  was  called  from  the  Eng- 


BUCHANAN   TOWNSHIP,  887 

lish  families  settling  there.  In  1845  the  marriage  of  his  daughter  occur- 
red, as  before  stated,  and  she  and  her  husband,  John  Woerber,  at  once 
commenced  keeping  house  at  this  place.  They  were  greatly  prospered, 
accumulating  a  large  property.  Mr.  W.  closed  his  store  for  several 
years  and  laid  out  a  town,  which  was  called  El  Paso,  and  of  which  he 
was  appointed  postmaster.  He  had  been  the  postmaster  of  the  place  for 
many  years,  it  being  one  of  the  first  in  the  county,  older  even  than  that 
of  Hamburg,  Iowa.  In  1856  he  erected  a  store  and  again  entered  into 
trade  with  a  Mr.  Rudasill.  Linden  Landing  was  less  than  a  mile  from 
El  Paso  and  they  were  its  proprietors.  Mr.  Woerber  was  a  capable 
business  man  and  was  very  enterprising.  In  1866  he  died,  leaving  the 
most  of  his  estate  to  his  widow,  they  having  no  children.  The  balance 
was  divided  among  his  relatives  in  Germany.  In  [870  Mrs.  W.  married 
Mr.  Joseph  F.  Pritchard,  of  Illinois.  He  was  born  in  1845  and  came  to 
Missouri  in  1866,  and  worked  the  farm  for  several  years.  He  is  a  good 
farmer  and  a  leading  man  in  the  county.  Mrs.  P.'s  father  and  mother 
died  at  English  Grove  on  the  same  day,  August  22,  1848,  leaving  four 
children  :  Mrs.  Pritchard,  Job,  Eliza  Ann  (now  Mrs.  Dr.  Moore),  and 
John  H.  John  H.  died  in  1869,  and  Job  in  1868.  After  the  death  of  her 
parents,  Mrs.  P.  took  her  young  sister,  Eliza  Ann,  to  keep  and  educate, 
which  she  did  until  she  married  Dr.  Moore.  Her  house  has  always  been 
the  home  of  her  brothers  and  many  others  whom  she  has  brought  up. 
She  reared  Fannie  Loaf,  who  married  James  White  ;  also  Victoria  Darbo, 
who  married  John  Anderson,  and  Nancy  A.  Bailey,  who  married  Samuel 
Wheeler.  Matilda  L.  Wheeler  is  now  living  with  her.  She  is  a  bright 
little  girl  of  seven  years,  and  Alta  Leora  Persell,  an  orphan,  ten  years 
old,  is  also  with  her.  Mr.  W.  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  relig- 
iously a  Lutheran.  Mr.  P.  is  a  Republican,  and  belongs  to  the  Baptist 
denomination. 

ARCHIBALD  HOUGHTON  YORK, 

farmer,  section  11,  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Illinois,  in  February, 
1846.  After  living  in  Bureau  County  for  four  years  his  father  moved 
his  family  to  Missouri,  settling  on  the  Missouri  bottoms  near  Watson  in 
185 1.  Archibald  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  day,  receiving  a 
fair  education  and  growing  to  manhood  at  home.  He  married  Miss 
Julia  Ann  Adams  in  August,  1866.  She  was  the  daughter  of  G.  W. 
Adams,  late  of  this  township.  They  have  three  children  living  :  Ida 
Frances,  John  Wesley,  and  William  Henry.  Two  girls  are  deceased  : 
Sarah  E.,  died  February  2,  1880,  when  five  years  old  ;  Lulie  Ellen,  died 
in  March,  1882,  aged  nine  years.  Mr.  Y.'s  father,  Jesse  York,  first 
settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Lott  Watts,  near  Watson.  His  first 
wife  died  in  Crawford  County,  Illinois,  after  which  he  married  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  York  Goodwin,  also  in  Crawford  County,  Illinois.     They  had 


888  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

by  this  union  three  children,  only  one  of  whom  survives,  A.  H.  York. 
William  R.  died  in  Watson  when  nineteen  years  old.  Mr.  A.  H.  York 
remained  at  home  until  the  death  of  his  parents,  his  father  dying  in 
1874  and  his  mother  in  1879.  In  March,  t88i,  he  sold  his  interest  in  the 
old  homestead  and  bought  the  farm  he  now  occupies.  He  has  made 
good  improvements,  built  a  new  residence,  etc.  He  is  a  candid  man 
and  well  posted  on  the  general  topics  of  the  day  and  devotes  his  spare 
hours  to  the  best  possible  advantage.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  belongs  to  the  M.  E.  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows fraternity.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-third  Missouri  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  and  remained  in  service  for  a  year,  then  receiving  an 
honorable  discharge.  Six  companies  of  his  regiment  were  taken  pris- 
oners by  Price.     Mr.  Y.  owns  103  acres  of  land. 

WASHINGTON  LAFAYETTE  ZUCK, 

farmer,  stock  feeder  and  raiser,  has  a  landed  estate  of  1000  acres,  his  res- 
idence being  on  section  1.  He  was  born  in  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania, 
May  1,  1826.  In  1831,  his  father  moved  to  Washtenaw  County,  Michi- 
gan, where- he  resided  for  twenty  years.  He  had  a  beautiful  farm  near 
Whittemore  Lake.  In  1846,  they  came  to  Missouri,  first  settling  in  Car- 
roll County.  In  1851,  Mr.  Z.  sold  out  and  located  in  this  county  and 
township,  bought  a  piece  of  land  and  commenced  improving  it.  In  1848, 
he  married  Miss  Abigail  Woolsey,  the  daughter  of  Zepheniah  Woolsey, 
of  Tennessee.  She  died  in  1874.  They  had  twelve  children,  of  whom 
there  are  now  living  :  Albert  Allen,  Rev.  Jonathan  Stratten,  James 
Buchanan,  Fanny  Bell,  Susan  Caroline,  Abagail  Jane.  Three  died  in 
infancy  ;  George  Washington  died  in  1873,  aged  eighteen  years.  October 
17,  1876,  for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Zuck  married  Mrs.  Elenor'Jane  (Wolf) 
Brown,  daughter  of  Absalom  Wolf,  of  Nemeha  County,  Nebraska.  By 
this  happy  union  they  have  four  children  :  Mary  E.,  Eli  L.,  Jacob  A., 
and  Robert  Lincoln.  Mrs.  Zuck  had  two  children  by  her  former  mar- 
riage, Joseph  William  and  Thomas  Brown.  Mr.  Z.  commenced  farming 
after  his  first  marriage,  in  poor  circumstances,  his  father  being  poor,  and 
he  having  no  one  to  help  him.  He  bought  a  small  piece  of  land,  and 
since  then  his  efforts  have  been  crowned  with  success.  He  is  one  of  the- 
self  made  farmers  of  the  county,  and  to  his  original  purchase  he  has 
added  from  time  to  time.  His  dwelling  is  a  substantial  brick  one,  and 
his  barns  and  other  improvements  are  complete.  He  took  care  of  his 
father  for  twenty-five  years,  until  he  died  in  1875.  His  mother,  who  was 
formerly  Lydia  Stratten,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  died  in  1881.  Mr.  Z. 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TARKIO  TOWNSHIP. 

BOUNDARIES  —  TOPOGRAPHY  —  DIVIDED  INTO  PRECINCTS  —  STREAMS  AND  WATER 
COURSES— BRIDGES— EARLY  SETTLERS-CENTER  POINT— TARKIO— INCORPORATED 
—BUSINESS  DIRECTORY-TOWN  OFFICERS— SHIPMENTS  OF  GRAIN  AND  STOCK— 
CHURCHES-SECRET  ORDERS— BANDS  -HALLS— HOTELS— BANKS— POPULATION  AND 
PEOPLE-CHRISTIAN  CITY-POST  OFFICES-BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Tarkio  Township,  one  of  the  original  municipal  divisions  of  Atch- 
ison County,  was  reduced  to  its  present  (1882)  limits  by  the  organization 
of  Lincoln  Township,  on  the  22d  of  November,  1871.  Its  outline  is  the 
figure  of  a  rectangular  parallelogram,  extending  fifteen  miles  east  and 
west,  and  six  miles  north  and  south,  thus  including  an  area  of  ninety 
square  miles,  and  constituting  the  most  extensive  division  of  the  county. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north,  in  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  by  Lincoln 
Township,  one  and  three-fourths  miles  by  Polk  Township,  and  in  about 
the  same  distance  by  Nodaway  County ;  on  the  east  by  Nodaway 
County  ;  on  the  south  in  a  distance  of  nine  miles  by  Dale  Township,  and 
six  miles  by  Clark  Township  ;  on  the  west  by  four  miles  of  Clay  and  two 
miles  of  Polk  Township. 


TOPOGRAPHY. 


Its  entire  surface  is  prairie,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  groves  of 
timber,  found  generally  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  water 
courses.  One  of  these,  in  the  north  central  portion  of  the  township, 
forms  a  part  of  the  grove  in  the  southern  part  of  Lincoln  Township,  which 
thus  extends  in  a  southeasterly  direction  from  the  waters  of  the  Middle 
Tarkio,  in  that  township,  to  the  banks  of  the  East  Tarkio,  in  Tarkio 
Township,  the  same  lying  in  sections  5  and  6,  and  4  and  10  of  township 
65,  range  39.  In  sections  9,  16  and  15,  on  the  waters  of  a  tributary  of 
East  Tarkio,  is  a  body  of  timber  embracing  an  area  of  some  700  or  800 
acres. 

TARKIO   TOWNSHIP   DIVIDED   INTO    PRECINCTS. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1871,  three  days  after  its  erection  within 
its  present  limits,  Tarkio  Township  was  divided  by  the  county  court 
into  two  election  precincts,  described  as  follows :  Commencing  at  the 
northwest   corner   of  the   northeast  quarter  of  section   5,  township  65, 


89O  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

range  39,  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  32,  township 
65,  range  39.  All  that  portion  of  said  township  on  the  east  side  of  said 
line  to  be  called  Colfax  Precinct,  and  that  on  the  west  side  Fanning 
Precinct. 

STREAMS   AND   WATER     COURSES. 

Big  Tarkio,  flowing  in  a  southerly  direction  from  Lincoln  Township, 
enters  Tarkio  Township  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  2,  township 
65,  range  40,  and  flowing  with  its  peculiar  sinuosities,  in  a  generally- 
southerly  direction,  through  sections  11,  14,  23,  26,  the  northwest  corner 
of  35,  and  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  34,  enters  Clark  Township. 

East  Tarkio,  flowing  also  from  Lincoln  Township,  enters  Tarkio 
Township  in  the  northwest  corner  of  section  4,  township  65,  range  39, 
and  running  diagonally  through  sections  5  and  7.  of  the  same,  and  the 
northwest  corner  of  section  18,  thence  in  a  southerly  and  southwesterly 
course,  through  sections  13  and  24,  of  township  65,  range  40,  enters  the 
Big  Tarkio,  near  the  east  line  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  23. 

Cow  Branch,  a  tributary  of  the  Big  Tarkio,  rising  in  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  6,  township  65,  range  40,  flows  in  a  southerly  and 
southwesterly  course  through  sections  8,  17,  18,  19,  29,  32  and  33,  into 
Clark  Township. 

The  above  described  streams  all  flow  through  that  district  of  Tar- 
kio Township  known  as  Fanning  Precinct.  Other  streams  of  minor 
importance  and  generally  unnamed  flow  into  them.  The  principal 
water  course  of  Colfax  Precinct  is  the  Little  Tarkio,  a  stream  which 
rises  in  the  southeast  corner  of  section  6,  township  65,  range  38.  It 
flows  in  a  southwesterly  course  through  the  northern  part  of  section 
7  of  that  township  and  range,  thence  through  sections  12,  13,  24,  26  and 
34,  in  township  65,  range  39,  whence  it  enters  Dale  Township  on  the 
south. 

The  east  fork  of  Little  Tarkio  rises  in  the  southeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion 9,  township  69,  range  38,  near  the  line  of  Nodaway  County,  and 
flows  in  a  generally  southerly  course  through  sections  16,  21,  28,  33  and 
32  into  Dale  Township,  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  its  northeast  corner. 
A  branch  of  this  stream  rises  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  17  and 
runs  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  to  the  westward  in  a  nearly  parallel 
direction  with  the  east  fork  through  sections  20,  29,  32  and  31  into  Dale 
Township. 

BRIDGES. 

Tarkio  Township  contains  within  its  limits  twenty  and  one-half 
bridges,  all  more  or  less  substantial  structures,  including  wood,  com- 
bination, and  iron  spans.  These  are  specially  noted  under  the  general 
head  of  "  Bridges,"  to  which  a  chapter  of  this  work  is  set  apart. 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  891 

EARLY   SETTLERS. 

Among  the  early  pioneers  of  Tarkio  Township  was  Mrs.  Nancy 
Teague,  who  is  a  native  of  Jackson  County,  Alabama,  whence  she,  in 
company  with  her  brother-in-law,  William  Daniel,  came  in  the  summer 
of  1844,  arriving  at  Center  Grove  on  the  fourth  day  of  July.  Here  she 
located,  but  Mr.  Daniel  went  a  few  miles  above,  settling  in  Waldren's 
Grove,  now  Lincoln  Township.  Mrs.  Teague  is  now  living  in  Waldren's 
Grove,  near  her  brother-in-law. 

Tarkio  Township,  like  Lincoln,  contained  among  its  early  settlers 
many  immigrants  from  the  State  of  Indiana.  Henry  Bush  came  about 
the  year  1846,  from  Indiana,  and  located  on  the  West  Fork  of  the  Tarkio, 
about  two  miles  northeast  of  the  present  town  site  of  Tarkio.  E.  N. 
Roberts,  from  Indiana,  settled  two  miles  north  of  Tarkio.  Franklin 
Merrill  and  David  Bartlett  were  from  Indiana.  Bartlett  is  now  dead. 
Ennis  Mullis  was  also  from  Indiana,  and  settled  on  the  west  side  of  West 
Tarkio,  about  three  miles  from  Tarkio.  John  Van  Leuven  came  from 
Illinois  and  located  two  miles  north  of  Tarkio.  Richard  Howell  emi- 
grated from  Ohio,  and  settled  on  East  Tarkio,  three  miles  east  of  Tarkio. 

Henry  Boger,  from  Ohio,  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  West  Tar- 
kio, three  miles  from  the  present  town  of  Tarkio. 

Charles  Fanning,  from  Illinois,  located  on  the  town  site  of  Tarkio 
(present  town)  and  is  now  dead.  Fanning's  Mill  is  located  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  southeast  of  Tarkio,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Tarkio.  Mr.  Tate, 
father  of  James  Tate,  settled  about  four  miles  northwest  of  Tarkio. 
Among  others  were  George  and  Warner  McKee,  James  Murphy  (now 
dead),  David  Haught  from  Illinois,  James  Bailey  from  Tennessee,  and  W. 
H.  Van  Leuven  from  Illinois. 

CENTER   POINT. 

Center  Point  was  located  on  a  part  of  lot  I,  northeast  quarter  of 
section  1,  township  65,  range  40,  and  lot  2,  northwest  quarter  of  section 
6,  township  65,  range  39,  by  William  and  Harriet  Roberts.  McKinley 
Wood  and  Frank  Bachelor  built  the  first  house,  intended  for  a  store  and 
dwelling.  The  next  house  was  built  by  B.  F.  Dowdy.  The  town  had  a 
post  office,  two  blacksmith  shops,  a  shoemaker,  drug  store  and  possibly 
one  or  two  other  business  houses.  These,  however,  were  all  moved  to 
Tarkio. 

TARKIO 

was  laid  out  in  August,  1880,  by  Charles  E.  Perkins,  on  a  part  of  the 
west  half  of  the  southeast  quarter,  and  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
14,  township  65,  range  40.  The  population  increased  so  rapidly,  and 
houses  sprung  up  so  numerously,  that  the  proprietor  of  the  original  town 


892  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

site,  Mr.  Charles  E.  Perkins,  laid  off  the  first  addition  to  Tarkio  in  April, 
1881,  on  part  of  section  14,  township  65,  range  40.  The  town  has  a 
beautiful  location  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tarkio  Valley  Railroad,  ten 
miles  south  of  Westboro,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  magnificent  country, 
well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  the  cereals,  and  the  production  of  cattle 
and  hogs.  It  is  near  the  geographical  center  of  Atchison  County,  and 
being  thus  located,  with  railroad  facilities,  which  make  it  conveniently 
accessible  to  the  outside  world,  it  has  become  a  rival  of  Rock  Port,  the 
present  county  seat  of  the  county,  in  its  efforts  to  secure  the  court 
house  and  the  removal  thither,  of  the  county  seat,  a  full  history  of  which 
will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  public  buildings,  in  this  work. 

INCORPORATION    OF    TARKIO. 

On  the  21st  of  June,  1881,  the  town  of  Tarkio  was  incorporated,  as 
follows : 

"Now  at  this  day  comes  Edward  Graham,  J.  F.  Schoenecke,  John 
Dragoo,  Israel  R.  Jones,  J.  A.  Postlewait,  M.  R.  Wilson,  R.  Wilson,  R. 
W.  Harris,  Charles  R.  McCorkle,  Thomas  McGrath,  R.  M.  Stevenson,  V. 
R.  Cass,  Alexander  Walker,  J.  T.  Cooney,  F.  A.  Roberts,  D.  H.  McKey, 
H.  W.  Parchen,  C.  R.  McCormick,  George  W.  Smiles,  John  Mowery,  YV. 
H.  Neal,  James  A.  Hendrick,  J.  S.  Riffe,  J.  C.  Culbertson,  W.  H.  Mims, 
A.  Curfman,  F.  T.  Simons,  Otto  Spiegel,  Frank  H.  Konkle,  Watson 
Heckart,  James  Davis,  H.  C.  Baker,  T.  P.  Carr,  L.  B.  Douglas,  W.  G. 
Myers,  E.  C.  Kibbe,  D.  W.  Cohoe,  Joseoh  Campbell,  Henry  Schwaus,  W. 
A.  Russell,  W.  Heald,  A.  J.  Tessier,  J.  W.  Dickson,  H.  J.  Herberts.  W. 
L.  Heglin,  L.  E.  Preston,  John  M.  McCullough,  L.  N.  Kelso,  J.  C.  Gol- 
den, L.  C.  Campbell,  O.  O.  Fanning,  C.  S.  Harwood,  C.  F.  Hoffman,  P. 
H.  Thull,  Fred.  R.  Mena,  Andrew  M.  Eltes,  L.  D.  Rich,  H.  W.  Shackel- 
ford, James  J.  Shoecraft,  James  Gray,  S.  E.  Marsh,  Frank  H.  Hepburn,  J. 
M.  Cooper,  S.  R.  Cowick,  J.  J.  Wright,  J.  W.  Goldsburg,  M.  A.  Kelso,  O. 
Rugg,  J.  G.  Mecham,  David  Orr,  Jerome  Townsen'd,  A.  Calhoon,  O.  V. 
Coulter,  Daniel  Griffith,  L.  B.  Henrie,  A.  F.  Neal,  S.  P.  Bailey,  F.  D. 
Chaffie,  C.  B.  Casler,  Buford  Doggett,  W.  A.  Lewden,  Chutt  Cutler,  A. 
L.  McPherson,  James  Anderson  and  R.  H.  Miles,  inhabitants  of  the  town 
of  Tarkio,  in  the  county  of  Atchison  and  State  of  Missouri,  and  present 
their  petition  to  this  court,  praying  that  they  may  be  incorporated,  and 
a  police  established  for  their  local  government,  and  for  the  preservation 
and  regulation  of  any  commons  appertaining  to  said  town,  and  the  court 
being  satisfied  that  two-thirds  of  the  taxable  inhabitants  of  said  town 
have  signed  said  petition,  and  that  the  prayer  of  said  petitioners  is  rea- 
sonable, it  is  therefore  ordered  by  this  court  that  said  town  be  incorpo- 
rated, and  that  such  incorporation  shall  embrace  the  following  bounda- 
ries, to  wit :  Commencing  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  east  half  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  14,  township  65,  range  40  ;  thence  east 
one  hundred  and  sixty  rods  ;  thence  north  one  hundred  and  sixty  rods  ; 
thence  west  two  hundred  and  forty  rods  ;  thence  south  eighty  rods  ; 
thence  east  eighty  rods  ;  thence  south  eighty  rods,  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning, and  the  court  appoints  the    following  named  persons  to  constitute 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  893 

the  first  board  of  trustees  of  said  town,  to  act  until  the  annual  election 

for  members  of  said  board,  to  wit :  T.  J.  Emmert,  D.  M.  Griffith,  James 

J.  Shoecraft,  Amon  Curfman  and  C.  B.  Casler." 

BUSINESS    DIRECTORY. 

Adams,  A.  W.,  restaurant.  Lewis,  Amos,  drugs  and  medicines. 

Anderson,  James,  attorney  at  law.  Moore    &    Barger,    hardware     and 

Anderson  &  Inghram,  livery  stable.  implements. 

Bland,  Theodore,  saloon    and    bil-  Millier,  A.  J.,  groceries. 

liards.  Miles  &  Morrow,  attorneys. 

Balla,  E.,  shoemaker.  Morris,  Samuel,  carpenter. 

Bunn,  — ,  groceries.  Miles,  Robert,   physician  and  sur- 

Calhoon,  A.,  groceries.  geon. 

Campbell,  L.  C,  barber.  Morris,  Elam,  sign  painter. 

Curfman  &  Co.,  hardware.  McCullock,  J.  M.,  wagonmaker. 

Cowick   &  Robertson,  editors  and  McKay,   D.    McH.,    physician  and 

props.  Tarkio  Republican.  surgeon. 

Culbertson,  J.  C,  lumber.  McPherson,  Richard,  livery. 

Casler,  C.  B.,  prop.  Clifton  House.  Miller,  John,  organs. 

Clanson,  E.  P.,  prop.  Palmer  House.  Neal,    Harrison,    saloon    and    bil- 

Covney,  J.   F.,  physician  and  sur-  liards. 

geon.  Postlewait,    J.    A.,    physician    and 

Emmert  &  Neal,  general  merchan-  surgeon. 

dise.  Rankin,  Stevenson  &  Co.,  bankers. 

Ellis,  A.  M.,  carpenter.  Ryan  Bros.,  groceries. 

Emmert,  T.  J.,  furniture.  Rugg,  O.,  boots  and  shoes. 

Farris,  M.  S.  &  Co.,  groceries   and  Ryan  Bros.,  butchers. 

dry  goods.  Russel,  W.  A.,  drugs  and  medicines. 

Golden,  J.  C,  harness  and  saddles.  Roberson  &  Cradit,  blacksmiths. 

Hanna,  Hunter  &  Co.,  general  mer-  Rhodes,  Mrs.,  millinery. 

chandise.  Sparks,  Mrs.  R.  F.,  millinery. 

Howendobler,  E.  E.,  drugs  and  med-  Spiegel,  Otto,  barber. 

cines.  Schoenecke  &  Farris,  blacksmiths. 

Hendricks,  James  A.,  justice  of  the  Sanborn,  I.,  manager  lumber  yard. 

peace.      •  Snyder,  G.  W.,  restaurant. 

Harris,  R.  W.,  physician   and  sur-  Scott,  Fannie,  millinery. 

geon.  Thompson,  P.  A.,  grain  dealer. 

Hepburn,  F.  H,  attorney  at  law.  White  &  Rissler,  butchers. 

The  present  officers  are  D.  H.  Griffith,  Mayor  ;  A.  Curfman,  C.  B. 
'Casler,    T.    J.    Emmert   and    Dr.    Harris,    Trustees  ;    James    Anderson, 
Clerk,  and  F.  M.  Meek,  Marshal. 


894  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

ANNUAL   STATEMENT   FOR   1 88 1.. 

Loaded  cars  forwarded — Grain  :  Corn,  437  ;  wheat,  45  ;  rye,  2  ;  bar- 
ley, 16;  flaxseed,  13.     Total,  513. 

Stock — Cattle,  241  ;  hogs,  137.     Total,  378. 

Merchandise,  32  ;  lumber,  30.     Total,  62. 

Loaded  cars  received — Lumber,  267  ;  coal,  35  ;  lime,  7  ;  brick,  49- 
merchandise,  141  ;   all  others,  49.     Total,  548. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  an  organization,  with  B.  F. 
Armstrong  for  pastor,  who  resides  near  Phelps.  The  members  forming 
this  church  were  S.  H.  Prather,  A.  J.  Millier  and  wife,  Jacob  Trout  and 
wife,  F.  Schoenecke  and  wife,  A.  Curfman  and  wife,  D.  H.  Griffith  and. 
others. 

Tarkio  Presbyterian,  Old  School,  Church  was  organized  several  years 
since  in  the  township,  but  is  now  located  in  Tarkio.  It  has  a  neat  frame 
edifice,  which  will  cost,  when  completed,  about  $2,300.  Present  mem- 
bership about  forty.     This  is  the  only  church  edifice  in  the  place. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Church  has  an  organization,  but  no  minis- 
ter. The  members  organizing  were  :  R.  M.  Stevenson  and  wife,  Isaac 
Phelps  and  wife,  S.  S.  Foster  and  wife,  T.  F.  Hanna  and  wife,  Mrs.  S.  A. 
Black,  W.  O.  Miller  and  wife,  Robert  Miller,  J.  H.  Currothers,  Sarah 
Engstrom,  Mrs.  James  Anderson  and  a  few  others.  Present  membership 
about  twenty.     The  Christians  have  also  an  organization. 

SECRET  ORDERS. 

The  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  is  the  only  secret  order  in 
the  town.  The  lodge  was  organized  in  1881.  Present  officers  are  :  A. 
J.  Hendricks,  Master  ;  James  Zook,  Foreman  ;  J.  H.  Davis,  Overseer  ;  S. 
P.  Bailey,  Recorder. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  town  has  no  school  building,  but  has  a  good  school,  under  the 
control  of  William  Morrow.  The  pupils  in  attendance  number  nearly 
one  hundred. 

BANDS. 

Missouri  Valley  Band.  Officers  :  G.  W.  Ryan,  leader  ;  R.  A.  Camp- 
bell, president ;  J.  R.  Robinson,  secretary  and  treasurer.  Members  and 
instrumentation  :  G.  W.  Ryan,  Eb  cornet ;  J.  A  Broyles,  Eb  cornet  ; 
Frank  Sparks,  Bb  cornet  ;  John  Wright,  Bb  cornopeon  ;  Frederick 
Schoenecke,   Bb  fluegelhorn  ;  R.  A.  Campbell,  Eb  alto  trombone,  valve  ; 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  895 

Charles  W.  Ryan,  Eb  alto ;  Perry  Gray,  Bb  tenor  trombone,  slide,  first ; 
George  W.  Snider,  Bb  tenor  trombone,  valve,  second  ;  A.  Ammerman, 
Bb  tenor,  first ;  J.  R.  Robinson,  Bb  tenor,  second  ;  Newton  Kilso,  Bb 
baritone  ;  Samuel  Rainey,  Eb  tuba  ;  John  Dowell,  bass  drum  ;  B.  M. 
Athens,  tenor  drum. 

Tarkio  Cornet  Band  was  organized  November  15,  1881.  J.  R- 
Barger,  leader.  J.  R.  Barger,  first  Eb  cornet  ;  J.  W.  Barger,  second  Eb 
cornet  ;  R.  F.  Warner,  first  Bb  cornet ;  W.  A.  Russell,  second  Bb  cornet; 
John  Speece,  first  Eb  alto  ;  A.  V.  Williams,  second  Eb  alto  ;  Jesse 
Davis,  first  Bb  tenor ;  Elam  Marsh,  Bb  baritone  ;  William  Morrow, 
Eb  bass  (tuba)  ;  J.  L.  Riffe,  bass  drum  ;  J.  W.  Burns,  snare  drum. 

HALLS. 

Opera  Hall,  a  large  and  conveniently  located  room,  has  been  fitted 
up  by  J.  W.  Bargar,  on  the  north  side  of  Main  Street. 

HOTELS. 

The  town  is  well  supplied  with  hotels — the  Clifton  and  Palmer 
House.  The  Clifton  House  is  quite  a  commodious  building  (frame),  and 
contains  thirty-two  rooms. 

BANKS. 

« 

Rankin,  Stevenson  &  Co.,  are  the  proprietors  of  the  only  bank  in 
the  place,  and  the  house  in  which  they  do  business  is  the  only  brick 
house  in  the  town. 

POPULATION   AND   PEOPLE. 

Tarkio  has  a  population  of  482  souls,  which  is  certainly  a  rapid 
increase,  since  it  was  laid  out.  It  has  a  number  of  nice  stores,  and  a  few 
neat  and  attractive  residences,  which  are  handsomely  located  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  town,  upon  the  highest  elevation,  looking 
toward  the  south  and  east.  The  people  are  not  only  full  of  energy,  but 
have  evinced  much  shrewdness  and  tact,  in  the  manner  in  which  they 
have  presented  the  claims  of  their  town,  as  a  competitor  for  the  county 
seat.  Much  of  its  success  and  notoriety  are  doubtless  attributable  to  its 
single  newspaper,  The  Tarkio  Republican,  to  which  we  have  alluded  at 
greater  length,  in  our  article  upon  the  newspapers  of  the  county. 

CHRISTIAN   CITY. 

In  January,  188 1,  D.  W.  Moore  laid  out  a  town  just  across  the  rail- 
road, east  of  Tarkio,  on  a  part  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  14,  township  65,  range  40,  and  gave  it  the  name  of 


Sg6  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Christian  City.     No  improvements,  however,  of  a  permanent  character, 
have  been  made. 

POST  OFFICES. 

Homer  Post  office,  located  on  section  29,  township  65,  range  39  ; 
Ezra  D.  Johnson  was  the  postmaster.     The  office  has  been  discontinued. 

London  Post  office,  on  section  12,  township  65,  range  39,  H.  J.  Hen- 
dricks, postmaster. 

York  Post  office,  at  Greenlee,  Fred,  Greenlee,  postmaster.  Mr. 
Greenlee  has  a  store — general  merchandise.  The  place  has  a  school 
house  and  blacksmith  shop. 


^BIOGRAPHICAL 


ULYSSES  H.  BECK, 

or  Lee  Beck,  as  he  is  familiarly  called,  is  among  the  early  settlers  of  this 
county.  He  was  born  June  8,  1840,  in  Berrien  County,  Michigan.  His 
father,  Aquilla  Beck,  was  born  in  Canada,  and  was  of  Scottish  descent. 
His  mother,  formerly  Ruth  Alexander,  was  a  native  of  Greene  County, 
Tennessee.  She  was  of  Irish  extraction.  Ulysses  was  the  youngest  inj 
a  family  of  four  children.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  at  his  birthplace, 
until  fourteen  years  of  age,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  In 
the  spring  of  1854  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Atchison  County,  Mis- 
souri, settling  east  of  Rock  Port.  The  county  was  then  thinly  populated 
and  young  Beck  became  acquainted  with  many  early  settlers  here.  He 
moved  to  Rock  Port,  in  1856,  and  engaged  in  the  livery  business.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  took  an  active  part  in  defending  the  property  of  the  citi- 
zens. In  August,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Forty-third  Missouri 
Volunteer  Infantry  and  remained  in  the  field  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
serving  on  the  frontier.  He  afterwards  continued  the  livery  business  at 
Rock  Port,  until  1866,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  on  a  farm.  He  set- 
tled his  present  farm,  in' section  19,  in  the  spring  of  1870.  It  comprises 
170  acres  of  fine  land,  well  improved,  though  it  was  all  wild  when  he 
located  here.  Mr.  Beck  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  was 
married  February  22,  1872,  to  Rachel  Evans,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Rachel  Haught,  daughter  of  David  and  Rachel  Haught,  of  this  county. 
She  was  born  in   Bureau  County,  Illinois,  July   1,  1853.     By  this   union 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  897 

they  have  five  children  :  Elenora  E.,  born  March  1 1, 1873  ;  Ulysses  Grant, 
born  October  7,  1874  ;  Arthur  E.,  born  October  11,  1876;  Daisy  B.,  born 
July  28,  1878  ;  Gasaway  G.,  born  July  10,  1880.  Mrs.  Beck  has  two  chil- 
dren by  her  former  husband  :  Effie  A.  Evans,  born  February  15,  1869  ; 
Tracy  A.  Evans,  born  February  11,  1870.  Mrs.  Beck  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

ALEXANDER  CALHOON, 

dealer  in  groceries  and  provisions,  is  proprietor  of  the  pioneer  business 
house  of  Tarkio.  He  was  born  in  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  on  the  15th  of 
May,  1840.  His  parents,  George  and  Jane  (Carr)  Calhoon,  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania.  Alexander  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and 
received  the  benefits  of  an  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools. 
Arriving  at  maturity  he  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  came  west  in  the  spring  of  1868  and  settled  at  Clarinda,  Page  County, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  There  he  remained 
some  twelve  years.  When  Tarkio  was  laid  off  he  came  here  and  erected 
the  first  business  house  in  town.  He  has  a  neat  store,  well  filled  with  a 
well  assorted  stock  of  goods,  and  having  had  a  long  experience  in  the 
business  understands  it  thoroughly.  He  has  the  patronage  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends,  and  does  a  thriving  trade. 

ROBERT  A.  CAMPBELL, 

agent  for  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  at 
Tarkio,  was  born  in  Williamson  County,  Illinois,  April  25,  1845.  His 
parents,  David  and  Elizabeth  (Haddin)  Campbell  were  natives  of 
Tennessee.  Robert  was  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  five  children.  He 
spent  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm,  and  received  a  preparatory  education 
in  the  common  schools.  When  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  commenced  to 
attend  the  Salem  high  school,  of  Salem,  Illinois,  but  after  remaining 
about  two  years  he  left  the  school-room  for  the  field  of  battle.  He 
enlisted  in  Company  D,  Eighty-Seventh  Illinois  Mounted  Infantry,  in  the 
fall  of  1862,  and  served  three  years.  He  was  detailed  for  special  service 
at  division  headquarters,  holding  the  position  of  chief  clerk,  serving 
with  the  Gulf  department  and  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
During  the  summer  of  1864  he  was  commissioned  major,  but  he  declined 
the  position.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Macon  County, 
Illinois,  and  engaged  in  teaching  for  some  five  years.  In  1870  he 
accepted  the  position  of  agent  at  Blue  Mound,  Macon  County,  Illinois, 
for  the  Wabash  Railroad,  filling  this  position  for  about  six  years.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  for  two  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1878,  Mr  C.  came  to  Missouri,  and  in  1879  ne  accepted  the  posi- 
tion as  agent  at  Nishnebotna,  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  for  the  Kansas 


898  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad.  On  the  7th  of  December, 
1880,  he  came  to  Tarkio  and  took  charge  of  the  office  at  this  point  for  the 
same  company.  He  fills  the  position  with  credit  to  himself  and  all  parties 
interested.  He  owns  a  neat  residence  and  property  in  block  8.  He  is  a 
member  of  Blue  Mound  Lodge  No.  682,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  also  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.  of  the  same  place.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Missouri  Valley 
Cornet  Band,  mention  of  which  is  made  in  another  part  of  this  work. 
He  also  serves  the  city  as  one  of  its  council.  Mr.  Campbell  was  married 
November  8,  1870,  to  Miss  Ella  A.  Ryan,  a  native  of  Macon  County, 
Illinois,  and  daughter  of  Captain  Martin  Ryan ;  she  was  born  February 
13,  1852.  They  have  had  two  children  :  Jennie  deceased;  Annie,  born 
May  8,  1874.     Mrs.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

CLINTON   B.  CASLER, 

proprietor  ot  the  Clifton  House,  is  among  the  pioneer  business  men  of 
Tarkio.  He  was  born  October  13,  1842,  in  Tipton,  Indiana.  His  father, 
James  B.  Casler,  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Eliza  A.  Fallis,  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  Clinton  was  the 
youngest  of  two  children.  When  eleven  years  of  age  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  and  after  remaining  there 
some  three  years  went  to  Macon  County,  Illinois.  When  President 
Lincoln  issued  his  first  call  for  troops  in  April,  1861,  the  subject  of  this  I 
sketch  enlisted  as  private  in  Company  H,  Seventh  Illinois  Infantry, 
although  hardly  eighteen.  After  serving  for  ninety  days  he  re-enlisted 
in  the  Fourth  Iowa  Cavalry,  Company  L,  and  served  three  years.  He 
again  re-enlisted  at  Vicksburg  in  1864  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  having  risen  to  the  position  of  first  sergeant.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Helena,  Vicksburg,  Fourteen  Mile  Creek,  Jackson  (Mis- 
sissippi), Meridian,  Guntown,  Tupelo,  Independence  (Missouri),  and 
helped  drive  Price  from  Missouri,  Selma  (Alabama),  Columbus  and 
Macon  (Georgia),  and  Wilson's  Cavalry  raid.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
Mr.  Casler  settled  at  Indianapolis.  In  1866  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
Wyoming  and  spent  one  summer  in  that  country.  He  then  came  td 
Atchison  County  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Hemme's  Landing.  In 
the  spring  of  1868  he,  in  partnership  with  Henry  Hast,  built  the  first 
house  in  Phelps  City  and  opening  therein  a  restaurant  and  billiard 
hall.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he  took  a  trip  through  Texas,  thence  to 
Kansas  City  and  finally  located  at  St.  Louis  in  the  fall  of  1871,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business.  In  1876  he  went  to  Dakota  Terri- 
tory, thence  to  Ottawa,  Illinois,  resumed  hotel  keeping,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1878  he  came  west  and  settled  at  Corning,  Holt  County,  Mis- 
souri. There  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business,  and  also  held  the 
position  of   postmaster.     In   the   fall   of   1880  he  came  to  Tarkio   and 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  899 

bought  the  first  lot  sold  in  the  town,  on  which  he  erected  a  shanty,  the 
first  building  in  town.  That  same  year  he  built  his  present  hotel.  Mr. 
C  has  had  a  long  experience  in  the  business  and  is  well  qualified  for 
the  position  he  occupies.  He  was  married  October  29,  1868,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Haught,  daughter  of  David  Haught.  She  is  a  native  of  Fay- 
ette County,  Pennsylvania,  born  August  7,  1848. 

H.  CLARK, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  27,  was  born  May  10,  1831,  in  Trumbull 
County,  Ohio.  His  father,  Almon  Clark,  was  a  native  of  Cuyahoga 
County,  Ohio,  born  May  15,  1800.  His  mother,  Delany  Clark,  nee  Bowles, 
was  a  native  of  York  County,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Clark  was  the  eldest 
of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
county,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  In  1863  he  moved  to 
Johnston  County,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  afterwards 
going  to  Linn  County,  in  the  same  state.  He  came  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  in  the  fall  of  1871,  and  settled  where  he  now  resides,  it  then 
being  all  wild  prairie  land.  He  set  about  to  improve  a  farm  and  now 
owns  560  acres,  well  improved,  with  a  new  residence,  good  outbuildings, 
etc.  He  deals  quite  largely  in  stock,  raising,  buying  and  shipping  large 
quantities.  He  at  present  holds  the  position  of  school  director  and  road 
overseer.  Mr.  Clark  was  married  June  12,  1870,  to  Miss  Emma  S.  Shaum, 
daughter  of  John  and  Rebecca  Shaum.  She  is  a  native  of  Northampton 
County,  Pennsylvania,  born  in  June,  1844.  They  have  three  children  : 
Austa  A.,  born  May  15,  1871  ;  Annie  B.,  born  March  17,  1873  ;  Fred., 
born  August  15,  1877.     Mrs.  C.  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

S.  R.  COWICK, 

of  the  firm  of  Cowick  &  Robertson,  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  Tarkio 
Republican,  is  a  native  of  Carlisle,  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  born  on  the  4th  day  of  August,  1850.  John  Cowick,  his 
father,  was  born  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  as  was  also  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Bixler.  When  four  years  old,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  accompanied  them  to  Monmouth,  Illinois.  There  he 
was  reared,  receiving  his  education  at  Monmouth  College.  In  March, 
188 1,  he  removed  westward,  and  in  November  of  that  year,  purchased 
the  Tarkio  Republican  of  Murphy  &  Simmons,  taking  as  a  partner  Mr. 
J.  R.  Robertson.  Since  that  time  they  have  continued  to  publish*  an 
unusually  lively  and  interesting  sheet,  and  are  deserving  of  a  liberal 
patronage  from  the  citizens  of  Tarkio,  whose  cause  they  so  ably  advo- 
cate. They  also  carry  a  stock  of  books  and  stationery.  Mr.  Cowick  is 
a  member  of  Atchison  Lodge  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  in  which  he  now 
holds   the    position    of    Past  Master    Workman.      He    also  belongs    to 


900  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Warner  Lodge  No.  160,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Monmouth,  Illinois.  He  was  mar- 
ried March  13,  1875,  to  Miss  Kate  L.  Travers,  daughter  of  Jasper  Travers. 
She  was  born  in  Newport,  England,  March  26,  1850.  They  have  two 
children  :  Bessie  T.  and  John. 

ANDREW  CRAIG, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  12,  is  an  enterprising  citizen  of  this 
township.  He  was  born  January  7,  1840,  in  Delaware  County,  New 
York.  His  parents  were  of  Scottish  extraction,  his  father,  Robert  Craig, 
being  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  His  mother,  Ellison  (Oliver)  Craig, 
was  born  in  Albany,  New  York.  Andrew  spent  his  boyhood  days  among 
the  mountains  of  his  native  county,  and  received  fair  educational  advan- 
tages, attending  at  the  Delhi  and  Andes  Academies.  He  has  given 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  through  life.  In  1864,  he  moved  to 
De  Kalb  County,  Illinois,  and  remained  there  until  1878,  being  exten- 
sively engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  came  to  Rock  Port  in 
the  spring  of  1878,  and  after  remaining  one  year,  he  moved  to  the  place 
on  which  he  now  resides,  in  1879.  He  owns  1,400  acres  of  land  in  this 
county,  the  home  farm  containing  400  acres  of  well  improved  land.  He 
has  a  neat  residence  situated  on  an  elevation,  giving  a  fine  view  of  Tarkio 
and  surrounding  country.  He  commenced  life  as  a  school  teacher,  and 
has  risen  to  his  present  position  by  honesty,  integrity  arid  attention  to 
business.  Mr.  Craig  is  a  member  of  Rock  Port  Lodge  No.  134,  A.  O.  U. 
W.,  also  of  the  Knights.  He  was  married  on  the  16th  of  January,  1866, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Swan,  a  native  of  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Swan,  a  Presbyterian  minister.  She  was 
born  October  21,  1841.  They  have  had  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living  :  Lilly  R-,  born  November  22,  1869  ;  Andrew,  born  May  10,  1871 ; 
Samuel,  born  June  1,  1873  ;  Mabel,  born  September  6,  1875,  and  Robert, 
born  July  19,  1878.  Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

J.  C.  CULBERTSON 

is  an  extensive  dealer  in  pine  lumber,  doors,  blinds,  sash,  etc.,  at  Tarkio. 
Among  the  pioneer  business  men  of  this  thriving  town  stands  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  on  the  17th  of  May,  1850,  in  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania.  His  parents,  Joseph  C.  and  Martha  A.  (Waugh)  Culbert- 
son,»  were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father  died  when  J.  C. 
was  about  two  years  old.  His  mother  moved  to  Blairsville,  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  he  was  principally  raised  and  received  a  good  business  edu- 
cation. In  1863  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  near  Rosendale, 
Andrew  County.  In  February,  1870,  he  went  to  California,  engaging  in 
teaching,  and  after  remaining  there   one  year    he  returned  to    Missouri 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  901 

and  settled  in  Atchison  County.  Here  he  was  occupied  in  farming  some 
nine  years.  In  November,  1880,  he  came  to  Tarkio  and  commenced  the 
lumber  business  at  this  point.  He  carries  a  large  and  complete  stock, 
and  many  of  the  buildings  erected  in  this  vicinity  came  from  his  yard. 
He  is  an  enterprising  business  man,  and  holds  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
a  large  circle  of  friends. 

AMON  CURFMAN, 

of  the  firm  of  Curfman  &  Co.,  dealers  in  hardware,  stoves,  tinware,  queens- 
ware,  agricultural  implements,  barbed  wire,  etc.,  was  born  October  1, 
1847,  m  Huntingdon  County,  Pennsylvania.  His  parents,  Christian  and 
Margaret  (Garrett)  Curfman,  were  natives  of  the  same  place.  Anion 
accompanied  them  to  Jefferson  County,  Iowa,  in  185 1,  and  remained 
there  until  the  fall  of  1869,  engaged  in  farming.  After  receiving  a  pre- 
paratory education  in  the  common  school  he  attended  Fairfield  College 
four  terms,  and  afterwards  entered  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  University,  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa.  August  5,  1867,  he  commenced  to  learn  the  tin- 
ner's trade,  at  Fairfield,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  for  two  years,  then  going 
to  Maryville,  Nodaway  County,  Missouri,  in  October,  1869.  He  resumed 
work  at  his  trade  there,  with  his  brother  and  Mr.  Shaum,  until  the  spring 
of  1 88 1.  On  May  1,  of  that  year,  he  came  to  Tarkio,  and  started  his 
present  business,  his  brother  and  Mr.  Shaum  owning  a  share  in  the  store. 
His  business  room  is  24x50  feet,  besides  a  tin  shop  and  wareroom.  This 
is  the  only  exclusive  hardware  establishment  in  the  city.  Mr.  Curfman 
filled  the  position  of  town  trustee  in  188 1.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  He  was  married  August  15,  1871,  to  Miss  Mary 
Ramsey,  daughter  of  Meringo  and  Elizabeth  Ramsey,  of  Fairfield,  Iowa. 
She  is  a  native  of  that  place  and  was  born  July  21,  1852.  They  have 
been  blessed  with  three  children  :  Edith,  born  May  21,  1872  ;  Nellie, 
born  February  8,  1877  ;  Effie,  born  October  14,  1880.  Himself  and  wife 
are  active  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.     He  is  a  staunch  Republican. 

ELISHA  T.  DAVENPORT, 

• 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  4.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
on  the  nth  of  April,  1858,  in  Mason  County,  Illinois.  His  father,  Henry 
Davenport,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  his  mother  Susan  (Garner) 
Davenport,  was  born  in  Indiana.  Elisha  remained  at  his  birthplace  until 
ten  years  of  age,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm.  In  1868  he 
accompanied  the  family  to  Atchison  County,  Missonri.  They  settled  on 
a  farm  and  have  since  remained  here.  He  received  a  preparatory  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools,  and  then  attended  school  some  two  years 
at  Peru,  Nebraska.  Arriving  at  maturity,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.     He  now  farms  280  acres  of  his  father's  land,  and 


902  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

is  an  enterprising  young  citizen  of  this  township.  Mr.  Davenport  was 
married  on  the  19th  of  March,  1882,  to  Miss  Jennette  Miller,  daughter 
of  Isaac  and  Amy  Miller,  of  this  county.  She  was  born  July  22,  1864, 
in  this  county  and  was  raised  here.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

JOHN  H.   DAVIS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  27,  also  an  early  settler  of  this  town- 
ship, was  born  November  5,  1839,  m  Greene  County,  Tennessee.  His 
parents,  John  and  Sarah  (McNees)  Davis,  were  also  natives  of  that  state. 
John  was  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  ten  children.  He  was  reared  to  man- 
hood at  his  birthplace,  on  a  farm,  receiving  a  common  school  education, 
and  during  life  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
During  the  war  he  espoused  the  Southern  cause  and  enlisted  in  Company 
A,  Sixty-first  Tennessee  Infantry,  in  June,  1862.  They  entered  the  field 
in  September  of  that  year,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Enlist- 
ing as  a  private,  he  was  afterwards  elected  lieutenant.  He  served  with 
the  West  Mississippi  and  East  Louisiana  Departments,  and  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  the  engagements  around  Vicksburg, 
Port  Gibson,  Champion's  Hill,  Black  River  Bridge,  then  through  the 
entire  siege  of  Vicksburg.  He  was  paroled,  and  in  the  spring  of  1864  he 
was  exchanged.  His  regiment  was  then  mounted  and  served  in  East 
Tennessee  and  Virginia  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Davis  soon 
returned  to  his  old  home,  and  in  June,  1865,  he  came  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri.  That  fall  his  family  moved  out  and  settled  at  Iowa  Point, 
Kansas.  In  the  spring  of  1866  they  located  on  a  farm  in  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  in  1871  he  settled  where  he  now  resides.  He 
owns  400  acres  of  well  improved  land,  and  has  a  comfortable  residence, 
young  orchard,  etc.  His  place  is  well  watered  and  well  adapted  for 
stock  raising.  He  is  a  member  of  Atchison  Lodge  No.  220,  A  O.  U. 
W.,  of  Tarkio,  of  which  he  holds  the  office  of  Overseer.  He  also  belongs 
to  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  1 57,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  Rock  Port.  Mr.  Davis 
was  married  May  30,  i860,  to  Miss  Sarah  McCurry,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Hannah  McCurry.  She  is  a  native  of  Greene  County,  Tennessee. 
They  have  six  children  living:  Jesse  H.,  born  February  15,  1861  ;  John 
M.,  born  September  29,  1862  ;  Thomas  J.,  born  February  2,  1865  ;  Min- 
nie V.,  born  March  16,  1869;  Lizzie,  born  May  7,  1874,  and  an  infant 
unnamed,  born  March  12,  1880.  Five  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Davis  is  a 
member  of  New  Light  Christian  Church. 


'&* 


ELISHA  DIXON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  1,  was  born  March  15,  1823,  in  Jackson 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  the  son   of  Joseph  and  Rachel  (Wilkerson)  Dixon, 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  903 

who  were  natives  of  North  Carolina,  and  who  went  to  Ohio  when  they 
were  quite  young.  Elisha  was  reared  on  a  farm  at  his  birthplace,  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  He  immigrated  west  in  the  spring 
of  185 1,  and  settled  in  Stark  County,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
agriculural  pursuits.  In  the  fall  of  1868,  he  came  to  Nodaway  County, 
Missouri,  locating  near  Quitman.  He  improved  a  farm  of  440  acres,  and 
moved  from  there  to  where  he  now  resides  in  the  spring  of  1876.  He 
owns  160  acres  of  well  improved  land,  has  a  comfortable  residence  and 
an  excellent  orchard  of  some  300  bearing  trees.  During  the  late  war  he 
enlisted  in  the  fall  of  1861,  in  Company  K,  Forty-seventh  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  three  years.  He  filled  the  position  of  orderly 
sergeant,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  New  Madrid,  Island  No.  10,  first 
and  second  battles  of  Corinth,  Iuka  and  Vicksburg.  After  the  surrender 
of  Vicksburg,  he  was  taken  sick  and  was  discharged  in  1864.  He  com- 
menced life  a  poor  boy,  and  has  been  a  self  made  man.  Mr.  Dixon 
was  married  on  the  24th  of  October,  1844,  to  Miss  Lydia  Nicholas, 
daughter  of  John  and  Elenore  Nicholas.  She  was  born  the  nth  of 
March,  1825,  in  Jackson  County,  Ohio,  and  is  an  old  schoolmate  of  Mr. 
Dixon's.  They  have  been  blessed  with  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living  :  Sophia,  born  July  28,  1845,  (now  Mrs.  Henry  Colwell)  ;  Francis 
M.,  born  February  1,  1848  ;  Pearly  N.,  born  May  22,  1850  ;  Evaline,  born 
March  17,  1853,  (now  the  wife  of  James  Graves)  ;  Emma,  born  October 
22,  i860  ;  Oliver  W.,  born  September  12,  1868.  They  are  also  raising 
two  adopted  children,  Homer  A.  Dixon,  born  February  2,  1871,  and 
Lena  May  Balton,  born.  May  27,  1873.  Mrs.  Dixon  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

GEORGE  W.  DRAKE, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  27,  was  born  July  19,  1839,  m  Brown 
County,  Ohio.  His  parents,  E.  B.  and  Sarah  (Martin)  Drake,  were  both 
natives  of  Ohio.  George  was  the  second  in  a  family  of  seven  children. 
He  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace,  spending  his  boyhood  days 
on  a  farm.  He  received  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  education,  and 
has  given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  through  life.  He  took  a 
trip  westward  in  the  summer  of  1866  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  and  as 
this  western  country  seemed  to  agree  with  him,  he  concluded  to  locate 
here  permanently.  He  moved  his  family  to  Andrew  County,  Missouri, 
in  the  fall  of  1865,  and  in  March,  1866,  he  located  on  the  old  Holland 
farm  near  Rock  Port.  In  1870  he  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  lives, 
and  at  this  time  owns  420  acres  of  fine  land,  and  is  one  of  Atchison 
County's  most  enterprising  citizens  and  is  well  and  favorably  known. 
Mr.  Drake  was  married  August  18,  1859,  to  Miss  Mary  Rawlings,  daugh- 
ter of  Cardiff  and  Rebecca  (Perry)  Rawlings.  She  was  a  native  of  Adams 
County,  Ohio.     They  have  had  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  living: 


904  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Lee  O.,  born  June  1,  i860;  Thomas  E.,  born  May  24,  1866;  Asa  S.,  born 
March  23,  1869  ;  Ala  M.,  born  September  28,  1870;  Sarah  V.,  born  Octo- 
ber 18,  1874  ;  Hetty  R.,  born  September  21,  1876.  Himself  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  New  Light  Christian  Church. 

GEORGE  W.  EDWARDS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  14,  was  among  the  first  settlers  on  the 
-  prairie  in  this  locality.  He  was  born  July  4,  1836,  in  the  town  of 
Scipio,  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  and  was  the  son  of  Eber  and 
Mahala  (Kilburn)  Edwards,  who  were  natives  of  New  York  State. 
George  was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  five  children.  He  was  reared  to 
manhood  on  a  farm  at  his  birthplace,  receiving  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. He  has  always  been  quite  handy  with  tools,  but  has  given  the 
principal  part  of  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  through  life.  In 
1861  he  moved  to  Pennsylvania  and  remained  there  four  years,  thence 
to  Rock  County,  Wisconsin,  settling  near  Janesville.  In  the  fall  of 
1870  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Tarkio  Township,  Atchison 
County.  He  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  the  fall  of  1873  and  now 
owns  160  acres,  moderately  improved.  He  has  a  fine  orchard  and  an 
abundance  of  small  fruit.  He  commenced  life  on  his  own  account 
when  fourteen  years  of  age  and  worked  eight  years  by  the  month,  and 
has  risen  to  his  present  position  only  by  his  own  exertions.  Mr. 
Edwards  was  married  January  1,  1856,  to  Miss  Hannah  Johnson,  a 
native  of  Yates  County,  New  York,  born  April  2,  1836.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  H.  and  Nancy  M.  (Fish)  Johnson.  They  have  had  six 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living  :  Ella  A.,  born  October  14,  1856,  (now 
Mrs.  James  Jackson,  of  this  county)  ;  Clara  M.,  born  September  4,  1864; 
Maggie  G.,  born  April  10,  1868  ;  Bertha  L.,  born  January  3,  1870,  and 
Helen  M.,  born  February  3,  1875.  Mrs.  Edwards  is  a  member  of  the  M. 
E.  Church. 

ANDREW  ELLIS, 

carpenter  and  contractor,  was  born  in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  on  the 
31st  of  May,  1838.  His  father,  J.  S.  Ellis,  was  born  in  Becket,  Massachu- 
setts, and  his  mother,  Rebecca  (McArthur)  Ellis,  was  a  native  of  Craw- 
ford County,  Pennsylvania.  Andrew  passed  his  youth  on  the  farm,  and 
after  receiving  a  preparatory  education  in  the  common  schools,  he 
attended  the  college  at  Meadsville,  Pennsylvania.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  he  commenced  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  in  Ashtabula  County, 
Ohio,  and  has  followed  it  through  life.  He  has  worked  at  various  places: 
Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  Minneapolis,  Chicago,  Kalamazoo,  Michigan, 
■  Dubuque,  Burlington  and  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  He  remained  at  Des 
Moines  some  two  years,  and  while  there  remodeled  Governor  Merrill's 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  905 

residence,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city.  He  was  also  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  that  place.  Mr.  E.  is  the  discoverer  and  sole  proprietor  of  Ellis' 
Pain  Boss  and  Twin  Flower,  which  relieves  all  pain.  He  did  a  large 
and  flourishing  business  there,  and  then  took  a  trip  through  the  south- 
west, and  finally  located  at  Tarkio,  in  November,  1880,  when  the  town 
was  in  its  infancy.  He  owns  considerable  town  property,  about  eight 
residence  houses.  He  understands  his  trade  thoroughly,  has  had  a  large 
experience  in  all  its  branches,  and  is  one  of  the  best  workmen  in  North- 
west Missouri.  During  the  war  he  espoused  the  Union  cause.  He 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Sixth  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  1861,  and  took 
part  in  many  of  the  hardest  fought  battles,  among  which  was  that  of 
Shiloh.  He  was  disabled  and  sent  home,  and  was  helpless  for  a  long 
time,  and  still  suffers  from  the  effects  of  his  wound.  Mr.  Ellis  was  mar- 
ried May  29,  1863,  in  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Rachel  A.  Dimmick, 
a  daughter  of  Hezekiah  and  Polly  H.  Dimmick.  She  is  a  native  of 
Hendricks  County,  Indiana.  They  have  two  children  :  Perry,  born 
October  24,  1866,  and  Kitty,  born  September   13,  1869. 

THOMAS  J.  EMMERT 

is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Emmert  &  Neal,  dealers  in  general  merchan- 
dise. This  house  was  organized  in  November,  1880,  and  is  composed  of 
T.  J.  Emmert  and  Albert  F.  Neal.  They  have  a  large  and  complete 
stock,  and  do  a  good  business.  Mr.  Emmert  also  owns  an  excellent 
furniture  store,  and  conducts  it  in  connection  with  his  other  business. 
Thomas  J.  Emmert  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Maryland,  on  the 
21st  of  September,  1845.  His  parents,  Samuel  and  Mary  (Newcomer) 
Emmert,  were  natives  of  Maryland.  Thomas  grew  to  manhood  at  his  birth- 
place,on  a  farm,receivinghiseducationin  the  neighboringschools.  In  1865 
he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Funkstown,  Maryland,  remain- 
ing there  one  year,  and  then  went  to  work  for  his  tather  in  his  flour  and 
paper  mills.  After  remaining  with  him  some  two  years  he  moved  to 
Middleboro.  Two  years  later  he  came  west,  in  the  spring  of  1869,  and 
settled  in  Corning,  Missouri,  where  he  was  occupied  in  the  mercantile 
business.  Thence  to  Center  Point,  in  the  spring  of  1878,  embarking  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  that  point.  In  November,  1880,  he  came  to 
Tarkio  and  took  in  Mr.  Neal  as  a  partner.  Mr.  Emmert  is  pleasant  in 
his  manners,  and  is  a  good  salesman.  He  is  a  member  in  good  standing 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Republican.  He 
was  married  on  the  17th  of  September,  1872,  to  Miss  Eliza  R.  Betebever, 
a  native  of  Ogle  County,  Illinois,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  Bet- 
ebever. By  this  union  they  have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  are 
now  living  :  Lee  Z.,  born  September  16,  1873,  ar>d  Mabel  Maud,  born 
November  30,  188 1.  Himself  and  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Baptist  Church. 


906  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

JOHN   FERGUSON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  28,  was  born  on  the  13th  of  December, 
1853,  in  Cedar  County,  Iowa.  His  parents,  Thomas  C.  and  Nancy 
(Young)  Ferguson,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  John  was  the  third 
in  a  family  of  four  children.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  at  his 
birthplace,  receiving  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  education,  and 
during  life  he  has  followed  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  fall  of  1875,  he 
came  to  Atchison  County  and  purchased  his  present  farm,  settling  upon 
it  in  the  spring  of  1876.  He  lived  single  for  four  years,  and  broke  prairie. 
He  now  owns  a  farm  of  120  acres,  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of 
land  in  the  county,  and  Mr.  F.  devotes  much  time  to  its  improvement. 
He  is  a  member  of  Atchison  Lodge  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of  Tarkio,  and 
was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Grange.  Mr.  Ferguson  was  married  the 
27th  of  June,  1880,  to  Miss  Sarah  U.  Noble,  daughter  of  J.  D.  and  Rebecca 
Noble.  She  was  born  December  20,  1862,  in  Nodaway  County,  Missouri. 
They  have  one  child,  Frank  Crittenden,  born  June  7,  1881.  They  are 
members  of  the  Disciple's  Christian  Church  of  Tarkio,  in  which  Mr.  F. 
holds  the  position  of  elder. 

THOMAS  L.  FIKE, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  8,  was  born  September  29,  1834,  in  Mor- 
rison County,  Illinois.  His  father,  Josiah  Fike,  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
and  his  mother,  formerly  Elizabeth  Richardson,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  The  former  was  a  sailor,  took  part  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was 
at  the  noted  battle  of  New  Orleans.  Thomas  was  brought  up  on  a  farm 
and  received  an  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  In  1867  he 
moved  to  Newton  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  where  he 
remained  nine  years.  In  the  spring  of  1876  he  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  locating  where  he  now  resides.  He  owns  140  acres  of 
fine  land,  has  a  neat  residence,  good  barn,  orchard,  etc.  His  place  was 
one  of  the  oldest  settled  places  in  the  township,  and  in  early  times  was 
a  stopping  place  for  travelers  between  Rock  Port  and  the  Nodaway 
River.  Mr.  Fike  is  a  member  of  Atchison  Lodge,  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W. 
of  Tarkio.  He  was  married  April  3,  1856,  to  Miss  Frances  Henry, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  Henry,  of  Marion  County,  Illinois.  She 
was  born  February  1 1,  1837,  in  Robertson  County,  Tennessee.  They  have 
seven  children  :  Nancy  A.,  born  January  5,  1857  (now  Mrs.  John  Scott, 
of  this  county,)  ;  Sarah  E.,  born  January  23,  i860  ;  Josiah  W.,  born  March 
31,  1862  ;  Lou  Ellen,  born  April  22,  1864  ;  Arrah  A.,  born  October  1, 
1866  ;  Thomas  H.,  born  May  6,  1869  ;  Edgar  L.,  born  March  8,  1872. 
Mr.  Fike  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church  of  Tarkio,  in 
which  he  holds  the  position  of  deacon. 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  907 

JOEL  W.  GILSON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  29,  was  born  on  the  26th  of  March, 
1830,  in  Allegany  County,  New  York,  and  was  a  son  of  George  and 
Jerusha  Gilson,  who  were  old  settlers  of  New  York  State.  They  moved 
to  Brown  County,  Ohio,  in  1837,  and  there  Joel  was  reared  to  manhood 
on  a  farm  and  received  a  common  school  education.  In  1848  he  moved 
to  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  During  the 
late  war  he  espoused  the  Union  cause  and  twice  volunteered  his  services 
but  was  not  considered  able  to  do  military  duty.  He  came  west  in  the 
spring  of  1869  and  settled  where  he  now  resides,  the  county  then  being 
thinly  populated,  with  his  nearest  neighbor  two  miles  distant.  He  now 
owns  280  acres  of  well  improved  land  and  has  a  fine  grove  of  twenty- 
three  acres,  two  good  orchards,  a  comfortable  residence  and  a  good 
barn.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  school  director  some  nine  years. 
Mr.  Gilson  was  married  June  5,  185 1,  to  Miss  Nancy  A.  McCalla,  a 
native  of  Brown  County,  Ohio,  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah 
McCalla.  She  was  born  January  17,  1823.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  Church.  They  raised  two  children,  who  are  now 
deceased  and  they  are  raising  two  grandchildren  :  Willie  Wolf,  aged 
ten  and  Annie  Wolf,  aged  seven  years. 

JAMES  C.  GOLDEN, 

dealer  in  harness  and  saddles,  is  an  industrious  business  man  of  Tarkio. 
He  was  bcrn  February  5,  185 1,  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  His 
parents,  J.  W.  and  Martha  A.  (Stone)  Golden,  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
and  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Atchison  County.  James  C.  was  the 
fourth  in  a  family  of  thirteen  children.  He  was  reared  on  the  frontier, 
spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  received  the  benefits  of  a  common 
school  education.  In  1869,  he  moved  to  Rock  Port  and  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  with  his  father,  but  after  continuing  this  some  five  years, 
he  moved  back  on  a  farm.  In  1875,  he  went  to  Hamburg,  Iowa,  and 
remained  there  some  six  years.  Coming  to  Tarkio  in  April,  1881,  he 
opened  a  restaurant,  which  he  conducted  for  about  six  months,  and  on 
August  23,  188 1,  he  purchased  the  harness  shop  which  he  now  owns. 
He  carries  a  good  assortment  and  has  done  a  flourishing  business.  He 
is  a  member  of  Tarkio  Lodge  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Golden  was 
married  February  22,  1872,  to  Miss  Lydia  M.  Van  Leuven,  a  daughter  of 
William  M.  and  Anna  E.  Van  Leuven.  She  is  a  native  of  Illinois.  They 
have  one  child  living,  Josie,  born  February  16,  1880.  Four  are  deceased. 
Mrs.  Golden  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 


0£>8  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

J.  L.  GRAY. 

proprietor  of  the  Lost  Gro^e  Farm,  section  10,  was  born  on  the  24th  of 
October,  1822,  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  and 
Martha  (Little)  Gray,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  John  was  reared 
at  his  birthplace  on  a  farm,  and  received  a  common  school  education. 
He  learned  the  brick  mason's  trade,  and  followed  it  for  some  thirty-eight 
years.  In  April,  1867,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  settling  on  the 
bottoms  south  of  Phelps,  where  he  opened  a  farm.  He  located  on  his 
present  place  in  the  spring  of  1880,  and  now  owns  320  acres  of  fine  land, 
well  watered  and  adapted  to  stock  raising.  He  is  a  hardworking,  indus- 
trious citizen,  and  is  well  known  throughout  the  county.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  Gray  was  married  April  20,  1845,  to 
Miss  Lucinda  Runyon,  daughter  of  S.  D.  and  Dorothy  Runyon.  She 
was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  November  8,  1824.  They  have  been 
blessed  with  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living  :  Lemuel  W.,  born 
February  14,  1846  ;  Alice  A.,  born  January  29,  1848,  (now  Mrs.  Jesse  C. 
Dawson,  of  Montgomery  County,  Ohio)  ;  Jennie,  born  June  17,  1850, 
(now  Mrs.  N.  B.  Vanlandigham,  of  Atchison  County)  ;  Perry  H.,  born 
December  23,  1852  ;  Ira  F..  born  March  17,  1856  ;  Mary  B.,  born  Decem- 
ber 28,  1857,  (now  Mrs.  Austin  Van  Gundy);  Effie,  born  June  13,  i860. 
Mr.  Gray  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  Tarkio. 

LEMUEL  W.    GRAY, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  29,  was  born  February  14,  1846,  in  High- 
land County,  Ohio.  His  parents,  John  L.  and  Lucinda  (Runyon)  Gray, 
were  natives  of  Ohio.  Lemuel  was  reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace, 
spending  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm  and  receiving  the  benefits  of  a 
common  school  education.  He  immigrated  west  in  1867,  and  landed  in 
Rock  Port  on  the  10th  of  March.  He  then  settled  on  the  Nishnebotna 
River,  south  of  Phelps,  and  in  1868  he  commenced  to  learn  the  brick- 
mason's  trade,  which  he  followed  two  years.  He  afterwards  worked  four 
years  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  Since  then  he  has  worked  at  both  indus- 
tries, and  has  also  been  engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  Gray  settled  where  he 
now  resides  in  1877.  He  owns  eighty  acres  of  well  improved  land,  a 
young  orchard  of  100  trees,  and  an  abundance  of  small  fruit,  comfort- 
able residence,  etc.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  ;  also,  of 
Atchison  Lodge,  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of  Tarkio.  Mr.  G.  was  married 
March  17,  1872,  to  Mrs.  Lizzie  Gerlash,  a  widow  with  one  child,  Johnnie 
A.  Gerlash,  born  January  30,  1865.  Her  maiden  name  was  Lizzie  Gibler, 
and  she  was  born  September  9,  1846,  at  Lynchburg,  Highland  County, 
Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Caroline  Gibler.  By  this  union 
they  have  two  children  :  Leonard  F.,  born  February  5,  1875,  and  Alice 
B.,  born  July  23,  1878.     Mrs.  Gray  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  909 

MADISON  GREER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  16,  was  another  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  this  township.  He  was  born  January  10,  183 1,  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio.  His  father,  Col.  John  Greer,  was  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland.  He 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  about  1801  and  settled  in  Ohio  about 
1803.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  held  the  position  of  colonel. 
His  mother,  Mary  (Critchfield)  Greer,  was  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth. 
Madison  was  the  twelfth  in  a  family  of  fourteen  children.  He  spent 
his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  at  his  birthplace,  and  after  receiving  a 
preparatory  education  in  the  common  schools  he  attended  the  academy 
at  Loudonville.  In  February,  1852,  he  took  the  California  fever  and 
started  for  the  land  of  gold,  by  the  way  of  New  Orleans  and  Nica- 
rauga,  thence  to  San  Francisco.  He  spent  some  three  years  on  the 
coast,  engaged  in  freighting,  and  during  the  winter  of  1855  he  returned, 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  settled  at  Berlin,  Hardin  County, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  also  in  saw  milling,  the  first  two 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he  crossed  the  plains,  with  his  family, 
and  spent  the  summer  in  California,  but  returned  in  the  fall  of  that 
year  and  again  located  at  Berlin,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1870.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
and  moved  on  his  present  farm.  It  was  then  wild  land  and  there  were 
but  few  settlers  on  the  prairie.  He  camped  out  until  he  could  build  a 
house  and  since  that  date  he  has  been  a  citizen  of  Atchison  County. 
He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  and  has  a  handsome  residence  with 
beautiful  grounds,  which  are  an  ornament  to  the  township.  His  farm  is 
well  watered  and  is  adapted  to  stock  raising.  During  his  residence  in 
Hardin  County,  Iowa,  he  served  as  one  of  the  board  of  county  super- 
visors for  some  five  years.  Mr.  Greer  was  married  October  26,  1856,  to 
Miss  Amy  C.  Bradfield,  a  native  of  Knox  County,  Ohio,  born  August  9, 
1838,  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Bradfield.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren living:  Roland  C,  born  August  25,  1857  ;  Richard  L.,  born  March 
15,  1863.  Lost  one.  Roland  C.  was  married  September  3,  1878,  to  Miss 
Fannie  E.  Allen,  a  native  of  Missouri.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  i8oacres 
in  this  township. 

FRED.  GREENLEY 

is  a  leading  merchant  and  farmer  and  also  postmaster  at  York.  Among 
the  early  settlers  of  Tarkio  Township  may  be  mentioned  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Madison  County,  New  York,  April  19, 
1835.  His  parents,  Thomas  H.  and  Lucy  S.  (Higgins)  Greenley,  were 
natives  of  York  State.  Fred,  spent  his  youth  at  his  birth  place,  on  the 
farm,  and  received  a  common  school  education,  principally  at  the  old 
Hamiltonian    College.     When   twenty-one    years    old    he    commenced 


9IO  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

steamboating  on  the  Mississippi  River,  and  after  following  this  one 
year,  he  went  to  Texas,  where  he  engaged  in  the  sheep  business.  The 
country  was  then  almost  a  wilderness  and  was  inhabited  by  Indians. 
His  brother  filled  the  position  of  postmaster,  and  was  afterwards  mur- 
dered for  his  money.  Mr.  Greenley  remained  there  some  eight  years, 
and  then  came  to  Atchison  County  in  the  fall  of  1870,  settling  where  he 
now  resides.  He  commenced  to  improve  a  farm,  and  in  September, 
1874,  he  opened  a  store  in  a  place  which  he  called  Greenville.  On  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1878,  he  received  the  appointment  of  postmaster,  and  the  office 
was  called  York.  He  carries  a  large  and  well  assorted  stock  of  goods, 
and  does  a  good  business.  He  also  owns  a  fine  farm  of  400  acres,1  an 
excellent  stock  farm.  He  commenced  here  with  eighty  acres  of  land, 
going  in  debt  for  that,  and  he  has  since  been  an  enterprising  citizen  of 
this  locality.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  G.  has 
been  twice  married  :  first  October  19,  1871,  to  Miss  .Betty  Carter,  a 
native  of  Lexington,  Missouri.  She  died  on  the  21st  of  September,  1872. 
He  was  married  again  November  19,  1874,  to  Augusta  Wait,  a  daughter 
of  Chester  Wait.  She  was  born  in  Ovid,  New  York,  on  November  12, 
185 1.  They  have  had  three  children:  Fred.  C,  born  September  11, 
1875  ;  Hiram  W.,  born  March  22,  1879,  and  Carrie  A.,  born  May  19,  1880. 

JOHN  F.  HANNA, 

is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hanna,  Hunter  &  Co.,  dealers  in  general 
merchandise  and  agricultural  implements.  This  was  one  of  the  first 
business  houses  established  in  Tarkio.  They  carry  the  heaviest  stock 
of  goods  in  town  and  transact  a  large  amount  of  business.  John  F. 
Hanna  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  September  18,  1847.  His 
parents,  Samuel  and  Catherine  A.  (Hoffman)  Hanna,  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  mother  was  of  German  origin  and  the  father  of 
Irish  descent.  They  moved  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day.  John  F.  was  the 
second  in  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the 
farm  at  his  birthplace,  and  after  receiving  a  preparatory  education  in 
the  common  schools,  he  completed  it  at  the  Academy  at  Savannah,  Ohio. 
He  moved  to.  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1876,  where  he 
was  engaged  as  foreman  of  a  large  stock  farm,  owned  by  David  Rankin. 
In  February  1879,  ne  went  to  Warren  County,  Illinois,  entering  into 
partnership  with  Mr.  Rankin  in  farming  and  the  stock  raising  business. 
There  he  remained  until  October,  1880,  when  he  immigrated  west- 
ward to  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  He  helped  to  raise  the  first  boards 
to  make  a  temporary  shanty  on  the  present  site  of  Tarkio.  In  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  he  moved  his  family  here,  and  in  April,  188 1,  in  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Hunter  and  Mr.  Rankin,  he  opened  their  present  store  on 
the  corner  of  Main  and   Third  Streets.     He  also  erected   a  handsome 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  911 

residence  in  block  five  ;  it  is  an  ornament  to  the  city  situated  as  it  is,  on 
a  gentle  elevation,  giving  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  He 
owns  a  fine  farm  of  some  1,500  acres,  four  and  one-half  miles  east  of 
Tarkio  ;  also  an  interest  in  the  old  home  farm  in  Ohio.  Mr.  Hanna  is  a 
strong  temperance  man  and  a  staunch  Republican.  He  was  married  the 
22nd  of  June,  1876,  to  Miss  Nettie  V.  Rankin,  of  Biggsville,  Henderson 
County,  Illinois,  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  Rankin.  She  was  born 
near  that  place,  July  28,  1855.  They  have  had  two  children:  Charles 
Rankin,  born  May  13,  1878,  and  John  Winfield,  born  February  8,  1880. 
Himself  and  wife  are  both  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Tarkio,  in  which  he  holds  the  position  of  elder.  In  his  manners  he 
is  much  of  a  gentleman  and  carries  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  those 
who  are  favored  with  his  acquaintance.  Mr.  H.  owes  his  success  in  life 
only  to  his  sterling  principles  of  honesty,  integrity  and  attention  to 
business. 

DAVID  HAUGHT, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  4,  was  born  July  21,  1826,  in  Fayette 
County,  Pennsylvania.  His  parents,  George  and  Elizabeth  (Dixon) 
Haught,  were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  Dutch  descent.  His 
father  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  David  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  He  emigrated  to  Bureau  County, 
Illinois,  in  185 1,  and  there  opened  a  small  farm.  In  1864  he  came  to 
Atchison  County  and  settled  on  the  Missouri  River  bottom,  moving  to 
his  present  residence  in  the  fall  of  1868.  He  at  once  commenced  to 
improve  it  and  now  owns  eighty  acres  of  well  improved  land,  has  a 
good  orchard  and  a  valuable  stock  farm.  He  fills  the  office  of  school 
director.  He  is  a  hard-working  citizen,  though  he  commenced  life  a 
poor  boy.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  Haught 
was  married  on  the  23d  of  October,  1845,  to  Miss  Rachel  Provance, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Y.  and  Rachel  Provance.  She  was  an  old  school- 
mate of  his.  They  have  had  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing :  Salina  A.,  born  September  16,  1846,  (now  Mrs.  F.  M.  Meek,  of  this 
county);  Elizabeth  A.,  born  August  7,  1848,  (now  Mrs.  C.  B.  Casler,  of 
Tarkio);  Rachel  Diana,  (now  Mrs.  Ulysses  Beck,  of  this  county);  Joseph 
E.,  Henriette  D.,  (wife  of  Edwin  Evans,  of  Livingston  County,  Missouri); 
Christopher  C,  Quimby  G.,  and  Daisy  S. 

E.  E.  HOWENDOBLER 

is  of  the  firm  of  Howendobler  &  Co.,  druggists'and  apothecaries,  at  Tar- 
kio. Prominent  among  the  rising  young  business  men  of  Northwest 
Missouri  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  the  6th  of  July, 
1861,    in    Clarinda,    Page    County,    Iowa.     His  parents,  Dr.   Jacob  and 


9'2  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON     COUNTY. 

Sarah  (Crotcher)  Howendobler,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
moved  to  Iowa  in  an  early  day  and  settled  in  Page  County.  Elmer  E. 
is  the  third  in  a  family  of  six  living  children.  When  he  was  about  twelve 
years  of  age  his  father  moved  to  Maryville,  Nodaway  County.  There 
he  was  principally  reared.  He  received  a  good  business  education,  and 
was  brought  up  to  learn  the  drug  business,  consequently  he  understands 
it  thoroughly.  He  came  to  Tarkio  on  the  5th  of  November,  188 1,  and 
opened  a  drug  store  in  partnership  with  a  brother,  who  is  in  the  business 
at  Maryville.  He  carries  a  large  and  complete  assortment,  and  his  long 
experience  in  business  makes  him  a  capable  druggist.  He  well  deserves 
the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  a  host  of  friends.  Mr.  H.  is  ably 
assisted  in  the  store  by  a  younger  brother,  J.  W.  Howendobler.  He 
was  also  born  in  Clarinda,  Iowa,  on  the  27th  of  October,  1862,  and  has 
also  been  reared  in  the  drug  business. 

CHARLES  G.  HOWELL, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  5,  is  a  pioneer  of  Atchison  County.  He 
was  born  July  5,  1838,  in  Meigs  County,  Ohio.  His  father,  Richard  How- 
ell, was  a  native  of  Canada  and  came  to  Ohio  when  a  boy.  His  mother, 
Elmira  (Tyler)  Howell,  was  a  native  of  Maine.  Charles  was  reared  on 
the  farm  at  his  birthplace  and  received  a'common  school  education.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of 
1855,  and  thence  to  Atchison  County,  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  They  set- 
tled on  the  Tarkio  River,  and  soon  afterward  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
returned  to  St.  Joseph,  to  learn  the  mercantile  business  with  John  Curd. 
After  working  one  year  he  took  a  course  at -Westminster  College,  at 
Fulton,  Callaway  County,  Missouri.  Going  again  to  St.  Joseph,  in  1857, 
he  entered  the  store,  in  which  he  continued  one  year.  The  close  con- 
finement was  injuring  his  health  and  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  this 
business.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  with 
his  father.  During  the  war  he  served  in  the  Enrolled  Missouri  Mili- 
tia. He  settled  his  present  farm  in  March,  1871.  It  contains  160  acres 
of  well  improved  land,  besides  a  piece  of  timber  land.  Mr.  H.  has  filled 
the  various  township  offices.  He  was  married  January  1,  1866,  to  Miss 
Martha  Caudle,  a  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Mary  Caudle,  who  were  both 
old  settlers  of  Atchison  County.  She  was  born  April  27,  1850,  in  Tarkio 
Township,  and  was  raised  here.  They  have  four  children  :  Prudentia, 
born  June  27,  1867  ;  Lafayette,  born  January  31,  1869  ;  Lillie  May,  born 
February  9,  1872  ;  Charlie  F.,  born  October  29,  1881.  Lost  one,  Linley 
A.     They  are  both  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

P.  H.  HULL, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  8,  was  born  on  the  13th  of  January,  1826, 
in  Hunterdon  County,  New  Jersey,  and  was  the  son  of  Joseph  S.  and 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  913 

Ruth  (Smith)  Hull,  who  were  natives  of  the  same  county.  P.  H.  Hull 
was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  nine  children.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and 
cabinet  maker,  and  the  son  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and 
also  learned  the  cabinet  trade.  He  received  the  benefits  of  a  common 
school  education.  In  1863,  he  settled  in  Sheffield,  Bureau  County,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  resided  for  six  years.  In  the  fall  of  1869,  he  came  to 
Missouri,  locating  in  Nodaway  County,  near  the  line  of  Atchison  County, 
and  in  January,  1874,  he  settled  where  he  now  resides.  It  was  then  in 
an  uncultivated  condition,  but  he  has  improved  a  farm  of  160  acres,  and 
now  has  a  neat,  comfortable  residence,  &c.  Mr.  Hull  was  married  May 
20,  1848,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Lunce,  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Mary  Lunce. 
She  was  a  native  of  the  same  county  as  her  husband,  and  was  born 
November  24,  1827.  They  have  seven  children  :  Eliza  A.,  born  June 
22,  1849,  (now  Mrs.  Miles  Warren,  of  Oregon)  ;  John  S.,  born  May  6, 
1852  ;  Joseph  S.,  born  February  3,  1858  ;  Theodore  Y.,  born  August  24, 
i860;  Eleazer  S.,  born  December  3,  1863  ;  Mary  L.,  born  March  9,  1868, 
and  Warren,  born  November  3,  1870.  Two  are  deceased. 

JAMES   A.  HURLEY, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  I.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
June  10,  1834,  in  Cocke  County,  Tennessee.  His  parents,  James  and 
Sarah  (Gillet)  Hurley,  were  natives  of  Tennessee.  James  was  raised  on 
a  farm  and  received  a  common  school  education,  and  during  life  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  During  the  war  he  espoused 
the  southern  cause,  shouldered  his  musket  and  went  to  the  front.  In 
November,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Sixty-first  Tennessee,  under 
General  Bragg,  and  was  afterward  transferred  to  General  Pemberton's 
command.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Tazewell,  Tennessee,  Azure 
City,  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Black  River  Bridge,  and  Siege  of  Vicksburg. 
His  regiment  was  captured  here,  but  he  happened  to  be  on  the  outside 
and  escaped  with  Johnston.  He  then  joined  the  Fifth  Tennessee  Cav- 
alry and  went  through  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  thence  before  Sher- 
man to  the  sea  and  finally  surrendered  at  Greensburg,  North  Carolina, 
April  26,  1865.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Hurley  emigrated  west, 
intending  to  go  to  Salt  Lake  City.  He  stopped  a  while  at  Rock  Port 
and  finally  located  here.  In  1877  he  settled  on  his  present  farm.  He 
owns  250  acres,  well  improved,  with  a  neat  residence,  young  orchard, 
etc.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  school  director  some  six  years,  and 
has  often  been  road  overseer.  He  was  married  on  the  28th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1867,  to  Miss  Rachel  Frampton,  a  native  of  Clay  County,  Missouri, 
and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Clarinda  Frampton.  She  was  born  July 
27,  1845.  They  have  five  children  :  Sarah,  born  September  27,  1868  ; 
Gertrude,  born   May   11,  1870;  John,  October   10,  1876;  Clarinda,  born 

56 


9H  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

in  October,  1877,  and  Lydia,  born  July  12,  1881.     Mrs.  H.  is  a  member 
of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  of  Rock  Creek. 

URIAH  INGHRAM, 

of  the  firm  of  Anderson  &  Inghram,  proprietors  of  livery,  feed  and  sale 
stables  at  Tarkio,  was  born  November  6,  1853,  in. Greene  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  is  the  son  of  Arthur  and  Mary  J.  (Cowen)  Inghram,  who 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Uriah  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jeffer- 
son County  Iowa,  in  i860,  and  there  he  was  principally  raised  on  a  farm, 
receiving  a  fair  education.  Arriving  at  maturity  he  commenced  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account.  He  came  to  Tarkio  March  1,  1882,  and  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  with  Mr.  Anderson  in  the  livery  stable.  They 
have  one  of  the  best  establishments  in  Northwest  Missouri,  keep  a  good 
stock  of  horses,  buggies,  etc.,  and  are  always  found  ready  to  attend  to 
the  wants  of  the  traveling  public.  Mr.  Anderson  formerly  conducted  a 
livery  stable  at  Burlington  Junction,  and  Mr.  Inghram  superintends  the 
business  at  Tarkio.  He  was  married  on  the  18th  of  November,  1879,  to' 
Miss  Mary  A.  Regester,  a  native  of  Greene  County,  Pennsylvania,  born 
June  6,  1855.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Regester.  They 
have  three  children  :  Mary  A.,  born  August  18,  1875  :  Emma  B.,  born 
August  18,  1877,  and  Rilla  A.,  born  February  22,  1880. 

EZRA  D.  JOHNSON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  29,  a  leading  man  in  this  locality,  was 
born  in  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  October  4,  1833.  His  parents, 
David  H.  and  Maria  (Fish)  Johnson,  were  both  natives  of  York  State. 
Ezra  was  the  third  in  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  spent  his  boyhood 
days  on  the  farm,  and  received  an  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools. 
In  1850,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Steuben  County,  New  York, 
where  he  remained  for  four  years.  In  1854,  he  went  to  Barry  County, 
Michigan,  and  commenced  to  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he 
followed  in  that  state  for  some  fourteen  years.  In  1869,  he  came  to  Atch- 
ison County,  Missouri,  and  settled  where  he  now  resides.  He  has 
improved  a  fine  farm,  and  owns  280  acres  of  good  land,  well  cultivated. 
He  has  a  comfortable  residence,  a  good  orchard,  etc.  A  new  mail  route 
was  established  in  the  spring  of  1871,  between  Maryville  and  Rock  Port. 
Mr.  Johnson  was  appointed  postmaster  on  the  10th  of  May,  1871,  and 
the  office  was  called  Homer  PostofHce.  He  filled  the  position  ten  years, 
or  until  the  route  was  abandoned.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  also  belongs  to  Industry  Lodge  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of 
which  he  holds  the  position  of  Receiver.  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  July 
4,  1862,  to  Miss  Frances  Drake,  a  native  of  Catskill  County,  New  York, 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  915 

born  May  20,  1836.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Ransom  and  Lurette  Drake. 
By  this  union  they  had  one  child,  Herbert,  now  deceased.  They  are 
members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

JOHN  LARAMORE, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  18,  was  born  November  12,  18 18,  in 
Caroline  County,  Maryland.  His  parents,  Thomas  and  Mary  (Blades) 
Laramore,  were  natives  of  Maryland.  John  was  taken  to  Kent  County, 
Delaware,  when  quite  young  and  there  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  receiv- 
ing a  common  school  education.  In  1857  he  immigrated  to  Bureau 
County,  Illinois,  and  resided  there  for  nine  years,  after  which  he  went  to 
Stark  County,  of  the  same  state,  and  thence  to  Fremont  County,  Iowa, 
in  March,  1874  !  after  remaining  there  one  year  he  went  to  Page  County, 
Iowa.  He  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1879,  and  in  188 1  he 
moved  to  Shenandoah,  Iowa.  In  April,  1879,  he  settled  the  place  where 
he  now  resides,  soon  returned  and  settled  upon  it  permanently  in  the 
spring  of  1882.  It  contains  160  acres  of  fine  land,  improved.  Mr.  Lara- 
more  was  married  February  13,  1840,  to  Miss  Dorcas  Wyatt,  a  native  of 
Kent  County,  Delaware,  born  April  12,  1823.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Moses  and  Sarah  Wyatt.  They  have  twelve  children  :  James  H.,  born 
August  7,  1841  ;  Nancy  E.,  born  January  12,  1845,  (now  Mrs.  William 
Deal,  of  Nebraska);  Sarah  C,  born  September  4,  1846,  (now  Mrs.  Joseph 
Andrews,  of  Nebraska);  John  W.  B.,  born  November  22,  1850  ;  William 
T.,  born  July  12,  1853  '■>  Willmina  G.,  born  September  23,  1848,  (now  Mrs. 
John  Gudgel,  of  Iowa);  Willis  H.,  born  September  13,  1857  ;  Susan  M., 
born  June  14,  i860;  Aner,  born  February  18,  1862;  George  G.,  born 
May  19,  1863  ;  Sherman,  born  June  22,  1866  ;  Isabella,  born  April  21, 
1869.     Mr.  L.  and  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

ROBERT  LYNN, 

proprietor  of  Tarkio  nursery,  situated  on  section  19,  was  born  May  7, 
1828,  his  native  home  being  Ballymenia,  County  Antrim,  Ireland. 
His  parents  were  William  and  Agnes  (Lamont)  Lynn,  who  were  of 
Scotch  descent.  Robert  was  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren. He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Ireland,  and  in  1846  he  emigrated 
with  his  parents  to  Canada  West,  where  he  continued  to  live  for  twenty- 
two  years.  In  1865  he  traveled  through  Illinois  and  Iowa  and  returned 
to  Canada,  and  in  the  spring  of  1868  came  to  Atchison  County,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  has  since  lived.  His  first  intention  was  only  to  improve 
a  fruit  farm,  but  knowing  the  wants  of  a  nursery  in  Atchison  County, 
he  shortly  after  embarked  in  the  nursery  business,  and  now  has  one  of 
the  most  complete  stocks  in  Northwest  Missouri.    A  bearing  orchard  of 


9l6  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

2,000  fruit  trees  and  a  grove  of  larch,  pine  and  evergreens,  containing 
about  6,000  trees,  adorn  the  place.  His  farm  contains  372  acres.  Mr. 
Lynn  is  and  has  long  been  one  of  the  leading  grangers  of  Atchison 
County,  having  been  a  delegate  to  the  State  Grange  for  four  years, 
serving  on  the  auditing  committee.  He  was  married  March  3,  1863,  to 
Miss  Flora  McKillop,  a  daughter  of  Donald  and  Ann  McKillop.  She 
was  born  in  McGenty  County,  Province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1841.  They  have  eight  children:  Anna  A.,  born  December  11, 
1863  ;  Lizzie  I.,  born  September  15,  1865  ;  Thomas,  born  July  25,  1867  ; 
Maggie,  born  September  22,  1869  ;  Hugh  A.,  born  December  24,  1871  ; 
Carrie,  born  March  30,  1874,  and  Robert  W.  and  Flora  W.  (twins),  born 
March  26,  1877.  Mr.  Lynn  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Rock  Port.  He  has  held  the  position  of  elder  in  the 
same  since  1870,  and  has  been  one  of  the  most  active  of  Sabbath 
school  workers. 

W.  M.  McADAMS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  29,  is  one  among  the  old  pioneers  of 
Atchison  County.  He  was  born  the  5th  of  November,  1838,  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Tennessee.  He  is  of  Scottish  descent,  though  his 
parents,  W.  S.  and  Eleanor  (McNeal)  McAdams,  were  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee. W.  M.  was  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  five  children.  The  father 
died  when  he  was  about  four  years  of  age.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  received  a  common  school  education,  mostly  by  self  application.  . 
In  the  spring  of  1853  he  came  west  and  landed  in  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  on  the  27th  of  April  of  that  year,  settling  in  the  little  town  of 
Sonora.  The  country  was  then  new  and  thinly  settled,  but  he  concluded 
to  make  his  home  on  the  frontier,  and  has  since  remained  here,  being 
engaged  in  farming  and  sawmilling.  In  the  spring  of  1882  he  located 
where  he  now  resides,  and  at  present  owns  160  acres  of  fine  land,  well 
improved.  He  has  a  handsome  residence,  young  orchard,  etc.  Being 
an  old  settler,  he  is  well  and  favorably  known.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  McAdams  was  married  June  11,  1865,  to  Miss 
Rachel  Ralston,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  A.  Ralston.  She  is  a 
native  of  Ohio.  They  have  six  children  :  Thomas  W.,  born  March  15, 
1866  ;  Charles  M.,  born  November  23,  1867  ;  Alvin  E.,  born  October  31, 
1870  ;  James  W.  E.,  born  May  3,  1873  ;  Bertie,  born  January  18,  1876,  and 
Bird,  born  April  22,  1879. 

WILLIAM  S.  McCALLEY, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  30,  was  one  of  the  first  to  settle  on  the 
prairies  in  this  vicinity.  He  was  born  July  28,  1843,  in  Gibson,  Indiana. 
His  father,  David  McCalley,  was  born  June  24,   1805,  in  Ohio,   and  died 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  91 7 

in  Louisa  County,  Iowa.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Ann  Wilson, 
and  she  was  also  born  in  Ohio.  William  was  taken  to  Lee  County,  Iowa, 
in  1844,  and  was  reared  there  on  a  farm,  receiving  a  common  school 
education.  During  the  war  he  enlisted  on  August  22,  1862,  at  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  in  Company  A,  Nineteenth  Iowa  Infantry.  He  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Prairie  Grove,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Spanish  Fort,  surrender  of 
Mobile,  and  with  General  Banks  on  his  Texas  expedition.  He  was 
mustered  out  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  after  which  he  settled  in  Louisa 
County,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  five  years.  In  1870,  he  moved  to  Page 
County,  Iowa,  and  thence  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1875,  locat- 
ing where  he  now  resides.  He  now  owns  160  acres  of  well  improved 
land,  has  a  comfortable  residence,  etc.  Politically,  he  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  and  a  strong  temperance  man.  Mr.  McCalley  was  married 
February  6,  1873,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Munzzingo,  daughter  of  Edward 
Munzzingo.  She  was  born  near  Richmond,  Indiana.  They  have  five 
children  :  Annie  G.,  Maggie  E.,  David  C,  Amanda  and  Arthur.  Him- 
self and  wife  are  members  of  the  Greenville  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
in  which  he  holds  the  position  of  Elder.  He  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  the  county. 

DANIEL  McH.  McKAY, 

physician  and  surgeon  at  Tarkio,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Shubenaca- 
die,  Nova  Scotia,  on  the  25th  of  November,  1843.  His  parents,  John  and 
Ann  (McHeffey)  McKay,  were  both  natives  of  Nova  Scotia.  Daniel  was 
principally  raised  at  his  birthplace.  When  fourteen  years  old  he  com- 
menced to  attend  college  at  Truro,  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years.  He  then  began  the  study  of  law  at  Truro,  and  afterwards 
went  to  Halifax,  and  studied  under  A.  G.  Archibald,  who  was  at  that 
time  Attorney  General  of  Canada,  now  Governor  of  Canada.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  February,  1866,  and  then 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Halifax.  He  immigrated 
west  in  1868,  and  settled  at  Rock  Port,  where  he  was  occupied  in  teach- 
ing for  some  five  months,  after  which  he  went  into  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness with  J.  P.  Lewis.  In  1869,  he  moved  to  Maryville,  Nodaway  County, 
and  made  a  set  of  abstract  books  for  that  county.  In  1870,  he  purchased 
a  drug  store  at  Quitman)  and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine.  In 
1873,  he  moved  to  .Lamar  Station,  and  started  a  drug  store  at  that  point, 
but  eighteen  months  later  he  located  at  Maryville.  He  continued  the 
study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Millholland,  and  took  his  first  course  of  lec- 
tures about  1874,  at  the  Bennett  Medical  College,  of  Chicago.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College  in  the  spring  of  1878,  and  then 
commenced  practicing  at  Maryville.  In  the  spring  of  1879,  he  went  to 
Montana  Territory,  where  he  practiced  some  and  also  engaged  in  min- 


91S  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

ing.     He  returned  that  fall,  and   made  a  subsequent  trip  there  in  the 

spring  of  1880,  and  is  still  interested  in  the  mines.     In  October,  1880,  he 

came  to  Tarkio,  and  has  been  occupied  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 

since  that  time.     He  was  married  on  the  20th  of  April,  1870,  to  Ester 

Fisher,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ester  Thoughman,  a  native  of  St.  Joseph. 

They  have  two  children  :    Edgar  T.  and  Daniel  McH.     Lost  one.      By 

her  former  husband,  Mrs.  McKay  has  four  children :  William  Y.,  Taho- 

nas  O.,  Boone  K.  and  George  R.     Mrs.  McKay  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 

Church. 

GEORGE  McKEE, 

farmer,  section  20.  Among  the  oldest  pioneers  of  Atchison  County 
stands  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  September  2,  1830,  in 
Holmes  County,  Ohio.  His  parents,  Eben  and  Sarah  (Hazel)  McKee, 
were  natives  of  Delaware.  They  moved  to  Marion  County,  Indiana, 
about  1840,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to  manhood, 
spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  he  has  since  given  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits  through  life.  He  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Missouri,  in  the  fall  of  1847,  and  settled  in  Center  Grove,  Atchison 
County.  The  country  was  then  wild  and  thinly  settled  and  abounded  in 
game.  Young  McKee  devoted  much  time  to  the  clearing  of  a  farm,  and 
during  the  summer  seasons  of  1848  and  1849  he  was  engaged  as  a  Gov- 
ernment teamster  on  the  plains  and  made  two  trips  to  New  Fort  Kear- 
ney, at  Grand  Island.  He  was  then  married  and  settled  down  to  farm- 
ing. Soon  afterwards  he  moved  upon  the  place  he  now  occupies  and 
since  then  has  remained  upon  it.  During  the  war  he  served  in  the 
Enrolled  Missouri  Militia.  He  has  always  been  an  industrious,  hand- 
working  citizen,  and  is  widely  known  in  the  neighborhood.  He  owns 
230  acres  of  fine  land,  in  a  good  location  for  a  stock  farm.  Mr.  McKee 
was  married  February  20,  1852,  to  Miss  Nancy  Ann  Ross,  a  native  of 
Tennesse,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Jane  Ross,  nee  Bird,  who  were 
natives  of  Tennessee.  They  have  nine  children  :  Sarah  J.,  born  Novem- 
ber 30,  1852  (now  Mrs.  William  Fowler  of  this  county);  Elizabeth,  born 
April  19,  1855  (now  Mrs.  John  Woolsey  of  this  township);  Mary  E.,born 
December  18,  1858  (wife  of  Granville  Woolsey  of  this  township);  Martha 
E.,  born  September  1,  1859  (now  Mrs.  James  Bonhardt  of  Nebraska); 
Lucinda  C,  born  May  31,  1861  (now  Mrs.  David  Wolf  of  this  county); 
Louisa  A.,  born  May  31,  1861  ;  Nancy  S.,  born  October  24,  1865  ;  Eugenia, 
born  February  4,  1868  ;  George  W.,  born  March 25,  i8%i  ;  Rebecca,  born 
January  14,  1873.  They  are  also  raising  an  adopted  child,  Robert  K. 
Archer,  born  February  24,  1868.     They  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

G.  W.  MARQUIS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section   10,  was  born  in  Washington,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  4,  1832.     His  parents,  James  and  Jane  (Curry)  Marquis,  were 


TARKIO  TOWNSHIP.  919 

natives  of  Pennsylvania.  They  moved  to  Logan  County,  Ohio,  when 
G.  W.,  was  about  ten  years  of  age.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  Arriving  at  maturity  he  moved 
to  Marshall  County,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  six  years.  He  then 
returned  to  Ohio,  and  three  years  after  immigrated  to  Iowa  and  settled 
near  Mount  Pleasant,  Henry  County,  where  he  remained  some  three 
years  ;  thence  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  locating  where  he  now 
resides.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres.  He  has  filled  the  offices  of 
school  director  and  road  overseer  several  terms.  Mr.  Marquis  has  been 
twice  married  ;  first,  December  13,  1855,  to  Miss  G.  A.  Farris,  a  native 
ot  Ohio  County,  West  Virginia,  and  daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Farris  ; 
she  died  September  4,  1868.  They  had  three  children,  one  of  whom  is 
living  :  Albert,  born  December  25,  1861.  Mr.  M.  was  married  again 
September  7,  1869,  to  Miss  H.  M.  Farris,  a  cousin  of  his  former  wife. 
She  was  born  in  Ohio  County,  West  Virginia,  December  8,  1839,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Sarah  Farris.  By  this  union  they  have 
had  three  children,  one  only  now  living  :  Sarah  B.,  born  July  25,  1874. 
They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Tarkio. 

THOMAS  W.  MARTIN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  n,  a  pioneer  of  Northwest  Missouri,  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  Martin,  who  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Kentucky, 
while  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  P.  White,  was  born  in 
Orange  County,  New  York.  They  came  to  Buchanan  County,  Missouri, 
in  1837.  Thomas  was  born  in  that  county  December  9,  1838.  When  he 
was  about  three  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  and  settled  on  High  Creek,  in  Polk  Township,  where  they  took 
up  a  claim,  built  a  log  cabin  and  commenced  to  clear  a  farm.  His  father 
also  traded  considerably  with  the  Indians.  It  was  on  this  frontier  that 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to  manhood.  He  received  an  edu- 
cation in  the  log  schoolhouses,  and  has  given  his  attention  to  agricultu- 
ral pursuits  through  life.  On  March  23,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
F,  Fifth  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  served  until  June,  1863,  filling  the  position 
of  corporal.  On  the  8th  of  March,  1865,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C, 
Fifty-first  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  served  on  the  frontier  and  in  Southwest  Missouri,  taking  part 
in  some  fifteen  skirmishes  against  the  noted  Quantrell.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  He  now  runs  the  Hopkin's 
farm,  of  170  acres,  near  Center  Point.  Mr.  Martin  was  married  July  16, 
1863,  to  Miss  J.  F.  Braxdale,  a  native  of  Boyd  County,  Kentucky,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Emeline  Braxdale.  They  have  eight  children  : 
Orlando  A.,  born  October  5,  1864  ;  Emma  H.,  born  November  14,  1866  : 
Tommy  J.,  born  February  13,  1869  ;  Jennie  B.,  born  June  16,  1871  ;  Edith 


920  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

E.,   born  July  23,   1873  J  David  C,  born  October  8,  1875  ;  Lillie  D.  O., 
born  June  14,  1878,  and  Mary  S.,  born  May  2,  1880. 

A.    J.   MILLIER 

is  proprietor  of  the  Opera  House  grocery  store.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  November  6,  1848,  near  Fulton,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  in  Whiteside  County,  Illinois.  His  parents,  Edward 
and  Salina  (Tucker)  Millier,  were  natives  of  England.  Alfred  was  the 
second  in  a  family  of  three  children.  He  was  reared  at  his  birthplace 
on  the  farm,  and  after  receiving  a  preparatory  education  in  the  neigh- 
borhood schools,  he  completed  his  education  at  Fulton  High  School. 
In  1869  he  emigrated  west  to  Webster  City,  Iowa,  where  he  remained 
some  two  years.  In  1871  he  came  overland  to  Missouri  and  settled  in 
St.  Joseph,  where  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store,  and  since 
then  he  has  continued  the  grocery  business.  In  the  spring  of  1881  he 
went  to  Carrolton,  Missouri,  and  thence  to  Tarkio  in  August,  1881.  He 
carries  a  large  and  well  assorted  stock  and  does  a  flourishing  business, 
for  which  he  is  ably  qualified,  having  had  long  experience  therein.  He 
is  a  good  salesman.  He  has  a  residence  property  in  town.  Mr.  Millier 
is  a  member  of  St.  Joseph  Lodge,  No.  22,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is 
also  an  ancient  Odd  Fellow.  He  was  married  on  the  25th  of  May,  1878, 
to  Miss  Annie  Hossick,  daughter  of  George  Hossick,  of  Carrolton,  Mis- 
souri. She  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  have  had  two  children  :  Roy  C, 
born  January  18,  1880,  and  Alfred  W.,  born  January  17,  1882.  Himself 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.' 

ALBERT  F.  NEAL, 

of  the  firm  of  Emmert  &  Neal,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  was  born 
in  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  on  September  26,  1849,  and  was  the  son  of 
William  and  Abigal  Neal,  natives  of  Ohio.  Albert  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Wapello  County,  Iowa,  when  seven  years  of  age,  and  'there 
he  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  In 
1863,  he  moved  to  Nemaha  County,  Nebraska,  and  for  the  first  two  years 
was  engaged  in  farming.  In  1866,  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Brownville,  Nebraska,  and  continued  therein  until  1874,  when  he 
located  at  Rock  Port,  entering  into  business  at  that  point.  In  1876,  he 
moved  to  Center  Point,  and  from  thence  came  to  Tarkio,  in  November, 
1880,  forming  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Emmert.  They  do  a  leading  busi- 
ness of  this  city.  Mr.  Neal  is  a  thorough  business  man,  and  carries  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  is  a  member  of 
North  Star  Lodge  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  Rock  Port.  He  was 
married,  October  20,  1874,  to  Miss  Blanche  A.  Owen,  daughter  of  Johi 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  92 1 

D.  and  Caroline  Owen,  of  this  county.  She  is  a  native  of  Illinois.  They 
have  been  blessed  with  three  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  living, 
Lillian,  born  August  27,  1881.  Mrs.  Neal  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  of  Tarkio. 

ABRAHAM  PENNY, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  29,  was  born  February  26,  1832,  in  Mor- 
gan County,  Ohio.  His  father,  Daniel  Penny,  was  a  native  of  Maine, 
and  his  mother,  Sarah  (Taylor)  Penny,  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  was 
principally  raised  in  Ohio.  Abraham  was  the  eighth  in  a  family  of  ten 
children.  He  was  taken  toMiama  County,  Ohio,  when  small  and  reared 
to  manhood  on  a  farm,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  He  has 
given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  through  life.  In  1849  ne 
moved  to  Cass  County,  Indiana,  and  remained  there  six  years,  and 
thence  to  Nemaha  County,  Nebraska,  in  the  spring  of  1856.  He  lived 
there  thirteen  years  engaged  in  farming.  On  the  4th  of  November,  1862 
he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Second  Nebraska  Cavalry,  in  which  he  filled 
the  position  of  corporal.  This  company  served  on  the  frontier.  In 
1869  Mr.  Penny  came  to  Atchison  County  and  settled  in  Rock  Port, 
where  he  remained  seven  years  engaged  in  farming  and  milling.  He 
located  where  he  now  resides  in  the  spring  of  1877.  He  owns  160  acres 
of  fine  land  ;  has  a  nice  orchard  of  120  apple  trees,  80  pear  trees,  etc. 
He  has  filled  the  position  of  school  director.  Mr.  P.  was  married  June  r, 
1854,  to  Miss  Mary  Munty,  a  native  of  Preble  County,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  Munty.  She  was  born  June  25,  1836.  They 
have  six  children  :  William,  born  October  6,  1857  ;  Sarah  E.,  born 
June  8,  1861  ;  Lucinda  F.,  born  October  8,  1864;  Abraham  Lincoln, 
born  August  20,  1867  ;  Mary  C.,born  September  6,  1869;  Verta  Eugene, 
born  June  4,  1876.  Four  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Penny  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 

ISAAC  W.  PHILLIPS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  3,  one  of  the  most  enterprising  business 
men  of  this  township,  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Illinois,  January  30, 
1853.  His  father,  Robert  Phi'lips,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  his  mother, 
formerly  Ester  Woods,  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  Isaac  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  on  the  farm,  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  received  a  com- 
mon school  education.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Labette  County, 
Kansas,  in  1869,  and  upon  arriving  at  maturity  he  turned  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  came  to  Atchison  County  in  the  spring  of 
188 1,  and  settled  where  he  now  resides.  He  farms  640  acres  of  D.  Ran- 
kin, he  being  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  R.,  and  is  quite  largely  interested 
in  stock  raising.  Mr.  Phillips  was  married  November  26,  1879,  to  Miss 
Mary  Martin,  a  native   of  Sciota   County,  Ohio,  born   near  Portsmouth,. 


922  HISTORY   OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

March  21,  i85i.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Isabelle  (Mcln- 
trell)  Martin.  Her  father  was  of  Scottish  descent,  and  her  mother  was  a 
native  of  Ohio.  She  accompanied  her  parents  to  Labette  County,  Kan- 
sas, when  about  ten  years  of  age,  where  she  was  reared  and  educated. 
Mr.  P.  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
Tarkio. 

SILAS    H.  PRATHER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  22,  was  born  in  Hillsboro,  Highland 
County,  Ohio,  December  10,  1846.  His  father,  John  H.  Prather,  was  a 
native  of  West  Virginia  and  was  of  Scottish  descent,  while  his  mother, 
Catherine  (Chaney)  Prather,  was  born  in  Ohio  and  of  Dutch  extraction. 
They  came  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day.  Silas  is  the  only  child  now  living 
of  a  family  of  three  children.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  about  two 
years  of  age.  In  1856  he  accompanied  his  father  and  step-mother  to 
Montezuma,  Poweshiek  County,  Iowa,  where  they  remained  some  three 
years,  then  returning  to  Ohio.  Young  Prather  spent  his  youth  on  a 
farm  and  obtained  a  fair  education.  When  President  Lincoln  issued  his 
first  call  for  ninety-day  men  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  among  the 
first  to  respond.  He  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundredth  and  Fifty-eighth 
Ohio  Infantry,  Company  F,  and,  after  serving  his  time,  he  returned  to 
Ohio  and  from  there  emigrated  to  Henderson  City,  Illinois.  In  1864  he 
again  enlisted  in  the  Fifty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry,  Company  G.,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  and  rose  to 
first-duty  sergeant,  serving  mostly  on  detached  service,  principally  in 
the  quartermaster's  office.  He  remained  some  time  at  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  in  Henderson  County, 
Illinois,  and  a  short  time  after  went  to  Winterset,  Iowa,  in  the  fall  of 
1866,  where  he  remained  three  years  occupied  in  farming.  In  1869  he 
went  to  Texas,  was  interested  for  two  years  in  the  cattle  business,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1870  he  moved  to  Henry  County,  Missouri.  There  he 
lived  five  years  engaged  in  farming.  In  1875  he  settled  in  Warren 
County,  Illinois,  and  became  associated  with  David  Rankin  in  farming 
and  stock  raising.  He  came  to  Atchison  County  in  the  spring  of  1878. 
He  owns  a  third  interest  with  Mr.  Rankin  in  7,600  acres  of  land  and 
they  are  largely  interested  in  stock  raising.  Mr.  Prather  superintends 
the  farm.  He  is  a  sterling  business  man.  Commencing  life  a  poor  boy, 
he  was  early  deprived  of  the  care  of  a  mother  and  was  thrown  upon  his. 
own  resources.  He  has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward  by  honesty, 
industry  and  attention  to  business.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican. Mr.  P.  was  married  December  20,  1870,  to  Miss  Emma  Rankin, 
youngest  sister  of  David  Rankin.  She  is  a  native  of  Illinois  and  was 
born  December  17,  1845.  She  died  March  15,  1881,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren :  Nettie  Bell,  born  December  10,  1871  ;    Homer  Dee,  born  Decern- 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  923 

ber  1,  1873,  and  Harry  Rankin,  born  March  4,  1875.  Mr.  Prather  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  of  Tarkio,  in  which  he  holds  the  position 
of  steward.     He  is  also  a  strong  temperance  man. 

SAMUEL  RAINEY, 

agent  for  Colonel  P.  A.  Thompson,  grain  dealer,  was  born  December  20, 
1841,  in  Sardina,  Brown  County,  Ohio.  His  father,  James  Rainey,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  while  his  wife,  formerly  Peggy  Kimes,  was  from  Ken- 
tucky. Samuel  was  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  village,  receiving  fair  educational  advantages.  When 
the  civil  war  broke  out,  he  enlisted  October  12,  1861,  in  the  Eleventh 
Ohio  Cavalry.  They  were  placed  out  on  the  frontier  to  fight  Indi- 
ans ;  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Mud  Springs  and  several  other  noted 
engagements,  serving  until  July.  14,  1866,  when  he  held  the  position  of 
sergeant.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  R.  returned  to  Ohio.  In  the 
spring  of  1867,  he  came  west  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  has 
since  made  this  his  home,  having  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising.  He  commenced  the  grain  business  at  this  point  for  Colonel 
Thompson,  January  1,  1881.  They  enjoy  a  liberal  patronage,  have  a 
neat  office  and  stock  scales  and  yards,  dealing  in  stock  to  some  extent. 
Mr.  Rainey  is  a  good  business  man  and  much  of  a  gentleman  in  his 
manners.  He  is  a  member  of  Atchison  Lodge  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of 
Tarkio,  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Grange.  Politically  he  is  a 
staunch  Republican.  He  was  married  February  12,  1877,  to  Miss  Sadie 
Majors,  a  native  of  Mount  Vernon,  Knox  County,  Ohio.  She  died  April 
27,  1878. 

HON.  DAVID  RANKIN. 

Prominent  among  the  self  made  men  of  Missouri  is  the  subject  of 
this  biography.  He  was  born  on  the  28th  of  May,  1825,  in  Sullivan 
County,  Indiana.  His  father,  William  Rankin,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  a  wheelwright  by  occupation.  He  married  Eliz- 
abeth Gross,  who  was  a  native  of  Guilford  County,  North  Carolina,  both 
of  whom  were  of  German-American  origin.  David  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Parke  County,  Indiana,  when  six  years  of  age,  and  then  to 
Vermillion  County,  Indiana,  when  eight  years  old.  After  remaining 
there  three  years,  they  immigrated  west  to  Warren  County,  Illinois,  in 
what  is  now  Henderson  County,  in  1836.  There  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  reared  to  manhood,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  in 
his  father's  saw  mill.  He  received  the  benefits  of  a  common  school 
education.  Being  a  member  of  a  poor  family,  he  was  obliged  to  work 
hard.  When  he  became  a  young  man,  his  father  gave  him  a  colt,  and 
this  was  his  commencement  in  the  stock  business.     By  trading  and  sav- 


924  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

ing  what  money  he  could,  he  finally  obtained  enough  to  buy  eighty  acres 
of  land,  giving  one  hundred  dollars  for  it.  He  still  resides  on  this  old 
homestead,  which  is  located  near  Biggsville,  Illinois,  some  twelve  miles 
east  of  Burlington,  Iowa.  Mr.  R.  then  went  to  work  with  a  will,  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  possessed  those  sterling  principles  of  honesty, 
integrity  and  attention  to  business,  and  has  made  a  grand  success  in  life. 
He  owns  thirty  thousand  acres  of  improved  land,  valued  at  one  million 
dollars,  about  twenty-four  thousand  acres  of  which  is  located  in  Atchi- 
son County,  and  he  may  truly  be  called  the  land  king  of  Northwest  Mis- 
souri. He  is  president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Monmouth,  Illi- 
nois, and  is  largely  interested  in  several  others,  among  which  is  the 
Savings  Bank  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  Rankin,  Stevenston  &  Co.,  of  Tarkio, 
and  others.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Tarkio  Town  Company,  and  owns 
a  sixth  interest  therein,  and  also  owns  a  sixth  interest  in  Fairfax  and 
Westboro.  He  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  Twenty-eighth  and  Twenty-ninth  general  assemblies  of 
the  Illinois  Legislature,  in  1872,  and  was  re-elected  again  the  next  term 
(1874).  His  district  was  a  strong  Democratic  one,  but  he  was  elected 
the  first  time  by  sixty-seven  majority,  and  the  next  time  by  over  1,800 
majority.  He  was  a  candidate  for  congress  in  1876,  and  received  every 
vote  of  his  district  for  twenty-five  ballots.  He  superintends  his  business 
himself,  and  knows  just  how  every  department  is  conducted.  His  assist- 
ant superintendents  generally  have  an  interest  with  him,  and  are  there- 
fore working  for  themselves  as  well  as  him.  He  owns  some  600  head  of 
horses  and  mules,  feeds  his  grain  mostly  to  his  stock,  and  owns  a  large 
stock  ranch  in  Nebraska.  He  generally  ships  a  train  or  two  of  cattle  at 
one  time.  In  his  manners  he  is  unassuming,  yet  cordial,  kind-hearted 
and  generous,  every  worthy  public  enterprise  receiving  his  support.  He 
has  been  an  active  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  since  he 
was  about  twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  is  honored  and  respected  by  all! 
who  are  favored  with  his  acquaintance,  and  none  deserve  success  more 
than  David  Rankin.  He  has  been  twice  married.  First,  on  the  2ist  ofl 
March,  1850,  to  Miss  Sarah  Tompson,  a  native  of  Guernsey  County, 
Ohio,  born  in  1826.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Jane  Tompson, 
who  were  natives  of  Ohio.  She  died  in  December,  1878,  leaving  three 
children  :  Nettie  V.,  born  July  28,  1855,  (now  Mrs.  J.  F.  Hanna,  of  Tarkio);? 
John  A.,  born  November  21,  1856,  and  William  F.,  born  January  1,  i860. 
Mr.  R.  was  married  again  in  January,  1879,  to  Elizabeth  Gowdy.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Philipps,  and  she  was  born  in  Gibson  County, 
Indiana,  but  was  brought  to  Warren  County,  Illinois,  when  quite  small. 
There  she  was  reared.  She  has  five  children  by  her  former  husband  : 
Ella  (now  Mrs.  Joseph  Ely,  of  this  county),  Mary,  Roily,  Chester  and 
Grace. 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  925 

JAMES  RANKIN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  36,  was  born  in  Sullivan  County,  Indi- 
ana, June  23,  1828,  and  is  the  son  of  Hugh  and  Nancy  (Milligan)  Rankin, 
natives  of  Ohio.  They  were  of  Scottish  descent.  When  James  was  seven 
years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Warren  (now  Henderson)  County, 
Illinois,  and  there  the  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  his  youth,  receiving 
a  common  school  education.  He  has  given  his  attention  principally  to 
agricultural  pursuits  through  life.  He  fell  a  victim  to  the  gold  fever  in 
the  spring  of  1861  and  immigrated  west  to  Colorado,  where  he  engaged 
in  mining.  He  returned  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1862,  and  in  1866  he 
commenced  the  hardware  business  at  Kirkwood,  Warren  County,  which 
he  continued  some  ten  years.  Mr.  R.  then  came  to  Atchison  County,  in 
August,  1876,  settling  in  Dale  Township.  He  moved  to  the  place  on 
which  he  now  resides  in  the  fall  of  1880.  It  was  then  all  wild  prairie 
land  and  he  commenced  to  improve  it,  now  owning  800  acres  well 
improved.  He  has  a  handsome  residence,  good  barn,  a  nice  young 
orchard,  etc.,  also  oversees  some  6,000  acres  for  his  cousin  David  Ran- 
kin. He  commenced  life  a  poor  boy  and  has  worked  his  own  way 
through  by  honesty,  integrity  and  attention  to  business.  He  is  one  of 
the  largest  cattle  feeders  and  shippers  in  this  county,  and  is  well  and 
favorably  known  to  the  stock  men  of  Northwest  Missouri.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  July,  1849,  to  Miss  Elenore  Lusk,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Isa- 
bella Lusk.  She  was  born  in  February,  1832,  in  South  Carolina.  They 
have  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  living:  Isabella  J.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1850 'now  Mrs.  William  J.  Putney  of  this  county  1;  Rebecca  L., 
born  November  14,  1856  (now  Mrs.  J.  A.  Tompson  of  this  county); 
William  W.,  born  January  13,  1859  \  Laura  E..  born  March  4,  1861  (new 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Nelson  of  this  county).  Himself,  wife  and  three  daughters  are 
members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  He  fills  the  position  of 
elder  in  the  Greenville  congregation.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican. 

ED.  F.  RANKIN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  28,  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Illinois, 
February  1,  1854.  His  father,  Aleck  Rankin,  was  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Struthers,  was  born  in 
Ohio.  They  came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day.  Ed.  F.  was  the  eldest  in 
a  family  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living.  He  was  reared 
to  manhood  at  his  birthplace,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm  and 
after  receiving  a  preparatory  education  he  attended  Monmouth  College. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  commenced  business  for  himself, 
engaging  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  came  to  Atchison  County 
in  June,  1876,  and  purchased  his  present  farm,  moving  upon  it  the  fall  of 


926  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

1876.  He  settled  on  this  place  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Dr.  C. 
Rankin,  and  commenced  to  improve  it.  He  owns  760  acres  of  fine  land 
which  is  well  improved  ;  has  a  neat  residence,  a  good  barn,  and  a  nice 
young  orchard.  He  is  largely  interested  in  stock  raising,  and  has  some 
Short  Horn  cattle.  He  is  an  industrious,  enterprising  young  man,  and 
one  that  Atchison  County  may  be  proud  to  own.  Mr.  R.  was  married 
December  26,  1879,  to  Miss  Mary  Willsie,  a  native  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  Willsie,  who  are  now  residents  of  Burling- 
ton Junction,  Missouri.  She  was  reared  and  educated  at  Des  Moines. 
The  have  one  child,  an  infant,  born  February,  1882. 

D.  C.  RANKIN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  28,  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Illinois, 
one  the  14th  day  of  September,  1855.  His  father,  Alexander  Rankin, 
was  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Martha  J.  Struthers, 
was  born  in  Ohio.  They  came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day.  D.  C.  was 
the  second  in  a  family  of  five  children.  He  spent  his  youth  at  his  birth 
place  on  the  farm,  and  after  receiving  a  preparatory  education  in  the 
common  schools  he  attended  Martin  Bros.  Business  College,  of  Mon- 
mouth, Illinois.  He  came  west  in  the  fall  of  1876,  and  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  Ed.  F.,  settled  on  the  wild  prairie,  which  they  began 
breaking.  They  hauled  their  first  lumber  from  Shenandoah,  Iowa,  some 
thirty  miles  distant.  Mr.  R.  now  owns  580  acres  of  well  improved  land, 
a  neat  comfortable  residence,  young  orchard,  etc.  He  was  married 
October  24,  1881,  to  Miss  Anna  J.  Ray,  a  native  of  Chicago,  born  in 
1856.  She  is  a  daughter  of  L.  C.  and  Anna  Ray,  of  Chicago.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Mr.  Rankin  is  largely  interested  in  stock 
raising  and  feeding.  He  is  respected  by  all  and  numbers  his  friends  by 
the  score. 

JOHN  A.  RANKIN, 

farmer  and  banker,  at  Tarkio,  is  a  prominent  man  of  this  county.  He  is 
the  eldest  son  and  second  child  in  a  family  of  three,  who  were  children 
of  David  and  Sarah  Rankin.  He  was  born  November  21,  1856,  near 
Biggsville,  Henderson  County,  Illinois.  He  was  reared  at  his  birth 
place,  and  passed  his  youthful  days  on  the  farm,  receiving  a  preparatory 
education  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  In  1873,  he  entered  Monmouth 
College,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1877.  When  not  in 
school  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  stock  business,  and  also  in  the  bank. 
He  remained  some  time  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Monmouth,  Illi- 
nois, and  made  his  first  trip  west  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  during 
vacation,  in  1876.  In  the  fall  of  1877,  he  went  to  Cheyenne,  remaining 
about  two  months,  then  returned  home  and  the  following  winter  he  came 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  927 

to  Atchison  County,  where  he  became  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising.  During  the  summer  of  1880,  he  erected  his  present  handsome 
residence,  on  the  western  outskirts  of  the  town  of  Tarkio,  also  a  good 
barn.  His  farm  contains  400  acres  of  choice  land,  and  is  said  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  pieces  of  land  in  Atchison  County.  From  his  residence  he 
has  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  He  also  owns  a  farm  of 
840  acres  near  Westboro.  His  land  is  all  well  improved,  he  has  some 
fine  stock,  and  is  also  interested  in  banking.  He  was  the  first  to  sell  lots 
in  Tarkio.  Politically,  he  is  a  staunch  Republican.  He  has  inherited 
some  of  the  vim  and  energy  of  his  father,  and  is  a  stirring  business  man. 
He  is  not  addicted  to  the  use  of  strong  drink,  and  never  tasted  a  drop 
of  liquor  in  his  life,  although  having  been  associated  with  those  who  did 
drink.  Mr  R.  was  married  June  9,  1879,  to  Miss  Hattie  Arms,  daughter 
of  J.  D.  and  Harriet  Arms,  of  Monmouth,  Illinois,  She  was  born  in 
Monmouth,  Illinois,  December  18,  1856.  They  have  been  blessed  with 
one  child,  Nellie,  born  September  29,  1881. 

WILLIAM  F.    RANKIN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  9,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
January  I,  i860,  near  Biggsville,  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  and  is  the 
youngest  child  of  David  and  Sarah  Rankin.  He  was  reared  to  manhood 
at  his  biathplace,  on  the  farm,  and  after  receiving  a  preparatory  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  he  attended  Monmouth  College,  finishing  his 
education  at  Eastman's  Business  College,  Poughkeepsie,  New  York. 
From  this  institution  he  was  graduated,  December  22,  1880.  He  drove  a 
four-horse  plow  when  only  ten  years  of  age,  then  being  so  small  as  to  be 
compelled  to  stand  on  a  nail  keg  to  harness  his  horses.  He  also  assisted 
his  father  in  shipping  stock  and  in  the  banking  business.  He  made  his 
first  trip  west  in  July,  1877.  He  came  to  Atchison  County  and  remained 
two  or  three  weeks.  In  June,  1879,  he  again  visited  this  county  and  put 
in  a  crop.  He  returned  to  Illinois  again  and  continued  his  studies.  In 
June,  1880,  he  came  west  and  purchased  a  farm.  After  completing  his 
course  at  the  Business  College,  in  January,  1881,  he  moved  out  and  set- 
tled on  the  old  Burr  Oak  Farm,  locating  where  he  now  resides  in 
November,  188 1.  He  owns  1,280  acres  of  fine  land,  all  improved,  320  of 
this  lying  just  west  of  the  city  of  Tarkio.  His  land  is  well  watered  and 
suitably  adapted  to  stock  raising.  He  has  a  handsome  residence.  He 
also  owns  an  interest  in  the  Tarkio  Bank.  Mr.  Rankin  carries  the  respect 
of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Kappa  Psi  frater- 
nity, of  Monmouth,  in  which  he  held  the  position  of  secretary.  Politi- 
cally, he  is  a  staunch  Republican.  He  is  a  strong  temperance  man.  Mr. 
R.  was  married  May  12,  1881,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Marshall,  daughter  of  J.  W. 
and  Anna  Marshall,  of  Monmouth,  Illinois.     She  was  born  in  Springfield, 


928  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Ohio,  August  12,  1861.  She  was  brought  to  Monmouth  by  her  parents 
when  about  six  years  of  age,  and  there  was  reared  and  educated.  They 
are  both  active  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Tarkio. 

GEORGE  W.  REED, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  6,  township  65,  range  39,  is  a  prominent 
pioneer  of  this  township.  He  was  born  March  7,  1832,  in  Portage 
County,  Ohio.  His  father,  John  Reed,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  his 
mother,  formerly  Rebecca  Moran,  was  born  in  Maryland.  George  was 
reared  to  manhood  at  his  birthplace  on  the  farm,  and  received  a  com- 
mon school  education.  He  also  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1854,  he  immigrated  to  Iowa  and  settled  in  Hardin  County,  at  the 
then  new  town  of  Eldora,  there  being  only  three  houses  in  the  place. 
He  started  a  shop  and  did  the  first  blacksmithing  in  the  county.  After 
remaining  there  some  twelve  years,  he  moved  on  a  farm  where  he  lived 
six  years.  In  March,  1870,  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  with 
Mr.  Shoecraft  and  settled  where  he  now  resides.  They  built  a  small 
shanty  and  broke  prairie.  He  helped  to  locate  the  roads  and  put  in  the 
first  bridge.  At  that  time  there  were  but  four  farms  opened  between 
his  place  and  Rock  Port.  He  was  instrumental  in  establishing  a  mail 
route  from  Rock  Port  to  Maryville.  His  first  building  lumber  he  hauled 
from  Phelps  and  Craig.  Mr.  R.  now  has  160  acres  of  fine  land,  well 
improved,  comfortable  buildings,  etc.  He  has  been  a  hard  working  man 
and  deserves  his  success.     During  the  war  he  enlisted  in   September, 

1861,  in  Company  A,  Twelfth  Iowa  Infantry.  He  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Fort  Donelson,  Fort  Henry,  Smithland,  Kentucky  and  Shiloh.  He 
was  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  on  April  6.  They  were  taken  to  Tusca- 
loosa, Alabama,  and  were  three  days  without  anything  to  eat.  They 
were  confined  at  different  points  :  Macon,  Georgia,  and  finally  to  Libby 
Prison.  He  suffered  fearfully  and  lost  about  100  pounds  in  weight,  and 
was  little  more  than   a  skeleton   when   he  was  released   in   December, 

1862.  He  held  the  position  of  sergeant  ;  returning  home  he  recruited 
forty  men,  with  whom  he  went  to  Davenport.  He  was  offered  a  lieu- 
tenant's commission,  but  ill  health  would  not  permit  his  going  to  the  field 
again.  Mr.  Reed  has  been  twice  married  :  First,  in  September,  1854,  to 
Miss  Mariah  Ewell,  a  native  of  Maine  ;  she  died  June  16,  1870.  By  this 
union  he  has  two  children  :  John  I.,  born  September  3,  1858,  and 
George  R.,  born  April  9,  i860.  He  was  married  again  January  12,  1874, 
to  Helen  Mar  Ewell,  a  sister  of  the  former  wife.  She  was  born  in  Ken- 
nebec County,  Maine,  November  17,  1833.  They  had  one  child  :  Stella, 
born  October  15,  1874.  Mrs.  Reed  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  929 

J.  R.  ROBERTSON, 

of  the  firm  of  Cowick  &  Robertson,  publishers  of  the  Tarkio  Republican, 
was  born  near  Monmouth,  Warren  County,  Illinois,  August  7,  1853.  His 
parents,  James  W.  and  Emeline  (Morgan)  Robertson,  were  natives  of 
York  State.  J.  R.  was  reared  at  his  birth  place,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion at  Monmouth  College.  He  came  west  in  November,  1881,  and  set- 
tled at  Tarkio,  where  he  became  associated  with  Mr.  Cowick.  He  is  a 
member  of  Warren  Lodge  No.  160,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Monmouth,  Illinois. 
Mr.  Robertson  was  married  July  23,  1878,  to  Miss  Laura  E.  Bugby, 
daughter  of  Elisha  T.  and  Melvina  Bugby.  She  is  a  native  of  Vermont., 
and  was  born  March  7,  1853.  They  have  one  child,  Ernest  A.,  born 
October  8,  1880.  Messrs.  Cowick  &  Robertson  are  men  of  energy,  and 
fully  alive  to  the  wants  and  desires  of  the  citizens  of  Tarkio.  They  pub- 
lish a  sheet  which  is  an  honor  to  them. 

L.  M.  ROBERTSON, 

farmer  and   stock  raiser,  section    16,  was  born  August  3,  1843,  in  Clay 
County,  Missouri.     His  father,  A.  E.  Robertson,  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  his  mother,  whose   maiden   name   was   Mary  Gross,  was   a 
native  of  Missouri.     They  moved  to  Atchison  County  in  1849  when  L. 
M.  was  about  six  years  old,  settling  on  the  bottom  south  of  Rock  Port. 
It  was  on  this  frontier  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to,man- 
hood.     He  passed  his  youth  on  the  farm  and  attended  school  in  the  old 
log  school  houses  with  puncheon  floors,  slab  benches  and  sod  chimney. 
He  has  given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  through  life.     In  the 
spring  of  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  State  Militia  and   assisted   in  routing 
the  bushwhackers  out  of  the  lower  counties.     In  1864  he  enlisted  in  an 
independent  company  of  cavalry,  made  up  at  Nebraska  City.     They  were 
attached  to  a  Minnesota  regiment  and  served  on  the  frontier,  fighting 
the   Sioux,   Winnebago   and    Flat-head  Indians.      They    went    through 
Montana  and  up  into  British  America,  experiencing  some  pretty  hard 
fighting.     At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  R.  settled  in  Atchison  County, 
on   a  farm,  and   has   since  been   engaged   in   agricultural   pursuits.     In 
February,  1880,  he  settled  where  he  now  resides.     He  owns  100  acres  of 
fine  land,  has  a  neat  residence,  a  good  orchard,  etc.,  his  farm  being  well 
watered  and  well  adapted  for  stock  purposes.     He  has  filled  the  position 
of  school  director  some  seven  years.    He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the 
Grange.     Mr.  Robertson  was  married  November  17,  1867,  to  Miss  M.  J. 
File,  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  September  17,  1848.     She  was  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Betsy  File.     They  have  three  children  :  Samuel  R.,  born 
born  August  5,  1868  ;  Melissa,  born  April  26,  1871,  and1  Carrie  B.,  April 

28,  1875.     Himself  and  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

59 


930  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

SCHUYLER  ROUSE, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  20,  an  early  settler  of  this  township,  was 
born  January  8,  1830,  in  the  town  of  Rawdorn,  Hastings  County,  Canada. 
His  father,  George  C.  Rouse,  was  a  native  of  New  York  State,  and  his 
mother,  Martha  Rouse,  nee  Tompkins,  was  a  Canadian  by  birth.  They 
moved  to  Brown  County,  Illinois,  when  Schuyler  was  about  eight  years 
of  age  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  and  received  a  common 
school  education.  When  twenty-one  years  old  he  moved  to  Knox 
County,  Illinois,  where  he  made  his  home  until  1874.  He  has  given  his 
entire  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  through  life.  March  1,  1874,  he 
came  west  and  settled  on  his  present  farm.  It  was  then  wild  prairie 
land  and  he  now  owns  640  acres,  all  improved.  He  has  a  comfortable 
residence,  a  good  barn,  grove  and  small  orchard.  His  place  is  well 
adapted  to  stock  raising,  in  which  he  is  largely  interested.  Mr.  Rouse 
was  married  June  21,  1864,  to  Falenia  Rowe,  a  widow  with  two  children. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Falenia  Green,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Amy  Green,  born  in  New  York  State  July  4,  1833.  By  this  union 
they  have  four  children  :  Mary,  born  March  19,  1866  ;  Sheldon,  born 
April  9,  1872  ;  Albert  H.,  born  November  11,  1875;  Raldon  C,  born 
November  n,  1877.  Mrs.  R.'s  children  by  her  former  husband  are  :  Amy 
Rowe,  born  December  8,  1850  (now  Mrs.  Samuel  Edwards,  of  Knox 
County,  Illinois,);  John  N.  Rowe,  born  October  8,  1854. 

ISAAC  SANBORN,  Jr., 

manager  of  the  White  Pine  Lumber  Company,  was  born  in  Orono, 
Penobscot  County,  Maine,  April  4,  1842.  His  father,  Isaac  Sanborn, 
was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  his  mocher,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Lucy  A.  Mahoney,  was  born  in  Maine.  Isaac  was  the  second  in  a 
family  of  four  living  children.  He  was  reared  at  his  birth  place,  and  j 
received  a  good  business  education  at  Orono  High  School.  He  was  lit-] 
erally  brought  up  to  learn  the.  lumber  business.  His  native  village  was 
a  great  manufacturing  place,  and  when  President  Lincoln  issued  his  first 
call  for  troops,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  among  the  first  to  respond. 
He  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Second  Maine  Infantry,  April  23,  1861,  and 
October  26,  1862,  he  was  transfered  to  the  United  States  Engineering 
Corps,  with  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  First  Bull  Run,  Peninsula  Campaign,  Second  Bull  Run, 
Antietam,  Fredricsburg,  Gettysburg,  and  many  others.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  made  a  trip  through  Michigan,  thence  to  the  oil  regions  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  from  there  to  the  oil  regions  of  West  Virginia,  where 
he  remained  sorAe  eight  years,  engaged  in  the  oil  business,  thence  to 
Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1873.     Here  he  resided  about  seven  years  occu- 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  93  I 

pied  in  the  granite  business.  He  went  to  Atchison,  Kansas,  in  1880,  and 
followed  the  lumber  trade,  thence  to  Kansas  City,  where  he  remained  a 
short  time.  He  came  to  Tarkio,  in  February,  1882,  and  took  charge  of 
the  business  at  this  point.  This  company  have  a  large  assortment 
of  lumber,  and  one  of  the  largest  yards  in  the  county,  and  Mr.  San- 
born understands  the  business  thoroughly.  He  is  a  live,  energetic  bus- 
iness man.  He  was  married  August  3,  1875,  to  Miss  Tilly  L.  Watt, 
daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Johnston)  Watt,  of  Latrobe,  Pennsylvania. 
She  was  born  in  that  place,  September  9,  185 1.  They  are  both  active 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Tarkio. 

J.  F.  SCHOENECKE, 

of  the  firm  of  Schoenecke  &  Farris,  blacksmiths,  wagonmakers  and 
repairers,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Cobel,  Saxony,  Germany,  Novem- 
ber 20,  1855.  His  parents,  Fredrick  and  Julia  Schoenecke,  were  natives 
of  Germany.  J.  F.  was  the  eldest  of  five  children.  He  started  from 
Hamburg  with  his  parents  in  1867,  for  the  United  States,  and  landed  at 
New  York  City,  from  whence  he  immigrated  west  and  settled  at  Man- 
hattan, Riley  County,  Kansas.  There  they  engaged  in  farming  When 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  commenced  to  learn  the  blacksmiths  trade  at 
Manhattan.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  came  to  Rock  Port  and  started  a  shop 
there,  and  in  the  fall  of  1880  he  moved  to  Tarkio,  being  among  the  first 
business  men  here.  In  February,  1882,  he  accepted  W.  W.  Farris  as  a 
partner.  They  have  neat  shops,  and  are  prepared  to  do  all  kinds  of 
work.  They  have  both  had  a  long  experience  in  the  business,  and 
deserve  their  success.  Mr.  Schoenecke  is  a  member  of  the  North  Star 
Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  Rock  Port,  in  which  he  holds  the 
position  of  Junior  Deacon.  He  also  belongs  to  Northwest  Lodge  No. 
134,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of  Rock  Port,  and  Legion  No.  12,  Select  Knights,  of 
Rock  Port.  Mr.  S.  was  married  February  10,  1879,  to  Miss  Ida  Golden, 
daughter  of  William  Golden,  of  Rock  Port.  She  is  a  native  of  this 
county,  born  February  15,  1863.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schoenecke  are  members 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  of  Tarkio,  in  which  he  holds  the  office  of  steward 
and  church  trustee.  W.  W.  Farris  was  born  February  19,  1854,  in  Mar- 
shall County,  Illinois.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Mount  Pleasant, 
Iowa,  in  1868,  and  then  commenced  to  learn  the  blacksmith  trade, 
which  he  has  since  followed.  Mr.  F.  was  married  June  10,  1877,  to  Miss 
Dena  May,  daughter  of  D.  G.  W.  May,  of  Burlington  Junction,  Missouri. 
She  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  was  born  February  20,  1861. 

STEPHEN  SHACKLETON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  1,  was  born  October  13,  1835,  in  Leeds, 
Yorkshire,  England.     His  parents,  John   (a  lawyer  by  profession)  and 


932  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Mary  (Lee)  Shackleton,  were  natives  of  England.  Stephen  received 
good  educational  advantages,  and  when  about  fifteen  he  commenced 
reading  law  with  his  father.  After  studying  some  two  years  he  resolved 
to  come  to  America.  At  the  close  of  a  seven  weeks  voyage  he  landed 
at  New  York  on  the  17th  of  August,  1854.  From  there  he  went  to 
Rochester,  thence  to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and  from  there  to  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  in  1856.  There  he  remained  until  i860,  after  which  he  located  in 
Nebraska,  where  he  put  in  a  crop.  He  subsequently  moved  to  Fremont 
County,  Iowa.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
and  settled  on  the  Missouri  River  bottom.  On  the  6th  of  July,  1863,  he 
enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Iowa  Battery  and  was  in  service  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  serving  with  the  Fifteenth  Corps.  He  filled  the  position  of 
quartermaster  sergeant.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  S.  returned  to 
Atchison  County  and  settled  on  what  was  known  as  Bloody  Island  in 
July,  1865.  With  the  exception  of  one  year,  1867,  he  remained  on  this 
island  until  1870.  In  the  fall  of  1871  he  took  a  trip  to  England  and  vis- 
ited the  home  of  his  childhood,  returning  in  the  spring  of  1872.  In 
June,  1873,  he  settled  on  the  Tarkio,  where  he  now  resides.  He  owns 
275  acres  in  this  county,  the  home  farm  containing  130  acres,  improved 
with  a  neat  residence  The  farm  is  well  watered  and  is  one  of  the 
finest  stock  farms  in  this  vicinity.  He  now  fills  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  school  director  some  five  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  Jerusalem  Lodge,  No.  253,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Ham- 
burg, Iowa,  also  of  Atchison  Lodge,  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W.  of  Tarkio. 
Mr.  S.  was  married  on  the  24th  of  October,  1857,  at  Fort  Madison, 
Iowa,  to  Miss  Susan  Waymire,  who  was  born  on  the  18th  of  March, 
1840,  in  Independence,  Warren  County,  Indiana.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Solomon  and  Betsy  (Mason)  Waymire.  They  have  had  ten  children, 
six  of  whom  are  living  :  John  W.,  born  September  10,  1858  ;  George  E., 
born  July  27,  1868:  Harriett  E.,  born  October  11,  1870;  Stephen  M., 
November  9,  1872  ;  James  F.,  born  February  7,  1877,  and  Maud  M., 
born  September  15,  1880.    Mrs.  S.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

CHRISTIAN  SHAUM, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  21.  Among  the  enterprising  citizens  of 
this  county  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Northampton 
County,  Pennsylvania,  July  21,  1846.  His  parents,  John  and  Rebecca  L. 
Shaum,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on 
the  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He 
commenced  learning  the  trade  of  slate  roofing  when  he  arrived  atj 
maturity,  and  in  1865  he  immigrated  west  to  Linn  County,  Iowa,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming,  and  also  followed  his  trade.  He  slated  the  Iowa 
additional  penitentiary,  also  the  round  house  and  depot  at  Cedar  Rapids 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  933 

and  Clinton,  Iowa.  He  came  to  Atchison  County  in  the  spring  of  1876 
and  settled  where  he  now  resides.  It  was  then  wild  prairie  land,  but  he 
now  owns  320  acres,  well  improved,  and  has  a  nice  grove  and  orchard 
and  a  neat  residence.  His  farm  is  well  watered  and  is  an  excellent 
stock  farm.  He  is  a  member  of  Lisbon  Lodge,  No.  162,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and 
Mount  Harbor  Encampment,  No.  147,  also  Bethlehem  Lodge,  No.  3, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  all  of  Lisbon.  Mr.  Shaum  has  been  twice  married  ; 
first,  September  11,  1873,  to  Miss  Emma  Haren,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. She  died  in  December,  1876,  and  left  one  child,  Hattie  May,  born 
June  22,  1874.  He  was  married  again  July  21,  1878,  to  Kate  Blessing,  a 
native  of  Lynn  County,  Iowa,  born  October  21,  185 1.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Michael  and  Mary  Blessing,  who  were  natives  of  Indiana.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Tarkio. 

JAMES   SHOECRAFT, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  26,  one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  this  town- 
ship, was  born  April  24,  1826,  in  Pennfield,  Monroe  County,  New  York. 
His  parents,  John  and  Laura  (Brown)  Shoecraft,  were  natives  of  New 
York  State.  James  spent  his  earlier  days  on  a  farm  at  his  birthplace, 
and  attended  the  common  schools.  In  1855,  he  emigrated  to  Cold 
Water,  Branch  County,  Michigan,  where  he  remained  for  ten  years 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1865,  he  removed  to  Hardin  County,  Iowa,  and 
settled  on  a  farm.  In  the  spring  of  1870,  he  came  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  with  Mr.  Reed,  and  they  located  on  the  uncultivated  prairie. 
The  first  summer  they  camped  out  and  broke  land,  and  since  that  time 
Mr.  S.  has  been  a  stirring  citizen  of  this  county.  He  owns  240  acres  of 
fine  land,  and  has  it  well  improved.  When  Tarkio  was  started  in  the 
fall  of  1880,  he  erected  the  first  livery  stable  in  the  place,  and  conducted 
the  business  one  year.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved  back  on  his  farm. 
He  is  quite  largely  interested  in  stock  raising  and  shipping.  Mr.  Shoe- 
craft  has  been  three  times  married.  First,  in  1849,  to  Miss  Emily  Daw- 
son, a  native  of  New  York  State,  who  died  in  January,  1861,  leaving  one 
child,  James,  born  July  22,  1853.  He  was  married  again  in  the  fall  of 
1861,  to  Ellen  Grove,  a  native  of  Michigan.  She  died  soon  afterward. 
Mr.  S.  was  married  the  third  time,  in  1862,  to  Miss  Adda  Glass,  who 
was  born  in  Madison  County,  Ohio,  on  the  23d  of  February,  1839.  By 
this  union  they  have  one  child,  Minnie  M.,  born  November  27,  1866. 

ABNER  SMITH, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  16,  a  pioneer  of  Northwest  Missouri,  was 
born  June  26,  1835,  in  Overton  County,  Tennessee.  His  father,  George 
N.  Smith,  was  a  native    of  Kentucky,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Nancy 


934  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Carpenter,  was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Tennessee.  When  about  eight 
years  of  age,  Abner  accompanied  his  parents  to  Cass  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  principally  reared,  receiving  a  common  school  education. 
In  1852,  they  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  settled  on  the 
Missouri  River  bottom.  Abner  commenced  working  for  Richard  Case, 
who  kept  a  hotel  at  Linden,  and  in  the  fall  of  1853,  he  began  driving 
stage  for  him  between  Linden  and  Sharps.  In  May,  1854,  he  abandoned 
this  occupation  and  broke  prairie.  He  has  since  given  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  joined  the  Enrolled 
Missouri  Militia,  and  in  July,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Forty- 
third  Missouri  Infantry,  and  served  on  the  frontier.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  again  settled  on  the  bottom,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  located 
where  he  now  resides,  March  3,  1875.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  126  acres, 
most  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  has  a  good  orchard.  His  farm 
is  well  adapted  for  stock  purposes.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  school 
director  and  road  overseer.  Mr.  Smith  was  married  July  1,  1854,  to  Miss 
Ersley  J.  Boull,  a  native  of  Clarke  County,  Missouri.  She  was  born 
March  16,  1837,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Mathias  and  Mary  Boull.  She 
was  principally  raised  in  Platte  County,  Missouri.  They  have  eight 
children  :  Ellen,  born  September  4,  1856,  (now  Mrs.  George  Jackson,  of 
this  county)  ;  Nancy  J.,  born  April  21,  1859,  (now  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Payne, 
of  this  county)  ;  Thomas,  (deceased)  ;  Isadore,  born  July  14,  1861,  (now 
Mrs.  Joseph  Jackson,  of  this  county)  ;  William  F.,  born  May  18,  1863  ; 
Matilda,  born  April  21,  1865  ;  Laura,  born  July  2,  1867  ;  Clara, born  Feb- 
ruary 16,  [870  ;  Tuller,  born  January  1,  1873,  and  Minnie,  born  Novem- 
ber 17,  1879.  Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist 
Church. 

RICHARD  STAFFORD, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  7,  was  born  March  25,  1836,  in  County 
Kavan,  Ireland.  His  parents,  John  and  Anna  Stafford,  were  of  Eng- 
lish-Irish origin.  They  were  born  on  the  Emerald  Isle.  Richard  was 
the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  remained  at  his  birth- 
place until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  crossed  the  ocean,  landing 
at  New  York  City.  From  there  he  went  to  Connecticut,  thence  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  finally  to  Indiana.  Illinois  then  became  his  home,  he  set- 
tling in  Knox  County.  There  he  remained  two  years,  after  which  he 
moved  to  Southern  Kansas,  locating  in  Bourbon  County,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business.  He  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri, 
in  the  spring  of  1870,  and  purchased  section  7,  township  65,  range  38. 
He  improved  it,  and  now  owns  960  acres  of  fine  land,  well  improved,  with 
a  neat  residence,  a  good  barn,  an  excellent  orchard,  etc.  He  commenced 
life  a  poor  boy,  and  has  worked  his  own  way  through  life  and  been  a 
self-made  man.     He  helped  to  build  a  $700  schoolhouse  when  there  were 


TARKIO    TOWNSHIP.  935 

but  three  voters  in  the  district.  Mr.  Stafford  has  been  twice  married. 
First,  January  6,  1864,  to  Elizabeth  C.  Wilson,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  S. 
and  Mary  Wilson.  She  died  November  6,  1864,  and  left  two  children, 
(twins)  Mary  E.  and  Anna,  now  deceased,  born  October  30,  1864.  He 
was  married  again  December  5,  1865.  to  Miss  Phebe  Ann  Wilson,  a  sis- 
ter of  his  former  wife.  She  was  born  September  17,  1844,  in  Benning- 
ton, Erie  County,  Ohio.  By  this  union  they  have  four  children  :  Ida 
C,  born  August  1,  1867  ;  Thomas  C,  born  October  20,  1870;  John  R., 
born  December  6,  1874,  and  Frank  M.,  born  March  ?,'  1877. 

R.  M.  STEVENSON, 

is  of  the  firm  of  Rankin  &  Stevenson,  bankers.  Prominent  among  the 
energetic  and  leading  men  of  Northwest  Missouri,  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  is  worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  notice.  He  was  born  on 
the  27th  of  February,  185 1,  in  Monmouth,  Illinois.  He  was  reared  in  his 
native  village,  obtaining  his  education  at  Monmouth  College.  In  1870, 
he  accepted  employment  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Monmouth,  Illi- 
nois, and  in  1876,  became  assistant  cashier.  He  came  to  Tarkio  in  May, 
1881,  and  assisted  in  organizing  the  bank  at  this  place.  Mr.  S.  owns  a 
share  of  the  stock  and  holds  the  position  of  cashier.  He  is  a  keen- 
sighted  and  shrewd  business  man,  and  his  long  experience  in  the  busi- 
ness has  given  him  a  thorough  knowledge  of  it.  His  gentlemanly 
manners  have  won  for  him  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He 
was  married  September  3,  1874,  to  Miss  Nina  B.  Bower,  a  native  of 
Monmouth,  Illinois,  born  February  [5,  1854.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Susan  Bower.  By  this  union  they  have  one  child,  Charlotte  B.,  born 
January  31,  1882.  Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church. 

SOLOMON  THOMPSON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  21,  one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  this  town- 
ship, is  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Margaret  Thompson,  nee  Wilson,  who 
were  natives  of  Ireland.  Solomon  was  the  second  child  in  a  family  of 
six  children,  and  was  born  May  26,  1821,  in  Ireland.  He  was  brought  to 
the  United  States,  when  a  child,  by  his  parents,  they  settling  in  Alle- 
gheny County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  He 
received  a  common  school  education,  and  in  1865  immigrated  west  to 
Cedar  County,  Iowa,  there  remaining  six  years,  thence  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  arriving  here  April  28,  1872.  Mr.  T.  at  once  settled 
where  he  now  resides  and  commenced  to  improve  a  fine  farm.  He  owns 
162  acres  of  cultivated  land,  has  a  nice  grove,  good  orchard,  etc.  His 
farm,  is  well  adapted  to  stock  raising.  Mr.  Thompson  was  married  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1848,  to  Miss  Jane  Guthrie,  a  native  of  Westmoreland  County, 


936  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Pennsylvania.  She  died  September  17,  1876.  He  has  five  children  : 
William  S.,  born  November  27,  1850  ;  Samuel,  born  November  9,  1856  ; 
Anthony,  born  February  4,  1859;  Isaiah,  born  June  4,  1861  ;  Mary  C, 
born  December  12,  1865. 

JACOB  TROUT, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  24,  was  born  October  19,  1823,  in  Perry 
County,  Ohio.  His  father,  Hall  Trout,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  while 
his  mother,  Mary  (Atkins)  Trout  was  born  in  Ohio.  When  Jacob  was 
twelve  years  of  age  he  accompanied  them  to  Hocking  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  reared,  passing  his  youth  on  the  farm  and  receiving  a 
common  school  education.  During  the  war  he  served  for  100  days  in 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  National  Volunteer  Guards,  and 
guarded  Washington.  These  guards  were  made  up  after  Morgan  made 
his  raid  through  Ohio,  for  home  protection  and  were  called  into  active  ser- 
vice. Mr.  T.  came  west  and  settled  in  Atchison  County,  in  the  spring  of 
1866.  In  1869,  he  located  where  he  now  resides.  He  owns  240  acres  of 
improved  land,  watered  and  well  adapted  to  stock  raising.  He  has  a 
neat  residence,  a  good  barn,  etc.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  school  direc- 
tor and  road  overseer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Odd  Fellows.  Mr. 
Trout  was  married  February  19,  1850,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Crawford,  a 
native  of  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  born  October  31,  183 1.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Ursula  Crawford.  They  have  five  children  liv- 
ing:  Mary  E.,  born  March  6,  185 1,  (now  Mrs.  W.  S.  Wood,  of  this 
county);  Ursula,  born  November  29,  1854,  (now  Mrs.  Maitland  Brown, 
of  Kansas);  Hannah  J.,  born  July  30,  1852,  (now  Mrs.  Philipp  Dragoo, 
of  this  county);  James  C,  born  August  7,  1859  >  Noah  C,  born  October 
14,  1861.  Two  are  deceased.  They  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church  of 
Tarkio,  in  which  he  holds  the  position  of  trustee. 

N.  B.  VANLANDINGHAM, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  12,  was  born  March  23,  1840,  in  Bath 
County,  Kentucky.  His  parents,  Manly  B.  and  Sarah  (Grey)  Vanland- 
ingham,  were  both  natives  of  Kentucky.  When  about  eight  years  of 
age,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  accompanied  them  to  Brown  County  Ohio, 
and  there  he  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm,  and  received  an  educa- 
tion in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  has  given  his  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  through  life.  He  made  a  trip  west  to  the  Missouri 
River,  in  1866,  and  again  in  1869.  In  1874,  he  moved  here  and  settled 
on  the  bottoms  below  Phelps,  and  in  the  spring  of  1875,  he  located  where 
he  now  resides.  He  has  a  farm  of  ninety  acres,  well  improved,  a  com- 
fortable residence,  with  a  fine  view  of  Tarkio,  one  mile  distant.  He  has  a 
good  orchard  of  some  two  hundred   bearing  trees.     He  at  present  fills 


TARKIO  TOWNSHIP.  937 

« 

the  position  of  school  director,  and  has  been  road  overseer.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Atchison  Lodge  No.  220,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  in  which  he  holds  the  posi- 
tion of  Guide. '  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellow  fra- 
ternities. Mr.  V.  has  been  twice  married  ;  first,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Pettyjohn,  a  native  of  Brown  County,  Ohio.  She  died  February  24,  1865, 
leaving  two  children,  one  of  whom  is  now  living,  Moses,  born  January 
19,  1863.  He  was  married  again  April  17,  1870,  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Grey,  a 
native  of  Brown  County,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Lucinda  Grey. 
They  have  had  four  children,  one  of  whom  is  now  living,  Lilly  O.,  born 
January  6,  1880. 

WILLIAM  H.  VAN  LEUVEN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  2.  He  was  born  May  13,  1828,  at  East 
Lober,  Canada,  and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Fannie  A.  i  DraferJ  Van 
Leuven,  natives  of  Canada.  William  left  his  birthplace  when  quite 
small  with  his  parents,  who  located  near  Kirtland,  Ohio,  in  1836,  moving 
to  Pike  County,  Illinois,  in  1839.  After  remaining  there  eleven  years, 
they  came  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1850,  and  set- 
tled at  Linden.  From  there  they  went  to  Irish  Grove,  thence  to  the 
Tarkio  River.  William  was  brought  up  as  a  farmer,  and  when  fourteen 
years  old,  he  commenced  to  work  with  his  father  at  the  carpenter  trade. 
He  followed  this  business  until  some  twenty-four  years  of  age.  During 
the  war  he  served  in  the  Enrolled  Missouri  Militia.  He  has  always  been 
an  enterprising  citizen,  and  aided  in  all  public  enterprises.  He  has  filled 
the  positions  of  justice  of  the  peace,  constable,  school  director,  etc. 
During  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  Union  League.  He  now  belongs 
to  Rock  Port  Lodge  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  also  of  the  Masonic  Ben- 
efit Society,  of  St.  Louis.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  390  acres,  well 
improved,  comfortable  residence,  two  good  orchards,  etc.  Mr.  Van 
Leuven  operated  a  threshing  machine  ten  years,  and  also  ran  a  saw  mill 
and  built  bridges  two  years.  He  was  married  March  25,  1850,  to  Miss 
Amy  E.  Gard,  a  native  of  Brown  County,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Lud- 
ley  and  Sophia  Gard,  of  that  place.  She  was  born  August  17,  1836. 
They  have  had  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living:  Lydia  M.,born 
June  6,  1853,  (now  Mrs.  James  C.  Golden,  of  Tarkio)  ;  Anson  F.,  born 
July  11,  1855  ;  Willie  M.,  born  July  28,  1857  >  Frank  A.,  born  October  3, 
1859  ;  Charles  R.,  born  April  21,  1870  ;  Minnie  A.,  born  October  19,  1872  ; 
Eugene  C,  born  April  22,  1877.  Mr.  Van  Le.uven  is  one  of  the  oldest 
pioneers  of  Atchison  County.  His  father  was  born  August  10,  1802,  and 
is  now  living  with  him.  He  seems  quite  bright  and  vigorous  for  a  man 
of  his  years. 

COLONEL   SOLOMON  WAIT, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  25,  was  born  on  December  24,  1802,  in 
Chenango  County,  New  York.    His  parents,  Solomon  and  Lucy  (Wells) 


938  HISTORY   OV   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Wait,  were  natives  of  Massachusetts.  Solomon  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  received  a  common  school  education.  In  1842  he  emigrated  to  La 
Salle  County,  Illinois,  remained  there  one  year,  then  moved  to  Chicago 
and  was  engaged  in  the  retail  lumber  trade.  Chicago  was  then  a  small 
place,  and  in  the  spring  of  1850  he  sold  out  and  returned  to  New  York, 
where  he  purchased  the  old  homestead  and  built  a  fine  residence.  Here 
he  continued  to  live  for  some  twelve  years.  In  1862  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  La  Salle  County,  Illinois,  and  remained  on  the  farm  until  1869, 
when  he  moved  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  and  thence  to  Atchison  County, 
Missouri,  in  1873,  locating  where  he  now  resides.  He  owns  a  section 
(640  acres)  of  land  and  has  it  well  improved  with  a  neat  residence,  good 
barn,  orchard,  etc.  While  he  was  a  young  man  in  New  York  State  he 
belonged  to  the  militia  and  held  a  colonel's  commission.  Colonel  Wait 
has  been  twice  married,  first,  in  1832  to  Miss  Abigail  Throop,  a  native 
of  New  York  State.  She  died  at  Chicago  in  1849,  leaving  one  child, 
James  E.,  born  in  1845.  He  was  married  again  in  March,  1852,  to  Miss 
Amelia  D.  Greenley,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Lucy  Greenley.  She  was 
born  October  31,  1821,  on  Long  Island.  They  have  three  children: 
Charles  T.,  born  July  15,  1856;  Frederick  G.,  born  June  I,  1858,  and 
Amelia,  born  July  15,  1853,  (now  Mrs.  Samuel  C.  Osborn,  of  Kansas 
City,  Missouri). 

ADELBERT  A.  WARNER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  27,  post  office  at  Tarkio,  was  born  July  I 
8,  1846,  in  Oswego  County,  New  York.  His  father,  Andrew  F.  Warner, 
was  born  in  Oneida  County,  New  York,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Mary 
Green,  was  also  a  native  of  New  York  State.  Adelbert  was  reared  on 
the  farm  and  received  good  educational  advantages.  He  first  attended 
the  common  schools  and  then  entered  an  academy  and  was  afterwards 
a  student  at  Eastman's  National  Business  College,  at  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York.  He  was  graduated  from  that  institution  October  3,  1867.  His 
father  represented  his  district  in  the  New  York  Legislature  three  terms,  • 
two  in  the  House  and  one  in  the  Senate.  In  1863  he  was  appointed 
Colonel  of  the  One  Hundredth  and  Forty-seventh  New  York  Infantry,  I 
and  Adelbert  went  to  the  field  with  the  regiment,  as  sutler's  clerk.  As 
soon  as  he  became  old  enough  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  One  Hundredth 
and  Eighty-ninth  New  York  Infantry,  in  the  spring  of  1864.  They 
served  with  the  Second  Brigade,  First  Division,  Fifth  Army  Corps.  They 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Five  Forks  and  Appomattox,  and  his  division 
received  the  arms  of  the  Confederates.  They  participated  in  the  grand 
review  at  Washington.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Warner  returned  to 
his  old  home  and  completed  his  education.  He  has  been  engaged  in 
various  occupations  through  life,  trading,  farming,  etc.  He  settled  in 
Atchison  County  in  1870  and  has  since  made  this  his  home.     He  moved 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  939 

upon  his  present  farm  in  1873  and  now  owns  160  acres  of  improved  land. 
He  was  married  November  5,  1867,  to  Miss  Henrietta  C.  Bittinger, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Ann  Bittinger.  She  is  a  native  of  Oswego  County, 
New  York.  They  have  two  children  :  Mary  A.,  born  December  30,  1868  ; 
Lillian  B.,  born  July  8.  1871. 

WESLEY  D.   WHEELER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  33,  was  born  in  Muskingum,  County, 
Ohio,  April  19,  1848,  and  is  the  son  of  Wesley  D.  and  Mary  A.  (Haw- 
kins) Wheeler,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia.  When  nine  years  of  age 
"he  accompanied  his  parents  to  McDonough  County,  Illinois,  where  he 
was  reared  to  manhood.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and 
received  a  common  schood  education.  In  1872  he  immigrated  to  Page 
County,  Iowa,  coming  to  Atchison  County  in  the  spring  of  1875.  He 
then  settled  where  he  now  resides,  and  at  present  owns  480  acres  in  his 
home  farm,  and  320  acres  in  Nodaway  County.  He  has  a  neat  residence, 
good  barn,  young  orchard,  etc.  Mr.  Wheeler  has  given  his  attention  to 
his  business  during  life,  and  has  met  with  good  success.  He  was  mar- 
ried December  10,  1874,  to  Miss  Louisa  J.  Green,  daughter  of  George 
W.  and  Mary  Green.  She  was  born  in  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  Septem- 
ber 16,  1848.  They  have  had  four  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now 
living,  Minnie  M.,  born  October  13,  1877. 

LEWIS  E.  WHITE, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  22,  was  born  September  7,  1845,  in  Ash- 
tabula County,  Ohio.  His  parents,  Emery  and  Lucy  L.  (Wood)  White, 
•were  also  natives  of  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio.  Lewis  was  the  eldest  of 
"five  children.  He  went  with  his  family  to  Ogle  County,  Illinois,  when 
about  eight  years  of  age,  where  he  remained  some  two  years  ;  thence  to 
Linn  County,  Iowa,  and  here  he  was  reared  on  the  farm,  receiving  a 
•common  school  education.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  when  only  eighteen 
years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Twentieth  Iowa  Infantry,  and 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  mustered  out  in  August, 
1865.  He  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Fort  Morgan,  in  the  rear  of  Mobile, 
and  many  minor  engagements.  After  the  war  he  settled  in  Linn 
County,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  four  years.  Mr.  White  subsequently 
took  a  trip  through  the  west,  visiting  Kansas,  the  Indian  Territory, 
Arkansas  and  Missouri.  He  finally  settled  in  Page  County,  Iowa,  and 
after  remaining  there  something  over  five  years  he  came  to  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  settled  on  his  present  farm.  It  was  then  all  wild 
land,  and  he  purchased  320  acres  for  $8  per  acre.  He  now  has  a  neat, 
•comfortable  residence,  good  orchard,  etc.     He  has  several  head  of  graded 


94°  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

stock.  Mr.  W.  was  married  September  15,  1870,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Snyder, 
a  native  of  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  Stephen 
W.  and  Phebe  Snyder,  of  Pennsylvania.  She  was  reared  and  educated 
at  her  birthplace.  They  have  two  children  :  Walter  W.,  born  Septem- 
ber 17,  1875,  ar,d  Leola  B.,  born  August  2,  1878.  Mr.  VV.  was  formerly  a 
member  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist  Church. 

EDWARD  WISHERD, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  4,  was  born  November  8,  1825,  in  Frank- 
lin County,  Pennsylvania.  His  parents,  John  and  Elizabeth  (Coal) 
Wisherd,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Edward  was  reared  to  man- 
hood at  his  birthplace,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm  and  receiv- 
ing a  common  school  education.  Upon  arriving  at  maturity,  he  moved 
to  Washington  County,  Maryland,  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1854, 
he  immigrated  west  and  settled  at  Canton,  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  and 
in  1869,  he  moved  to  Bushnell,  McDonough  County,  Illinois.  He  came 
to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1879,  and  settled  with  his 
son,  John  A.  Wisherd.  Mr.  W.  was  married  February  26,  1850,  to  Miss 
Amanda  A.  Smith,  a  native  of  Washington  County,  Maryland,  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Mary  Smith.  They  have  been  blessed  with  six  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living:  John  A.,  born  January  8,  185 1  ;  Samuel  O., 
born  July  14,  1853  ;  Mary  E.,  born  January  6,  1856,  (now  Mrs.  Hally 
Hendricks,  of  Atchison  County);  William  H.,  born  June  28,  1858  ; 
Mariah  V.,  September  16,1859.  Lost  one,  Martha.  Himself  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  The  eldest  son,  John 
A.  Wisherd,  owns  some  2,480  acres  of  improved  land  in  this  county,  and 
is  largely  interested  in  stock  raising  and  feeding.  He  is  a  citizen  well 
respected  in  this  community. 

W.  S.  WOOD, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  24,  was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  on 
the  31st  of  July,  1844.  His  parents,  Jonathan  H.  and  Harriett  A. 
(Summers)  Wood,  were  natives  of  Ohio.  They  moved  to  Adams 
County,  that  state,  in  1850.  There  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
reared  to  manhood  on  the  farm.  He  received  the  benefits  of  a  common 
school  education.  On  September  1,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F, 
Seventh  Ohio  Cavalry,  and  was  mustered  out  July  1,  1865.  He  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  Somerset,  Kentucky  ;  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and  was 
through  the  entire  Atlanta  campaign.  Returning  with  General  Thomas, 
he  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Nashville,  Franklin,  Duck  River  and 
many  others,  serving  in  thirty-two  battles  and  skirmishes.  In  the 
spring  of  1865   he   went  with   the   First  Cavalry  Corps,  under  General 


TARKIO   TOWNSHIP.  94 1 

Wilson,  on  a  raid  through  Alabama  and  through  to  Macon,  Georgia. 
He  assisted  in  capturing  Jeff.  Davis.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  came 
west  and  settled  in  Atchison  County  on  the  Missouri  River  bottom.  In 
1869  he  located  where  he  now  resides.  It  was  then  all  prairie  land,  but 
he  has  improved  a  fine  farm  of  240  acres,  and  upon  it  is  a  neat  resi- 
dence. He  fills  the  positions  of  school  director  and  road  overseer  at 
present.  Mr.  Wood  was  married  December  9,  1867,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Trout,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Trout  of  this  township.  She 
was  born  in  Hocking  County,  Ohio,  March  6,  185 1.  They  have  four 
children.  Eliza  Bell,  born  June  16,  1871  ;  Frederick  N.,  born  Septem- 
ber 17,  1873  ;  George  L.,  born  September  4,  1875,  and  Jonathan  E.,  born 
January  20,  1 880.  Lost  one.  Mrs.  Wood  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church. 

JOHN  WOOLSEY, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  8,  an  enterprising  citizen  of  this  county, 
was  born  August  22,  1845,  in  Livingston  County,  Missouri,  and  was  the 
son  of  Giles  and  Rachel  (Hobbs)  Woolsey,  who  were  natives  of  Tennes- 
see. There  were  eight  children  in  his  father's  family,  the  last  two  being 
twins.  John  was  one  of  the  twins.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the 
farm,  and  received  a  common  school  education.  His  parents  died  while 
he  was  young,  and  he  was  raised  an  orphan.  In  1859,  he  came  to  Atch- 
ison County,  and  settled  five  miles  south  of  Hamburg,  Iowa.  In  the 
spring  of  1863,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  First  Nebraska,  and  served 
some  three  years,  or  until  the  close  of  the  war,  acting  on  the  frontier  in 
Missouri,  Arkansas  and  Kansas.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  W.  located 
at  Rock  Port,  where  he  remained  until  1869.  He  then  came  upon  his 
present  farm.  He  owns  240  acres,  has  a  fine  residence,  etc.  He  is  a 
hard  working,  industrious  citizen,  and  one  that  attends  to  his  own  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Woolsey  was  married  July  28,  1870,  to  Miss  Rachel  E.  McKee, 
daughter  of  George  and  Nancy  McKee.  She  was  born  April  19,  1855,  in 
Atchison  County,  Missouri.  They  have  three  children :  Alvin,  born 
December  5,  1872;  Minnie  J.,  born  February  16,  1877,  and  Bertha  M., 
born  April  14,  1880.  Lost  three.  Mrs.  Woolsey  is  a  member  of  the 
Winevanarian  Church. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TEMPLETON  TOWNSHIP. 


ORGANIZATION  AND  BOUNDARY-PHYSICAL  ASPECT— BRIDGES— EARLY  SETTLERS— MILLS 
— ChUKCHES-PHELPS    CITY— CHURCHES— SCHOOL-— BANKS— DEPOTS-SECRET    OR-  j 
DERS-NEWSPAPERS— BUSINESS    DIRECTORY— INCORPORATION  OF    PHELPS  CITY- 
SCOTT  CITY— KALAMAZOO -LANGDON    POST  OFFICE— BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Templeton  Township  was  organized  February  22,  1870,  as  follows:] 

"  Ordered  that  a  strip  of  territory  three  miles  wide  be  stricken  off 
from  Benton  Township,  and  a  strip  of  territory  three  miles  wide  be 
stricken  off  from  the  south  end  of  Nishnebotna  Township,  in  said  county, 
and  that  the  territory  thus  detached  be  erected  into  a  township  to  be 
known  and  designated  as  Templeton  Township,  said  township  to  be 
bounded  as  follows,  to  wit  :  Commencing  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
fractional  section  15,  in  township  64,  of  range  42,  thence  east  to  the 
Nishnebotna  River,  thence  up  said  river  with  the  meanderings  thereof, 
to  a  point  where  the  north  line  of  sections  21,  22,  23  and  24,  in  township 
65,  of  range  42,  would  strike  said  river,  thence  west  on  the  north  line  of 
the  sections  aforesaid,  to  the  Missouri  River,  thence  down  the  same  to 
the  place  of  beginning." 

Templeton  Township  is  thus  bounded  on  the  north,  in  a  distance  of 
about  three  and  a  half  miles  by  Nishnebotna  Township,  on  the  east  by 
Clay  Township,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Nishnebotna  River  ; 
on  the  south  by  Benton  Township,  in  a  distance  of  three  miles,  and  on 
the  west  by  the  State  of  Nebraska,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the 
Missouri  River. 

PHYSICAL  ASPECT. 

The  entire  area  of  Templeton  Township,  being  embraced  in  the  ter- 
ritory included  between  the  Nishnebotna  and  Missouri  Rivers,  is  bottom 
land,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  grove  in  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  same,  including  not  more  than  eighty  or  ninety  acres,  and  a  strip 
of  timber  three  and  a  half  miles  long  and  about  one  mile  wide,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  township,  on  the  Missouri  River  border,  the  whole  is 
prairie.  This  latter  grove  occupies  portions  of  section  28,  29,  32  and  33, 
of  township  65,  range  42,  and  also  of  sections  3  and  4,  of  township*  64, 
range  42.  A  considerable  portion  of  this  territory  has  disappeared  by 
the  caving  of  the  Missouri  River  banks. 


TEMFLETON   TOWNSHIP.  943 

BRIDGES. 

Three  bridges  cross  the  Nishnebotna  River  from  Templeton  Town- 
ship. Shandy's  Bridge,  in  section  24,  township  65,  range  42  ;  Colvin 
Bridge,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  31,  township  65,  range  42,  and 
Hughes'  Bridge,  in  section  30,  township  65,  range  40. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

Among  the  first  to  settle  in  Templeton  Township  was  George  Har- 
mon, from  Illinois,  who  now  resides  at  Tecumseh,  Nebraska.  Jackson 
Hauley  was  also  from  Illinois,  and  emigrated  west  in  1840,  locating  in 
the  same  township,  on  the  place  where  B.  M.  Bailey  now  lives.  William 
Fraisher  came  in  the  fall  of  1845,  and  settled  where  he  now  lives,  on  the 
bank  of  the  Missouri  River.  William  Carman,  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
came  about  the  year  1848,  and  was  soon  afterwards  killed  at  a  barn- 
raising  at  William  Fraisher's,  above  named.  Watt  and  Baker  Richard- 
son, were  also  among  the  pioneers.  They  were  from  Illinois.  Bennett 
King,  from  Kentucky,  and  Hugh  L.  Davis,  from  Tennessee,  settled  in  the 
same  township  about  two  miles  north  of  Phelps  City,  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  township.  After  these  came  J.  W.  Shandy,  who  located 
here,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  township,  in  1853.  He  was  from 
Dubois  County,  Indiana.  About  the  same  time  came  Zachariah  Woods, 
Elias  Proudfit  and  Levi  Athens,  who  were  also  Indianians.  Lem- 
uel Plasters  and  James  Cook  were  from  Illinois  ;  Elias  Cook  was 
also  from  Illinois,  and  located  at  Cook's  Landing,  on  the  Mis- 
souri River.  William  Myers  located  about  one  mile  west  of  the 
present  town  site  of  Phelps  City,  from  Illinois.  Jacob  Shandy  set- 
tled on  the  Nishnebotna  River,  in  1853,  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
township,  and  near  him  located  Robert  C.  Chambers,  both  of  whom  were 
from  Dubois  County,  Indiana.  John,  James  and  Tobe  Handley  were 
early  settlers,  the  time  of  their  arrival  being  from  1850  to  1855.  Henry 
S.  Hill,  who  now  resides  two  miles  west  of  Phelps  City,  came  from  War- 
ren County,  Kentucky,  quite  early.  He  was  at  one  time  one  of  the  county 
court  judges  of  Atchison  County,  having  filled  that  position  from  1850  to 
1852,  and  while  the  courts  were  held  at  the  first  county  seat — Linden. 
Judge  Hill  resigned  after  having  served  the  county  faithfully  for  about 
two  years,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  Margaret  Scott  was 
also  an  early  settler,  and  owned  the  land  upon  which  the  town  of  Scott 
City  was  laid  out. 

MILLS. 

The  first  saw  mills  erected  in  Templeton  Township,  were  put  up  in 
the  winter  of  1856,  by  McGee  &  Berry,  and  Muir  &  Hoadley.     McGee  & 


944 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


Berry  operated  theirs  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  at  Cook's 
Landing.  Muir  &  Hoadley  operated  their  mill  near  Scott  City.  These 
mills  were  run  from  three  to  five  years.  There  are  no  grist  mills  in  the 
township,  and  have  never  been  any. 


CHURCHES. 

The  first  church  edifice  put  up  in  the  township,  was  built  at  Scott 
City,  in  1867,  by  the  Methodists.  The  first  minister  to  officiate  in  its 
pulpit,  was  the  Rev.  H.  G.  Breed. 

PHELPS   CITY. 

The  town  of  Phelps  City  (generally  called  Phelps)  was  laid  out  in 
the  month  of  August,  1868,  by  Philip  A.  Thompson,  Willis  Phelps  and 
Richard  Buckham,  on  sections  35  and  36,  township  65,  range  42.  It  is 
located  on  the  line  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs 
Railroad,  in  Templeton  Township,  about  three  miles  from  the  Missouri 
River  and  six  miles  from  Rock  Port,  the  county  seat.  The  town  site  is! 
perfectly  level,  as  is  also  the  country  surrounding  it  in  every  direction, 
being,  as  it  is,  a  part  of  the  Missouri  bottom.  During  the  high  water  of 
188 1  the  town  was  entirely  under  water  and  there  were  but  a  few  points 
of  dry  land  anywhere  to  be  found  in  the  township.  The  census  of  1880 
gives  the  population  as  301,  which  is  greatly  in  excess  of  the  population 
at  the  present  time  (1882),  the  number,  probably,  not  being  more  than  200. 

F.  M.  Thompson  built  the  first  business  house  in  the  town  in  1867 
and  was  the  first  postmaster.  Jacob  Shandy  and  J.  Bostwick  built  the 
next  houses.  Ambrose  Porter  was  among  the  early  settlers.  The  first 
business  houses  were  put  up  by  F.  M.  Thompson  and  John  D.  Dopf, 
the  latter  building  an  office,  preparatory  to  publishing  the  Phelps  City 
Record.  Clint  Casler  put  up  the  first  saloon  in  1867.  Wyatt,  McNeale 
&  Cross,  first  lumber  merchants  in  1867;  Jacob  Shandy,  first  family 
grocery  in  1867. 

CHURCHES. 

About  the  time,  or  soon  after,  Phelps  was  started  a  church  edifice 
(frame)  was  erected  by  the  Methodists,  Christians  and  Presbyterians 
and  used  by  these  denominations  as  a  union  church.  It  was  finally 
sold  about  the  year  1872  and  has  since  been  used  as  a  school  house, 
public  school  being  at  this  time  taught  in  it.  Among  the  early  minis- 
ters who  labored  in  its  pulpit  were  the  Rev.  S.  W.  Thornton,  Methodist, 
and  Elders  John  H.  Parker  and  Richard  Buckham,  Christian  preachers. 

The  M.  E.  Church  (frame)  was  built  in  1879.  The  minister  officiat- 
ing at  the  organization  of  the  church  was  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Lake,  who  is  at 
present  stationed  at  Rock  Port.     Among  the  original  members  of  this 


TEMPLETON     TOWNSHIP.  945 

church  at  Phelps  were  Mrs.  F.  M.  Thompson  and  daughter,  James 
M.  Scammon  and  lady,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  L.  Shaw  and  others.  James  A. 
Showalter,  H.  C.  Langly  and  Homer  Davidson  have  been  the  ministers 
in  charge,  Mr.  Davidson  being  the  present  minister.  Present  member- 
ship about  thirty-five. 

The  Catholics  erected  a  frame  church  edifice,  in  Phelps  in  1879. 
The  priest  officiating  at  the  time  of  its  completion  was  Father  Welch, 
from  near  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Those  succeeding  him  were  Fathers  Han- 
ley,  Torney,  Shey  and  F.  C.  Becker,  the  latter  now  having' charge. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  pioneer  school  teacher  of  the  town  was  Miss  Jennie  Spooner, 
who  came  originally  from  Illinois,  but  from  Nebraska  to  Phelps,  in  the 
winter  of  1868.  S.  A.  Osborn  succeeded  Miss  Spooner  and  taught  the 
school  when  Phelps  was  under  the  control  of  the  township  organiza- 
tion. The  teachers  in  the  public  school  since  Osborn's  time  have  been  : 
A.  S.  Whetstone,*  1874;  H.  A.  Austin,  1875;  J.  L.  Coleman,  1875; 
George  F.  Bixby,  1876;  Leonard  McDonald,  1876;  Dougal  McCall, 
1876  ;  J.  M.  Hoover,  1877  ;  G.  W.  Field,  1877  ;  F.  M.  Joslyn,  1878  ;  C.  A. 
Pike,  1880;  Asa  Vanse,  1882. 

The  first  school  board  was  composed  of  F.  M.  Thompson,  president ; 
I.  N.  White,  clerk  ;  John  H.  Parker,  member. 

Present  board — A.  Behrendsen,  president  ;  H.  L.  Boesenberg,  clerk  ; 
A.  A.  Tayman,  member. 

There  are  between  fifty  and  sixty  pupils.  Beside  the  school  in  the 
town,  there  are  eight  schools  in  the  township,  and  all  are  in  a  prosperous 
condition. 

BANKS. 

About  the  year  1875,  a  bank  was  established  in  Phelps,  the  firm 
being  composed  of  F.  M.  and  P.  A.  Thompson  and  A.  E.  Wyatt,  and 
conducted  under  the  name  and  style  of  Thompson,  Wyatt  &  Co. 

DEPOTS. 

There  have  been  two  depot  buildings  in  Phelps.  The  first  one,  built 
in  1867-8,  burned  in  June,  1879.  The  present  depot  was  built  in  July 
and  August,  1879.  W.  L.  Shaw  is  the  agent,  and  Ambrose  Porter  deliv- 
ery clerk. 

SECRET   SOCIETIES. 

The  only  secret  organization  which  ever  had  an  existence  in  Phelps, 
was  Zerubbabel  Royal  Arch  Chapter  No.  59,  which  discontinued  its 
labors  at  Phelps  January  12,  188 1,  and  thereafter  moved  to  Rock  Port, 

60 


946  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

an  account  of  which  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  book,  and  a  lodge 
of  Good  Templars,  which  was  organized  about  the  year  1880,  and 
ceased  to  exist  in   1881. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The  only  newspaper  ever  published  in  Phelps,  was  the  Phelps  City 
Record,  a  weekly  paper,  edited  by  John  D.  Dopf.  The  first  number  was 
issued  September  T2,  1868,  and  continued  only  for  about  four  months. 
It  was  a  seven  column  folio,  Republican  in  politics. 

BUSINESS   DIRECTORY. 

Adams,  Harriet,  restaurant.  McCreary,    N.     B.,    hardware    and 

Behrendsen,  Andy,  saloon.  postmaster. 

Bunting,  William,  livery.  Miles,  L.  J.,  attorney  at  law. 

Calvert,  W.  M.,  physician  and  sur-  Rickard,  C.  H.,  justice  of  the  peace. 

geon.                                              •  Boesenberg    &    Giannini,   general 

Eilers,  John,  J.,  groceries.  merchandise. 

Hindenach,  George,  blacksmith.  Boesenberg,  butcher. 

Hughes,  J.  C.,   physician  and  sur-  Scammon  &  Bailey,   general  mer- 

geon.  chandise. 

Kimball,  John  F.,  hotel.  Wade,  James,  drugs. 

INCORPORATION   OF   PHELPS   CITY. 

On  May  18,  1874,  Phelps  City  was  incorporated  as  follows  : 

"  Now  here,  at  this  day,  comes  I.  N.  White,  Paddy  Mullens,  W.  R.1 
Simms,  George  Hindenach,  Charles  H.  Rickard,  D.  M.  Shandy,  R.  A. 
Tyner,  Christian  Heisner,  Jacob  Shandy,  T.  H.  Shandy,  E.  C.  Smith,  A. 
S.  Williams,  N.  B.  McCleray,  A.  A.  Tayman,  Ambrose  Porter,  John 
Mauery,  I.  N.  Pryne,  John  Eilers,  James  O'Pelt,  J.  C.  Hope,  Thomas 
Glynn,  J.  K.  Tift,  W.  G.  Bartholomew,  J.  V.  E.  O'Pelt,  P.  A.  Thompson, 
George  Crist,  F.  M.Thompson,  James  McLean,  John  Yates,  S.  E.  Curess 
and  P.  W.  Furlong,  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Phelps,  in  the  county  of 
Atchison  and  state  of  Missouri,  and  present  their  petition  to  the  court, 
praying  that  they  may  be  incorporated  and  a  police  established  for  their 
local  government,  and  for  the  preservation  and  regulation  of  any  com- 
mons appertaining  to  said  town,  and  also  setting  forth  the  metes  and 
bounds  of  said  town  ;  and  the  court  being  satisfied  that  two-thirds  of  the 
taxable  inhabitants  of  said  town  have  signed  said  petition,  and  that  the 
prayer  of  said  petitioners  is  reasonable,  it  is  therefore  declared  by  the 
court  that  said  town  be  incorporated,  and  such  incorporation  shall  embrace 
the  following  boundaries,  to  wit  :  All  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
36,  all  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  35,  known  as  Cass  addition  to  said 
town  of  Phelps,  and  a  strip  off  said  quarter  section  300  feet  in  width  off  of 
the  south  side  of  said  quarter  section  lying  west  of  the  Kansas  City,  St. 
Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  track,  all  in  township  65,  of  range  42  ; 
and  the  court  appoints  the  following  named   persons  to  constitute  the 


TEMPLETON    TOWNSHIP.  94; 

board  of  trustees  for  said  town,  until  the  annual  election  for  said  board. 
to  wit :  William  G.  Bartholomew,  John  C.  Hope,  Isaac  N.  White,  E.  C, 
Smith  and  Charles  H.  Rickard. 

SCOTT   CITY 

is  located  two  miles  west  of  Phelps  City,  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri 
River,  in  section  33.  It  was  laid  out  in  1856,  by  Margaret  Scott,  from 
Illinois,  who  is  still  living,  opposite  the  town  of  Brownville,  Nebraska. 
Margaret  Scott  built  the  first  house  in  the  place  previous  to  1850.  D.  C. 
Billings  was  the  first  merchant,  Jacob  Bruner  the  first  saloon  keeper. 
R.  V.  Mure  was  also  an  early  merchant,  and  the  keeper  of  a  warehouse 
at  Rock  Port  Landing,  below  the  town.  J.  K.  Tift  was  the  first  and  last 
attorney  to  reside  in  the  place.  The  post  office  at  this  place  was  called 
North  Star,  W.  H.  Hillman,  postmaster. 

KALAMAZOO, 

an  addition  to  Scott  City,  was  laid  out  in  1865,  by  Stephen  M.  Barnes. 
Flack  Watson  built  the  only  grist  and  saw  mill  in  Kalamazoo.  Fraisher 
&  McGee  were  in  general  merchandise,  half  a  mile  north  of  Scott  City. 
Scott  City  and  Kalamazoo  are  now  numbered  with  the  things  of  the 
past,  having  gone  into  the  Missouri  River  with  the  treacherous  banks 
upon  which  they  stood. 

LANGDON     POST    OFFICE 

was  established  in  1880,  on  the  farm  of  Colonel  P.  A.  Thompson,  three 
miles  south  by  east  of  Phelps  City,  and  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Nishne- 
botna  River.  The  prominent  feature  of  the  locality  is  the  elegant  two- 
story  brick  mansion  of  Colonel  Thompson,  completed  in  1870,  at  a  cost 
of  $13,000.  It  is  the  most  spacious  and  elegant  residence  in  the  county. 
The  main  building  is  forty  feet  square,  and  the  L  22x24.  The  handsome 
lawn  and  surroundings  are  in  harmony  with  the  general  appearance  of 
the  building,  and  bespeak  a  cultivated  taste.  A  few  hundred  yards 
below  the  lawn  is  the  large  and  well  stocked  general  store  of  Thompson 
&  Ruland,  in  which  the  post  office  has  been  kept  by  L.  H.  Ruland,  the 
junior  member  of  the  firm,  ever  since  its  establishment,  in  1880.  There 
is,  besides,  in  the  place  a  blacksmith  shop,  owned  by  Colonel  Thompson, 
and  operated  by  A.  J.  Fox.  A  grain  elevator  with  a  capacity  of  thirty 
thousand  bushels  is  being  completed,  at  this  point,  by  Thompson  & 
Ruland.  Finney,  Williams  &  Co.  are  establishing  a  lumber  yard  in  the 
place.  The  stock  yards  at  Langdon,  constructed  by  the  Kansas  City, 
St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  Company,  are  said  to  be  the  best 
on  the  entire  length  of  the  road.  Indications  present  the  promise  here 
of  a  future  business  point  of  no  inconsiderable  importance. 


948  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

^BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ALEXANDER  HANSON  BAILEY, 

is  a  heavy  dealer  in  agricultural  implements,  furniture,  stoves  and  gene- 
ral merchandise.  He  was  the  son  of  Marion  L.  and  Harriett  (Williams) 
Bailey,  the  former  of  East  Tennessee,  and  was  born  in  Greene  County, 
East  Tennessee,  September  14,  1848.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm,  atten- 
ded the  common  schools,  and  for  two  years  was  a  student  at  the  Green- 
ville College.  He  then  taught  school  for  three  terms.  In  1872,  he  came 
to  this  county  with  $150  in  money,  and  rented  a  farm,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  six  years.  In  1875,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  M.  Scam- 
mon,  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Phelps  City,  still  having  charge  of  the 
farm.  Few  firms  have  the  confidence  of  the  community  to  a  greater 
degree,  and  very  few  deserve  it  more.  They  are  accommodating  and  have 
succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  and  profitable  business.  They  are! 
quite  extensively  interested  in  dealing  in  and  shipping  grain  and  stock. 
Mr.  Bailey  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Carrie  G.  C. 
Reed,  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza  Reed,  of  East  Tennessee.  She 
died  February  9,  1878.  He  was  married  again  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Bar- 
tholomew, of  this  county,  in  November,  1879.  They  have  two  children, 
James  A.  Garfield,  born  November  8,  1880,  and  Sarah  Roxey.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  B.  is  a  Republican,  and  religiously  a  Methodist. 

ANDREW  BEHRENDSEN 

was  born  in  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  May  2,  1842.  He  had  excel- 
lent opportunities  for  an  education,  and  in  youth  thoroughly  learned  the 
mason's  trade,  which  has  been  his  life  business.  In  February,  1872,  he 
emigrated  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Chicago,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade.  In  the  winter  of  1875  he  came  to  this  city  and  has  since  been 
the  regular  brickmason  and  plasterer  of  this  vicinity.  He  has  built 
nearly  all  the  buildings  in  Watson.  In  1880  he  gave  up  that  industry 
and  started  a  saloon,  and  is  now  conducting  the  only  one  in  the  city, 
he  having  bought  out  Mr.  Eiler's  interest.  Mr.  B.  has  a  peculiar  faculty 
for  this  business,  keeps  an  orderly  house,  and  in  connection  with  his 
saloon  runs  a  good  billiard  room.  Though  Mr.  B.  came  to  this  country 
a  poor  boy,  he  has  worked  his  way  up,  and  now  has  a  fine  house  and 
lot,  well  furnished,  and  considerable  town  property.  He  married  Miss 
Dorethea  Nisson,  in  Germany,  in  1867.  They  have  nine  children: 
Andrew.  Theodore  J.,  Elena   Louisa,  Frederick,  Emma,   Helene  Maria, 


TEMPLETON    TOWNSHIP.  949 

Margaret,  Dorothea,  and  an  infant.  Lost  two  in  infancy.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  Lutheran.  He  has  always  been  elected 
to  fill  either  the  school,  city  or  township  offices,  and  is  greatly  interested 
in  education. 

GEORGE   FAVOUR  BIXBY, 

farmer,  is  the  owner  of  126  acres  of  land  and  resides  on  section  3.  He 
was  born  in  North  Haverhill,  Grafton  County,  New  Hampshire,  Octo- 
ber 2,  1828.  His  father,  George  Bixby,  born  in  Salem,  Massachusetts, 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  his  mother,  formerly  Sabina  Morrill, 
was  a  native  of  New  Chester,  Massachusetts.  George's  youth  was 
spent  at  school  and  on  a  farm.  In  September,  1856,  he  moved  to  this 
state  and  county.  He  graduated  from  the  institution  at  College  Hill, 
Hamiliton  County,  Ohio,  and  was  school  commissioner  here  in  i858-'59, 
and  superintendent  of  schools  from  1872  to  1875.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  religiously  a  Methodist.  Mr.  Bixby  married  Miss 
Bertha  J.  Hendrickson,  daughter  of  Elza  C.  and  Mary  E.  Hendrickson, 
September  29,  1868.  They  have  three  children  :  Elsie  S.,  ten  years 
old  ;  Samuel  M.,  five  years  old,  and  Charles  Rutlege,  three  years  old. 
In  1867  Mr.  Bixby  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  at  Scott  City, 
then  a  thriving  village,  with  R.  V.  Muir.  In  1858-59  and  '60  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching  school.  In  1872  he,  as  above  stated,  was  elected 
superintendent  of  public  schools  and  held  this  important  position  for 
four  years.  He  taught  his  first  school  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1856-57 
in  Atchison  County  at  the  Harmon  &  Fiaisher's  school  house,  an  old 
log  cabin  with  puncheon  floor,  etc.  This  house,  having  no  roof,  he 
obtained  a  bolt  of  cotton  cloth,  sewed  it  together  and  nailed  it  over 
the  cabin  for  a  roof.  At  that  time  there  were  twelve  organized  districts 
in  the  county.  He  started  a  petition  for  and  helped  to  secure  the  post 
office  known  as  North  Star,  which  was  first  located  at  William  Frai- 
sher's,  and  was  the  assistant  postmaster  while  his  school  lasted  and  Mr. 
Fraisher  was  the  postmaster,  and  the  second  one  in  the  Missouri  Val- 
ley, while  'Squire  Rich,  of  Sonora,  was  first,  the  office  bearing  his  name. 
Mr.  B.  is  one  of  the  reliable  men  of  the  county,  and  is  qualified  for  any 
position  of  trust  or  honor  in  the  gift  of  the  people  of  his  c  unty.  He 
has  a  good  home,  is  making  farming  his  principal  business,  and  keeps 
thoroughly  posted  on  the  current  news  of  the  day. 

HERMAN  LEANDER  BOESENBERG, 

merchant,  and  dealer  in  agricultural  implements,  etc.,  was  born  in  Cook 
County,  Illinois,  December  30,  1853.  He  received  a  good  common 
school  education,  and  graduated  from  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial 
College  of  Chicago,  in  1869.     He  worked  at  home  until  thirteen  years 


950  HISTORY    OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

old  on  his  father's  farm,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  obtained  a 
situation  as  clerk  in  a  retail  store  in  Chicago,  where  he  remained  until 
April  1875.  Mr.  B.  then  came  to  this  county,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued to  reside.  After  clerking  in  a  large  store  here  several  years,  he 
started  in  business  on  his  own  account  in  1878,  which  he  continued  until 
1881,  then  forming  a  partnership  with  M.  Giannini  in  April  of  that  year. 
They  have  since  been  doing  a  prosperous  business,  and  are  having  a 
good  trade  in  the  various  kinds  of  agricultural  implements.  Mr.  B.  has 
also  started  a  meat  market.  He  married  Miss  Albertine  Bettie  White, 
daughter  of  Isaac  Newton  White,  of  this  county,  in  1877.  They  have 
two  children,  Alice  and  Hermie.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
religiously  was  brought  up  a  Lutheran.  In  his  business  enterprises,  Mr. 
B.  has  relied  upon  his  own  efforts.  Having  obtained  a  good  business 
education  in  youth,  and  having  clerked  with  excellent  business  men,  he 
naturally  had  to  succeed.  He  is  affable  in  his  demeanor  and  a  good 
salesman.  His  father  is  an  old  settler  of  Cook  County,  and  one  of  its 
large  and  independent  farmers. 

THOMAS  CLARK. 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  owner  of  364  acres  of  land,  his  residence 
being  on  section  14.  He  was  born  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  January 
12,  1843.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education,  and  then 
learned  the  tinner's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  1862.  He  subse- 
quently enlisted  in  the  Eightieth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
attached  to  the  Second  Division  Fifteenth  Army  Corps.  He  was  in  all 
the  hard  fought  and  notable  battles  of  the  army  of  the  Cumberland,  and 
was  with  General  Sherman  in  his  march  to  the  sea.  He  participated  in 
the  ever  memorable  battle  at  Bentonsville,  North  Carolina,  the  last  one 
of  the  war,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  receiving  an 
honorable  discharge.  Mr.  Clark  soon  returned  home,  and  after  visiting 
his  friends  he  came  to  Missouri  and  bought  one  of  the  farms  he  now 
occupies,  and  which  he  has  since  improved.  He  married  Miss  Josephine 
Carms,  only  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  James  Carms,  of  Coshocton, 
County,  Ohio,  December  25,  1862.  They  have  six  children  :  James  Carms, 
Fannie,  Luella,  Olive,  Samuel  and  Josiah.  Mr.  Clark  has  a  beautiful 
place,  his  farm  containing  190  acres.  Mrs.  Clark's  father,  Judge  James 
Carms,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  18 18,  and  in  youth  enjoyed  good 
opportunities  for  attending  the  schools  of  those  days.  He  early  learned 
the  blacksmith  trade,  and  in  1849,  he  went  to  California,  with  stock  etc., 
and  again  in  185 1  and  1853.  On  these  trips  he 'met  with  fair  success. 
He  was  superintendent  of  the  state  canals  for  four  years,  and  on  account 
of  his  known  ability  and  faithfulness,  made  a  good  officer.  In  1861,  he 
raised  a  company  for  the  Eightieth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 


TEMIT.ETON    TOWNSHIP.  95 1 

elected  its  lieutenant,  and  later  was  promoted  to  captain.  His  military 
record  is  one  of  the  best.  In  1844,  he  married  Miss  Frances  Arnold,  in 
Coshocton  County,  Ohio.  She  died  in  1859,  leaving  one  daughter,  Jose- 
phine (now  Mrs.  Thomas  Clark).  He  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs. 
Sarah  (Arnold)  Macomber,  sister  of  his  first  wife,  in  i860.  In  October, 
1865,  in  company  with  Mr.  T.  Clark  and  family,  they  came  to  Missouri 
and  settled  in  this  township  on  lands  purchased  by  him  the  year  previous. 
They  improved  these  farms  and  erected  as  good  buildings  as  any  in  the 
county.  Mr.  Carms  taught  the  district  school  for  two  winters,  and 
in  1866,  he  was  elected  ccunty  judge  for  six  years,  serving  the 
county  with  marked  ability.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  sup- 
ported the  M.  E.  Church.  He  died  April  24,  1876,  lamented  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Mrs.  Carms  died  in  November,  1878,  after  whose  death  the 
property  came  into  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Clark,  the  only  heir.  She  and  her 
husband  then  moved  into  the  large  residence  built  and  finished  so  richly, 
which  they  now  occupy. 

WILLIAM  M.  CALVERT,  M.  D., 

was  born  in  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  in  March,  1832.  In  1842  his  father 
moved  the  family  to  Meigs  County,  where  William  spent  his  young  days 
in  school  and  at  labor  on  the  farm.  In  1856  he  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  with  Dr.  E.  M.  Beam,  of  Athens  County,  Ohio,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  when,  in  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Thirtieth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  January,  1863.  He  then  received  an  hon- 
orable discharge,  on  account  of  an  injury  received.  He  was  on  detached 
duty  nearly  all  the  time,  connected  with  the  medical  and  hospital  depart- 
ment. He  had  eight  brothers  and  four  brothers-in-law,  all  in  the  ser- 
vice. His  father,  John  Calvert,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1797, 
died  in  Ohio  in  1871.  His  mother,  formerly  Edith  Beale,  was  also  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  in  1802.  She  now  lives  in  this  county,  with  a  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  Reaves.  They  had  sixteen  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  Rev.  John  P.  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  He  was  First 
seargent  and  was  shot  while  urging  his  men  on  to  duty.  After  returning 
from  the  army  Dr.  C.  practiced  for  a  while  in  Virginia.  Then  he  returned 
to  his  native  county  in  Ohio  and  was  appointed  county  physician.  In 
1865  he  came  to  Missouri  and  practiced  for  five  years  in  Warren  and 
Montgomery  Counties.  He  subsequently  went  to  Pike  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  had  a  large  practice  for  eleven  years.  In  1878  he  attended 
lectures  at  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution.  In  October,  188 1,  he  moved  to  this  city  and  has  succeeded 
in  establishing  a  liberal  patronage.  Dr.  Calvert  married  Miss  Carie 
Martin,  of  Montgomery  County,  Missouri,  in  1870.     They  have  one  child, 


952  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

Cecil.  The  doctor  is  very  kind  and  pleasant  in  his  professional  visits  to 
the  sick  and  is  a.^uccessful  practitioner. 

THOMAS   CULLIN, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  21,  is  the  son  of  Edward  and  Catharine 
(Sinnott)  Cullin,  the  latter  of  whom,  a  native  of  Ireland,  died  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  in  1862.  Thomas  was  born  in  Wexford,  Ireland,  in  April, 
1837,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  came  to  this  country  with  his 
father,  settling  in  Ohio.  When  Thomas  was  eighteen  years  old  he 
started  in  life  for  himself.  He  first  went  to  Kansas  and  Colorado,  and 
then  to  the  western  part  of  Nebraska,  where  he  raised  stock  and  cut  hay 
on  a  ranch,  remaining  there  until  1865,  when  he  came  to  this  county  and 
bought  his  present  farm  of  345  acres.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Proudfit,  in  Nebraska,  in  1863.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Elias  Proudfit, 
of  this  township.  They  have  four  children  :  Nettie,  Emma,  Mabel  and 
Kate.  Two  children,  Perry  and  Elias,  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  C.  is  a 
well-posted  Greenbacker  and  takes  a  leading  part  in  promoting  the 
interests  of  this  county.  He  was  raised  a  Catholic.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  By  his  own  indomitable  courage  and  good  judg- 
ment he  has  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  good  farm,  on  which  he  soon 
expects  to  build  one  of  the  best  residences  of  this  county.  In  1881  he 
fed  136  hogs,  several  car  loads  of  stock,  and  raises  annually  from  125  to 
200  acres  of  corn.     His  father  is  still  living  in  Cleveland. 

JOHN  J.  EILERS, 

dealer  in  groceries,  boots  and  shoes  and  gents'  furnishing  goods,  at 
Phelps  City,  was  born  in  Starck  Volt  Aust  Amich,  Kingdom  of  Hanover, 
October  26th,  1845.  He  received  a  good  education,  and  was  reared  a 
farmer.  In  1865  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  father  and  settled  in 
Adams  County,  Illinois,  removing  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in 
1868.  Here  he  went  to  work  on  a  farm,  and  in  1874  he  opened  a  small 
saloon  in  Phelps  City,  commencing  with  very  little  means.  For  seven 
years  he  continued  the  business  and  made  a  gocvd  start.  He  then  rented 
out  his  saloon  and  fixtures  and  opened  an  excellent  family  grocery,  with 
a  good  assortment  of  boots  and  shoes.  He  has  a  well  stocked  estab- 
lishment and  is  doing  a  thriving  trade.  He  is  well  informed  in  business 
matters  and  accommodating  to  his  customers,  and  being  possessed  of  a 
good  judgment,  is  ably  fitted  for  the  different  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility  to  which  he  is  called  to  fill.  Mr.  Eilers  married  Miss  Sarah 
F.  May,  daughter  of  Wiley  May,  Esq.,  of  Benton  Township,  February 
13,  1870.  They  have  one  child  living:  Leoly  Maud,  born  October  25, 
1875.     Three   died   in   infancy.     He  is  a  Free    Mason,  a  Republican  in 


TEMPLETON     TOWNSHIP.  953 

politics  and  religiously  a  Lutheran.  Mrs.  E.  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

WILLIAM  FRAISHER, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  owner  of  400  acres  of  land,  his  residence 
being  on  section  28.  He  was  born  in  DeKalb  County,  Tennessee,  Octo- 
ber 23,  18 19.  His  father  was  Moses  Fraisher,  of  Tennessee,-  and  his 
mother,  who  was  formerly  Violet  Love,  was  born  in  South  Carolina. 
William  came  to  Illinois  with  his  father  in  1828,  and  settled  in  Bond 
County.  His  opportunities  for  obtaining  an  education  were  limited.  He 
learned  the  blacksmith  and  gunsmith  trades,  at  which  he  worked  as  long 
as  he  lived  in  Illinois.  In  1839,  ne  came  to  Missouri,  and  settled  in 
Greene  County,  in  which  vicinity  he  remained  for  several  years,  working 
at  his  trade.  In  1845,  ne  came  to  this  county  and  bought  the  claim  of 
his  farm.  His  residence,  additions  and  improvements,  with  its  natural 
facilities,  renders  it  a  desirable  place.  Mr.  Fraisher  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried. His  first  wife  was  Mrs.  Rebecca  Myers  Harmon,  daughter  of  Henry 
Myers,  of  East  Tennessee,  whom  he  married  in  Greene  County,  in 
November,  1842.  They  had  one  child  by  this  union,  a  son,  William  W. 
Mrs.  F.  died  in  1874.  He  was  married  the  second  time  to  Lottie  Gabriel 
in  1876.  They  have  three  children  :  Louisa  L.,  Rosana  Jane  and  Una. 
Delia.  When  Mr.  F.  settled  here  there  were  but  few  settlers  in  the 
county.  He,  like  all  others,  experienced  hard  times  and  discourage- 
ments of  various  kinds,  but  surmounted  all  obstacles,  and  profited  by  the 
experience.  He  now  takes  a  front  rank  among  the  large  and  prosperous 
farmers  of  the  county.  In  1881,  he  went  to  California  with  his  family, 
and  remained  there  for  several  months,  returning  in  March.  In  politics- 
he  is  a  Democrat,  but  voted  for  Lincoln.  In  his  religious  belief  he  wor- 
ships with  the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  Fraisher  was  the  first  postmaster 
on  these  bottoms.     He  is  esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  HARMON, 

retired  farmer,  stock  dealer  and  feeder,  is  the  owner  of  960  acres  of  land,, 
his  home  farm  of  372  acres  being  located  on  section  32.  Few  men  are 
entitled  to  a  more  prominent  place  in  history  than  G.  W.  Harmon,  as  he 
was  the  second  settler  in  the  county,  having  come  here  a  few  months  after 
Mr.  Millsaps.  He  was  born  in  Monroe  County,  Tennessee,  April  4,  1818. 
He  attended  school  for  two  days,  and  during  his  youth  learned  the  gun- 
smith trade  of  his  father,  Nathan  Harmon.  In  1827  they  moved  to  Bond 
County,  Illinois,  being  among  the  pioneers  there.  They  repaired  guns 
for  the  Indians  as  well  as  for  the  settlers,  and  did  quite  a  business.  On 
the  19th  of  October,  1840,  George  came  to  this  county  and  settled  on  the 
land  which  now   comprises  his  beautiful  farm.     He  and  Callaway  Mill- 


954  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

saps  both  brought  their  young  wives  with  them.  His  daughter  Rebecca, 
•  (now  Mrs.  Benson  Bailey,  of  Brownville,  Nebraska,)  was  the  second  child 
born  in  Atchison  County,  the  son  of  Mr.  Millsaps  being  the  first.  Mr. 
H.  built  a  log  cabin,  and  also  a  log  shop,  when  he  worked  for  the  Indians 
and  settlers  for  a  long  period,  doing  all  their  gunwork  and  blacksmith- 
ing,  and  in  return  they  did  his  plowing  and  improving  his  land.  The 
nearest  mill  was  at  Council  Bluffs,  sixty  miles,  and  to  go  there  and  return 
took  eight  days.  Previous  to  using  the  mill,  for  two  years  they  made 
their  hominy  by  pounding  corn  in  a  mortar.  He  then  bought  a  hand 
mill  (a  large  coffee  mill),  attached  it  to  a  tree,  and  it  was  in  constant 
use.  Mr.  H.  informs  us  that  for  seven  years  he  wore  one  pair  of  pants, 
and  so  often  were  they  patched  that  the  original  cloth  could  not  be 
seen,  and  so  greased  and  stiff  had  they  become  that  they  would  stand 
alone.  He  then  got  deer  skin  of  the  Indians  and  made  a  suit,  and  wore 
moccasins  and  a  coonskin  cap,  with  the  tail  on.  By  this  cap  and  suit  he 
was  known  for  miles  around.  His  first  adventure  was  purchasing  beeves 
for  the  quartermaster  of  the  United  States  Army,  stationed  at  a  fort 
where  Nebraska  City  now  stands,  and  in  a  purchase  amounting  to  $300 
he  cleared  for  his  services  $200.  This  is  where  his  life  work  commenced, 
and  since  then  he  has  made  stock  dealing  and  feeding  a  success.  He 
has  fed  and  sold  from  200  to  500  head  annually.  His  farm  is  among  the 
most  productive  and  best  arranged  for  stock  purposes  and  raising  corn 
in  the  township,  upon  it  there  being  a  fine  brick  residence,  the  third  one 
in  the  county,  and  other  improvements.  In  1870,  with  his  two  sons-in- 
law,  Messrs.  McGee  and  Bailey,  of  Brownville,  Nebraska,  he  bought  the 
ferryboat  "  Mary  J.  Arnold,"  and  has  run  it  for  nine  years  in  connection 
with  the  transfer  and 'bus  line  from  Brownville  to  Phelps  City.  In  1880 
Mr.  H.  bought  out  his  partners  in  the  business,  and  one  month  alter  the 
boat  was  snagged,  and  he  lost  $7,000.  His  former  partners  again  took 
hold,  fitted  up  a  temporary  flatboat,  which  was  used  until  the  present 
fine  structure  was  finished,  and  since  that  time  the  three  have  conducted 
the  business.  In  August,  1 881.  Mr.  Harmon  rented  his  farm  and 
removed  to  Tecumseh,  Johnson  County,  Nebraska,  near  his  Nebraska 
farm  of  480  acres.  There  he  has  built  a  house,  and  is  having  his  farm 
improved  on  a  large  scale.  This  he  intends  for  his  only  son,  George 
Benson.  He  has  also  bought  a  beautiful  lot  in  Tecumseh,  upon  which 
he  has  erected  the  finest  residence  in  the  eity.  Mr.  H.  has  been  twice 
married  :  First,  to  Sarah  Roberts,  of  Montgomery  County,  Illinois,  in 
August,  1837.  She  died  in  1847,  leaving  four  children  :  Betsey  Ann, 
Martha,  Rebecca,  (now  Mrs.  Bailey),  and  Mary  Angeline,  (now  Mrs.  J. 
L.  McGee.)  In  August,  1848,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Hughes. 
They  have  two  children,  Sarah  Angeline  and  George  Benson.  The  first 
4th  of  July  celebration  in  Atchison  County  was  held  at  the  foot  of  the 
bluffs  near  Mr.    Millsaps,   he   and   Mr.  M.  being  the  chief  persons  there. 


TEMPLETON    TOWNSHIP.  955 

This  was  in  1841.  Corn  bread,  baked  in  a  "pone,"  and  wild  honey 
formed  the  dinner  for  the  distinguished  gathering.  Every  person  in  the 
county  were  there,  and  many  Indians  besides.  Mr.  Harmon  was  orator 
of  the  day,  and  also  chief  marshal.  Mr.  H.  is  a  Mason,  in  politics  a 
Republican,  and  a  supporter  of  the  Christian  Church.  There  are  not 
many  persons  who  have  lived  in  the  county  twenty  years  but  what  know 
Mr.  H.,  and  have  heard  him  tell  his  stories  of  early  days,  the  recital  of 
which  would  fill  a  volume.  He  has  made  a  reputation  for  honesty,  enter- 
prise and  integrity  which  is  lasting. 

HENRY  SOUTH  HILL, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  owner  of  245  acres  of  land,  his  residence 
being  on  section  34.  He  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Kentucky, 
December  7,  1813.  While  he  was  a  small  boy,  his  father  moved  to  Mont- 
gomery County,  Illinois,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  the  timber,  where 
Henry  grew  up.  He  did  much  hard  work,  helping  his  father  make  a  farm. 
After  being  married  he  moved  into  Bond  County,  obtained  a  piece  of 
land,  which  he  cleared,  and  would  have  been  contented,  but  for  the 
stories  of  the  famous  Platte  Purchase.  He  determined  to  seek  a  better 
country,  and  in  1848  he  moved  to  this  township,  and  bought  the  forty 
acre  lot  where  his  house  now  stands.  He  soon  had  a  fine  farm  and  was 
able  to  make  additions  to  his  place,  until  now  he  has  one  second  to  none. 
Mr.  Hill  married  Miss  Charlotte  Temple  Harmon,  daughter  of  Nathan 
and  Rebecca  Harmon,  of  Bond  County,  Illinois,  December  10,  1835. 
They  have  four  children  living  :  Mrs.  Mary  W.  Lewis,  George  W.,  Dru- 
cilla  Emeline,  (wife  of  Dr.  Jones  of  Watson),  and  John  Henry.  William 
W.  died  July  16,  1865,  aged  24  years  ;  Sarah  died  in  infancy  ;  Nancy  Jane 
married  Valentine  S.  Kerl,  and  died  November  2,  1874,  leaving  two 
children  :  Emma  Ada  Belle,  who  has  a  home  with  Dr.  Jones,  her  uncle, 
and  Malcomb  Montrose,  who  lives  with  his  grandfather.  Mr.  Hill  has 
always  been  either  a  Whig  or  Republican,  and  belongs  to  the  Christian 
Church  and  Good  Templars.  In  1852  he  was  elected  county  judge,  and 
served  with  great  satisfaction  to  all.  March  14,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Fifth  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  served  for  one  year.  He  was  promoted  to 
second  lieutenant  and  then  to  first  lieutenant,  and  was  attached  to 
General  Loan's  Brigade.  Wherever  Mr.  H.  has  been  placed  .or  whatever 
responsibility  he  has  assumed,  he  has  discharged  his  duty  with  ability, 
and  under  all  circumstances  has  earned  the  title  of  an  honest  man. 

GEORGE  HINDENACH, 

blacksmith  and  farmer,  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  February  17, 
1838.     He  received  a  good  education  in  his  native  country,  and   in    1854 


956  HISTORY  OF  ATCHISON    county. 

came  to  America,  settling  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  trade,  which  he  commenced  in  Germany.  He  worked  at  this 
and  the  iron  business  for  ten  years,  in  Philadelphia,  Cincinnati,  Wash- 
ington and  St.  Louis.  During  the  war  he  was  employed  by  the  gov- 
ernment some  two  years  in  Washington.  In  1865  he  came  to  Blooming- 
ton,  Illinois,  and  after  stopping  there  a  short  time  he  came  to  Woodford 
County,  where  he  started  a  shop,  operating  it  for  two  years.  In  1869  he 
came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  this  city,  built  a  shop  and  has  been 
extremely  successful.  He  has  erected  a  good  residence  and  purchased 
and  improved  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Rock  Port,  besides  which  he  has 
considerable  town  property.  Mr.  Hindenach  married  Miss  Hannah 
Stack,  of  this  county,  in  the  fall  of  1869.  They  have  six  children  living  : 
George,  Lillie,  Willie,  Betsie,  Ella  and  Anna  Christine.  Minnie  died  at 
the  age  of  two  years.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  religiously  a 
Lutheran.  Mr.  H.  is  one  of  the  best  workmen  in  this  locality,  as  is  shown 
in  the  fact  that  he  has  remained  the  town  smith  when  all  others  have 
failed. 

ROBERT  THOMAS  HUNTER, 

farmer,  stock  raiser  and  feeder,  is  the  owner  of  640  acres  of  land,  his  res- 
idence being  on  section  22.  He  was  born  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1841.  For  some  time  he  attended  the  common  schools,  and 
remained  at  home  until  manhood,  when  his  father,  Judge  William  Hun- 
ter, gave  him  the  use  of  320  acres  of  land.  Young  Robert  embarked  at 
once  on  the  road  that  has  led  him  to  a  fortune.  He  commenced  to  raise 
corn  and  buy  stock,  and  with  his  profits  he  has  purchased  his  section  of 
land,  though  he  still  works  his  father's  320  acre  tract.  Very  few  men  in 
this  county  have  obtained  a  competency  so  comparatively  easy,  though 
this  is  partly  to  be  attributed  to  his  genius  for  doing  business  and  in 
buying  and  selling  stock.  In  1881,  he  raised  his  own  corn  and  fed  the 
stock  which  he  sold  for  $11,000.  In  common  with  others  he  suffered 
much  from  the  overflow.  In  188 1,  lightning  struck  his  barn,  a  very  fine 
one,  consuming  this,  together  with  his  grain,  hay,  some  ten  horses  and 
mules,  harness,  wagons,  etc.  Mr.  Hunter  has  been  twice  married  ;  first, 
in  1861,  to  Miss  Ella  Stout,  daughter  of  Francis  Stout,  of  Platte  County. 
She  died  in  1870,  leaving  four  children  :  William,  Francis,  John  and 
Charles.  His  second  wife  was  Martha  J.  Proudfit,  daughter  of  the  late 
Elias  Proudfit,  whom  he  married  in  1872.  They  have  lost  five  children, 
who  died  in  infancy.  One  is  living,  Blanch.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Elias  Proudfit,  father  of 
Mrs.  Hunter,  came  here  in  1856,  from  Virginia,  and  bought  and  improved 
the  farm  where  Mr.  Hunter  now  lives.  His  wife  was  formerly  Edith 
Reed.  Their  children  were  Mary,  (now  Mrs.  J.  M.  Sliger)  ;  Elizabeth, 
(now  Mrs.  Thomas  Cullins)  ;  Martha  M.,  (Mrs.  R.  T.  Hunter).  Four  sons 


TEMPLETON    TOWNSHIP.  957 

are  in  other  states.  James  died  in  1865,  Thomas  died  in  i860,  Mrs.  P, 
died  in  1868,  and  Mr.  P.  in  1873. 

LEWIS  J.  MILES, 

attorney  at  law,  was  born  in  Knoxville,  East  Tennessee,  in  July,  1852. 
He  studied  under  his  father  and  thoroughly  fitted  himself  for  college, 
graduating  from  Emery  and  Henry  College  in  Virginia  in  1870.  He 
commenced  the  study  of  law  with  Judge  Barber,  of  Morristown,  Ten- 
nessee, and  in  1872  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  Missouri,  where  he  continued 
his  law  studies  with  Hon.  J.  P.  Lewis.  Mr.  Miles  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  January,  1874,  after  which  he  opened  an  office  in  Phelps  City  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  has  a  good  understand- 
ing of  the  principles  of  law,  is  an  able  advocate,  commanding  good 
language,  and  is  an  impressive  speaker.  In  May,  188 1,  he  established 
an  office  in  the  new  city  of  Tarkio,  in  which  place  he  spends  a  portion 
of  his  time.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  received  the  nomination 
by  his  party  to  the  legislature  in  1880,  and  while  he  ran  150  votes 
ahead  of  his  party  ticket,  yet  by  a  combination  of  the  Republicans  and 
Greenbackers  he  was  defeated.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  fraternity.  Mr.  Miles  was  married  to  Miss  Ada  Thompson,  the 
second  daughter  of  the  late  F.  M.  Thompson,  of  Phelps  City,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1881.  Mr.  M.'s  father,  Hon.  S.  D.  Miles,  at  one  time  president 
of  the  Knoxville  University  and  also  of  the  Rutlege  Academic  Insti- 
tute, was  born  in  North  Carolina,  where  he  in  part  received  a  thorough 
education,  completing  it  at  Warrensburg,  Tennessee.  *He  was  a  lead- 
ing Whig  in  his  day,  and,  as  such,  with  Parson  Brownlow,  used  to  stump 
the  state.  He  served  in  the  Tennessee  legislature  and  held  many  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  was  an  active  Mason  and  acted 
as  lecturer  for  the  order. 

GOULD  D.  MYERS, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  the  possessor  of  200  acres  of  land,  his  resi- 
dence being  on  section  22.  He  was  the  son  of  Valentine  and  Nancy 
(Bennett)  Myers,  both  natives  of  Tennessee,  and  was  born  in  Sullivan 
County,  Missouri,  in  1841.  In  1866  he  settled  in  this  county,  where  he 
bought  forty  acres  of  land.  He  had  money  enough  to  pay  for  this  and 
an  old  horse  and  wagon,  and  from  that  small  beginning  he  has  obtained 
as  good  a  tract  of  land  as  can  be  found,  all  well  improved,  with  several 
small  dwellings  on  the  different  places.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Manies,  daughter  of  Stokely  Manies,  of  Tennessee,  in  Sullivan  County, 
Missouri,  in  1866.  They  have  five  children  :  Florence,  Walter,  Laura, 
Lewella  and  Samuel.     Politically  Mr.  Myers  is  a  Democrat  and  belongs 


95§  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

to  the  Methodist  Church.  He  is  a  good  farmer,  has  practical  views  of 
business  on  the  farm,  and  surrounded  by  an  industrious  family  and  worthy 
companion  is  bound  to  succeed. 

AMBROSE  PORTER, 

station  and  express  agent  at  Phelps  City,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Lydta 
(Major)  Porter,  both  natives  of  Maryland,  was  born  in  Alleghany  County, 
Maryland,  February  2,  1839,  and  when  seven  years  old  went  to   Knox 
County,  Ohio.     His   educational   opportunities  were  such  as  could  be 
obtained  at  a  common  district  school.     He  served  a  regular  apprentice- 
ship to  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  in  1859  came  to  this  county,  soon  com- 
mencing work  at  building.     Later  he   bought   a  small  farm  and  made  j 
some  improvements.     The  war  breaking  out,  he   enlisted  in   the  Fifth 
Missouri  Cavalry,  and  remained  until  January,  1863,  when  he  was  mus- 
tered out.     He  then   re-enlisted  in   the   Twelfth  Missouri   Cavalry,  and 
remained   in  service  until  September,  1864,  having  been  promoted  to 
first  lieutenant,  and  transferred  to  the  Sixty-first  United  States  colored. 
In   May,    1865,  they  were   consolidated  with  the   Third   United   States 
Heavy  Artillery,  with  which  he  was  connected  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  mustered  out  April  30,  1866.     After  this,  Mr.  Porter  engaged  in  I 
the  wood  business  in  Arkansas,  and  after  establishing  himself  therein,  he 
went  to  Memphis,  and  obtained  a  position  on  the  police  force.     He  sold  J 
out  his  wood  business  after  the   overflow,  losing   1,000  cords  of  wood. 
Resigning  his  position  he  returned  to  this  locality  in  1867-.     He  moved 
upon  his  farm  and  made  some  improvements,  but  afterwards  disposed  of 
his  interests       In  the   spring  of  1868,  he  built  a  house,  into  which  he 
moved  in  March,  1869,  and  thereafter  worked   at  his   trade,  employing 
from  five  to  ten   men.     He  was   occupied  in   building  churches,  school   ; 
houses,  residences,  and  in  fact,  did  most  of  the  building  in  this  vicinity 
for  two  years.     In  1870,  he  was  appointed  assistant  agent  of  the  station 
at  Phelps  City,  and  has  been   a  faithful   and  efficient  agent  for  twelve 
years,  gaining  the  entire  confidence  of  the  company  and  the  citizens  of 
the  town.     In  April,  1882,  the  agent,  Mr.  W.  L.  Shaw,  resigned,  and  the 
company   immediately  promoted   Mr.  Porter  to   the  situation.     By  his  j 
faithful  career  he  became  perfectly  qualified   to  discharge  the  duties  of 
this  position.     He  married  Miss  M.  A.  Worthington,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,, 
in  1867.     They  have  raised  several  children.     He  has  brought  up  and 
educated  a  neice,  Bell  Ramey,  and  also  Annie  Majers.      He  also  has 
taken  an  infant  orphan  to  care  for,  Annie  Langdon.     In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  in  his  religious  preferences  a  Catholic. 


TEMPLETON    TOWNSHIP.  959 

ANDREW  C.  PROUDFIT, 

farmer,  section  23,  was  born  in  Indiana,  May  21,  1857,  and  when  a  small 
boy,  he  came  with  his  father  to  this  state  and  county.  While  young,  he 
had  a  severe  spell  of  sickness,  which  left  him  deprived  of  the  sense  of 
hearing  and  speech.  His  mother  has  taken  great  pains  in  sending  him 
to  school,  and  he  remained  eight  years  in  the  State  School  for  Mutes, 
under  the  tutorship  of  Mr.  Kerl.  He  was  an  excellent  scholar,  learning 
rapidly,  and  has  become  a  good  practical  business  man,  a  fine  reader  and 
an  excellent  penman.  He  has  with  his  mother  over  100  acres  of  beauti- 
ful land,  under  the  best  of  improvements.  He  has  bought  teams,  plows, 
drags,  etc.,  and  has  had  great  success  in  everything  he  has  undertaken. 
He  has  entire  charge  of  the  farm,  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views, 
and  a  valuable  citizen  of  this  county.  His  father,  Thomas  Proudfit, 
bought  160  acres  of  fine  land  on  section  23.  He  was  born  in  Virginia 
in  1819,  and  was  raised  in  Indiana.  His  father  was  Elias  Proudfit. 
Thomas  P.  came  to  this  state  and  county  in  1856.  He  married  Miss 
Lana  Anderson  Davidson  in  Dubois  County,  Indiana,  in  February, 
1856.  They  had  two  children:  Andrew  C.  and  Mary  E.,  born  Novem- 
ber 20,  1859,  wno  married  James  M.  Sliger.  Mr.  P.  died  in  i860,  leaving 
Mrs.  P.  and  her  two  small  children  and  a  farm,  almost  wholly  unim- 
proved and  unpaid  for.  But  the  land  was  rich,  and  having  energy  and 
courage  she  commenced  raising  stock  and  corn.  She  succeeded  in  pay- 
ing for  her  farm,  and  has  built  a  beautiful  house.  Her  daughter,  who 
married  Mr.  J.  M.  Sliger  lives  quite  near  her.  Mr.  Proudfit  was  an  excel- 
lent man  and  during  the  few  years  he  lived  after  moving  here,  won  the 
confidence  of  many. 

JAMES  RAHMAN 

was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  October  23,  1843,  and 
in  1847,  accompanied  his  father  to  this  country,  settling  in  Monroe 
County,  Illinois.  After  living  in  several  places  the  family  moved  to  this 
county,  in  1867.  The  father  bought  160  acres  of  land  and  improved  it 
in  good  condition,  building  a  nice  residence  and  making  it  one  of  the 
most  desirable  homes  in  the  county.  After  the  death  of  the  father,  the 
two  sons  divided  the  homestead,  James  keeping  the  old  residence.  He 
was  married  April  8,  1874,  to  Miss  Ida  Gardes,  daughter  of  George 
Gardes,  of  Germany.  They  have  two  children  :  Henry  and  George  J. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  religiously  a  Lutheran.  Henry  Rah- 
man, father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  in  18 15.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1847,  and  was 
a  resident  of  Monroe  County,  Illinois,  for  two  years,  after  which  he  lived 
in  Nebraska  for  two  years.  Coming  to  this  county  he  bought  his  excel- 
lent farm.     In  1853,  he  went  to  California  and  remained  for  nearly  four 


960  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

years  ;  had  bad  luck  on  the  start,  but  was  afterwards  successful,  obtain- 
ing quite  a  sum  of  money.  He  then  returned  home,  wiser  and  better, 
and  a  little  richer,  for  his  experience.  He  married  Catharine  Margaret 
Clichouse,  of  Germany.  They  had  two  children,  James  and  George. 
Henry  died  in  the  Old  Country.  James  followed  teaming  to  Salt  Lake 
for  three  years,  for  a  freighting  company.  He  has  ninety  acres  of  land, 
situated  in  section  2. 

JAMES  M.  SCAMMON 

was  born  in  Union  City,  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  May  15,  1850.  He 
acquired  a  good  education  at  home  and  became  well  qualified  for  prose- 
cuting the  duties  of  the  business  which  he  has  made  his  life  work.  He 
remained  with  his  father  until  twenty-one  years  old  and  then  rented  a 
farm,  which  he  worked  for  one  year.  In  1872,  with  his  father,  he 
started  the  store  which  he  now  conducts,  and  afterwards  Mr.  Bailey 
became  a  partner  and  since  then  they  have  been  doing  a  very  large  and 
prosperous  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Scammon  &  Bailey.  Mr. 
S.  married  Miss  Mary  Casey,  daughter  of  Edward  Casey,  of  Nova 
Scotia,  March  7,  1878.  They  are  raising  a  nephew  of  Mr.  S.'s,  Levi 
Craighton  Smith.  Politically  Mr.  S.  is  a  Republican  aid  he  is  a  leading 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  He  is  liberal  in  building  churches  and 
supporting  schools,  and  has  been  one  of  our  energetic  and  prosperous 
men,  both  as  a  farmer  and  merchant.  He  has  bought  a  fine  farm  of 
550  acres  of  land  which  he  cultivates.  As  a  business  man  he  has  the 
confidence  of  the  entire  community.  His  father,  Enoch  D.  Scammon, 
of  Union  City,  is  among  the  early  pioneers  of  the  county,  and  has 
large  possessions,  all  accumulated  by  his  own  hard  work.  Reference  to 
this  noble  man  is  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  our  work. 

JOHN  HENRY  SHEPPERSON, 

farmer  and  stock  raiser,  section  6,  was  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  Ann 
(Webster)  Shepperson,  the  former  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Scotch 
descent,  but  a  native  of  London.  John  was  born  in  Richmond,  Virginia, 
April  16,  1834.  His  education  was  obtained  almost  entirely  by  self 
application,  and  he  spent  several  years  in  teaching  in  Virginia,  Iowa  and 
Missouri.  He  was  the  instructor  of  an  excellent  school  for  five  years  in 
Charlestown,  now  the  capital  of  West  Virginia.  In  1862  he  came  to  this 
state,  and  March  14th  enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Missouri  Cavalry,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Penick.  He  served  faithfully  for  sixteen  months  and  on  his 
return  from  the  army  bought  some  land,  where  he  now  lives.  He  spent 
some  time  in  teaching  and  speculating  in  stock.  December  15,  1869, 
Mr.  Shepperson  married  Miss  Susan  Elizabeth  Roberts,  daughter  of 
James  and  Elizabeth  Roberts  of  this  county.     They  have  four  children  : 


TEMPLETON   TOWNSHIP.  961 

Anna  Gertrude,  Jacob  Malcolm,  James  William  and  John  Lester.  Mr. 
S.  is  a  Mason  and  in  his  religious  preferences  inclines  towards  the  Pres- 
byterian denomination.  He  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  whatever  views 
he  may  take  upon  a  question  he  is  thoroughly  competent  to  maintain  his 
position.  He  is  a  great  reader,  keeping  pace  with  the  current  literature 
of  the  day  and  also  of  the  political  movements  of  Congress.  His  farm 
contains  360  acres  of  good  land. 

JAMES   MONROE  SLIGER, 

farmer  and  teacher,  section  22,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  East 
Tennessee,  May  21,  1853,  and  in  1868  came  to  this  county.  He  com- 
menced his  education  in  Tennessee  and  completed  it  at  the  College  of 
Stewartsville,  Missouri.  In  1880  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  120 
acres  and  has  been  making  improvements  upon  it  till  he  now  has  an 
excellent  place.  He  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Proudfit,  daughter  of  the 
late  Thomas  Proudfit,  in  February,  1877.  They  have  one  child,  Ada. 
In  politics  Mr.  S.  is  a  Democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian Church,  of  which  he  is  a  very  active  member.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order.  Since  completing  his  education  he  has 
devoted  his  time  to  teaching,  and  since  purchasing  his  farm  he  has 
taught  the  school  in  the  same  district.  Mr.  Sliger  has  done  his  part 
nobly  in  achieving  what  he  has.  He  is  a  fine  scholarly  young  man  and 
well  fitted  for  any  position  in  life. 

JESSE  SLIGER, 

farmer,  stock  dealer  and  feeder,  section  23,  was  born  in  Washington 
County,  East  Tennessee,  July  14,  1838.  His  education  was  obtained  at 
the  common  schools.  He  came  to  this  county  in  1859,  and  subsequently 
enlisted  in  the  Second  Missouri  Infantry  of  the  Confederate  army,  and 
was  in  the  western  army  for  four  years.  He  was  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  Pea  Ridge,  and  discharged  his  duties  well,  enduring  the  trials  and 
hardships  of  a  soldier's  life  without  a  murmur.  He  was  discharged  at 
Shreveport,  Louisiana,  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Sliger  then  returned 
to  Nebraska,  and  became  engaged  with  a  freighter  going  to  Fort  Kear- 
ney. Upon  coming  back  he  moved  to  this  vicinity  and  bought  eighty 
acres  of  his  present  farm,  which  he  has  improved  and  made  additions  to 
until  now  he  has  235  acres.  In  1880,  he  built  a  beautiful  residence,  and 
few  men  have  worked  to  a  better  advantage.  He  married  Miss  Mary 
Proudfit,  daughter  of  Elijah  Proudfit,  in  September,  1867.  They  have 
two  children:  Minnie  Delona,  born  September  12,  1870;  Wintford 
Emery,  born  August  31,  1873.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  belongs 
to   the   Cumberland    Presbyterian    Church.     He    is    a    member    of  the 

61 


962  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Masonic  fraternity.     Mr.  Sliger  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  associates, 
on  account  of  his  high  moral  character,  and  known  integrity. 

COLONEL  PHILIP  AUSTIN  THOMPSON 

was  the  son  of  David  Hamilton  Thompson,  who  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee. His  mother,  formerly  Annie  Williams,  was  born  in  St.  Louis 
County,  Missouri.  They  came  to  Missouri  before  the  State  was  admit- 
ted into  the  Union,  and  settled  in  Callaway  County,  where  Philip,  the 
second  of  nine  children,  was  born,  on  July  31,  1830.  His  education  was  j 
indeed  a  limited  one.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  entered  a  store 
in  DeKalb,  Buchanan  County,  as  salesman  and  bookkeeper.  His  inten- 
tion was  to  study  law,  but  this  desire  he  was  obliged  to  forego.  He 
remained  in  DeKalb  until  185 1,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  Holt  County 
and  taught  school  one  year.  In  1852  he  took  a  trip  to  California  and 
resided  there  three  years,  engaged  in  farming.  Returning  in  1855,  he 
settled  in  Holt  County.  In  1856  he  embarked  in  merchandising  in 
Rock  Port,  Atchison  County,  in  connection  with  Messrs.  Dillon  and 
Ruland,  under  the  firm  name  of  Dillon,  Thompson  &  Co.,  which  contin- 
ued until  1859.  In  the  latter  year  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Dr. 
Buckham,  whose  daughter  Susan  he  married  on  December  31,  1359. 
When  the  civil  war  began  Mr.  Thompson  closed  his  store  and  joined  the 
Union  side  of  the  State  Militia,  enlisting  for  six  months.  He  was  elected 
major  of  the  Fourth  Battalion,  a  position  he  held  until  his  time  had 
closed.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  he  re-enlisted  for  three 
years,  in  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  and  was  commissioned  lieutenant  colonel  of 
the  regiment,  Colonel  Penick  being  his  superior  in  command.  The  reg- 
iment was  mustered  out  of  service  in  1863,  and  Colonel  Thompson 
returned  to  his  mercantile  pursuits  in  Rock  Port,  having  his  brother,  F. 
P.  Thompson,  as  his  associate,  in  April,  1867.  In  1868  the  business  house 
was  removed  to  Phelps  City.  In  March,  1875,  he  began  a  general  bank- 
ing business,  purchasing  and  selling  exchange,  etc.  In  politics  Colonel 
T.  was  a  Whig  as  long  as  that  party  was  in  existence,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  a  Republican.  In  1870  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Atchison 
County.  In  1873  he"  was  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  state  senate 
from  the  district  composed  of  Atchison,  Holt  and  Nodaway  Counties, 
and  at  the  end  of  two  years  declined  a  re-election.  In  1876  he  was  nom- 
inated by  the  Republicans  of  the  Ninth  Congressional  District,  for  a  seat 
in  congress.  Though  defeated,  he  ran  five  hundred  ahead  of  his  ticket, 
in  his  own  county,  thus  showing  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held.  Colonel 
T.  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  and  a  member  and  Past  High  Priest 
of  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  while  it  was  at  Phelps  City.  He  was  also 
an  active  Odd  Fellow.  He  is  a  supporter  of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr. 
T.  has  one  of  the  largest  and  most  valuable  farms  in  the  county,  located 


TEMPLETON    TOWNSHIP.  963 

at  Langdon,  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Phelps.  There  he  owns  the 
town  site  and  a  large  store,  doing  a  good  mercantile  business,  with  Mr. 
Ruland  as  a  partner.  He  has  built  upon  his  700  acre  farm  in  Langdon, 
an  elegant  and  attractive  residence,  the  most  costly  in  the  county.  The 
Colonel  lives  here,  surrounded  by  his  family  of  nine  children,  enjoying 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  annually  feeds  and 
ships  a  large  quantity  of  live  stock. 

FRANCIS   MARION  THOMPSON 

was  born  in  Callaway  County,  Missouri,  August  26,  1832.  He  is  the  son 
of  David  H.  Thompson,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  Anne  (Williams) 
Thompson,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis  County,  Missouri.  They  had 
nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  third  in  num- 
ber. His  parents  emigrated  to  Missouri  before  its  admission  as  a  state, 
and  located  in  Callaway  County.  Francis  removed  with  his  brother  to 
Buchanan  County,  Missouri,  in  [840.  He  received  a  common  educa- 
tion near  DeKalb  in  that  county  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  old.  In  1849  he  came  to  Holt  County  and  was 
engaged  for  two  years  in  working  with  Hawk,  Dillon  &  Co.  at  Hemme's 
Landing.  He  was  then  interested  with  W.  E.  Dillon  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  that  place,  they  remaining  together  for  ten  years.  In  1861 
he  moved  to  Rock  Port,  where  he  sold  goods  for  seven  years.  In  1868 
he  came  to  the  present  site  of  Phelps  City,  erected  the  first  building  in 
the  place  and  filled  it  with  a  stock  of  goods.  He  prospered  in  his  busi- 
ness and  in  187 1  sold  his  stock  of  goods  to  Judge  Saunders,  who  moved 
them  to  Troy,  Kansas.  In  February,  1873,  he  purchased  the  interest  of 
Judge  Saunders  and  moved  the  stock  back  to  Phelps,  where  he  has  since 
been  in  trade  with  his  brother,  Colonel  P.  A.  Thompson.  They  have 
built  up  a  large  trade,  commanding  the  patronage  of  the  people  for  a 
long  distance  around  about.  Mr.  T.  has  accumulated  a  large  and  valu- 
able estate  in  lands  and  personal  property  besides  his  individual  estate. 
The  company  owns  2,500  acres  of  the  most  fertile  lands  of  Atchison 
County.  He  and  his  brother  are  also  engaged  in  the  live  stock  trade,  in 
general  merchandising  and  in  banking,  occupying  a  front  rank  among 
the  representative  business  men  of  Northwest  Missouri.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son has  contributed  liberally  towards  the  building  of  churches  of  differ- 
ent denominations  and  enjoys  the  reputation  of  being  a  public  spirited 
citizen.  He  joined  the  Masons  in  1863  in  Rock  Port  and  has  been 
advanced  to  the  degrees  of  the  chapter  and  council.  He  also  passed 
through  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  to  the  noble  grand  chair.  Until  the 
commencement  of  the  war  he  acted  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  his 
intense  devotion  and  attachment  to  the  cause  of  the  Union  induced 
him  to  act  with  the  Republican  party.    After  the  war  closed  he  returned 


964  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

to  the  Democratic  party,  with  which  he  has  since  been  connected. 
He  was  married  in  Holt  County  to  Miss  Margaret  A.  Dillon,  daughter 
of  a  prominent  farmer  of  Callaway  County,  Missouri,  February  20, 
1857.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  a  mere  child.  They  have  four 
children  :  May,  Ada,  Anna,  and  Philip.  In  person  Mr.  T.  is  of  medium 
height  and  quite  robust.  Though  having  commenced  life  under  adverse 
circumstances  he  has  achieved  a  success  which  has  given  him  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

JAMES  WADE 

is  the  son  of  William  Wade,  who  died  in  Pettis  County,  Missouri,  Novem- 
ber 17,  188 1.  His  mother,  formerly  Nancy  Ruckman,  died  in  Atchison 
County,  in  March,  1882.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  High- 
land County,  Virginia,  May  16,  1846.  He  received  a  good  education  for 
those  times  and  worked  on  a  farm  during  youth.  In  1859  ne  came,  with 
his  father,  to  Cooper  County,  Missouri,  who  finally  settled  in  Pettis 
County  and  bought  a  farm.  In  1870  James  also  purchased  land  in  the 
same  county  and  improved  it  during  summers,  Reaching  school  in  the 
winter  months.  This  he  continued  for  several  years.  In  1874  he  dis- 
posed of  his  farm  and  came  to  this  county  and  purchased  a  farm,  which 
he  worked  until  January,  1878,  when  he  bought  out  John  C.  Hope's 
interest  in  the  drug  business,  in  Phelps  City.  Here  he  has  since  been 
doing  the  leading  drug  business  of  this  community.  He  has  a  well  reg- 
ulated store,  supplied  with  a  complete  assortment  of  drugs,  medicines, 
paints,  books,  stationery,  etc.  Mr.  Wade  married  Miss  Emma  Baird,  of 
this  county,  March  3,  1872.  They  have  three  children,  Bruce,  Myrtle 
and  Lucretia.  In  politics  Mr.  W.  is  a  Democrat.  His  family  are  Meth- 
odists. He  is  one  of  the  best  business  men  in  this  town  and  always 
accommodating  to  his  customers.  He  has  a  good  farm  a  few  miles  from 
this  place  and  owns  his  store  and  residence  in  the  city.  Though  com- 
mencing life  a  poor  boy  he  has,  by  his  diligence  in  business,  become  a 
leading  business  man  and  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 

JUDGE  JOHN  T.  WELLS, 

section  12,  the  son  of  J.  N.  and  Harriet  (Walker)  Wells,  was  born  in 
Fleming  County,  Kentucky,  in  October,  1829.  He  received  a  fair  educa- 
tion, was  raised  a  farmer,  and  in  1857  he  came  to  Holt  County,  and  in 
1859  to  Atchison  County,  where  he  bought  a  farm  near  Nishnebotna 
Station,  of  400  acres,  with  his  brother,  Elbridge  H.  His  father,  Jere- 
miah N.  Wells,  came  here  with  his  family  the  next  year,  and  settled  on 
the  son's  farm.  In  1863  the  two  sons  went  to  Montana  and  there 
engaged  in  mining  and  farming.  They  raised  the  first  crop  of  wheat 
in  Gallatin  Valley,  obtaining  twenty  bnshels  per  acre,  which  they  sold 
for  $10  per  bushel,  in  gold  dust.     This  brought  them  $20  in  greenbacks* 


TEMPLETON    TOWNSHIP.  965 

per  bushel,  for  the  entire  crop.  They  started  the  freighting  business 
from  Fort  Benton  to  Haller  and  Deer  Lodge  City,  and  were  very  suc- 
cessful in  'Ihe  enterprise.  After  working  hard  until  1869,  Mr.  John  T. 
Wells  returned  to  this  county.  He  soon  bought  the  property  he  now 
occupies  near  Phelps  City,  containing  217  acres,  and  has  improved  a 
fine  farm,  having  a  good  residence  and  everything  about  him  to  render 
home  pleasant  and  attractive.  In  1873  he  moved  his  father's  family  to 
his  new  home.  His  mother  died  in  1872,  and  his  father  in  1874.  Mr. 
Wells  married  Miss  Alice  F.  Payne,  of  Virginia,  an  estimable  lady,  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1877.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Louis  and  Louisa  Payne,  nee 
Peck,  both  Virginians  by  birth.  They  have  four  children  :  Charles  A., 
Hallie  Louisa  and  Sallie  Belle,  (twins),  and  Elbridge  Harvey.  In  1878 
Mr.  W.  was  elected  presiding  county  judge  for  four  years.  He  is  a  man 
of  excellent  judgment,  and  has  conducted  the  affairs  of  his  office  in  an 
exceptional  and  successful  manner.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
religiously  a  Christian. 

CHARLES  UHLIG, 

farmer,  stock  raiser  and  feeder,  section  3,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
July  7,  1827.  He  was  raised  a  miller  from  early  boyhood  and  in  that 
country  received  an  exceptionally  complete  education.  In  1847  ne  came 
to  this  country  with  his  father,  who  died  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  after 
which  Charles  settled  in  Washington  County,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
improved  a  farm  and  built  a  flouring  mill,  both  of  which  he  operated. 
The  mill,  however,  proved  a  failure,  and  he  lost  nearly  everything  he 
had.  He  remained  for  quite  a  number  of  years  in  Wisconsin  and  finally, 
in  1857,  ne  s°ld  out  and  moved  to  Nemaha  County,  Nebraska,  where  he 
was  one  of  the  pioneers.  He  improved  a  good  farm,  on  which  he  lived 
for  eight  years.  He  then  disposed  of  his  land  and  came  to  Missouri, 
locating  on  the  farm  he  now  owns.  This  contains  400  acres,  upon  which 
he  has  made  extensive  improvements  and  built  large  and  beautiful  resi- 
dences on  two  farms.  Mr.  Uhlig  was  married  in  Wisconsin,  in  1852,  to 
Rosena  Jaehnig,  from  the  kingdom  of  Saxony.  They  have  five  children 
living  :  Bertha,  Matilda,  Frank,  Fanny  and  Willie.  Emma  died  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years.  Mr.  U.  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  religiously 
he  was  brought  up  a  Lutheran.  While  in  Wisconsin  he  was  frequently 
elected  to  the  office  of  supervisor,  also  was  justice  of  the  peace  for 
several  years.  Upon  coming  to  this  neighborhood  he  made  a  fine  selec- 
tion of  land,  went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  is  now  one  of  the  wealthiest 
and  most  prosperous  farmers  of  the  county  and  has  done  much  for  the 
advancement  of  its  agricultural  interests  and  improvements.  His  great 
success  in  farming  is  attributable  to  his  good  management  and  hard 
work,  together  with  the  help  of  his  estimable  companion.  His  mother 
is  living  with  one  of  her  sons  in  the  Black  Hills. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

PUBLIC    BUILDINGS. 

FIRST  CuURT  HOUSE -REMOVAL  OF  THE  COUNTY  SEAT  FROM  LINDEN  TO  ROCK  PORT- 
SECOND  COURT  HOUSE— PLANS  FOR  A  NEW  COURT  HOUSE— COURT  ORDERS  A  FIRE 
PROOF  BUILDING— PETITION  ASKING  TO  BUILD  COURT  HOUSE-ELECTION  ORDERED 
—ADDRESS  OF  THE  COUR  l—  PROPOSITION  DEFEATED— ANOTHER  PETIi'ION  PRE- 
SENTED—SECOND  ELECTION  ORDERED-ADDRESS  OF  THE  COURT— RESULT  OF 
ELECTION-CONCLUSIONS-COUNTY  POOR  FARM. 

FIRST   COURT   HOUSE.  ■ 

The  first  court  house  that  was  erected  in  Atchison  County,  was 
located  in  the  town  of  Linden,  in  1846,  some  five  miles  north  of  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Rock  Port.     It  was  built  of  wood,  and  cost  $475. 


T'LAN   OF   COURT    HOUSE   IN    LINDEN. 

Said  house  to  be  20x30  feet,  two  stories  high  ;  the  lower  story  to  be 
nine  feet  in  the  clear,  and  the  upper  story  seven  feet  ;  the  middle  joists 
to  be  three  inches  wide  and  three  inches  thick  ;  the  upper  joists  seven 
inches  wide  by  three  inches  thick.  The  sleepers  to  be  made  of  good 
oak  timber,  and  joined  with  the  sills  ;  the  sleepers  to  be  two  feet  apart, 
and  the  joists  two  feet  apart  and  extend  across  the  building  ;  the  sills  to 
be  eight  inches  wide  by  ten  inches  thick  ;  side  ties  to  be  four  inches  by 
six  ;  the  plates  to  be  four  by  six  inches  ;  the  end  ties  to  be  eight  by  six 
inches,  with  a  sill  and  ties  across  the  middle  of  the  building;  four  posts 
seven  by  seven  inches,  and  two  middle  posts,  four  by  six  inches,  each 
post  to  have  four  hanging  braces  ;  the  studding  to  be  three  by  four 
inches  ;  rafters  to  be  five  by  three  inches  at  one  end,  and  three  by  three 
at  the  other  ;  rafters  to  be  three  feet  apart  ;  the  door  and  window  frames 
to  be  of  walnut,  one  and  a  half  inches  thick  ;  the  weatherboarding  to  be 
of  walnut,  dressed  and  jointed,  with  good  dressed  boxing  and  moulding 
under  the  eaves  and  front  end;  two  doors  in  lower  story,  thick  panel  work; 
the  roof  to  be  sheeted  and  shingled  with  oak,  walnut  or  pine  ;  the  lower 
floor  to  be  of  oak  and  broken  jointed  ;  the  upper  floor  to  be  of  linn, 
tongued  and  grooved  ;  the  walls  and  the  upper  story  overhead,  to  be 
ceiled  with  dressed  linn  or  walnut  ;  the  lower  story  to  have  five  fifteen 
light  windows,  eight  by  ten  glass  ;  upper  story  four  twelve  light  windows, 
eight  by  ten  glass  ;  a  partition  across  the  building  twelve  feet  from  the 
front,  up  stairs,  with  two  batten  doors  ;  a  partition  to  divide  the  back 
room  in  the  center  the  other  way  ;  all  the  partition  to  be  of  dressed  linn, 
tongued  and  grooved,  one  inch  thick  ;  all  doors  and  windows  to  be 
cased  inside  with  single  worked  case  and  moulding  ;  the  judges  stand 
to  be  twenty-seven  inches  high,  from  the  floor,  three  feet  wide  and  five 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  967 

feet  long  ;  the  front  thirty  inches  above  the  floor  of  the  stand,  with  a 
cap  ten  inches  wide  and  one  and  a  half  inches  thick,  braced  and  stayed  ; 
three  steps  on  each  side,  with  a  panel  front,  all  to  be  dressed  ;  two 
benches  on  each  side  of  the  stand,  .ten  feet  long,  with  backs,  walnut 
seats  one  and  a  half  inches  thick  ;  plain  stairs  to  be  run  up  on  the 
outside,  four  feet  wide,  with  railing  and  platform  at  the  top  four  feet  wide, 
all  of  oak  ;  a  batten  door  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  ;  good  window  shutters  ; 
a  rock  foundation  under  each  part  ;  the  whole  house  to  be  done  in  a 
good  and  workmanlike  manner.     Estimated  cost,  $475.00. 

JESSE  COOK,  Superintendent. 

N.  E.  The  undertakers  to  find  all  materials. 

Isaac  F.  Wallis  was  the  contractor  in  the  building  of  this  house,  and 
obligated  himself  to  complete  the  same  by  the  15th  day  of  October,  1847. 

REMOVAL  OF  THE  COUNTY  SEAT. 

The  history  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Linden,  where  it 
was  located  upon  the  organization  of  the  county,  in  1845,  shows  much  of 
the  bitterness  and  strife  which  have  ever  characterized  attempts  to 
change  seats  of  justice  after  they  have  been  once  located.  The  main 
cause  for  this  change  was,  that  after  the  line  between  Iowa  and  Missouri 
had  been  permanently  established,  ten  miles  of  the  territory  of  Atchison 
County  was  given  to  the  former  state,  by  reason  of  which  Linden  was 
found  to  be  too  near  the  northern  line  of  the  county.  Linden,  however, 
continued  to  be  the  county  seat  until  1S56. 

On  the  2d  day  of  October,  1855.  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
county  court,  containing  the  name  of  Jonathan  Shepherd  and  three  hun- 
dred and  seven  others,  taxpayers  of  the  county,  praying  for  a  removal 
of  the  county  seat,  and  asking  that  the  question  be  submitted  to  a  vote 
of  the  people.  The  law  at  that  time  required  that  three-fifths  of  the 
taxpayers  of  the  county  should  sign  a  petition  for  that  purpose,  and  the 
court  after  comparing  the  list  of  names  on  the  petition,  with  the  list  of 
taxpayers  in  the  county,  ( the  number  then  being  four  hundred  and  twenty- 
four,)  an  election  was  ordered  to  be  held  on  the  21st  day  of  June,  (1856,) 
following,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  will  of  the  people  in  refer- 
ence to  the  removal.  After  the  petition  containing  the  names  of  the  308 
persons  had  been  presented  to  the  county  court,  Silas  Puyear,  Esq.,  act- 
ing as  attorneyin  behalf  of  certain  parties  at  Linden,  presented  a  counter 
petition,  setting  forth  that  these  persons  had  been  induced  to  sign  the 
petition  under  false  pretenses,  and  asking  that  their  names  be  erased 
from  the  list.  This  the  court  refused  to  do,  and  ordered  the  election, 
as  above  stated. 

The  court  then  appointed  John  Ish,  John  Gibson  and  Stephen  C. 
Collins,  of  Holt  County,  and  John  Lamar  and  John  Saunders,  of  Noda- 
way County,  commissioners  to  locate  the  county  seat,  and  instructed 
them    to    meet    in   Rock    Port,    November    12,    1855.     From  this   order 


968  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

appointing  commissioners  to  locate  the  county  seat,  the  town  of  Lin- 
den, through  Puyear,  Crandall  &  McClelland,  attorneys,  appealed. 
The  appellants  were  :  John  W.  Cooper,  A.  Don  Brown,  P.  J.  Rudasill,  J. 
W.  Wood,  J.  W.  Smith,  A.  S.  Noblitt,  George  Harmon,  Wood  Worl, 
Thomas  Hughes,  John  Gable,  F.  S,  Moore,  Peter  Snider  and  Z.  Mulky. 
The  appeal  was  finally  dismissed,  in  October,  1855,  in  the   circuit  court. 

After  the  election,  and  on  the  23d  day  of  June,  1856,  Silas  Puyear 
again  appealed,  and  objected  to  the  court  proceeding  to  examine  the 
poll-books  which  had  been  returned,  claiming  that  the  poll-books  could 
not  be  examined  only  at  a  regular  term  of  court,  (which  would  be  the 
term  following.)     This  objection  was  also  overruled  by  the  court. 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Puyear  asking  the  court  to  set  aside 
Friday,  the  27th  day  of  June,  1856,  to  hear  testimony  in  reference  to 
illegal  votes  which  had  been  cast.  This  was  sustained,  and  the  day  set 
accordingly. 

On  the  27th  of  June  T.  W.  Collins,  Esq.,  attorney  for  Rock  Port, 
filed  a  motion  asking  the  court  to  rescind  its  order  in  reference  to  hear- 
ing testimony  concerning  illegal  votes.  His  motion  was  sustained,  the 
order  was  rescinded,  and  the  court  proceeded  to  count  the  votes.  It 
was  ascertained  that  a  majority  of  forty-eight  votes  had  been  cast  in 
favor  of  Rock  Port.  The  law  then  required  but  a  majority  of  those 
voting.  This,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat 
from  Linden  in  1855  and  1856. 

The  county  court  held  its  first  term  at  Rock  Port  on  the  19th  day  of 
August,  1856. 

SECOND   COURT   HOUSE. 

At  its  August  term,  in  1857,  the  court  ordered  the  building  of  the 
present  (1882)  court  house,  and  appropriated  the  sum  of  nine  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars  for  that  purpose.  The  building,  however,  at  its 
completion  cost  the  county  about  twelve  or  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

The  superintendent  of  this  building  was  William  H.  Dunbar,  who 
received  his  appointment  from  the  court,  and  was  called  "commissioner 
of  the  seat  of  justice."  Mr.  Dunbar,  under  the  instructions  of  the  court, 
proceeded  to  Oregon,  Holt  County,  where  he  drew  a  plan  of  the  court 
house  at  Oregon,  and  also  a  plan  prepared  by  himself,  and  submitted 
them,  with  the  probable  estimated  cost,  the  court  selecting  the  plan  pre- 
pared by  him,  which  differed  in  some  respects  from  the  plan  of  the 
Oregon  court  house.  In  the  construction  of  this  building  there  were 
several  contractors.  It  appears  from  the  record  that  Isaac  N.  White  laid 
the  foundation  and  did  the  excavation,  Jonas  D.  Murphy  did  the  tin 
work,  George  A.  Thomas  and  Granville  Johnson  the  wood  work,  and  F. 
L.  Moore  the  brick  work.  The  court  house  was  located  on  parts  of 
blocks  seventeen  and  eighteen,  in  Nuckolls  &  White's  Addition  to  Rock 


O 

O 

O 

t— i 

X 
o 

O 

i     > 

w 

o 

a 

H 

o 
o 

w 
> 

I— I 

H 

w 
o 

Ph 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  969 

Port,  and  contains  altogether  seven  rooms,  which  have  been  occupied  as 
offices  and  jury  rooms.  It  is  two  stories  high,  and  was  considered  when 
first  built,  a  handsome  and  stately  edifice,  and  is  even  now  not  an 
unattractive  building.  It  is  not  only  large,  being  about  fifty  by  sixty 
feet,  but  is  well  lighted  and  ventilated.  The  windows  are  large,  and 
sufficiently  numerous  to  give  an  abundance  of  light  and  air  on  all  sides. 
It  is  situated  on  a  lofty  hill  on  the  west  side  of  the  city,  where,  from  its 
graceful  cupola  (which  was  destroyed  by  wind  a  few  years  since)  could 
be  seen  a  broad  stretch  of  country  in  many  directions.  The  building 
was  roughly  used  during  the  war.  It  was  seized  by  the  ruthless  and 
iconoclastic  hands  of  soldiers,  who  occupied  the  upper  story  themselves,, 
and  used  the  lower  story  as  a  stable  for  their  horses.  It  is  now  in  a 
dilapidated  condition,  and  was  condemned  in  1880,  as  being  unsafe,  the 
circuit  court  and  a  majority  of  the  county  officers  vacating  some  months 
since. 

PLANS   FOR   A   NEW   COURT    HOUSE. 

On  the  26th  day  of  December,  188 1,  the  county  court  made  the  fol- 
lowing order : 

"  Ordered  that  the  plans  and  designs  for  a  new  court  house,  presented 
to  the  county  court  for  examination,  by  Messrs.  Eckel  &  Mann,  archi- 
tects, be  adopted  upon  the  following  conditions  :  Said  Eckel  &  Mann 
are  to  prepare  full  and  complete  specifications  and  designs,  and  deliver 
by  the  9th  day  cf  January,  A.  D.  1882,  for  said  court  house,  in  accord- 
ance with  said  design,  and  to  enter  into  bond  and  contract  similar  to  the 
one  in  case  of  building  court  house  and  jail  in  Maryville,  Nodaway 
County,  Missouri.  That  said  court  house  shall  not  cost  more  than  $40,- 
000,  including  commission  of  said  architects.  Said  architects,  in  case 
the  pending  proposition  to  build  a  new  court  house  be  adopted  by  the 
people,  to  have  the  contract  of  furnishing  said  plans,  and  superintend  the 
work  of  building  said  court  house  at  the  price  of  five  per  centum  of  the 
amount  of  the  cost  of  such  building,  but  in  case  said  proposition  be  not 
adopted  by  two-thirds  of  the  qualified  voters  of  said  county,  and  said 
court  house  in  consequence  be  not  built,  then  said  architects  to  claim  no 
compensation  for  said  plans,  designs  and  specifications.  The  county 
clerk  and  the  county  attorney  are  authorized  to  see  that  the  contract 
and  bond  are  properly  prepared." 

The  architects  who  filed  the  above  mentioned  plan  and  design,  were 
Eckel  &  Mann,  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri. 

THE    PROPOSED   NEW   COURT   HOUSE. 

Having  alluded  to  the  fact  that  the  present  court  house  was  deemed 
unsafe  for  further  occupancy  by  the  courts  and  county  officials,  we  shall 
now  present  in  as  brief  a  manner  as  we  can  the  history  of  the  last 
enterprise  of  the  county  in  its  efforts  to  erect  a  new,  a  more  costly  and 
more  substantial  edifice — a  court   house   that  will  be  more  in  keeping 


97°  HISTORY   OB'   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

with  the  present  wants  and  necessities  of  a  progressive  and  intelligent 
people.  We  find  that  the  county  court  at  its  November  term,  1881, 
made  the  following  order  : 

"Ordered  that  an  appropriation  of  $5,000  be  made  out  of  the 
expenditure  fund  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  fire-proof  building  for 
the  offices  of  the  circuit  clerk  and  the  clerk  of  the  county  court,  said 
building  to  be  located  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  court  house  square  ; 
each  office  to  be  provided  with  a  fire-proof  vault  sufficient  to  contain  all 
the  records  of  each  office  ;  and  it  is  further  ordered,  that  A.  E.  Wyatt 
be  appointed  the  superintendent  to  superintend  the  construction  of  the 
same,  and  the  said  A.  E.  Wyatt  being  present,  has  taken  an  oath  to 
faithfully  discharge  the  duties  enjoined  upon  him  by  said  appointment." 

The  above  order  was  made  in  pursuance  of  a  petition  presented  to 
the  court,  asking  the  erection  of  fire-proof  buildings  for  clerk's  offices 
and  safety  vaults  for  the  public  records.  The  order  was  published  and 
created  considerable  comment.  A  petition  was  then  circulated  and 
signed  by  a  respectable  number  of  tax-payers  asking  the  court  to 
rescind  its  former  order,  it  appearing  to  have  been  the  desire  of  the 
petitioners  to  have  an  opportunity  to  vote  upon  the  proposition  of  build- 
ing a  new  court  house,  out  and  out,  rather  than  have  the  county  funds 
used  in  building  vaults  and  offices. 

Another  strong  petition,  containing  the  names  of  two  hundred  and 
eight  tax  payers,  was  presented  at  the  same  term  asking  that  a  proposi- 
tion to  build  a  new  court  house  be  submitted  to  the  voters  of  the  county. 
In  consideration  of  this  petition  the  court  ordered  an  election  to  be 
held  on  Tuesday,  the  31st  day  of  January.  1882.  Below  we  give  the 
order  for  the  election  : 

"  SPECIAL   ELECTION. 

Now  on  this  17th  day  of  December,  A.  D.  188 1,  during  a  continua- 
tion of  the  regular  November  term  of  this  court  for  that  year,  comes  Lott 
Watts,  and  many  others,  in  all  more  than  one  hundred  in  number,  of  the 
■qualified  voters,  who  are  tax-payers  residing  in  Atchison  County,  State 
of  Missouri,  and  present  to  this  court  their  petition  in  writing,  by  them 
duly  signed,  praying  the  court  to  call  a  Special  Election  for  the  purpose 
•of  voting  upon  a  proposition  to  appropriate  forty  thousand  dollars 
($40,000)  with  which  to  build  a  new  court  house  at  the  county  seat  of 
said  county,  and  to  incur  an  indebtedness  to  that  amount  for  that  pur- 
pose by  issuing  the  necessary  amount  of  bonds  therefor,  and  the  court 
having  fully  examined  the  matter,  and  being  satisfied  that  said  peti- 
tioners are  legal  voters  and  tax-payers,  residing  in  said  county,  that 
there  is  urgent  need  of  a  new  court  house  in  said  county,  and  that  forty 
thousand  dollars  ($40,000)  will  create  an  indebtedness  less  than  seven- 
tenths  of  one  per  centum  of  the  assessed  valuation  of  said  county. 

It  is  therefore  ordered  by  this  court  that  a  proposition  be  aijd  the 
same  is  hereby  submitted  to  be  voted  upon  and  authorized  by  the  quali- 
fied voters  of  said  Atchison  County,  at  a  special  election  to  be  held  for 
that  purpose  at  the  usual  voting  precincts  of  said  county,  on  the  31st  day 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  971 


of  January,  A.  D.,  1882,  to  incur  an  indebtedness  of  forty  thousand  dol- 
lars ($40,003)  to  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  defraying  the  expense  of 
erecting  a  new  court  house  at  the  county  seat  of  said  county,  such  court 
house,  when  completed,  not  to  cost  exceeding  forty  thousand  dollars 
{$40,000),  including  all  expenses  of  every  nature  and  kind.  The  indebt- 
edness to  be  incurred  for  building  such  court  house  shall  be  paid  in  the 
bonds  of  said  county,  to  be  in  denominations  varying  from  one  hundred 
to  five  hundred  dollars  ($100  to  $500),  to  be  issued  by  the  county  court 
as  the  exigencies  upon  the  work  of  said  building  may  require,  and  to 
mature  as  follows,  that  is  to  say  :  Ten  thousand  dollars  in  three  years  ; 
four  thousand  dollars  respectively  in  four,  five,  six,  seven  and  eight  years  ; 
five  thousand  dollars  in  nine  years  and  five  thousand  dollars  in  ten  years 
after  dates  of  such  bonds,  in  all  eight  installments  ;  all  of  said  bonds  to 
be  made  payable  at  the  office  of  the  county  treasurer  of  said  county,  in 
lawful  money  of  the  United  States,  and  each  and  all  of  said  bonds  to 
bear  interest  from  date  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent  per  annum,  payable 
semi-annually  at  the  office  of  said  county  treasurer  ;  said  interest  to  be 
evidenced  by  coupons  attached  to  each  bond  and  numbered  seriatim 
from  one  to  each  number  as  will  equal  twice  the  number  of  years  for 
which  said  bonds  shall  be  respectively  issued.  And  all  of  which  said 
bonds  shall  be  sold  and  disposed  of.  as  now  provided  by  law  in  such 
cases,  at  not  less  than  their  par  value.  For  the  payment  of  which  said 
bonds  as  they  shall  fall  due  and  the  interest  as  aforesaid,  the  usual  tax 
levy  of  said  county  shall  be  increased  as  follows  :  Four  cents  on  the 
hundred  dollars  valuation  shall  be  added  annually  to  provide  for  the  pay- 
ment of  interest,  and  six  cents  on  the  hundred  dollars  valuation  shall  be 
added  annually  to  create  a  sinking  fund  for  the  purpose  of  paying  off  the 
principal  of  said  bonds  as  they  mature.  At  the  special  election  to  be 
held  as  aforesaid,  those  of  the  qualified  voters  who  favor  the  creation  of 
the  indebtedness  for  the  purpose  aforesaid  shall  have  written  or  printed 
upon  their  ballots  the  following  words  :  "  Appropriation  of  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  court  house — Yes."  And  those 
who  are  opposed  to  the  creation  of  said  indebtedness  shall  have  written 
or  printed  upon  their  ballots  the  following  words  :  "  Appropriation  of 
forty  thousand  dollars  for  purpose  of  erecting  court  house — No."  And 
if  it  appear  from  the  returns  of  such  election,  that  two-thirds  of  the 
qualified  voters  voting  at  such  election  voted  in  favor  of  incurring 
said  indebtedness  by  issuing  such  bonds,  the  county  court  of  said  county 
at  its  first  regular  term,  held  after  such  election,  shall  make  an  order 
reciting  the  election  and  the  result  of  the  vote,  and  directing  the  issue 
of  bonds  for  the  amount  of  said  debt  in  accordance  with  this  order,  and 
shall  at  such  term  appoint  some  suitable  person  to  superintend  the  erec- 
tion of  said  building,  according  to  the  plans,  drawings  and  specifications 
adopted  and  selected  by  the  court,  and  which  shall  be  and  remain  on  file 
in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  this  court  during  the  twenty  days  next  pre- 
ceding the  day  of  such  election.  Said  superintendent  shall,  with  the 
court,  proceed  to  let  the  contract  or  contracts  for  erection  of  said  build- 
ing in  the  manner  prescribed  by  law,  requiring  all  contractors  to  give 
bond  with  security,  to  be  approved  by  this  court,  in  double  the  amount 
of  their  contracts. 

It  is  further  ordered  by  the  court  that  notice  of  such  election  and  of 
the  proceedings  contained  in  this  order   be  given  by  publication    in   the 


972  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Atchison  County  Journal,  the  Atchison  County  Mail,  the  Sun,  the  Tar- 
kio  Blade  and  the  Tarkio  Republican,  all  newspapers  published   in   said 
county  and  state,  for  the  period  of  twenty  days  next  before  the  day  of  \ 
said  election.     A  true  copy.     Attest.  M.  L.  LEE, 

[L.  S.]  Clerk  of  the  County  Court. 

After  ordering  the    special   election    above    mentioned,   the    court 
issued  the  following  address  to  the  people  of  the  county  : 

To  the  Citizens  of  Atchison  County: — At  the  regular  November 
term  of  the  county  court,  a  petition  was  presented,  asking  the  erection 
of  fire-proof  buildings  for  clerk's  offices  and  safety  vaults  for  the  public 
records.  The  law  calling  for  such  a  proceeding  was,  to  the  court,  a  new 
statute,  our  attention  being  called  to  it  for  the  first  time.  Upon  careful 
examination,  the  court  became  well  convinced  not  only  that  the  situa- 
tion of  public  affairs  was  such  as  to  make  such  a  proceeding  necessary, 
but  that,  under  the  law,  it  became  our  positive  duty  to  carry  it  out  or. 
take  some  other  step  for  the  protection  of  the  public  property.  An 
order  of  appropriation  was  made,  a  superintendent  appointed  and  the 
matter  continued  until  December  12,  to  which  day  the  term  of  court 
adjourned.  In  the  meantime  petitions  were  circulated  remonstrating 
against  the  measure,-  or  rather  asking  the  court  to  rescind  the  order. 
On  the  1 2th  these  petitions  were  presented  and  the  court  allowed  par- 
ties time  to  fully  discuss  the  matter  pro  and  con,  which  was  ably  done. 
The  parties  opposing  the  measure  suggesting  the  building  of  a  new 
court  house  instead  of  the  improvement  contemplated  by  the  court, 
and  promising  to  present  a  petition  praying  for  a  special  election  for 
that  purpose.  The  agitation  calls  forth  much  expression  of  public  sen- 
timent. Many  who  signed  the  remonstrance  expressed  themselves  in 
favor  of  building  a  new  court  house  out  and  out,  and  others  wrote  the 
words  "new  court  house  "  opposite  their  names  upon  the  paper.  This 
diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  best  manner  of  meeting  an  urgent  neces- 
sity, of  necessity,  placed  the  court  in  an  embarassing  situation. 

The  superintendent's  report  and  plans  now  on  the  files  of  the  court, 
show  that  if  new  buildings  are  erected  separate  from  the  court  house, 
$3,500  will  be  required  ;  if  new  buildings  are  attached  to  the  old  court 
house,  with  such  other  repairs  as  must  be  made,  in  order  to  that  end, 
$7,600  will  be  required,  upon  the  outside  only,  which  will  leave  the  entire 
inside  of  the  building  to  be  worked  over  and  repaired  at  heavy  expense. 
In  open  court  a  workman  was  ordered  to  raise  a  part  of  the  floor  in  the 
court  room,  that  the  court  might  examine  the  condition  of  the  joists, 
which  it  did,  and  deem  them  unsafe.  In  company  of  Mr.  Eckel,  an 
architect  by  profession,  the  court  made  thorough  examination  of  the  en-S 
tire  building,  and  found  it  to  be  in  such  an  unsafe  and  dangerous  condi- 
tion, that  we  have  no  hesitancy  in  declaring  that  to  attempt  to  hold  cir* 
cuit  court  in  said  building,  with  any  considerably  crowded  house,  would 
be  but  little  short  of  criminal  negligence.  The  public  records  are  piled 
here  and  there,  exposed  to  the  mice  and  rats,  the  wear  and  tear  of  tossing 
to  and  fro,  new  and  old  alike,  in  one  general  haphazard  want  of  arrange- 
ment and  protection.  The  public  school  fund,  amounting  to  $135,000 
are  secured  by  bonds  and  mortgages  which  must  be  kept  at  the  court 
house  in  this  condition  of  things,  more  or  less  exposed.  The  entire  pro- 
bate records  of  the  county,  containing  the  evidence  of  the  settlement  of 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  973 

estates,  involving  thousands  of  dollars,  as  well  as  the  bonds  of  adminis- 
trators, executors  and  guardians,  are  badly  exposed  ;  the  records  of  the 
entire  landed  interests  of  the  county,  together  with  the  public  law  libra- 
ries, are  in  the  same  condition. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  the  county  is  something  over  five  and  one- 
half  millions  of  dollars.  Seventy-five  cents  on  the  one  hundred  dollars, 
or  the  three-fourths  of  one  per  cent,  will  raise  $41,250,  or  more  than  is 
necessary  to  build  a  court  house  worthy  of  the  people  of  this  county, 
and  sufficiently  commodious  to  protect  her  material  interests. 

An  election  has  been  ordered  upon  the  petition  of  many  tax- 
paying  citizens,  and  the  court  hopes  that  every  legal  voter  who  visits  the 
county  seat  between  now  and  the  day  of  election,  will  make  careful 
examination  and  learn  for  himself  whether  the  condition  of  things  is  as 
we  have  herein  represented.  Should  this  be  done,  we  feel  assured  of  the 
result  of  the  election. 

Should  the  election  carry,  it  will  be  the  duty  of  the  court  to  issue 
bonds  for  the  amount  of  money,  running  for  a  number  of  years,  bearing 
interest  at  not  more  than  six  per  cent  per  annum  ;  after  the  first  year 
the  court  will  have  the  option  to  pay  off  all,  or  a  part  of  said  bonds  at 
any  time  before  maturity.  Provided  it  is  thought  best  to  allow  the 
bonds  to  run  for  eight  or  ten  years  before  paying  them  ;  it  will  be  the 
duty  of  the  court  each  year  to  levy  a  small  proportional  part  of  the 
amount  thereof  as  a  sinking  fund  with  which  to  pay  them  off  in  the  end. 
By  adopting  this  plan  the  tax  would  scarcely  be  felt. 

Should  the  court  be  compelled  to  repair  the  old  building,  which 
must  of  necessity  be  done,  if  the  election  fails  to  carry,  the  amount  ot 
money  for  that  purpose  will  be  an  instantaneous  draft  upon  the  treasury. 

Speaking  as  citizens  and  tax  payers  only,  we  deem  it  far  wiser  to 
build  anew  than  to  expend  the  necessary  amount  of  money  to  repair  the 
old  building  and  provide  safe  depository  for  the  records  of  the  county 
and  have  nothing  but  an  old  dilapidated  building  in  the  end. 

The  court  desires  to  take  no  step  in  a  measure  so  important  with- 
out the  full  approbation  of  all  good  citizens  in  every  section  of  the  county, 
but  should  the  people  decide  not  to  build  a  new  court  house,  we  see  no 
honorable  means  of  escape  from  the  necessity  of  protecting  and  preserv- 
ing the  public  property,  and  making  such  repairs  upon  the  old  court 
house  as  will  render  it  reasonably  safe.  We  have  reached  this  con- 
clusion through  careful  study  of  the  law,  and  a  personal  examination  ot 
,the  facts,  and  cannot  clear  our  consciences  as  public  servants  by  any 
other  course. 

J.  T.  WELLS,  President. 
William  Campton,     )  a 
Albert  Gerdes,         \  Assoc,ates- 

The  election  occurred  on  the  31st  day  of  January,  1882,  as  ordered 
by  the  court.  The  whole  number  of  votes  cast  was  2,918  ;  the  number 
of  votes  in  favor  of  the  proposition,  was  1,878,  and  the  number  against 
it  was  1,040.  The  law  required  a  two-thirds  majority,  to  carry  the  prop- 
osition to  build,  or  in  round  numbers,  1,945  votes.  It  failed  therefore, 
in  round  numbers  by  sixty-eight  votes. 


974 


HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


We  give  below  the  official  vote  of  every  precinct  in  the  county 
on  the  proposition  to  erect  a  new  court  house  in  this  county,  as  polled 
at  the  election  on  Tuesday,  January  31,  1882  : 


TOWNSHIPS. 


YES.  I    NO. 


Clay 

E.  Clark 

W.Clark 

Benton 

Templeton .  . . 
Nishnebotna. 
W.  Buchanan 
E.  Buchanan . 

Polk 

Lincoln 

E.  Tarkio.  .  .  . 
W.  Tarkio. .  .  . 
Dale 


563 

95 

195 

132 

147 
120 

38 

55 
278 

135 
16 

31 

73 


74 
50 


H 

79 
1 

4 
40 

247 

139 
246 
146 


Total 1878    104a 

1040 


Majority  for 838 

Number  of  votes  necessary  to  carry  the  proposition,  1946.  Actual 
majority  No — 68. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  result  of  the  first  election,  another  petition 
was  presented  to  the  county  court  on  the  9th  day  of  February,  1882, 
nine  days  after  the  first  election,  containing  the  names  of  1,090  tax- 
payers, asking  that  body  to  submit  the  proposition  again  to  the  people 
of  voting  the  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars  for  the  erection  of  a  court 
house  at  Rock  Port. 

After  due  consideration,  another  special  election  was  ordered,  to  be 
held  on  the  7th  day  of  March,  1882.  Following  will  be  found  the  order 
of  the  court  in  reference  thereto : 


"  SPECIAL     ELECTION. 

Now,  on  this  9th  day  of  February,  A.  D.  1882,  during  the  regular 
February  term  of  this  court  for  that  year,  comes  David  McNeal,  John 
Stoner,  A.  S.  Noblitt,  Simpson  Finnell,  W.  B.  Houts,  Thomas  H.  Oliver, 
H.  L.  Davis,  Harmon  Cooper,  R.  M.  Rhodes,  P.  A.  Thompson,  James 
W.  Granger,  W.  T.  Hunt,  Sam  Proud  and  one  thousand  and  seventy- 
seven  others,  the  same  being  more  than  one  hundred  in  number  of  the 
qualified  voters,  who  are  taxpayers,  residing  in  Atchison  County,  State 
of  Missouri,  and  present  to  this  court  their  petition  in  writing,  by  them 
duly  s'igned,  praying  the  court  to  call  a  special  election  for  the  purpose 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  975 

of  voting  upon  a  proposition  to  appropriate  forty  thousand  dollars 
($40,000)  with  which  to  build  a  new  court  house  at  the  county  seat  of 
said  county,  and  to  incur  an  indebtedness  to  that  amount  for  that  pur- 
pose by  issuing  the  necessary  amount  of  bonds  therefor,  and  the  court 
having  fully  examined  the  matter  and  being  satisfied  that  said  petition- 
ers are  legal  voters  and  taxpayers  residing  in  said  county,  that  there  is 
urgent  need  of  a  new  court  house  in  said  county,  and  that  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  ($40,000)  will  create  an  indebtedness  less  than  seven- 
tenths  of  one  per  centum  of  the  assessed  valuation  of  said  county. 

It  is  therefore  ordered  by  this  court  that  a  proposition  be  and  the 
same  is  hereby  submitted  to  be  voted  upon  and  authorized  by  the 
qualified  voters  of  said  Atchison  County,  at  a  special  election  to  be 
held  for  that  purpose  at  the  usual  voting  precincts  of  said  county,  on 
Tuesday,  the  7th  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1882,  to  incur  an  indebtedness  of 
forty  thousand  dollars  ($40,000)  to  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  defraying 
the  expense  of  erecting  a  new  court  house  at  the  county  seat  of  said 
county,  such  court  house  when  completed  not  to  cost  exceeding  forty 
thousand  dollars  ($40,000)  including  all  expenses  of  every  nature  and 
kind. 

The  indebtedness  to  be  incurred  for  building  such  court  house  shall 
be  paid  in  the  bonds  of  said  county,  to  be  of  denominations  varying 
from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars  ($100  to  $500),  to  be  issued 
by  the  county  court,  as  the  exigencies  of  the  work  upon  said  building 
may  require,  and  to  mature  as  follows,  that  is  to  say  :  Five  thousand 
doUars  ($5,000)  in  one  year  ;  seven  thousand  dollars  ($7,000)  respectively 
in  two,  three,  four,  five  and  six  years  after  the  dates  of  such  bonds — in 
all,  six  installments  ;  all  of  said  bonds  to  be  made  payable  at  the  office 
of  the  county  treasurer  of  said  county  in  lawful  money  of  the  United 
States,  and  each  and  all  of  said  bonds  to  bear  interest  from  date  at  the 
rate  of  six  per  cent  per  annum,  payable  semi-annually  at  the  office  of 
said  county  treasurer  ;  said  interest  to  be  evidenced  by  coupons  attached 
to  each  bond  and  numbered  seriatim  from  one  to  such  number  as  will 
equal  twice  the  number  of  years  for  which  said  bonds  shall  be  respect- 
ively issued.  And  all  of  which  said  bonds  shall  be  sold  and  disposed  of 
as  now  provided  by  law  in  such  cases,  at  not  less  than  their  par  value. 
For  the  payment  of  which  said- bonds  as  they  shall  fall  due  and  the  inter- 
est as  aforesaid,  the  usual  tax  levy  of  said  county  shall  be  increased  as 
follows  : 

Nine  cents  and  one  mill  on  the  hundred  dollars  valuation  shall  be 
added  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  principal,  and  four  cents  and 
four  mills  on  the  hundred  dollars  valuation  shall  be  added  to  provide  for 
the  payment  of  the  interest  for  the  first  year.  Eleven  cents  on  the  hun- 
dred dollars  valuation  shall  be  added  annually  thereafter  to  create  a 
sinking  fund  for  the  purpose  of  paying  off  the  principal  of  said  bonds  as 
they  mature,  and  three  cents  and  five  mills  on  the  hundred  dollars  valu- 
ation shall  be  added  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  for  the 
second  year. 

And  two  cents  and  eight  mills  on  the  hundred  dollars  valuation 
shall  be  added  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  for  the  third 
year. 

And  two  cents  and  one  mill  on  the  hundred  dollars  valuation  shall 
be  added  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  for  the  fourth  year. 


97^  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

And  one  cent  and  four  mills  on  the  hundred  dollars  valuation  shall 
be  added  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  for  the  fifth  year. 

And  seven  mills  on  the  hundred  dollars  valuation  shall  be  added  to 
provide  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  for  the  sixth  year. 

At  the  special  election  to  be  held  as  aforesaid,  those  of  the  quali- 
fied voters  who  favor  the  creation  of  the  indebtedness  for  the  purpose 
aforesaid,  shall  have  written  or  printed  upon  their  ballots  the  following 
words,  "Appropriation  of  forty  thousand  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  erect- 
ing Court  House— Yes."  And  those  who  are  opposed  to  the  creation  of 
said  indebtedness  shall  have  written  or  printed  upon  their  ballots  the 
following  words,  "Appropriation  of  forty  thousand  dollars  for  purpose  of 
erecting  Court  House — No." 

And  if  it  appear  from  the  returns  of  such  election,  that  two-thirds 
of  the  qualified  voters  voting  at  such  election,  voted  in  favor  of  incurring 
said  indebtedness  by  issuing  such  bonds,  the  county  court  of  said  county 
at  its  first  regular  term,  held  after  such  election,  shall  make  an  order 
reciting  the  election  and  the  result  of  the  vote,  and  directing  the  issue 
of  bonds  for  the  amount  of  said  debt,  in  accordance  with  this  order,  and 
shall  at  such  term  appoint  some  suitable  person  to  superintend  the  erec- 
tion of  said  building  according  to  the  plans,  drawings  and  specifications 
adopted  and  selected  by  the  court,  and  which  shall  be  and  remain  on  file 
in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  this  court,  during  the  twenty  days  next  pre- 
ceding the  day  of  such  election. 

Said  superintendent  shall  with  the  court  proceed  to  let  the  contract 
or  contracts  for  the  erection  of  said  building  in  the  manner  prescribed 
by  law,  requiring  all  contractors  to  give  bond  with  security  to  be 
approved  by  this  court,  in  double  the  amount  of  their  contracts. 

It  is  further  ordered  by  the  court  that  notice  of  such  election,  and  of 
the  proceedings  contained  in  this  order,  be  given  by  publication  in  the 
Sun,  a  newspaper  published  in  said  county  and  state,  for  the  period  of 
twentv  days  next  before  the  day  of  said  election.     A  true  copy. 

Attest:  M.  L.  LEE, 

[L.  S.]  Clerk  of  the  County  Court. 

After  making  the  above  order,  the  court  issued  another  address  to 
the  people  setting  forth  their  reasons  for  having  done  so.  The  follow- 
ing is  the  address  of  the  court : 

At  the  recent  court  house  election  in  this  county,  there  were  1,878 
ballots  favoring  the  proposition,  and  1,040  opposed. 

At  the  regular  February  term  of  our  court  another  petition  is  pre- 
sented, signed  by  more  than  1,040  legal  voters,  tax  paying  citizens  of 
the  county,  praying  another  special  election  upon  the  proposition.  As  we 
understand  it,  one  hundred  petitioners  may  petition  the  court  at  any 
regular  term  of  the  court,  and  the  court  must  submit  the  proposition  in 
compliance  with  such  petition.  Actuated  by  the  result  of  the  last  elec- 
tion, the  report  of  the  last  grand  jury,  and  realizing  that  such  building 
when  built  must  be  done  by  the  sovereign  authority  of  the  people,  we 
have  fixed  the  day  of  the  election  at  the  earliest  possible  day  in  order 
that  the  citizens  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  may  fully  represent 
their  desires  in  the  matter  without  too  great  interference  with  their 
spring  work. 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  977 

The  costs  of  these  special  elections  must  be  paid  out  of  the  county- 
treasury,  but  the  expenses  to  that  end  we  deem  light  and  trifling  com- 
pared with  the  regular  running  monthly  expense  of  our  present  condi- 
tion of  things.  We  have  no  word  of  reproach  for  anyone  for  the  course 
pursued  at  the  last  election.  As  a  grand  jury  taken  from  the  body  of 
the  people,  have  given  in  a  sworn  report  upon  our  old  court  house,  and 
in  that  report  have  suggested  the  course  in  their  judgment  we  should 
pursue,  and  as  the  men  who  composed  the  grand  jury  are  all  well  known 
in  various  parts  of  the  county,  we  do  not  desire  to  add  anything,  or  call 
any  further  attention  to  our  present  deplorable  condition. 

In  order  to  meet  the  best  view  of  the  people  enmass,  as  nearly  as 
possible,  as  best  we  have  been  able  to  ascertain  those  views,  we  have 
changed  the  time  of  the  indebtedness  from  ten  to  six  years  and  have 
the  matter  so  arranged  that  the  levy  of  taxes  for  each  year  will 
only  be  sufficient  to  pay  the  interest  and  the  bonds  maturing  for  that 
year  ;  by  this  means  as  the  money  comes  into  the  treasury  it  will  be 
paid  out  in  the  liquidation  of  the  debt  from  year  to  year,  and  will  not 
accumulate  and  lay  idle  in  the  treasury. 

We  have  the  honor  to  be  your  well-wishing  but  humble  servants, 

J.  T.  WELLS,  President. 
William  Campton,     \  . 
Albert  Ge"rdes,         f  Associates- 

In  the  meantime  the  friends  of  the  two  rival  towns  were  busy,  pre- 
paring for  the  second  struggle,  which  was  to  occur  on  March  7.  The 
newspapers  of  the  respective  places  did  much  to  fire  the  hearts  of  their 
followers  and  sympathisers,  and  the  citizens  who  were  in  the  habit  of 
public  speaking  canvassed  the  county  in  every  direction  and  addressed 
the  people  upon  the  all-important  issues  which  were  then  pending.  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1882,  the  town  of  Tarkio,  through  its  agents,  J.  H.  Davis  and 
James  Anderson,  made  oath  to  the  following,  which  appeared  in  an  extra 
of  that  date,  issued  by  the  Tarkio  Republican  : 

"This  25th  day  of  February,  1882,  personally  appeared  before  me 
James  Anderson  and  J.  H.  Davis,  and,  being  first  duly  sworn,  on  their 
oaths  state  that  they,  on  the  25th  day  of  February,  1882,  presented 
to  M.  L.  Lee,  clerk  of  the  County  Court  of  Atchison  County,  for  filing, 
a  certain  bond  guaranteeing  che  building  of  a  court  house  at  Tarkio, 
together  with  the  plans  and  specifications  accompanying  the  same,  and 
that  M.  L.  Lee  refused  to  place  the  same  on  record,  or  file  the  same 
among  the  records  of  his  office  or  to  certify  to  the  receipt  of  the  same 
and  contents  thereof  as  a  private  citizen,  or  even  give  a  receipt  for  the 
same  to  us,  and  on  this  refusal  we  left  the  bond  and  plans  and  specifica- 
tions with  him  and  in  his  care  and  custody.         JAMES  ANDERSON, 

J.  H.  DAVIS. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  25th  day  of  February,  1882. 

[Seal.]  S.  P.  BAILEY, 

Com.  expires  Oct.  30,  1883.  Notary  Public." 

Following  were  the  comments  of  the  editor  of  that  paper  : 

"As  will  be  seen  from  the  above,  we  have  been  acting  in  perfect 
good  faith.     The  Rock  Port  papers  and  speakers,  during  the  other  can- 

62 


978  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

vass,  told  the  people  all  over  the  county  that  we  had  no  bond  and  that 
we  never  intended  to  file  a  bond,  and  when  we  published  a  copy  of  the 
bond  they  made  numerous  objections  to  its  validity.  We  changed  the 
bond  somewhat  in  order  to  quiet  their  objections,  and  as  you  will  per- 
ceive Ex-Gov.  Hall,  one  of  the  most  eminent  jurists  in  the  state,  certi- 
fies that  it  will  bind  all  parties  executing  or  signing  it.  The  county 
clerk,  of  Rock  Port,  not  of  Atchison  County,  refused  to  file  it ;  refused 
to  give  even  a  receipt  for  it.  Actions  speak  louder  than  words.  They 
well  knew  that  the  bond  was  as  nearly  perfect  as  human  ingenuity  and 
skill  could  make  it,  and  that  their  only  hope  lay  in  refusing  to  all6w  it 
to  be  filed  at  all.  We  couldn't  compel  him  by  force  of  arms  to  make 
it  a  matter  of  record,  therefore  the  bond,  together  with  the  plans  and 
specifications  of  a  better  court  house  than  the  forty  thousand  dollar 
building  which  they  purposed  erecting,  were  left  in  the  clerk's  office. 
The  signers  of  the  bond  will  wait  upon  the  clerk  next  Monday,  the 
27th  inst.,  and  insist  on  the  bond  being  filed.  In  case  of  refusal  a  second 
time,  legal  steps  will  be  taken  to  compel  him  to  act.  In  case  he  con- 
sents, a  copy  of  the  bond,  with  his  certificate,  will  be  published  immedi- 
ately, so  that  all  can  see  it.  The  plans  and  specifications  are  entirely 
too  lengthy  to  publish,  but  a  synopsis  will  be  given.  The  bond,  as  pub- 
lished in  this  extra,  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  original  bond  now  in  the 
county  clerk's  office." 

Below   will   be  found  the  bond  which  was  contained  in  the  same 
extra,  and  also  the  opinion  of  Willard  P.  Hall  : 

THE   BOND. 

Know  All  Men  by  These  Presents: 

That  we,  the  undersigned,  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  one  dollar 
paid  to  us,  and  for  other  considerations  and  conditions  hereunder  written, 
are  bound  and  indebted  to  Atchison  County,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  in 
the  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  for  the  payment  of  which,  well  and  : 
truly,  we  hereby  jointly  and   severally  bind  ourselves,   our  heirs,  execu-  ; 
tors  and  administrators. 

Witness  our  hands  and  seals,  this  20th  day  of  February,  A.  D.  1882. 

The  conditions  of  this  bond  are  such  that  if  within   twelve  months 
after  the  legal  and  final  removal  of  the  county  seat  of  justice  of  said  Atch- 
ison County,  from  its  present  location,  to,  and  location  permanently,  by 
due  course  of  law,  within  the  present  limits  of  the  town  of  Tarkio,  pur- 
suant to  a  vote  of  the  citizens  and  legal  voters  of  said  county  at  the  next 
general  election  held  in  said  county,  the  undersigned   shall  erect  and 
deliver  to  said  county  finished  and  complete,  a  court  house  of  the  dimen-J 
sions  and  materials  and  built  according  to  the   plans  and   specifications' 
hereto  attached,  and  made  part  hereof  as  fully  as   if  written  at   length' 
herein,  and  with  said  building  deliver  to  said   county,  through  its  com- 
missioner or  agent,  a  deed  conveying  in  fee  simple  title  and  free  from  all] 
liens,  charges  or  claims,  the  ground  upon  which  such   building  shall   be 
located,  a  piece  of  land  220  feet  by  206  feet,  within  said  town  of  Tarkio, 
to  be  selected  and  conveyed  in   the   manner  provided  by  law  in   such 
cases,  and  shall  deliver  said  ground  and  building  to  said   county  free  of; 
cost,  and  at  the  sole  cost  of  these  obligors,  then  these  obligations  shall 


PUBLIC     BUILDINGS.  <J79> 

be  void,  otherwise  to  remain  of  force.  This  obligation  to  be  delivered 
into  the  custody  of  the  clerk  of  the  County  Court  of  said  county  before 
said  election. 

C.  E.  PERKINS, 

per  H.  B.  SCOTT,    [SEAL.] 

D.  RANKIN,  [seal.] 
D.  A.  MOORE,  [seal.] 
J.  F.  HANNA,  [seal.] 
R.  M.  STEVENSON,  [seal.] 
J.  A.  RANKIN,  [seal.] 
A.  CRAIG,  [seal.] 
W.  A.  RANKIN.  [seal.] 
W.  O.  MILLER,  [seal.] 
W.  H.  VAN  LEUVEN,  [seal.] 
W.  F.  RANKIN,  [seal.] 
JOHN  P.  STEVENSON,  [seal.]; 

EX-GOVERNOR  HALL'S  OPINION  OF   THE  BOND. 

"The  within  bond  is  in  due  form,  and  in  my  opinion,  will  bind  all 
those  who  may  execute  it."  WILLARD  P.  HALL,    [seal.] 

On  the  27th  day  of  February,  1882,  appeared  the  following  extra, 
issued  by  the  Atchison  Comity  Journal,  published  at  Rock  Port,  review- 
ing the  bond  referred  to,  and  containing  also  the  statement  and  affidavit 
of  M.  L.  Lee,  County  Clerk  of  Atchison  County  : 

THE   TARKIO   BOND    AGAIN. 

Know  All  Men  by   These  Presents  : 

That  we,  the  undersigned,  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  one  dollar 
paid  to  us,  and  for  other  considerations  hereunder  written,  are  bound  and 
indebted  to  Atchison  County,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  in  the  sum  of 
forty  thousand  dollars,  for  the  payment  of  which  well  and  truly,  we  hereby 
jointly  and  severally  bind  ourselves,  our  heirs,  executors  and  adminis- 
trators. 

Witness  our  hands  and  seals  this  20th  day  of  February,  A.  D.  1882. 

The  conditions  of  this  bond  are  such  that  if  within  twelve  months 
after  the  legal  and  final  removal  of  the  county  seat  of  justice  of  said 
Atchison  County  from  its  present  location  to,  and  location  permanently 
by  due  course  of  law,  within  the  present  limits  of  the  town  of  Tarkio, 
pursuant  to  a  vote  of  the  citizens  and  legal  voters  of  said  county  at  the 
next  general  election  held  in  said  county,  the  undersigned  shall  erect 
and  deliver  to  said  county,  finished  and  completed,  a  court  house  of  the 
dimensions  and  materials  and  built  according  to  the  plans  and  specifi- 
cations hereto  attached  and  made  part  hereof,  as  fully  as  if  written  at 
length  herein,  and,  with  said  building,  deliver  to  said  county,  through  its 
commissioner  or  agent,  a  deed  conveying  in  fee  simple  title,  and  free 
from  all  liens,  charges  or  claims,  the  ground  upon  which  such  building 
shall  be  located,  viz  :  A  piece  of  land  220  feet  by  206  feet  within  the 
town  of  Tarkio,  to  be  selected  and  conveyed  in  the  manner  provided  by 


980 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


law  in  such  cases,  and  shall  deliver  said  ground  and  building  to  said 
county  free  of  cost,  and  at  the  sole  cost  of  these  obligors  ;  then  this 
obligation  shall  be  void,  otherwise  to  remain  in  force. 

This  obligation    to    be    delivered  into   custody  of  the  clerk  of  the 
county  court  of  said  county  before  said  election. 

C.  E.  PERKINS, 

Per  H.  B.  SCOTT,  [SEAL. 

D.  RANKIN,  [seal. 
D.  W.  MOORE,  [seal. 
J.  F.  HANNA,  [seal. 
R.  M.  STEVENSON,  [seal. 
J.  A.  RANKIN,  [seal. 
A.  CRAIG,  [seal. 
W.  A.  RANKIN,  [seal. 
W.  O.  MILLER.  [seal. 
W.  H.  VAN  LEUVEN,  [seal. 
W.  F.  RANKIN,  [seal. 
IOHN  P.  STEVENSON,  [seal. 

,  The  following  is  the  endorsement  on  the  back  of  the  bond  : 

"The  within  bond  is  in  due  form,  and,  in   my  opinion,  will  bind  all 
those  who  execute  it.  WILLIARD  P.  HALL." 

That  the  above   is  a  clumsy  device   to  hoodwink  and  deceive  the 
voters,  must  be  evident  to  every  man  who  carefully  reads  the  document. 

There  is  form  enough  about  the  instrument,  in  fact,  more  form  than 
anything  else — formality  and  validity  are  very  different  things. 

First — Even  if  the  bond  were  not  void  as  against  public  policy,  it  is 
not  executed  and  cannot  be  executed  until  delivered,  for  a  bond  must  be 
**  signed,  sealed  and  delivered  "  before  it  is  fully  executed,  and  it  can  not  1 
be  delivered  unless  some  one  is  authorized  to  accept  it.  Neither  the 
county  clerk  nor  the  county  court  would  have  a  right  to  accept  a  propo- 
sition to  move  its  county  seat,  for  a  county  seat  can  not  be  moved  except 
at  a  general  election,  by  two-thirds  of  the  qualified  voters.  So  the  bond 
could  not  be  accepted  until  the  two-third  vote  is  had,  and  consequently 
is  not  yet  executed  and  is  not  a  complete  bond.  So  that  Mr.  Hall  is 
safe  enough  when  he  says  "  The  bond  will  bind  those  who  execute  it,"  forj 
the  reason  that  it  is  not  and  can  not  be  executed. 

Second — If  it  be  considered  a  proposition  it  is  no  better,  for  a  prop- 
osition is  not  a  contract  until  it  is  accepted,  and  if  valid  in  every  other 
respect,  which  is  denied,  yet  it  could  not  be  accepted  until  next  general 
election,  and  that  too,  by  a  two-thirds  vote,  and  everyone  knows  enough 
of  business  to  know  that  a  proposition  can  be  withdrawn  at  any  time  up 
to  the  last  minute  before  the  other  party  accepts  it.  So  there  is  nothing 
to  prevent  any  or  every  man  from  withdrawing  from  the  bond  at  anyj 
time  before  two-thirds  of  the  voters  vote  to  move  the  county  seat. 

Third — With  two  or  three  exceptions,  there  is  no  man  on  the  bond 
able  to  pay  the  $40,000  without  breaking  him   up  entirely,  yet  each  one 
binds  himself,  jointly  and  severally,  for   the   entire  amount.     Is  it  likely 
they  would  sign  such  a  bond  if  they  had  the  slightest  idea  of  having  tea 
pay  it  ? 

Fourth — There  are  not  now,  and  never  were,  any  plans  or  specifica- 
tions attached  to  the  bond  as  recited.     So  they. are  not  after  all  bound 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  98a 

to  build  any  particular  kind  of  a  house,  of  any  particular  size  nor  of  any 
particular  value.  True,  Mr.  Scott,  the  agent  of  the  town  site  company, 
on  the  22d  of  February,  brought  to  Tarkio,  a  set  of  cheap,  incomplete 
plans  and  specifications  that  no  mechanic  could  work  by,  to  use  as  cam- 
paign documents,  but  they  are  not  now,  and  never  have  been,  attached 
to  the  pretended  bond. 

Fifth — Without  mentioning  numerous  other  objections  that  could 
be  raised  to  the  bond,  it  must  be  evident  to  every  man  who  has  thought 
at  all  upon  the  subject,  that  the  county  seat  can  not  be  moved  at  the 
next  general  election,  which  will  be  held  next  fall,  and  nobody  knows 
this  better  than  the  men  who  signed  the  bond  ;  yet  the  bond  by  its  own 
terms  is  void\i  the  county  seat  is  not  then  moved.  Undoubtedly  they 
know  they  are  s:fe  in  signing  such  a  bond  ;  but  why  did  they  sign  it  at 
all  ?  There  can  be  but  one  answer.  Their  only  object  is,  if  possible,  to 
deceive  the  people  and  induce  them  to  vote  against  the  proposition. 
The  motive  is  either  not  an  honest  one,  or  the  parties  to  the  measure 
are  indulging  in  mere  child's  play.  Any  school  district  or  village  could 
make  such  a  proposition,  and  any  man  could  with  impunity  sign  such  a 
bond. 

There  is  no  more  to  prevent  the  makers  of  this  instrument  from 
withdrawing  and  destroying  it  as  soon  as  the  present  election  is  over, 
than  there  was  to  prevent  them  from  destroying  the  one  they  pretended 
to  have  filed  prior  to  the  last  election. 


Since  printing  the  above  the  Tarkio  people  have  come  in  and  with- 
drawn their  bond.     For  further  particulars  see  statement  of  Mr.  Lee. 

ROCK  PORT,  Mo.,  February  27,  1882. 

To  the  People  of  Atchison  County :  In  an  extra  issued  by  the  Tarkio 
Republican,  under  date  of  February  25, 1  am  charged  with  having  refused 
to  receive  from  Messrs.  J.  H.  Davis  and  James  Anderson,  certain  papers 
purporting  to  be  a  bond  and  plans  and  specifications  for  a  building  at 
Tarkio,  to  be  erected  there  for  the  purpose  of  a  court  house. 

Now,  in  justice  to  myself  and  the  people  of  the  county,  it  is  proper 
for  me  to  make  the  following  statements  of  the  facts  in  the  matter,  under 
oath,  as  follows.     Very  respectfully,  M.  L.  LEE. 


ss. 


State  of  Missouri,  j 
County  of  Atchison.    J 

I,  M.  L.  Lee,  upon  my  oath,  state  that  I  am  the  clerk  of  the  County 
Court  of  said  county,  that  on  the  25th  day  of  February,  1882,  James 
Anderson  and  John  H.  Davis  came  to  my  office  and  brought  with  them 
two  papers  and  a  roll,  one  paper  purporting  to  be  a  bond  to  build  a  court 
house,  on  condition  that  the  county  seat  was  removed  to  Tarkio  at  the 
next  general„election — another  purporting  to  be  specification  for  a  court 
house  at  Tarkio,  and  the  roll  purporting  to  be  plans  for  such  court  house, 
and  they  required  me  as  clerk  to  file  and  certify  to  the  bond.  I  informed 
them  that  I  knew  of  no  law  authorizing  me  to  receive  or  file  such  papers., 
and  that  I  could  not  see  that  they  had  anything  to  do  with  the  county 
business,  I  declined  therefore  to  file  them  in  an  official  capacity,  but  told 
Anderson  that  I  would  take  charge  of  the  papers  as   an   individual  and 


982 


HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON   COUNTY. 


use  due  diligence  in  taking  care  of  the  same  and  that  I  would  present 
them  to  the  County  Court  for  their  action  when  they  met  again,  but 
declined  to  do  anything  further  with  the  papers,  considering  them,  as  I 
then  did  and  still  do,  the  private  property  of  parties  owning  or  control- 
ing  them.  On  the  27th  day  of  February,  following,  James  Anderson  and 
two  other  persons  I  did  not  then  know,  but  who  I  afterward  learned  were 
Mr.  Rankin  and  Mr.  Miller,  appeared  again  and  Anderson  requested  me 
to  file  the  papers,  but  I  still  insisted  that  I  knew  no  law  authorizing  the 
proceeding,  and  Mr.  Anderson,  though  an  attorney,  failed  to  offer  any 
law  or  authority  for  filing  them.  He  then  says  :  "You  folks  say  the  court 
house  is  liable  at  any  time  to  fall  down  and  burn  up,  and  so  I  guess  the 
papers  will  be  safer  in  our  hands  than  in  yours,  and  I  think  we  had  bet- 
ter take  charge  of  fhem,"  or  words  to  that  effect.  I  thereupon  showed 
him  where  the  papers  were  in  the  safe  and  he  took  possession  of  and  car- 
ried them  all  away  with  him  from  my  office.  Subscribed  and  sworn  to 
before  me  this  27th  day  of  February,  1882. 

STOKELEY  S.  HUGHES,  Notary  Public. 
Commission  expires  November  11,  1882. 

The  bond  mentioned  in  the  Tarkio  Republican  extra  was  submitted 
by  the  people  of  Rock  Port  to  Ex-Governor  Woodson,  Hon.  John  S. 
Crosby  and  Vinton  Pike,  Esq.,  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  their 
opinions  solicited  as  to  its  validity.  On  the  28th  day  of  February, 
1882,  these  gentlemen  submitted  their  opinion  as  follows  : 

"  After  duly  considering  the  questions  presented  and  an  examina- 
tion of  the  authorities  upon  the  subject,  we  answer  : 

First — That  it  does  not  purport  to  be  a  contract  between  the 
county  of  Atchison  and  the  persons  who  sign  the  bond.  It  is  simply  a 
proposition  to  the  county,  not  accepted  by  it,  and  one  which  the  county 
has  no  power  to  accept.  It  is  then,  for  two  reasons  at  least,  worthless, 
first,  because  no  consideration  is  expressed  in  it — more  than  a  nominal 
one — and  consequently  must  be  regarded  as  voluntary  ;  second,  because 
it  cannot  be  binding  upon  the  obligors  until  accepted  by  the  county, 
even  if  there  were  a  sufficient  consideration  to  support  it.  Conse- 
quently the  persons  signing  said  bond  may  repudiate  it  at  any  time 
before  it  is  accepted  and  acted  upon  in  such  a  manner  as  to  estop  the 
obligors  from  denying  its  binding  force. 

But  there  is  another  objection  to  the  bond,  that  we  regard  as 
insurmountable  and  that  would  always  prevent  its  legal  enforcement, 
independent  of  the  reasons  already  suggested.  Hence,  \ve  hold  in  the 
second  place,  that  no  such  obligation  or  agreement  as  that  embraced  in 
the  bond  under  consideration  could  under  any  circumstances  be  made 
binding  upon  the  bondsmen.  The  very  essence  of  the  agreement  is 
contrary  to  public  policy  and  such  as  to  render  the  pretended  obliga- 
tion utterly  void. 

The  bond  recites:  "The  conditions  of  this  bond  are  such  that  if 
within  twelve  months  after  the  legal  and  final  removal  of  the  county 
seat  of  justice  of  said  Atchison  County  from  its  present  location  to, 
and  location  permanently,  in  due  course  of  law,"  etc.,  "  pursuant  to 
vote  of  the  citizens  and  legal  voters  of  said  county  at  the  next  general 
•election,"  etc.,  "the  undersigned  shall  erect  and  deliver  to  said  county 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  983 

finished  and  completed  a  court  house"  of  dimensions  described,  "then 
this  obligation  to  be  void."  Disguise  the  matter  as  you  may,  it  is 
patent  on  the  face  of  the  bond  that  it  is  intended  as  a  bribe,  and  only  a 
bribe,  to  induce  the  voters  of  Atchison  County  to  change  the  location 
of  the  seat  of  justice. 

County  seats  can  only  under  the  law  be  changed  by  the  qualified 
voters  of  the  county,  and  the  same  laws,  qualifications  and  rules  that 
govern  in  respect  to  the  election  of  public  officers  at  a  general  election 
are  applicable  to  the  election  of  a  permanent  county  seat.  Persons  not 
possessing  the  constitutional  qualifications  of  a  voter  for  senators,  rep- 
resentatives, etc.,  have  no  right  to  vote  that  this  or  that  named  place 
shall  be  the  county  seat.  And  the  casting  of  illegal  or  fraudulent  votes 
in  favor  of,  or  against  a  change  of  the  county  seat  of  Atchison  County 
would  vitiate  the  selection  of  a  county  seat,  just  as  certainly,  and  upon 
the  same  terms,  as  the  casting  of  such  votes  would  vitiate  any  other 
election.  All  votes  in  favor  of  a  change  of  the  county  seat  to  Tarkio, 
which  should  be  induced  by  the  bond  under  consideration  would  be 
clearly  illegal  and  void,  and  as  the  only  purport  and  object  of  the  bond 
is  to  induce  such  votes,  it  is  illegal  and  also  void  and  the  courts  do  not 
permit  actions  to  be  maintained  upon  such  obligations. 

That  we  are  correct  in  these  views  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the 
authorities,  some  of  which  are  here  cited  : 

In  the  case  of  the  State  of  Wisconsin  on  the  relation  of  J.  E.  Newell 
against  Purdy,  reported  in  36th  Vol.  Wisconsin  Reports  213,  it  appeared 
that  Newell  was  a  candidate  at  a  county  election  in  Wisconsin,  for  the 
office  of  county  judge,  the  salary  of  which  was  fixed  by  law  at  $1,000. 
Newell,  in  a  published  card,  which  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  voters 
generally,  offered  and  pledged  to  perform  the  services  required  by  said 
office  for  $700  a  year,  in  case  the  voters  would  elect  him  to  the  office. 
In  a  subsequent  contest  between  him  and  his  opponent  at  the  election 
(Purdy)  the  supreme  court  of  Wisconsin  held  that  the  offer  of  Newell 
"was  within  the  spirit  of  the  laws  of  bribery." 

The  court  said:  "The  proposition  of  the  relator  (Newell)  to  the 
electors  of  the  county,  was  simply  an  offer  that  if  they  would  elect  him 
county  judge,  he  would  give  the  county  $300  per  annum  " — the  differ- 
ence between  the  salary  fixed  by  law,  and  the  salary  for  which  he  pro- 
posed to  serve. 

After  citing  and  quoting  many  authorities  to  show  that  the  law 
denounces  such  an  offer  as  Newell's  as  unlawful,  the  court  uses  this  lan- 
guage:  "The  grounds  upon  which  this  doctrine  is  based,  are  so  clearly 
and  fully  stated  in  the  above  extracts  from  the  authorities,  that  it  seems 
unnecessary  to  repeat  them.  Indeed,  every  intelligent  person  knows 
that  free,  unbiased,  and  (in  the  language  of  some  of  the  books)  indifferent 
elections,  are  absolutely  essential  to  the  existence  of  free  institutions." 

Among  the  cases  cited  by  the  court,  illustrating  the  principle 
announced  by  it,  is  the  following  : 

"A  very  notable  case  in  which  the  same  principle  was  applied  by 
the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  occurred  in  the  year  18 10.  It  seems 
that  certain  towns  were  each  entitled  to  several  representatives  in  the 
legislature,  and,  among  them  the  town  of  Gloucester  was  entitled  to  six 
representatives.  Each  town  was  required  by  law  to  pay  its  own  mem- 
ber, and  for  economical  reasons  the  town  of  Gloucester  usually  returned 


984  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

but  two  instead  of  six.  For  political  reasons  it  was  thought  desirable 
that  the  town  should  elect  a  full  delegation,  and  therefore  certain  indi- 
viduals, with  a  view  to  induce  the  town  to  do  so,  gave  a  bond  for  the  use 
of  the  inhabitants,  conditioned  that  the  whole  expense  of  a  full  repre- 
sentation should  not  exceed  the  pay  of  two  members,  and  six  members 
were  acordingly  elected.  Although  the  members  elected  had  no  agency 
in  procuring  the  bond  to  be  given,  the  house  of  representatives,  by  a  vote 
of  224  to  125,  declared  the  election  void,  and  the  seats  of  the  whole  del- 
egation from  Gloucester  vacated.  (Reports  of  Controverted  Election 
Cases,  by  Cashing,  Story  &  Josslyn  (Massachusetts)  97,  Gloucester  Case). 

This  decision  by  the  highest  court  in  Wisconsin,  has  been  approved 
and  adopted  by  the  supreme  court  of  this  state,  in  the  recent  case  of 
State  on  the  relation  of  the  attorney  general  against  Collier,  reported  in 
72  Missouri  Report,  page  13,  in  which  a  similar  question  arose.  In 
referring  to  the  Wisconsin  case,  our  court  quotes  and  approves  the  fol- 
lowing language  : 

"The  doctrines  which  we  think  established  by  the  foregoing  author- 
ities, and  which  we  believe  to  be  sound  in  principle,  is  that  a  vote  given 
for  a  candidate  for  a  public  office,  in  consideration  of  his  promise  in  case 
he  shall  be  elected  to  donate  a  sum  of  money,  or  other  valuable  thing  to 
a  third  party,  whether  such  party  be  an  individual,  a  county,  or  any 
other  corporation,  is  void." 

In  the  case  of  Webb  vs.  Albertson,  decided  by  the  Supreme  Court 
of  New  York,  and  reported  in  Fourth  Barbour's  Reports,  page  51,  a 
question  similar  to  the  one  we  are  considering,  was  presented.  It  was 
an  action  brought  upon  a  bond,  "  taken  in  the  name  of  the  commission- 
ers of  highways  of  the  town,  not  for  their  own  benefit  individually,  but 
for  the  benefit  of  the  town  in  its  corporate  capacity,  and  was  intended,  as 
would  seem,  from  the  recitals,  and  from  the  averments  in  the  declaration, 
to  relieve  the  taxable  inhabitants  from  the  payment  of  a  tax  for  a  public 
improvement  ;"  provided  the  highway  in  question  was  opened  01 
extended,  or  extended  in  a  particular  way,  to  suit  the  desires  of  the 
obligors  in  the  bond.  Of  this  bond  the  court  said  :  "  In  all  of  this  pro- 
ceeding the  commissioners  ought  to  have  no  other  inducement  for  action 
than  their  regard  for  the  public  good.  It  is  their  duty  to  decide  whethei 
public  convenience  requires  a  new  road  or  highway  to  be  laid  out  or  not. 
They  have  no  business  to  be  tampering  with  parties  and  making  condi- 
tions. They  have  no  right  to  say  that  if  they  order  a  highway  to  be  laid 
out,  individuals  shall  assume  or  become  bound  to  pay  the  expense.  If 
the  convenience  or  interest  of  the  public  require  it,  and  the  commis- 
sioners are  honestly  of  that  opinion,  the  expense  should  be  left  where 
the  law  places  it,  a  public  charge  upon  the  town.  On  the  other  hand,  if, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  commissioners,  it  does  not  require  the  laying  out 
of  a  new  road,  as  applied  for,  they  ought  not  to  swerve  from  their  opin- 
ions by  the  offer  of  individuals  to  bear  fhe  expense.  Such  a  step  would 
look  very  much  like  surrendering  their  judgments  and  opinions  to  the 
highest  bidder." 

In  the  case  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  Company  vs.  Seely,  45  Missouri 
Reports,  page  212,  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  state  held  that  an  agree- 
ment between  a  person  and  railway  corporation,  that  the  corporation 
would  locate  a  freight  and  passenger  depot  on  his  land,  was  void 
against  the  public  policy  ;  that  the  public  had  an  interest  in  having  the 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  985 

fittest  location  selected,  and  that  the  corporation  had  no  right  to  agree 
to  a  location  to  suit  the  interest  of  individuals.  The  court  said  :  "  It  is 
easy  to  perceive  how  such  a  transaction  might  be  perverted  so  as  to 
operate  most  injuriously  to  the  public.  Speculators  and  land  proprie- 
tors, for  the  purpose  of  enhancing  their  property,  would  always  be  on 
hand  to  obtain  locations  and  forcing  people  to  their  premises,  regard- 
less of  the  consideration,  whether  they  were  the  most  fit  and  con- 
venient. And  the  companies  tempted  by  the  prospect  of  gain,  would 
accede  to  their  propositions  and  thus  the  general  welfare  and  good  of 
the  public  would  be  sacrificed  to  subserve  mere  private  interests." 

As  we  have  before  said,  the  county  seat  of  Atchison  County  can 
not  be  changed  without  an  election  by  the  legal  voters  of  the  county, 
and,  when  called  upon  to  vote  at  such  election,  the  voters  should  be 
controlled  only  by  considerations  of  public  interest  and  convenience. 
But  the  proposition  embraced  in  this  bond  disregards  such  considera- 
tions, and  all  others,  except  the  expense  of  erecting  new  buildings. 
Stripped  of  the  verbiage  in  which  it  is  clothed,  the  proposition  of  the 
signers  of  this  bond  to  the  taxpayers  of  Atchison  County  is  simply 
this  : 

"  If  you  will  vote  to  change  the  county  seat  from  its  present  loca- 
tion to  Tarkio  we  will  pay  all  the  taxes  required  of  you  to  build  a  court 
house  at  the  new  seat." 

Let  us  suppose  the  taxpayers  of  Atchison  County  should  endeavor 
to  comply  with  the  conditions  imposed  upon  them  by  the  proposition  of 
the  signers  of  this  bond.  To  do  so  an  election  must  be  held  and  the 
removal  of  the  county  seat  authorized  by  the  requisite  majority  of  the 
legal  voters  of  the  county.  The  county  seat  is  then  formally  removed 
to  and  established  at  Tarkio.  A  new  court  house  must  be  erected  at 
that  place,  and  let  us  suppose  further  that  the  signers  of  this  bond  fail 
and  refuse  to  "erect  and  deliver"  to  the  county  the  new  court  house. 
What  would  be  the  county's  remedy  ?  It  could  not  compel  them  to  build  ; 
it  could  only  bring  an  action  for  damages  for  breach  of  the  bond.  What 
could  the  county  show  in  its  behalf  ?  It  would  have  lost  nothing  by 
reason  of  the  removal,  or  have  paid  nothing  for  the  agreement  contained 
in  the  bond.  The  only  consideration,  therefore,  which  the  county  could 
show  would  be  that  the  taxpayers  of  the  county  had  been  induced  by 
the  execution  of  the  bond  to  vote  for  the  removal  and  by  reason  of  such 
inducement  the  county  seat  had  been  removed.  The  county  would  then 
be  in  the  attitude  of  alleging  that  its  taxpayers  had  been  bribed  to  vote, 
so  as  to  comply  with  the  wishes,  and  subserve  the  interests  of  the  sign- 
ers of  the  bond,  and  of  asking  damages  for  failure  to  deliver  the  consid- 
eration for  their  votes.  Such  a  proposition  is  too  absurd  to  require 
further  argument  or  illustration  to  refute  it. 

SILAS  WOODSON, 
JOHN  S.  CROSBY, 
VINTON  PIKE. 

DEFEATED. 

The  election  occurred  on  the  7th  day  of  March,  1882,  as  ordered, 
and  notwithstanding  the  large  vote  polled,  and  the  general  interest  taken 
in  it,  the  proposition  was  again  defeated  by  thirty-seven  votes.  The 
Rock  Port  Sun  of  March  8th,  in  speaking  of  that  election,  said  : 


986 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY, 


"  Once  more  the  people  have  been  defeated.  The  great  body  of  the 
tax  payers,  the  unterrified  sovereigns,  came  nobly  to  the  front,  but  land- 
lordism and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad  met  them  at 
the  polls  and  the  result  is,  the  will  of  the  great  majority  is  strangled  out. 
But  we'll  hold  the  fort.  We  have  enlisted  for  the  war.  We  want  to  pro- 
claim that  our  motto  will  be,  "  Lay  on  McDuff."  We  represent  the  best 
interests  of  the  county  and  will  never  bow  down  and  do  the  bidding  of 
railroad  kings  and  grasping  landlords.  It  is  high  time  the  people  were 
aroused  to  a  realization  of  the  true  situation.     Following  is  the  result  : 


TOWNSHIPS. 

YES. 

NO. 

Clay 

601 

125 
228 
165 

173 

157 
6l 
46 

289 
II 

IOI 

13 

34 

IOI 

W.  Clark 

15 
106 

Fairfax  Precinct 

Benton 

Templeton 

14 

77 
14 

Nishnebotna 

E.  Buchanan 

W.  Buchanan 

Polk 

M.  .   . 

40 

E.  Lincoln 

95 

187 

W.  Lincoln 

Colfax      

140 

Tarkio 

267 

Dale 

153 

Total 

2105 

1 108 

Majority .... 

37 

. 

The  vote  shows  an  increase  over  the  last  election  of  295. 

We  simply  insert  the  above  to  show  the  manner  in  which  the  defeat 
of  the  proposition  to  vote  the  $40,000  and  the  building  of  the  court 
house  was  received  by  the  papers  and  people  of  Rock  Port.  Of  course 
the  people  of  Tarkio,  and  its  friends,  were  elated  at  the  result,  not 
because  the  question  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  to  Tarkio  had 
thereby  been  settled  or  even  impliedly  determined,  but  because  the  vote 
taken  showed  that  the  new  courthouse  was  not  to  be  erected  yet  awhile, 
which  meant  to  them — not  at  Rock  Port. 

CONCLUSIONS. 


From  these  orders  and  controversies  involved  in  the  efforts  of  188 1 
and  1882,  to  erect  a  second  court  house  at  Rock  Port,  we  draw  the  fol- 
lowing conclusions  : 

First — That  the  building  heretofore  in  use  has  for  some  time  past 
been  insufficient  and  unsafe  for  both  persons  and  property. 


PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  987 

Second — That  the  county -court,  believing  it  to  be  their  duty,  under 
the  Statutes  of  the  State,  so  far  as  possible  to  protect  the  valuable 
records  of  the  county  from  destruction,  loss  or  injury,  undertook  to  pro- 
vide, as  far  as  they  could  reasonably  do,  with  the  revenues  at  their  com- 
mand, for  the  protection  of  the  county  records  and  property,  by  building 
fire-proof  clerk's  offices  and  vaults. 

Third — That  a  rivalry  had  sprung  up  between  the  new  town  of 
Tarkio,  on  the  Tarkio  Valley  Railroad,  and  the  old  county  seat,  growing 
out  of  the  hope  of  the  former  place  being  able  some  time  to  remove  the 
county  seat  from  Rock  Port  to  Tarkio,  so  that  while  perhaps  a  large 
majority  of  the  people  of  the  county  actually  preferred  building  a  new 
court  house,  yet  very  likely  the  opposition  would  have  taken  no  tangible 
form,  but  for  the  special  exertions  of  the  people  of  Tarkio,  who  looked 
upon  the  enterprise  as  inimical  to  their  expected  efforts  towards  moving 
the  county  seat.  The  petition  to  the  court  to  rescind  the  order  to  build 
offices  and  vaults,  was  presented  and  argued  with  great  force  by  the 
attorneys  and  agents  of  Tarkio,  and  the  order  was  as  vigorously  sus- 
tained by  the  attorneys  at  Rock  Port. 

Fourth — The  general  discussion  called  forth  among  the  people  of 
the  county,  led  many  to  believe  that  the  people  were  in  favor  of  build- 
ing a  new  and  respectable  court  house,  and  as  the  ordinary  revenue  did 
not  seem  to  permit,  a  petition  was  presented  in  the  manner  required  by 
the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  state,  requesting  the  court  to  submit  to 
the  voters  of  the  county,  the  question  of  incurring  an  extra  indebtedness 
of^ $40,000,  to  be  used  in  building  a  court  house  at  Rock  Port,  which  was 
accordingly  done,  the  court  fixing  the  day  of  election  on  January  31, 
1882,  and  fixing  the  time  of  paying  the  proposed  indebtedness  at  periods 
ranging  from  three  to  ten  years. 

The  contest,  while  ostensibly  involving  only  the  building  of  the 
house  by  the  means  proposed,  was  really  very  bitterly  fought  upon  the 
county  seat  question.  Though  in  most  of  the  townships  there  were  more 
or  less  votes  against  the  measure,  yet  it  is  plain  enough  on  examining 
the  vote  of  the  townships  most  interested  in  the  respective  towns,  that 
the  opposition  was  not  so  much  against  a  court  house,  as  against  one  at 
Rock  Port.  The  majority  in  favor  of  the  new  court  house  was  very  large, 
lacking  only  a  few  votes  of  the  necessary  two-thirds  majority. 

Fifth — The  large  majority  of  the  first  election  in  favor  of  the 
proposition  naturally  led  to  the  belief  among  the  friends  of  the  meas- 
ure that  the  opposition  would  not  very  seriously  urge  any  further  their 
county  seat  pretensions,  as  it  took  a  two-thirds  majority  to  move  the 
county  seat,  and  the  opposition  to  the  court  house  in  the  first  proposi- 
tion had  only  been  slightly  over  one-third  of  the  votes  of  the  county. 
A  second  petition  was  presented  and  another  election  ordered  and  held 
upon  substantially  the  same  terms,  with  the  exception  of  shorter  pay- 


988  .  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

merits  than  the  first  election.  The  result  was  a  largely  increased  vote, 
both  for  and  against  the  proposition  to  build,  still  lacking  a  few  votes 
of  the  necessary  two-thirds  majority.  The  last  election  was  more  bitter 
than  the  first.  In  these  contests  David  Rankin,  C.  E.  Perkins  and 
other,  being  land  owners  in  and  about  Tarkio,  proposed  to  the  people 
of  the  county  that  they  would  build  a  new  court  house  as  good  as  the 
one  proposed  at  Rock  Port,  if  the  people  would  move  the  court  house 
there  and  offered  bonds  to  that  effect.  The  Rock  Port  people  ques- 
tioned the  sincerity  and  legal  morality  of  their  proposition  and  the 
validity  of  their  proposed  bonds.  What  the  result  may  ultimately  be 
is  hard  to  foretell.  Certainly,  while  the  people  of  Atchison  County 
may  well  feel  proud  of  her  fertility  and  natural  resources,  they  are  not 
to  be  envied  for  the  unpleasant  and  disastrous  controversy  which  we 
fear  has  only  fairly  begun. 

COUNTY    POOR    FARM. 

The  county  poor  farm  is  located  about  one  mile  north  of  Rock  Port, 
on  sections  21,  22,  27  and  28,  containing  about  200  acres.  The  first 
tract  of  103  acres  was  purchased  from  John  W.  Golden,  on  the  26th  day 
of  February,  1875,  at  a  cost  of  $4,767.  The  next  tract  of  eighty  acres 
was  purchased  from  the  Miller  estate  (E.  J.  Miller),  and  twenty  acres 
have  been  added  since.  The  entire  farm,  implements,  expenses,  etc., 
cost  the  county,  during  1875  and  1876,  about  $14,000.  The  superintend- 
ents of  the  poor  farm  have  been  J.  B.  Gray,  A.  S.  Jones,  John  F.  Hum 
and  Alexander  Ely.  The  paupers  average  about  seven  persons  annu- 
ally. The  farm  is  a  good  one,  and  in  excellent  repair.  The  house  is 
brick,  and  contains  a  sufficient  number  of  rooms  to  accommodate  the 
paupers,  who  are  well  taken  care  of. 

COUNTY  JAILS. 

The  old  jail  at  Linden  was  a  rude  structure,  made  of  wood.  The 
present  jail  was  built  with  the  new  court  hpuse,  after  the  county  seat 
was  located  at  Rock  Port.  It  is  also  of  brick,  and  served  its  purpose 
for  many  years  after  its  erection,  but  the  present  requirements  of  the 
county  demand  something  more  substantial,  more  commodious,  better 
ventilated,  and  more  in  keeping  with  the  modern  style  of  architecture. 


«»^P@h^^^|^<<-x 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

AGRICULTURE  AND  STOCK. 

ATCHISON  AS  AN  AGRICULTURAL  COUNTY-CORN-WHEAT— BARLEY— LIVE  STOCK— HOGS 
CATTLE  -- HEEP— THE  PEOPLE— FRUIT  INTEREST— LETTER  OK  R  LYNN-ATCHI- 
SON COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  AND  MECHANICAL  ASSOCIATION— OFFICERS  AND 
DIRECTORS-FAIRS— SALE  OF  LOTS-PATRONS  OF  HUSBANDRY. 

Among  the  agricultural  counties  of  the  state,  there  are  none,  all 
things  considered,  that  are  superior  to  Atchison.  In  fact,  in  the  produc- 
tion of  some  of  the  cereals,  the  county  ranks  among  the  best  to  be  found 
anywhere,  not  even  excepting  the  famous  corn  and  wheat  growing  dis- 
tricts in  Illinois. 

McLean  County,  Illinois,  according  to  the  United  States  Census 
Report  for  1880,  produced  11,976,581  bushels  of  corn,  which  was  more 
than  any  other  county  in  any  of  the  states  produced.  To  produce  this 
enormous  yield,  297,191  acres  were  planted,  which  averaged  a  little  more 
than  forty  bushels  per  acre.  The  same  number  of  acres  in  Atchison 
County  would  have  produced  13,012,106  bushels,  or  2,035,525  bushels 
more  than  the  McLean  County  crop.  There  were  in  Atchison  County* 
in  1880,  113,589  acres  in  corn,  which  yielded  per  acre  nearly  forty-four 
bushels,  or  4,977,476  bushels  in  the  aggregate.  Nodaway  is  the  only 
county  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  that  produced  more  corn  than  Atchison. 
Nodaway,  however,  had  nearly  46,000  acres  more  in  corn  than  did  Atch- 
ison. To  further  show  what  Atchison  County  did  in  1880,  in  the  pro- 
duction of  corn,  it  is  only  necessary  to  say,  that  the  corn  crop  was 
larger  than  that  produced  in  the  following  states  and  territories  : 

Bushels. 

New    Hampshire '.: 1,350,248 

Rhode  Island 372.967 

California 1,993. 325 

Colorado 455,9o8 

Utah 163,342 

Nevada   12,891 

Washington  Territory 39, 1 83 

Oregon 1 26,862 

Idaho 16,408 

Montana 5,649 

Arizona 34.746 

Aggregating. 4,551,430 


99°  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

Atchison  County  produced  4,977,476  bushels,  or  four  hundred  and 
six  thousand  more  bushels  than  eleven  states  and  territories  produced. 

WHEAT. 

The  county  seems  to  be  better  adapted  to  the  growth  of  wheat  than 
any  of  the  contiguous  counties.  The  bluff  land,  being  rather  hilly,  is 
not  generally  cultivated,  but  the  slopes  from  the  bluffs  to  the  bottoms 
are  very  rich,  owing  much  of  its  fertility  to  the  marley  "bluff"  clays, 
which  have  been  washed  from  above.  This  land  is  excellent  for  wheat. 
Mr.  McDonald,  living  in  the  south  part  of  township  66,  states  that  in 
i860,  he  raised  twenty-eight  bushels  per  acre,  but  the  usual  average  is 
eighteen  bushels. 

BARLEY, 

Atchison  County  raises  more  barley  than  any  other  in  the  state,  the 
crop  for  1880,  being  62,589  bushels.  Barley  is  by  no  means  one  of  the 
staple  products  of  the  county.  Its  cultivation,  like  the  oat  crop,  may  be 
considered  as  a  mere  incident  to  successful  farming.  The  acreage  sown, 
however,  exhibits  the  perfect  adaptability  of  the  soil  to  its  successful 
growth,  and  shows  what  might  be  expected  in  this  direction,  if  the 
demand  for  this  cereal  in  the  market  were  greater  and  more  urgent. 

LIVE    STOCK. 

We  have  spoken  in  a  former  chapter  of  the  abundant  supply  of 
water  that  may  be  obtained  in  any  part  of  the  county,  either  from  the 
streams  which  flow  the  entire  year,  or  from  wells  at  a  depth  of  from 
eighteen  to  thirty  feet.  We  have  also  mentioned  the  grasses,  which 
grow  rapidly  and  in  great  luxuriance,  and  of  their  nutritious  properties. 
We  have  given  in  figures,  the  enormous  yield  of  corn — reaching  as  it 
does  away  up  into  the  millions  of  bushels — and  would  now  naturally 
conclude  that  Atchison  County  was  a  favorable  region  for  the  growth  of 
live  stock. 

HOGS. 

From  the  assessor's  books  for  1882,  the  present  year,  we  find  that 
for  that  year,  there  were  57,429  hogs  in  the  county,  and  comparing  this 
with  other  counties  taken  from  the  agricultural  report  of  1880,  Atchison 
County  is  the  fourth  in  the  state  in  the  number  of  hogs,  Nodaway, 
Andrew  and  Ray  each  producing  more  than  Atchison.  The  valuation  of 
these  hogs  $136,755,  which  is  certainly  a  low  estimate,  when  compared 
to  their  real  market  price.  Even  this  estimate,  however,  shows  the  large 
revenue  accruing  to  the  farmers  from  this  one  source  alone. 


AGRICULTURE   AND   STOCK.  99 1 

CATTLE. 

The  number  raised  in  the  county  in  1881  was  32,826,  which  were 
assessed  at  $136,735,  being  the  same  valuation  set  upon  the  hogs.  In 
1871  there  were  only  14,762  cattle  in  the  county,  which  was  less  than 
half  the  number  now  raised,  and  showing  an  increase  in  ten  years  of  more 
than  fifty  per  cent. 

SHEEP. 

The  growth  and  care  of  sheep  have  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
farmer  to  only  a  limited  extent.  There  are  no  reasons,  however,  why 
the  county  is  not  as  well  adapted  to  sheep  raising  as  any  other  county  in 
Northwestern  Missouri,  and  we  believe  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when 
it  will  be  made  more  of  a  specialty.  The  number  of  sheep  in  the  county 
is  less  than  7,000. 

THE    PEOPLE. 

The  population  of  Atchison  County  represents  all  the  leading  west- 
ern and  middle  states,  as  well  as  some  of  the  nationalities  of  the  old 
world,  among  whom  are  large  settlements  of  Germans  and  Irish,  consti- 
tuting a  people  sufficiently  homogenious  in  habits,  thoughts  and  modes 
of  life,  not  only  to  make  them  proud  of  their  county,  but  to  cause  them 
to  labor  unitedly  for  their  common  interest  and  their  common    welfare. 

FRUIT   INTERESTS. 

The  growing  of  fruit  in  Atchison  County  is  not  so  far  advanced, 
neither  is  it  so  general  as  in  Holt.  The  orchards  there  are  older  and 
more  numerous,  and  the  success  with  which  fruit  growers  met  in  their 
earliest  attempts  in  this  direction,  induced  farmers  to  turn  their  atten- 
tion to  the  planting  and  cultivation,  especially  of  apple  orchards,  and 
the  result  is,  that  Holt  County  now  ranks  among  the  best  fruit  counties 
of  Northwest  Missouri. 

There  are  a  number  of  good  orchards  in  Atchison  County,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  these  will  be  multiplied,  as  experience  has  demon- 
strated that  the  climate  and  soil  are  as  well  adapted  to  fruit  growing 
as  other  counties  similarly  located.  Below  will  be  found  an  exceedingly 
interesting  letter  from  Mr.  R.  Lynn,  of  Atchison  County,  who  has  had 
many  years  experience  as  a  nurseryman  and  fruit  grower.  Among  fruits, 
he  treats  of  the  apple  as  being  the  surest  and  the  best  paying,  while 
the  peaches  and  small  fruit,  although  hardly  rugged  enough  to  with- 
stand the  severe  winters  to  which  this  climate  is  subject,  will  compensate 
for  the  outlay  of  labor  and  expense  of  planting  by  the  yield  of  a  single 
good  crop: 


992  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

FRUIT   GROWING   ON   THE    OPEN   PRAIRIES   IN    NORTHWEST   MISSOURI. 

To  the  Missouri  Horticultural  Society : 

Gentlemen — I  do  not  propose  in  this  paper  to  give  an  essay  on 
horticulture,  but  merely  a  report  of  my  experience  and  observation  on 
fruit  growing  on  the  open  prairies  of  Northwest  Missouri. 

Twelve  years  ago  I  left  my  narrow  acres  of  hard  clay  (the  scene  of 
twenty  years  of  diligent  toil  and  close  habits)  and  was  carried  out  here 
on  a  westward  wave  to  broader  fields  and  more  generous  soil.  After 
bidding  adieu  to  kindred  hearts  and  kind  neighbors,  my  chief  regret  was 
for  the  flourishing  young  orchard  I  had  planted  among  the  stumps  six- 
teen years  before,  which  I  had  underdrained,  subsoiled,  fertilized,  washed 
and  pruned,  till  every  tree  was  a  crony  and  every  limb  an  acquaintance, 
whcse  yearly  tribute  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Snows,  Rambos  and  Russets, 
Pippins  and  Greenings,  Baldwins  and  Spys  were  the  delight  of  my  eyes, 
and  the  cause  of  a  trifle  of  conscious  pride. 

I  came  here  to  make  a  home,  and  "what  is  home  without  an 
orchard  ?"  But  to  my  frequent  inquiry  of  the  old  settlers,  "How  does 
fruit  grow  on  the  prairies  ?"  the  almost  invariable  reply  was  :  "  Trees 
may  grow  on  the  prairies  ;  but  if  you  want  fruit,  you  will  have  to  go 
into  the  timber."  However,  I  was  charmed  with  these  beautiful,  rich 
rolling  pastures,  dotted  with  springs  and  checkered  with  perpetual  rivu- 
lets ;  their  fertile  soil  a  fathom  deep,  already  subsoiled  and  under- 
drained  by  the  hand  of  nature.  After  twelve  years  acquaintance,  I  am 
charmed  still.  For  with  all  the  other  bounties  of  nature,  she  has  yielded 
me  a  bountiful  supply  of  choice  fruits. 

I  first  inclosed  sixteen  acres,  and  planted  it  with  fruit  and  forest 
trees.     On  the  first  appearance  of  fruit,  I  planted  ten  acres   more. 

THE    APPLE. 

As  the  apple  is  more  important  than  any  other,  or  all  other  fruits, 
I  shall  give  it  the  most  attention.  It  may  be  true  that  trees  do  not  bear 
as  young  on  the  prairies  as  they  do  in  the  timber,  or  on  the  thin  soils  of 
the  east ;  but  they  grow  faster,  make  as  mature  wood,  and  are  as  free 
from  all  accidents  of  climate  or  of  insects  as  they  are  anyurhere  east  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  And  in  six  to  ten  years  they  are  prepared,  by 
their  size  and  vigor,  to  bear  a  larger  crop  than  they  could  at  that  age 
with  a  slower  growth.  I  have  not  lost  one  per  cent  of  apple  trees  here 
yet  by  climate  or  insects. 

I  cannot  report  as  large  a  crop  as  my  happy  friend  Mr.  Evans,  of 
Clay  County,  can  of  his  precocious  Ben  Davis  ;  but  I  can  report  Ben 
Davis  and  Winesap  trees,  five  years  from  planting,  yielding  one  bushel 
to  the  tree  ;  in  the  seventh  year,  five  bushels,  and  the  tenth  year  nine 
bushels. 

I  plant  about  one  hundred  trees  to  the  acre.  I  intend  to  thin  out 
when  they  get  too  close.  I  prefer  moderately  low  heads  formed  on  the 
second  year's  growth.  I  aim  to  prune  only  just  enough  to  give  proper 
form  to  the  head  and  direction  to  the  branches.  I  cultivate  each  year, 
till  the  seventh  or  eighth,  from  April  to  July,  planting  four  rows  of  corn 
late  for  fodder  between  each  row,  where  I  do  not  use  the  spaces  for 
small  fruits.     When   the  trees  are  forming  spurs  and  fruit  buds,  I  drop 


AGRICULTURE    AND   STOCK.  993 

the  plow  and  cultivator  and  use  the  "  stalk  cutter  "  twice  each  summer. 
This  cuts  the  weeds  and  keeps  the  surface  sufficiently  open.  Any  weeds 
under  the  trees  not  reached  by  the  stalk  cutter  are  cut  with  the  scythe. 
At  the  same  time  I  begin  to  manure  the  surface,  not  to  make  the  trees 
grow,  but  to  supply  the  organic  matter  needed  to  perfect  the  flowers  and 
the  fruit.  The  decaying  weeds,  prunings  and  leaves  also  supply  this  defect. 

I  planted  shelter  belts  of  forest  trees,  varying  in  width  from  sixty 
to  200  feet,  at  the  same  time  that  I  planted  the  fruit  trees.  Decidedly 
the  best  trees  for  shelter  are  the  European  larch  and  Scotch  pine.  The 
soft  maple  is  the  best  of  our  native  trees.  The  Cottonwood  is  the  worst 
for  shelter.  But  the  larch  is  perfect  in  beauty,  utility,  growth  and 
shelter.  Mine,  planted  eight  years  ago,  two  thousand  to  the  acre,  are 
now  sixteen  to  twenty  feet  high,  as  dense  as  heather  and  as  straight  as 
rushes.  The  Scotch  pine,  along  the  inside  edge  of  the  larch  grove, 
gives  it  a  warm,  comfortable  look.  But  to  return  to  the  apple,  I  must 
say  something  about  sorts,  confining  myself  to  experiments  made  here 
on  the  prairie  only.  I  have  fruited  here  over  thirty  kinds,  but  have  not 
had  time  to  test  the  slow  bearing  sorts.  Some  of  these  have  not  yet 
fruited,  such  as  Northern  Spy,  Yellow  Bellflower,  Rhode  Island  Green- 
ing and  Golden  Russet. 

Of  early  summer  sorts,  Red  June  and  Summer  Pippin  do  the  best. 
Early  Harvest  and  Red  Astrachan  are  tardy.  Of  late,  Summer  Duch- 
ess and  Early  Pennock  are  ahead.  These  two  bear  abundantly  while 
young.  St.  Lawrence  comes  next  with  a  full  crop.  Blush  and  Rambo 
bear  moderately,  but  the  fruit  is  splendid.  Snow  has  done  nothing  yet 
but  grow. 

For  early  winter,  Jonathan  is  unrivaled  for  productiveness,  flavor 
and  color.  The  tree  is  hardy,  and  though  small  in  the  nursery,  is  one 
of  the  best  growers  in  the  orchard.  The  Dominie  is  of  equal  value  for 
family  use.  Grimes'  Golden  gives  good  satisfaction.  It  is  a  very  good 
apple  and  a  good  bearer.  Milam  is  scarcely  up  to  its  reputation.  Late 
winter  acknowledges  Ben  Davis  as  king.  His  rivals,  Winesap  and 
Janet,  have  hid  their  diminished  heads.  And  yet  Ben  Davis  is  only  a 
third-class  apple.  But  its  money  value  is  what  does  it,  and  money  now- 
a-days  makes  the  apple  as  well  as  the  man.  The  tree  is  a  model  for 
size,  symmetry,  cleanliness,  hardiness  and  an  annual  crop.  The  Janet 
is  second  in  rank.  It  does  not  bear  as  early  nor  grow  as  rapidly  as  the 
Winesap,  but  it  is  a  good,  abundant  bearer,  and  in  seasons,  such  as  the 
past,  with  a  late  spring  frost,  it  supplies  most  of  our  apples.  It  is  a 
slander  on  the  Janet  that  "  it  bears  only  on  alternate  years."  The 
nearest  old  orchard  to  mine  has  in  it  about  fifty  Janet  trees  that  have 
borne  nine  heavy  crops  in  twelve  consecutive  years.  The  average  crop 
on  these  fifty  trees  for  twelve  years  has  been  at  least  ten  bushels  to 
the  tree  per  annum.  The  average  price  has  been  about  ninety  cents 
per  bushel  in  the  orchard.  The  Janet  lacks  in  color,  but  its  color  is 
improved  by  late  picking,  as  is  also  its  flavor.  It  should  be  picked 
generally  two  weeks  later  than  the  Jonathan  or  the  Milam.  There  are 
undoubtedly  two  varieties  called  Janeton,  Janet,  etc.,  one  of  them  a 
small,  tough,  red,  conical  bad  cooking  variety,  and  is  the  cause  of  much 
of  the  prejudice  existing  against  the  grand  old  never-fail  Rawles  Janet. 

Winesap  disputes  the  rank  with  Janet,  and  some  years  is  the  lead- 
ing apple.     It  is  a  sure  bloomer,  but  its  bloom  is  tender,  and  the  apple 


994  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

is  liable  to  spot  or  scab  like  the  White  Winter  Pearmain,  which  does 
moderately  well  here,  but  it  is  not  a  paying  apple. 

Limber  Twig  and  Little  Romanite,  though  small  and  inferior 
apples,  are  among  the  paying  varieties.  They  are  good,  constant  bear- 
ers and  the  fruit  brings  a  good  price  in  spring. 

Willow,  Stark  and  Talman  Sweet  are  a  prey  to  twig  blight  and 
will  be  grafted  over.     I  fear  my  row  of  Spys  will  share  the  same  fate. 

To  sum  up  on  the  apple  :  The  best  paying  orchard  here  would  con- 
sist of  Ben  Davis,  Janet,  Winesap  and  Jonathan.  The  great  northwest 
is  our  market  and  a  good  price  is  always  certain.  Janets  have  never 
sold  here  for  less  than  seventy-five  cents  per  bushel. 

PEACHES. 

I  suppose  my  experiments  with  the  better  sorts  of  peaches  were 
the  first  on  these  prairies.  I  cannot  now  enter  on  a  detailed  statement 
of  my  successes  and  failures  ;  suffice  it  to  say,  I  have  raised  three  good 
paying  crops  in  seven  years.  The  first  crop  being  the  third  year  from 
planting.  My  best  crop  was  in  1878.  My  peaches  that  year  were  the 
finest  I  ever  saw,  east  or  west.  Hale's  Early  were  showy,  but  insipid, 
some  of  them  weighing  eight  ounces.  Honest  John — Fine  flavor  and 
large,  but  not  uniform.  Stump  the  World — Every  peach  good,  some 
weighed  eleven  ounces.  Smoc.k — Over-bore,  heaviest  crop  of  any. 
They  were  all  killed  by  last  winter's  freeze.  Ward's  Late  Free — Very 
heavy  crop.  Some  specimens  thirteen  inches  in  circumference  and 
weighed  thirteen  and  a  half  ounces  each.  Salway  was  my  best  late  ; 
trees  tender. 

I  plant  peach  trees  close,  and  do  not  cultivate  after  the  second  year. 
The  peach  bears  as  early  on  the  prairie  as  in  the  bluffs,  but  it  grows  too 
rank  and  is  liable  to  winter  kill.  However,  one  crop  will  pay  here  for 
planting  and  growing  a  peach  orchard. 

Pears?  Yes!  "Tell  it  not  in  Gath."  I  planted  one  hundred  and 
filty,  mostly  standards.  Magnificent  growth  for  four  years.  And  then  ? 
Ah  !  the  result  :  Expensive  fuel,  and  about  as  many  pears  as  there  are 
patriots  in  power. 

Plum  trees  grow  well,  and  are  hardy  here,  but  do  not  produce  a 
paying  crop. 

Of  cherries  only  two  kinds  out  of  nine  that  I  have  tried  are  worth 
planting,  namely  :  Early  Richmond  and  English  Morello.  Even  the 
Dukes  are  too  tender  to  live  ;  but  the  Morellos  seem  as  hardy  as  hazel, 
and  bear  annually  a  fair  but  not  a  heavy  crop. 

Grapes,  especially  Concords,  do  as  well  here  as  the  most  sanguine 
can  desire.  The  Concord  gives  a  full  crop  every  year  where  it  gets  any 
chance.  I  have  not  had  even  a  partial  failure  in  eight  years.  Hartford 
does  well,  but  only  a  few  vines  are  needed  as  the  Concord  is  better. 
Delaware  is  a  good  family  grape,  but  don't  pay  for  market.  Norton  is  a 
failure  ;  Ives,  ditto.  Roger's  Hybrids  are  interesting,  but  not  certain. 
The  newer  sorts  are  not  tested  yet. 

Blackberries — The  Kittatinny  does  well  nearly  every  year,  though 
last  year  was  a  failure.      The  Lawton  is  a  failure. 

Raspberries — The  Blackcaps  only  do  well,  but  they  bear  heavily 
nearly  every  year.  Doolittle  is  absolutely  necessary  to  every  family  on 
the  prairie. 


AGRICULTURE    AND    STOCK.  99$ 

ATCHISON     COUNTY     AGRICULTURAL     AND    MECHANICAL    ASSOCIATION, 

The  articles  of  incorporation  for  this  association  were  filed  at  the 
February  term  of  the  county  court  in  1867.  The  preliminary  organiza- 
tion was  effected  on  the  18th  of  March  following,  at  a  mass  meeting  held 
at  the  court  house  in  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  by  the  election  of  nine 
directors,  composed  of  Richard  Buckham,  of  Benton  Township  ;  Nelson 
O.  Hopkins,  of  Polk  Township  ;  Solomon  H.  Hackett,  of  Nishnebotna 
Township  ;  John  W.  Enoch,  of  Clay  Township  ;  Joseph  Cellers,  of  Buch- 
anan Township  ;  William  Van  Leuven,  of  Tarkio  Township  ;  William 
E.  Hurst,  of  Clark  Township,  and  J.  D.  Dopf  and  P.  A.  Thompson  for 
the  county  at  large. 

On  the  first  day  of  April,  1867,  the  following  officers  were  elected  : 
Richard  Buckham,  President  ;  John  D.  Dopf,  Secretary  ;  P.  A.  Thomp- 
son, Treasurer,  and  J.  W.  Enoch,  Collector. 

The  first  fair  was  held  on  the  16th  and  17th  days  of  October,  1867, 
under  the  auspices  of  this  association,  which  was  in  e,very  way  an  unquali- 
fied success.  The  premiums  offered  amounted  to  about  $550,  and 
were  awarded  to  the  following  persons  :  James  Buckham,  Andrew 
McCollister,  P.  A.  Thompson,  A.  S.  Campbell,  A.  Purcell,  E.  W.  Caudle, 
B.  F.  Dragoo,  A.  S.  Noblitt,  John  H.  Swan,  William  N.  Thompson,  S.  H. 
Hackett,  Joseph  Flack,  M.  J.  Porter,  S.  K.  Lewis,  Thomas  Angel,  Wil- 
liam Mc.  Holliway,  Charles  Borchers,  John  W.  Enoch,  S.  Brown,  O.  G. 
Hale,  David  Bertram,  W.  H.  Van  Leuven,  John  Bain,  Andrew  Buckham, 
Thomas  Lytle,  T.  N.  Morrow,  J.  W.  Dunn,  Miles  Sickler,  G.  F.  Smith, 
A.  E.  Robertson,  Amos  Lewis,  J.  Y.  Bird,  A.  B.  Durfee,  Thomas 
Mitchell,  Capt.  Hope,  Thompson  &  Ruland,  O.  R.  Strong,  Mrs.  E.  E. 
Peck,  William  King,  C.  Spurlock,  O.  A.  Holland,  Mrs.  T.  Morgan,  James 
A.  Carms,  G.  Cloepfiel,  John  Fox,  J.  C.  Crosley,  Mrs.  M.  Kime,  Mrs. 
Rhoda  Parker,  Mrs.  Hackett,  Mrs.  Morgan,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Curry,  Mrs.  C. 
Hurst,  Charles  Rentier,  Mrs.  E.  Baccus,  F.  A.  Gibbons,  Mrs.  F.  Farmer 
and  Mrs.  Belle  Bush. 

The  benefits  of  such  an  organization,  when  rightly  conducted,  are 
varied  and  manifold.  The  society  places  right  ideals  before  the  people, 
and  by  various  incentives,  calls  them  to  a  higher  plane  of  thought  and 
action.  The  best  thoughts  of  the  world,  the  results  of  much  study, 
experiment  and  investigation  are  transferred  from  all  lands  and  brought 
into  the  homes  of  the  people.  The  premium  list  covers  the  whole  circle 
of  human  industries,  and  every  family  in  the  country  feels  the  benefits 
incident  to  emulation.  The  gathering  of  people  in  masses,  and  the 
annual  display  of  the  best  products  for  examination,  comparison  and 
study,  carries  higher  ideals  and  new  thoughts  to  every  home.  Farmers 
discuss  these  matters  around  the  fireside,  and  their  farm  begins  to  show 
improvement  in  every  way.     Improved  breeds  of  stock  are  introduced, 


996 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


better  seed  is  sown  and  new  cereals  tried,  improved  implements  are 
bought,  farm  houses  are  constructed  on  better  plans,  and  the  home  is 
furnished  with  many  comforts  and  luxuries  which  would  never  have  been 
thought  of  without  the  fair. 

The  same  officers  were  elected  for  1868.  The  directors  for  that  year 
were  :  Thomas  Lytle,  Richard  Buckham,  John  S.  Morgan,  P.  A.  Thomp- 
SDn,  S.  Brown,  W.  H.  Van  Leuven,  Robert  Ferguson,  George  E.  Steck, 
and  John  D.  Dopf. 

Same  directors  for  1869.  Officers  for  1869  were  :  Richard  Buck- 
ham,  President ;  P.  A.  Thompson,  Treasurer  ;  E.  M.  Hurst,  Collector  ; 
John  D.  Dopf,  Secretary  ;  A.  E.  Wyatt,  Superintendent ;  O.  G.  Sparks 
and  George  Steck,  Assistant  Superintendents. 

The  officers  for  1870  were  :  A.  E.  Wyatt,  President  ;  Leopold  San- 
ders, Secretary  ;  A.  B.  Durfee,  Treasurer  ;  John  D.  Dopf,  Superintend- 
ent ;  George  Steck  and  James  Wood,  Assistant  Superintendents.  The 
directors  for  1870  were  the  same  as  the  preceding  year. 

The  directors  tor  1871  were  :  J.  P.  Holliway,  Leopold  Sanders,  John 
Richards,  W.  H.  Van  Leuven,  George  F.  Smith,  P.  G.  Morgan,  B.  M. 
Bailey,  John  Hosfield,  Richard  Buckham. 

The  officers  for  1871  were:  George  F.  Smith,  President;  A.  E. 
Wyatt,  Treasurer  ;  Leopold  Sanders,  Secretary  ;  John  D.  Dopf,  Superin- 
tendent ;  George  Steck  and  James  Wood,  Assistant  Superintendents. 

The  last  fair  was  held  on  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday  and 
Friday,  October  10,  II,  12  and  13,  1871,  and  the  premiums  awarded 
amounted  to  nearly  nine  hundred  dollars.  The  ground  (seven  and  a  half 
acres)  owned  by  the  stockholders,  which  is  located  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  city,  became  an  addition  to  the  city  in  1872,  and  was  divided  into 
lots,  from  the  sale  of  which  there  has  been  realized  the  sum  of  $3,041.67, 
which  paid  the  stockholders  about  $45  each.  There  were  thirty-three 
shareholders.     The  shares  were  ten  dollars  each.     Their  names  were  : 

John  W.  Enoch,  Wm.  H.  VanLeuven,  Wm.  E.  Hurst,  A.  B.  Durfee, 
F.  M.  Thompson,  Richard  Buckham,  James  Buckham,  A.  E.  Wyatt,  W. 
M.  Blake,  Jeremiah  Purdum,  Charles  Goss,  Henry  Beurhen,  Fred.Traub, 
J.  J.  Ebner,  James  F.  Cooper,  Leroy  Cooper,  Paul  Kern,  P.  A.  Thomp- 
son, Hunter  &  Smith,  George  Deuser,  C.  H.  Imhoff,  L.  H.  Ruland,  R. 
Sommerheisher,  George  Traub,  M.  McKillop,  John  Dozier,  J.  H.  Swan, 
H.  E.  Robertson,  B.  F.  Dragoo,  J.  O.  Crosley,  J.  D.  Dopf,  J.  Y.  Bird,  A. 
S.  Noblitt. 

PATRONS   OF    HUSBANDRY. 

[Contributed  by  a  farmer  ] 

Granges  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  were  first  organized  in  this 
county  by  the  State  Deputy,  (F.  R.  Allen),  in  April,  1873.  The  first 
State  Grange  which  met  at  Knob  Noster,  in  June  following,  contained 


AGRICULTURE    AND    STOCK.  997 

two  delegates  from  this  county,  viz  :  George  Steck  and  C.  E.  Treadwell, 
and  the  former  was  then  appointed  deputy  for  this  county.  The  move- 
ment extended  so  rapidly  that  early  in  the  next  year  the  county  con- 
tained twenty-four  granges  and  about  one  thousand  members.  In  July 
1874,  delegates  from  the  various  granges  met  in  Rock  Port,  and  organ- 
izee  a  County  Council,  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  more  thorough 
co-operation  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  financial,  educational,  social  and 
moral  advancement  of  the  farming  population  of  the  county.  A  busi- 
ness agent  was  elected,  who  gave  bonds  in  $20,000.  Merchants  at  that 
time  took  large  profits,  and  much  was  saved  for  a  time  by  shipping 
direct  throught  our  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  agents.  A  co-operative  store 
was  projected,  and  much  of  the  stock  subscribed.  An  elevator,  a  mill 
and  a  packing  house  were  seriously  talked  of,  and  no  doubt  some  of 
these  would  have  become  a  fact  if  farmers  had  been  wise  enough  to 
attend  to  their  own  business. 

In  September,  1874,  a  grand  picnic  and  mass  meeting  was  held  in  a 
grove,  at  which  sixteen  granges  attended,  with  banners,  regalia,  etc. 
Norman  J.  Coleman,  of  St.  Louis,  was  the  willing  orator  of  the  day,  and 
made  a  characteristic  oration,  ostensibly  patriotic  and  farmer  like,  but 
really  demagogic  and  political.  That  shrewd  political  ruse  called  the 
"People's  Movement"  was  just  then  being  hatched,  and  Coleman  was 
brooding  over  one  of  its  biggest  eggs,  which  he  supposed  contained  the 
governorship  of  Missouri.  It  did  produce  the  sub-governorship,  and 
gave  him  an  empty  title.  That  day  was  the  climax  of  the  grange  move- 
ment in  this  county,  and  also  the  first  move  in  a  rapid  decline.  All 
true  grange  work  was  for  a  time  interrupted.  Many  became  allured  by 
the  phantom  of  office,  and  being  disappointed,  withdrew  in  disgust. 

About  half  of  the  granges  revived  in  1875  and  1876,  and  many  con- 
tinue  true    to  their  principles,  and   hope  yet  for  a  permanent  revival. 

Patrons  have  accomplished  much  in  this  county,  although  they  have 
not  realized  half  that  they  had  hoped  for.  Hundreds  have  learned  to 
think  for  themselves,  and  to  express  their  thoughts  publicly.  Many  have 
learned  to  do  business  by  written  orders  and  correspondence  who  for- 
merly had  to  do  everything  of  that  sort  through  what  were  called  "  Busi- 
ness Men," — one  design  of  the  Grange  being  to  make  every  farmer  who 
had  any  capacity  a  business  man  ;  wives  ditto. 

The  Grange  caused  a  far  larger  circulation  of  the  best  metropolitan 
newspapers  among  farmers.  More  books  were  wanted,  and  wherever 
the  Grange  has  prospered  circulating  libraries  have  been  begun.  As 
farmer's  wives  and  daughters  had  equal  rights  in  the  Grange  with  their 
husbands  and  fathers,  good  taste  and  domestic  comfort  was  discussed 
and  cultivated. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

NEWSPAPERS,    RAILROADS,    PUBLIC   SCHOOLS,    EARLY 
CHURCHES  AND  MINISTERS. 

ROCK  PORT  WEEKLY  BANNER-ROCK  PORT  HERALD-MISSOURI  EXPRESS— ROCK  PORT 
WEEKLY  SEN  IIN  EL-ROCK  PORT  NEWS-GRANGERS'  ADVOCATE— ATCHISON  DEM- 
OCRAT— THE  SUN-THE  DEMOCRATIC  MAIL— ATCHISON  COUNTY  JOURNAL-REAL 
ESTATE  REGISTER— PHELPS  CITY  RECORD— TARKIO  BLADE— TARKIO  REPUBLICAN 
FAIRFAX  INDEPENDENT— WATSON  TIMES-RAILROADS-QUINCY  AND  NEBRASKA 
RAILROAD-QUINCY,  MISSOURI  AND  PACIFIC— KANSAS  CITY,  ST.  JOSEPH  AND 
COUNCIL  BLUFFS-TARKIO  VALLEY— WABASH,  ST.  LOUIS  AND  PACIFIC-TAXES 
MILES  OF  TRACK— GRAIN  AND  STOCK— PUBLIC  SCHOOLS-ENUMERATION— COUNTY, 
STATE  AND  TOWNSHIP.  FUNDS— SUPERINTENDENTS— EARLY  CHURCHES  AND 
MINISTERS. 

NEWSPAPERS. 


The  pioneer  newspaper  of  Atchison  County  was  the  Rock  Port 
Weekly  Banner,  the  publication  of  which  was  commenced  in  July,  1857, 
about  the  time  the  county  seat  was  changed  from  Linden  to  Rock  Port. 
It  was  Democratic  in  politics,  and  was  edited  by  J.  R.  Van  Natta,  and 
published  by  L.  C.  Kulp  &  Co.,  who  continued  to  publish  it  until  1859. 
Van  Natta  moved  to  Holt  County,  Missouri.  Silas  Puyear,  a  young  law- 
yer of  Rock  Port,  became  the  editor  about  the  1st  of  July,  1858. 

The  Rock  Port  Herald  was  the  second  paper  (weekly)  published  in 
Rock  Port.  It  was  established  about  the  last  of  November,  1859,  and 
was  continued  until  the  summer  of  1861.  George  W.  Reed  was  the 
editor  and  proprietor,  and  had  his  office  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
court  house.  At  the  time  the  paper  was  discontinued,  it  was  published 
on  the  corner  of  Rock  and  Water  Streets.  Reed  is  now  in  Mississippi, 
where  he  is  still  engaged  in  the  newspaper  business.  The  Herald  was 
Democratic  in  politics. 

Rock  Port  Weekly  Sentinel. — On  the  16th  day  of  December,  1870, 
the  Sentinel  Publishing  Company  began  the  publication  of  the  Rock  Port 
Weekly  Sentinel,  with  John  C.  Turk  as  editor.  It  was  a  seven  column 
paper.  Democratic  in  politics.  On  the  3d  day  of  February,  1871,  P.  T. 
Smith  became  the  editor,  and  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month,  the  paper 
was  purchased  by  J.  D.  McNickle,  who  continued  until  March  23,  1872, 
when  it  was  bought  by  F.  H.  Brooks,  who  changed  the  name  to  the  Mis- 
souri Express.  Brooks  operated  the  paper  until  the  3d  of  February, 
1874,  when  Hasness  &  Willard  became  the  editors  and  proprietors, 
changing  the  name  to  Rock  Port  News,  which  name  it  continued  to  bear 


NEWSPAPERS,    RAILROADS,    ETC.  999 

until  the  17th  of  the  same  month  (February)  when  it  was  called  the 
Grangers'  Advocate,  Willard  retired  from  the  Advocate  on  the  8th  of 
May  following,  and  Hasness  continued  its  publication  until  about  the 
10th  of  July,  1874.  Hasness  is  now  publishing  the  Holt  County  News, 
at  Oregon,  Missouri. 

The  Atchison  Democrat  was  established  August  14,  1876,  by  Burt 
Venable,  Democratic  in  politics.  As  early  as  March  4,  1878,  the  paper 
espoused  the  Greenback  cause,  and  on  July  21,  1881,  the  paper  went  into 
the  hands  of  the  Sun  Publishing  Company,  composed  of  a  number  of 
farmers.  James  McCartney  vvas  president,  and  Kurt  Venable  editor  and 
business  manager.  The  name  of  the  paper  was  then  changed  to  The 
Sun.  It  continues  under  the  same  management,  and  although  Green- 
back politically,  The  Sun  shines  for  all.  It  is  the  only  paper  in  the 
county  that  is  printed  entirely  at  home. 

The  Democratic  Mail. — The  first  issue  of  the  Democratic  Mail  was 
on  the  29th  day  of  August,  1878,  by  Briggs,  Kelso  &  Co.,  and,  after  six 
issues,  Briggs  &  Co.  retired,  having  disposed  of  their  interest  to  M. 
Asbrook  Kelso.  The  paper  was  conducted  by  Mr.  Kelso  until  August 
7,  1879,  when  it  was  purchased  by  Van  Pelt  &  Blake,  the  present  pro- 
prietors. On  July  15,  1880,  the  paper  was  enlarged  to  an  eight-column 
folio  and  appeared  in  a  new  dress,  with  the  name  changed  to  the  Atchi- 
son County  Mail.  It  is  the  recognized  organ  of  the  Democratic  party 
of  Atchison  County. 

The  Atchisoii  County  Journal  was  established  September  19,  1863, 
the  first  number  being  issued  on  that  day.  The  office  was  owned  by  a 
stock  company,  of  whom  P.  A.  Thompson,  Bennett  Pike,  A.  B.  Durfee, 
and  F.  M.  Thompson  were  members.  The  paper  was  edited  by  Colonel 
P.  A.  Thompson,  and  its  financial  and  mechanical  management  was  in 
charge  of  John  D.  Dopf.  At  that  time  there  were  only  thirteen 
country  newspapers  in  the  state,  and  but  one  or  two  news  papers 
published  in  the  ninth  congressional  district.  The  Journal  was  the  official 
paper  for  Holt,  Andrew,  Nodaway  and  Atchison  Counties.  In  the  fall 
of  1864  the  stockholders  in  the  Journal  office,  sold  out  their  interest  in 
the  same  to  John  D.  Dopf,  who  continued  to  edit  and  publish  the  paper 
until  the  summer  of  1865,  when  he  sold  an  interest  in  the  office  to  A.  B. 
McCreary,  who  remained  in  the  business  till  April  1,  1881,  when  he  was 
superseded  by  Steele  Morehead  and  Henry  Coggins.  The  paper  is  now 
conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Dopf,  Morehead  &  Co.,  and  is  six- 
quarto  in  size.  During  the  entire  period  of  its  existence — nineteen 
years — it  has  made  its  appearance  regularly  and  has  steadily  increased 
in  circulation  and  in  influence.  It  is  the  recognized  Republican  organ 
of  Atchison  County. 

In  July,  1870,  the  Real  Estate  Register,  a  monthly  paper,  was  estab- 
lished by  Durfee.  McKillop  &  Co.,  and  continued  by  that  firm  for  twelve 


IOOO 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


months,  when  it  was  conducted  by  John  D.  Dopf,  who  operated  it  for 
two  years  longer.  The  above  papers  were  all  established  and  published 
at  Rock  Port. 

Phelps  City  Record :  Scarcely  had  the  town  of  Phelps  City  been 
laid  out  and  the  wcrk  of  improvement  commenced,  before  the  printing 
press  was  set  to  work  as  one  of  the  aids  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  place. 
The  first  number  of  the  Record  was  issued  on  September  12,  1868,  by 
John  D.  Dopf,  who  was  at  the  time,  and  is  now  the  editor  of  the  Atch- 
ison County  Journal.  The  paper  was  a  seven  column  folio,  and  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  It  continued  to  flourish  for  the  space  of  about  four 
months,  after  which  time  it  ceased  to  exist. 

Tarkio  Blade  came  into  existence  in  1881,  under  the  management 
of  M.  A.  and  L.  M.  Kelso,  Democratic  in  politics.  After  a  few  months, 
J.  G.  Scott,  now  of  Linden,  purchased  the  paper,  and  in  a  short  time, 
sold  out  to  L.  M.  Kelso,  who  published  one  or  two  issues  and  sold  to 
Robert  Simons,  who  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  to  the  Tarkio 
Republican.  About  the  last  of  January  or  December,  1881,  Simons  sold 
the  paper  to  its  present  owners — Cowick  &  Robertson. 

Fairfax  Independent  was  established  in  February,  1882,  by  F.  M. 
Lowe,  who  is  the  editor,  and  Charles  T.  Taylor,  who  is  the  publisher. 
Independent  in  politics. 

Watson  Times. — The  first  number  of  this  paper  was  issued  in  the 
summer  of  1876,  by  Dr.  Clark.     It  survived  only  a  few  months. 

RAILROADS. 

The  earliest  railroad  enterprise  in  which  the  people  of  Atchison 
County  engaged  was  that  projected  in  the  spring  of  1868,  by  what  was 
then  known  as  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  River  Air  Line  Railroad 
Company.  A  proposition  to  subscribe  $100,000  to  the  building  of  the 
road  through  the  county  was  submitted  by  the  County  Court  to  the  peo- 
ple, to  be  voted  upon  on  the  28th  day  of  April,  1868.  Although  the  pop- 
ulation of  the  county  was  at  that  time  a  little  more  than  half  its  present 
number,  and  its  taxable  wealth  but  about  one  third  of  the  amount  shown 
by  the  assessor's  books  of  to-day  (1882),  yet  the  people  determined  to 
secure,  if  they  could,  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  having  a  rail- 
road through  their  county,  and  voted  with  alacrity  the  amount  of  stock 
demanded.  They  were  destined,  however,  to  be  disappointed  in  their 
expectations,  for  the  railroad,  to  the  building  of  which  they  had  so  lib- 
erally subscribed,  was  never  built  within  the  limits  of  the  county. 


QJINCY   AND   NEBRASKA   RAILROAD. 

The  next  enterprise  of  the  kind  was  the  Quincy  and  Nebraska  Rail- 
road.    A  mass  meeting  was  held  at  the  court  house  on  June    19,  1869. 


NEWSPAPERS,    RAILROADS,    ETC.  IOOI 

We  do  not  know  what  was  done  towards  voting  bonds  to  this  railroad, 
or  whether  anything  was  done,  further  than  to  hold  one  or  two  meetings 
in  reference  thereto. 

QUINCY,    MISSOURI   AND   PACIFIC. 

Although  having  been  defeated  twice  in  their  efforts  to  secure  a 
railroad  the  people  were  not  discouraged,  and  on  the  14th  day  of  June, 
1870,  another  proposition  to  vote  seventy  thousand  dollars  was  submitted 
to  be  voted  upon  by  the  three  following  townships  :  Clay,  Templeton  and 
Tarkio,  the  first  and  second  twenty  thousand  each,  and  the  latter  thirty 
thousand.  The  proposition  carried  in  Clay  and  Templeton,  but  was 
defeated  in  Tarkio.  This  vote  was  taken  in  behalf  of  the  Quincy,  Mis- 
souri and  Pacific  Railroad,  which,  like  its  predecessors,  was  never  con- 
structed in  or  through  any  portion  of  Atchison  County. 

KANSAS   CITY,    ST.   JOSEPH    AND   COUNCIL   BLUFFS. 

Other  railroad  enterprises  may  have  been  projected,  but  were  never 
consummated  until  in  1868,  when  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  and 
Council  Bluffs  Railroad  was  begun  and  completed,  entering  the  county 
at  section  13,  township  63,  range  41,  and  running  in  a  northwest  direc- 
tion through  the  county,  and  passing  out  at  section  34,  township  67, 
range  42.  This  road  was  build  at  the  company's  expense,  exclusively, 
the  county  not  subscribing  one  dollar  in  the  way  of  bonds,  or  doing 
anything  to  aid  in  its  construction.  The  number  of  miles  of  track  now 
owned  and  operated  in  the  county  by  this  railroad  company  is  24^^, 
about  equally  divided  between  Clark,  Benton,  Templeton,  Nishnebotna 
and  Buchanan  Townships.  This  line  has  stations  at  Nishnebotna,  Phelps 
City  and  Watson,  where  the  company  has  erected  good  and  commodi- 
ous depot  buildings. 

TARKIO  VALLEY  RAILROAD. 

The  Tarkio  Valley  Railroad  is  a  branch  of  the  Kansas  City,  St. 
Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs,  and  was  built  in  1881  by  the  company.  It 
has  twenty-four  and  a  half  miles  of  road  in  the  county,  including  about 
a  mile  of  side  tracks,  and  has  erected  depot  buildings  at  Tarkio,  Fairfax 
and  Westboro. 

WABASH,    ST.    LOUIS   AND   PACIFIC. 

This  road  is  now  known  as  the  Council  Bluffs  and  St.  Louis,  and  was 
built  in  1879.  It  enters  the  northeast  corner  of  the  county  at  section 
33,  and  passes  out  at  section  32,  and  has  but  a  little  less  than  a  mile  and 
a  half  ot  road  in  the  county. 


1002  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

AMOUNT  OF  TAXES  AND  NUMBER  OF  MILES  OF  TRACK. 

For  the  sake  of  convenience  we  give  the  amount  paid  in  taxes  by 
each  one  of  the  roads  passing  through  the  county,  and  the  number  of 
miles  owned  and  operated  by  each  road  : 

K.  C,  St.  Joe  and  C.  B.  paid  taxes  in  1880 $2,977  42 

Tarkio  Valley  (Approximated) 1,400  OO 

Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pacific 91    12 

Total $4,468  54 

K.  C,  St.  Joe  and  C.  B.,  miles  of  track    24-tto 

Tarkio  Valley 2^.j-^ 

Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pacific I-ro4o3o 

Total  number  of  miles ' 5°-ro°o3ir 

BUSINESS  DONE  IN  l88l  BY  RAILROADS  IN  THE  COUNTY. 

No.  of  cars  of  grain  shipped  from  Phelps  City 237 

No.  of  cars  of  cattle  and  hogs  shipped  from  Phelps  City 260 

No.  of  cars  of  grain  shipped  from  Tarkio .  513 

No.  of  cars  of  cattle  and  hogs  shipped  from  Tarkio    378 

No.  of  cars  of  grain  shipped  from  Fairfax 59 

No.  of  cars  of  cattle  and  hogs  shipped  from  Fairfax 29 

No.  of  cars  of  grain  shipped  from  Nishnebotna 40 

No.  of  cars  of  cattle  and  hogs  shipped  from  Nishnebotna 170 

No.  of  cars  of  grain  and  live  stock  shipped  from  Watson 821 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

The  following  history  touching  the  schools,  early  churches  and  min- 
isters, we  have  found  most  difficult  to  write,  owing  to  the  difficulty  in 
obtaining  full  and  accurate  information.  It  should  be  the  most  interest- 
ing of  all  the  chapters  in  the  book.  We  have  endeavored  to  remain  in 
the  realm  of  the  real,  and  deal  as  little  as  possible  in  the  ideal  and  imag- 
inative. Comparatively  little  has  been  made  a  matter  of  record  relating 
to  the  early  schools  and  churches  of  the  county.  What  has  been  made 
a  matter  of  record  and  what  has  been  remembered  by  the  old  settlers 
whom  we  have  seen  is  here  given. 

The  schools  of  the  county  are  sharing  with  the  contents  of  the  news- 
boy's bundle,  the  title  of  the  universities  of  the  poor.  The  close  observa- 
tion of  the  working  of  the  public  schools  shows  that  if  the  induction  of 
facts  be  complete,  it  could  be  demonstrated  that  the  public  schools  turn 
out  more  men  and  women  better  fitted  for  business  and  usefulness  than 
most  of  our  colleges.  The  freedom  and  liberty  of  our  public  schools 
afford  less  room  for  the  growth  of  effeminacy  and  pedantry  ;  it  educates 
the  youth  among  the  people  and  not  among  a  caste  or  class,  and  since 


NEWSPAPERS,    RAILROADS,   ETC.  IOO3 

the  man  or  woman  is  called  upon  to  do  with  a  nation  in  which  people 
are  the  only  factor,  the  education  which  the  public  schools  afford,  espe- 
cially where  they  are  of  the  superior  standard  reached  in  this  county,  do 
fit  their  recipients  for  a  sphere  of  usefulness  nearer  the  public  heart  than 
can  be  attained  by  private  schools  and  academies. 

The  crowning  gloiy  of  American  institutions  is  the  public  school 
system  ;  nothing  else  among  American  institutions  is  so  intensely 
American.  They  are  the  colleges  of  democracy,  and  if  this  goverement 
is  to  remain  a  republic,  governed  by  statesmen,  it  must  be  from  the 
public  schools  they  must  be  graduated.  The  amount  of  practical  knowl- 
edge that  the  masses  here  receive  is  important  beyond  measure,  and 
forms  the  chief  factor  in  the  pr  >blem  of  material  prosperity  ;  but  it  is  not 
so  much  the  practical  knowledge,  which  it  is  the  ostensible  mission  of 
the  public  schools  to  impart,  that  makes  this  system  the  sheet  anchor  of 
our  hopes.  It  is  rather  the  silent,  social  influence  which  the  common 
schools  incidentally  exert. 

It  is  claimed  for  our  country  that  it  is  a  land  of  social  equality, 
where  all  have  an  equal  chance  in  the  race  of  life  ;  and  yet  there  are 
many  things  which  give  the  lie  to  this  boasted  claim  of  an  aristocracy 
of  manhood.  Our  churches  are  open  to  all,  but  it  is  clear  that  the  best 
pews  are  occupied  by  the  men  of  wealth  and  influence.  The  sightless 
goddess  extends  the  scale  of  justice  to  all,  but  it  will  usually  appear  that 
there  is  money  in  the  descending  scale.  It  requires  money  to  run  for 
office,  or,  at  least,  it  takes  money  to  get  office. 

The  first  experience  of  the  American  citizen  of  to-day,  however,  is 
in  the  public  school.  If  he  is  a  rich  man's  son,  his  class  mate  is  the  son 
of  poverty.  The  seat  which  the  one  occupies  is  no  better  than  that 
occupied  by  the  other,  and  when  the  two  are  called  to  the  blackboard, 
the  fine  clothes  of  the  rich  man's  son  do  not  keep  him  from  going  down, 
provided  he  be  a  drone,  neither  do  the  patches  on  the  clothes  of  the 
poor  man's  son  keep  him  down,  provided  he  has  the  genius  and  applica- 
tion to  make  him  rise.  The  pampered  child  of  fortune  may  purchase  a 
diploma  at  many  of  the  select  schools  of  the  land,  but  at  the  public 
schools  it  is  genius  and  application  which  win.  That  state  or  nation 
which  reaches  out  this  helping  hand  to  the  children  of  want  will  not  lack 
for  defenders  in  time  of  danger,  and  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars 
annually  expended  for  the  common  education  of  children  is  but  money 
loaned  to  the  children,  which  they  will  pay  back  with  compound  interest 
when  grown  to  manhood. 

In  a  modest,  unassuming  way,  our  schools  inculcate  lessons  of  com- 
mon honesty.  The  boy  hears  his  father  make  promises,  and  sees  him 
break  them.  Mr.  Jones  is  promised  twenty  dollars  on  Monday.  He 
calls  on  Monday  and  again  on  Tuesday,  and  finally  gets  the  twenty  dol- 
lars on  Saturday.     The  boy  goes  with  his  father  to  church,  and  frequently 


1004  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


gets  there  after  the  first  prayer.  In  vain  does  that  father  teach  his  boy 
lessons  of  common  honesty,  when  the  boy  knows  that  the  father  disap- 
pointed Jones,  and  never  reaches  the  church  in  time.  The  boy  soon 
learns  at  the  public  schools,  that  punctuality  and  promptness  are  cardinal 
virtues  :  that  to  be  tardy  is  to  get  a  little  black  mark,  and  to  be  absent 
a  day  is  to  get  a  big  black  mark.  A  public  school  in  which  punctuality 
and  promptness  are  impartially  and  fearlessly  enforced  is  a  most  potent 
conservator  of  public  morals. 

It  has  been  often  said  that  the  State  of  Missouri  has  not  only  been 
indifferent  to  the  subject  of  education,  but  that  she  has  been  hostile  to 
the  cause  of  common  schools.  To  prove  that  these  are  gross  misrepre- 
sentations, and  that  her  attitude  toward  an  interest  so  vital  and  popular 
does  not  admit  of  any  question,  it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  the  con- 
stitutions of  1820,  1865  and  1875,  make  this  subject  of  primary  import- 
ance and  guard  the  public  school  funds  with  zealous  care. 

The  fact  is,  the  constitution  of  no  state  contains  more  liberal  and 
enlightened  provisions  relative  to  popular  education,  than  the  Constitu- 
tion of  Missouri,  adopted  in  1875.  During  the  past  sixty  years  of  her 
existence,  not  a  solitary  line  can  be  found  upon  her  statute  books  inimi- 
cal to  the  cause.  No  political  party  in  all  her  history  has  ever  arrayed 
itself  against  free  schools,  and  her  governors,  each  and  all,  from  1824  to 
the  present  time  (1882),  have  been  earnest  advocates  of  a  broad  and  lib- 
eral system  of  education.  As  early  as  1839,  the  state  established,  a 
general  school  law  and  system,  and  in  1853,  one-fourth  of  her  annual 
revenue  was  dedicated  to  maintenance  of  free  schools*.  Her  people  have 
taxed  themselves  as  freely  for  this  cause  as  the  people  of  any  state. 
With  the  single  exception  of  Indiana,  she  surpasses  every  other  state  in 
the  Union  in  the  amount  of  her  available  and  productive  permanent 
school  funds,  the  productive  school  fund  of  Indiana  being  $9,065,254.73, 
while  that  of  Missouri  is  $8,950,805.71,  the  State  of  North  Carolina  rank- 
ing third.  The  State  of  Indiana  levies  a  tax  for  school  purposes  of  six- 
teen cents  on  the  hundred  dollars  of  taxable  values,  and  does  not  permit 
a  local  tax  exceeding  twenty-five  cents  on  that  amount.  The  State  of 
Missouri  levies  a  tax  of  five  cents,  and  permits  a  local  tax  of  forty  cents, 
without  a  vote  of  the  people,  or  sixty-five  cents  in  the  country  districts, 
and  one  dollar  in  cities  and  towns,  by  a  majority  vote  of  the  taxpayers 
voting. 

For  the  year  ending  April,  1880,  only  two  counties  in  the  state 
reported  a  less  rate  of  local  taxation  than  the  maximum  allowed  in  Indi- 
ana, only  one  the  amount  of  that  maximum,  and  the  average  rate  of  all 
the  counties  reported,  was  about  thirty-nine  cents,  or  fourteen  cents 
more  than  the  possible  rate  of  that  state. 

It  may  not  be  known  that  Missouri  has  a  greater  number  of  school 
houses  to  the  population  than  Massachusetts,  yet  such  is  the  fact.     The 


NEWSPAPERS,    RAILROADS,    ETC.  IOO5 

amount  she  expends  annually  for  public  education  is  nearly  double  the 
rate,  on  the  amount  of  her  assessed  valuation,  that  the  amount  expended 
by  the  latter  state  is  on  her  valuation,  while  the  public  school  funds  of 
Missouri  exceed  those  of  Massachusetts  $5,405,127.09. 

The  Missouri  system  of  education  is,  perhaps,  as  good  as  that  of  any 
other  state,  and  is  becoming  more  effectively  enforced  each  succeeding 
year.  The  one  great  fault,  or  lack  in  the  laws,  in  reference  to  common 
schools,  is  the  want  of  adequate  executive  agency  within  the  county. 
The  state  department  should  have  positive  and  unequivocal  supervision 
over  the  county  superintendent,  and  the  county  superintendent  should 
have  control  over  the  school  interests  of  the  county,  under  direction  of 
the  state  superintendent.  When  this  is  done,  the  people  of  the  state 
will  reap  the  full  benefits  that  should  accrue  to  them  from  the  already 
admirable  system  of  free  schools,  which  are  now  in  successful  operation 
throughout  the  state. 

ENUMERATION. 

From  the  report  of  188 1  we  find  there  are  in  the  county,  between  the 
ages  of  six  and  twenty  years,  a  grand  total  of  five  thousand  and  eighteen. 
The  county  contains  seventy-eight  school-houses,  and  has  in  operation 
seventy-nine  schools.  The  value  of  the  school  property  is  about  $60,000. 
This  sum  is  being  added  to  at  the  rate  of  $3,000  per  year,  which  amount 
is  now  annually  expended  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  new  buildings.. 
For  the  successful  operation  of  these  schools  121  teachers  are  employed, 
sixty-nine  males  and  fifty-two  females,  at  an  average  salary  of  $33-35. 
the  males  receiving  $38  and  the  females  $28.70  per  month.  But  few 
counties  in  the  state  pay  higher  salaries  to  teachers  than  Atchison.  The 
amount  paid  out  annually  now  to  teachers  approximates  $22,000.  In 
addition  to  this  amount  the  sum  of  about  $1,700  is  paid  out  for  fuel,  $1,070 
for  rent  and  repair,  $1,800  to  incidental  expenses  and  $280  for  salary  of 
district  clerks.  The  average  number  of  pupils,  attending  each  day  in 
summer,  is  1,538  ;  in  winter,  1,696;  general  average  of  attendance,  1,617. 

The  county  school  fund  amounts  to $  86,643.10 

The  township  school  fund  amounts  to 46,827.34 

Aggregating $133,470.44 

The  school  fund  for  the  year   1882  approximates 139,000.00 

The  above  amount,  which  is  the  sum  total  of  the  township  and 
county  funds,  is  excelled  by  only  one  county  in  the  state,  and  by  the 
city  of  St.  Louis.  Jasper  County  has  something  over  two  hundred  and 
forty  thousand  dollars,  and  St.  Louis  something  more  than  thirteen 
hundred  thousand  dollars  of  a  school  fund.  Saline  ranks  third,  having 
one  hundred  and  thirty-two  thousand.  Considering  the  age  of  Atchi- 
son County  and  its  population,  this  is  certainly  a  remarkable  showing 
and  augurs  well  for  the  future  of  her  public  schools. 


1006  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

The  amount  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year  for  1881 
was  $13,685.20  ;  received  from  public  funds,  $14,144.13  ;  received  from 
taxation,  $11,478.74. 

Atchison  County  educational  affairs  are  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
The  county  has  now  become  well  supplied  with  comfortable,  commodi- 
ous school  houses  and  good  schools  are  taught  in  all  the  townships  and 
towns,  sufficiently  numerous  and  convenient  for  the  accommodation  of 
all  parts  of  the  county.  Educational  interests  are  considered  of  the 
highest  importance,  and  means  have  not  been  spared  to  make  the  pub- 
lic schools  a  success,  and  under  the  efficient  management  of  those  who 
have  held  the  office  of  superintendent  the  schools  are  attaining  a  high 
standard. 

The  county  teachers  believe  in  the  interchange  of  thought,  also  in 
the  community  of  effort,  and  are  making  the  profession  of  teaching  a 
study  as  well  as  a  practice.  Teachers'  institutes  are  now  becoming  ofj 
regular  and  frequent  occurrence,  and  are  well  attended  by  those  who 
take  special  interest  in  the  work.  The  superintendent's  examination 
grades  are  now  of  such  a  standard,  that  all  applicants  do  not  attain 
them,  and  for  those  who  are  successful  after  diligent  study  and  prepara- 
tion, it  shows  a  more  creditable  standing,  besides  furnishing  a  much 
more  efficient  class  of  teachers. 

SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  SCHOOLS. 

An  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  on  the  27th  of  March,  1845, 
for  the  organization,  support  and  government  of  the  common  schools, 
and  in  1846  Atchison  County  was  divided  into  several  school  districts, 
a  commissioner  appointed  by  the  county  court  for  each  district. 

The  first  county  superintendent,  or  commissioner  of  common 
schools  for  the  county,  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  obtain  from  the 
records,  was  Solomon  Wyatt,  in  1853.  His  successors  were  Silas  PuyearJ 
William  H.  Dunbar,  H.  T.  Trimble,  George  F.  Bixby,  Ephraim  L.  Clark, 
Malcolm  B.  Nicholson,  W.  F.  Drake,  John  W.  Tate.  D.  McCall  is  the 
present  incumbent. 

EARLY   CHURCHES   AND    MINISTERS. 

The  banner  of  the  cross  of  the  Christian  religion  was  first 
unfurled  in  the  new  county  of  Atchison  by  the  Methodists.  As  early 
as  1842  the  late  lamented  Enoch  L.  Marvin,  Bishop  of  the  M.  E.  Church 
South,  says,  in  his  letter,  published  in  the  history  of  Holt  County, 
that  he  passed  St.  Joseph,  in  1842,  on  his  way  to  the  frontier  coun- 
ties, and  said  that  his  field  of  labor  embraced  all  the  territory  west 
of  the  Nodaway  River.    Atchison  County  then  must  have  been  partly 


NEWSPAPERS,    RAILROADS,    ETC.  IOO7 

the  scene  of  his  early  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  Christ,  and 
many  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  county,  no  doubt,  heard  the  poor 
young  preacher,  whose  plain  garb  and  unostentatious  manners  gave 
no  evidence  at  that  time  of  the  outcome  that  was  in  him,  and  of 
the  exalted  position  he  afterwards  achieved  as  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel. The  Bishop's  letter,  to  which  we  have  alluded,  treats  largely 
of  pioneer  times  and  is  well  worth  perusing.  About  the  same  time, 
or  perhaps  one  year  later,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  R.  Baxter,  another 
minister  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  held  meetings  at  stated  periods  in  Atchi- 
son County.  His  first  services  were  held  at  Calloway  Millsaps,  who 
resided  at  that  time  on  the  Nishnebotna  River,  two  and  a  half  miles  west 
of  the  present  town  of  Rock  Port.  He  also  preached  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Harmons.  Mr.  Millsaps,  who  now  resides  in  Rock  Port,  informed 
us  that  the  congregation  which  assembled  at  his  house  was  composed  of 
his  neighbors,  some  of  whom  lived  many  miles,  and  that  it  was  a  rare 
occurrence  to  see  a  greater  number  than  ten  persons  in  the  audience. 
The  pioneers  were  fond  of  attending  religious  services  and  held  the  min- 
isters in  high  esteem,  but  that  was  a  time  when  there  were  no  bridges; 
and  when  the  inhabitants  were  few  in  number  and  separated  from  each 
other  many  miles,  the  nearest  neighbors  oftentimes  living  at  a  distance 
of  five  miles. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Baxter  afterwards  officiated  as  pastor  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  South,  in  St.  Joseph,  in  the  fall  of  1844. 

The  next  denomination  to  proclaim  the  Word  of  Life  in  the  county 
was  the  Baptist — the  Hardshell — through  its  representative,  the  Rev. 
Isaac  Odell.  He  came  from  Caldwell  County,  Missouri,  in  1843  or  J844, 
and  held  two  or  three  meetings  in  a  school  house,  which  had  just  been 
erected  on  Mr.  Millsaps  farm,  and  returned  to  his  home. 

Then  came  the  Rev.  Jesse  Allen,  from  Saline  or  Howard  County, 
Missouri,  and  held  the  first  protracted  meeting  in  the  county — a  union 
protracted  meeting — at  or  near  Hunter's  Bridge.  This  was  about  the 
year  1846.  Mr.  Allen,  sometime  afterwards,  usually  held  services  at 
what  was  known  as  the  Rock  Creek  Church,  located  about  one  mile 
southeast  of  Hunter's  Bridge,  on  the  road  leading  from  Rock  Port  to 
St.  Joseph. 

The  early  ministers  of  the  Christian  Church  were  Richard  Buckham 
and  John  Mullins,  the  former  from  Kentucky  and  the  latter  from  Indi- 
ana. They  reached  the  county  about  the  same  time.  Mr.  Buckham 
settled  in  Iowa,  thinking  that  he  was  in  Atchison  County,  as  the  date  of 
his  coming  was  sometime  previously  to  the  settlement  of  the  boundary 
line  between  Missouri  and  Iowa.  Mr.  Mullins  preached  at  what  was 
then  known  as  Fowler's  Mill. 

There  was  another  minister  of  the  gospel  whose  name  was  Forman, 
who  should  be  classed  among  the  earliest  who  came  to  the  county.     He 


ioo8 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 


was  killed  by  being  thrown  from   a  horse  at  the  house  of  Mr.  E.  D. 
Scammon,  in  this  county. 

The  above  then,  perhaps,  constitute  the  pioneer  preachers  who 
were  the  first  to  officiate  as  such  in  the  limits  of  Atchison  County. 
They  braved  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  a  new  country,  to  carry  the 
gospel  of  peace  to  their  fellow  men,  and  sharing  as  they  did  the  com- 
mon perils  and  common  privations  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  all  who  came 
to  the  county  at  that  early  day,  their  names  are  deserving  of  far  more 
extended  mention  than  we  have  given,  but  for  want  of  reliable  facts 
and  data  concerning  these  good  and  brave  men  our  mention  of  them 
has  been  necessarily  brief. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

BENCH  AND  BAR. 

HON.  JOHN  P.  LEWIS, 

the  oldest  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  was  born  March  10,  1843,  in  Mont- 
rose, Lee  County,  Iowa,  of  parents  in  humble  circumstances  in  life,  the 
father  being  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth  and  his  rnother  from  Vermont. 
They  were  of  the  hardy,  vigorous  class  of  pioneers,  well  acquainted 
with  the  trials  of  the  poor,  wanting  in  the  refinements  of  older  com- 
munities, but  stronger  for  all  that  in  that  character  and  energy  that 
make  good  and  valued  citizens.  Young  Lewis  remembers  well  when  his 
father  studied  medicine,  of  the  close  economy  that  was  necessary  in  the 
young  family  to  enable  the  father  to  attend  medical  lectures  at  the  Louis- 
ville Medical  College,  during  the  days  when  many  medical  celebrities 
were  in  charge  of  that  institution.  He  remembers  at  five  years  of  age, 
being  at  Keokuk,  and  going  down  to  look  at  the  Mississippi  River,  the 
awe  with  which  he  gazed  upon  the  "  Father  of  Waters." 

At  thirty-five  years  of  age,  he  stood  for  the  first  time  upon  the  shores 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  was  surprised  to  find  the  great  ocean  less  wide  and 
wonderful  than  his  childish  dream  of  the  Mississippi,  and  who  has  not 
felt  the  same  ?  The  rivers,  the  mountains,  and  the  great  oaks,  had 
dwindled  to  hills,  brooks  and  small  trees. 

From  five  until  seven  years  of  age,  his  parents  resided  in  Clark 
County,  Missouri,  as  tenants  on  the  farm  of  Dr.  Wayland,  who  lived  on 
the  Des  Moines  River,  six  miles  above.  During  the  winters  of  these 
years,  his  father  attended  the  medical  college.  In  the  fall  of  1852,  the 
family  moved  to  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  the  mother  and  the 
most  of  the  family  now  reside.  The  father  died  in  January,  1869,  after 
an  arduous  and  useful  life  in  his  profession. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  always  called  by  his  second 
name,  Perry,  had  no  school  advantages  outside  of  the  county  school,  and 
what  he  could  do  for  himself  by  home  study,  until  he  was  sixteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  commenced  teaching  school — teaching  two  first  schools 
at  Fancy  Bottom,  in  the  winters  of  1862  and  1863. 

In  1863  and  1864  he  was  for  seven  months  a  student  at  Tabor  Insti- 
tute, in  Iowa.  After  that  more  school  teaching  was  necessary.  In  the 
fall  of  1865,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  entered  the   law  department 

61 


IOIO  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  March, 
1867,  being  one  of  the  three  youngest  of  a  class  of  150.  Then  other 
years  of  school  teaching  followed,  when  he  commenced  the  practice  of 
law  at  Rock  Port,  in  May,  1868,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  with 
splendid  success.  February  6,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline 
VanMeter,  second  daughter  of  John  VanMeter,  an  old  resident  and  large 
farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Atchison  County.  Two  children,  boys,  have 
been  born  to  the  family,  the  elder,  Charles  Winfield,  died  in  January, 
1875,  aged  four  years.  The  younger,  Edgar  Albert,  is  five  years  of  age. 
Mr.  Lewis  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  in  1872  and  served 
during  two  sessions  of  that  body.  He  ran  the  second  time  in  1878,  but 
was  defeated  by  fifty  votes.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  has  held  no 
other  official  position,  except  in  school  matters,  with  which  he  has  been 
closely  identified  for  twelve  years.  Few  men  enjoy  a  better  reputation 
for  integrity,  firmness  and  sound  judgment  than  the  Hon.  John  P.  Lewis. 

JAMES    M.    OSBORN,    ESQ., 

was  born  March  15,  1853,  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  and  is  the  son  of 
Samuel  and  Rachel  Osborn.  He  resided  there  until  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age,  and  until  the  death  of  his  mother,  which  occurred  the  7th 
of  July,  1865.  In  1867  he  came  with  his  father  to  Fairfield,  Iowa,  where 
he  spent  two  years  attending  school,  and  where  he  finished  his  edu- 
cation. In  1869  he  went  to  Mills  County,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  with 
his  uncle  one  year  and  a  half.  He  then  removed  to  Saline  County, 
Nebraska,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  September,  1876,  during 
which  time  he  was  principally  engaged  in  teaching  school.  He  arrived 
in  Missouri  in  September.  1876,  and  continued  to  teach  and  at  the  same  ' 
began  the  study  of  law  with  his  brother,  S.  J.  Osborn,  at  Rock  Port, 
Missouri.  After  applying  himself  closely  to  the  study  of  law  for  two 
years,  still  teaching  school  all  the  time,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in  1878,  and  in  the  spring  of  1879  ne  com- 
menced the  practice  which  he  has  followed  ever  since  at  Rock  Port. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  West  Virginia,  and  his  mother  a  native  of 
North  Carolina.     Mr.  Osborn  is  a  single  man. 

MALCOLM    M'KILLOP 

was  born  April  17,  1837,  in  Inverness,  Megantic  County,  Province  o^ 
Quebec,  Canada.  His  father,  Donald  McKillop,  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, and  emigrated  to  America  about  the  year  1830,  settling  in  Canada. 
He  was  by  occupation  a  farmer.  Flora  McEchren  was  also  a  native  of 
Scotland.  Malcolm  McKillop  was  reared  on  a  farm,  but  his  educational 
advantages  were  of  the  best  character.     His   literary  course   was  com- 


BENCH    AND   BAR.  TOC  I 

pleted  at  the  University  of  Vermont,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1861.  The  expense  of  his  collegiate  training,  was  main- 
tained principally  by  himself,  he  earning  the  means  by  teaching  school 
at  intervals.  After  leaving  college,  he  took  charge  of  the  academy  at 
Morrisville,  Vermont,  and  was  employed  there  as  an  educator  for  about 
two  years.  In  1863,  he  went  to  Windsor,  Canada  West,  and  obtained  a 
government  appointment  of  the  Sandwich  Grammar  School,  which  insti- 
tution he  conducted  for  about  two  years.  During  these  latter  years,  he 
employed  his  leisure  hours  in  the  study  of  law,  and  in  1865,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Canada  bar,  at  Windsor.  In  January  of  that  year,  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Dixon,  Lee  County,  Illinois,  where  he  continued 
his  legal  studies  in  the  office  of  Judge  P.  Goodwin.  He  applied  himself 
closely  to  study  for  one  year,  when  in  February,  1866,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Illinois,  by  the  supreme  court  of  that  state,  sitting  at 
Springfield.  In  the  following  April  he  located  at  Rock  Port,  Atchison 
County,  Missouri,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  suc- 
cessful from  the  first,  and  soon  secured  an  extensive  and  remunerative 
practice.  In  the  fall  of  1868,  he  was  elected  county  surveyor,  and  held 
the  office  four  years.  In  1867,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  com- 
mon schools  by  Governor  Thomas  E.  Fletcher,  and  held  the  office  dur- 
ing 1867-68.  In  1875,  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  First  Senatorial 
District  in  the  State  Constitutional  Convention,  and  although  in  a  polit- 
ical minority,  he  wielded  a  fine  influence  in  that  body. 

In  the  year  1862,  he  was  made  a  Master  Mason  in  Mount  Vernon 
Lodge,  No.  8,  Morrisville,  Vermont.  In  1867,  he  became  a  member  of 
North  Star  Lodge,  No.  157,  Rock  Port,  Missouri,  of  which  he  has  been 
W.  M.  for  several  years.  In  1873,  he  took  the  Royal  Arch  degree  in 
Zerubbabel  Chapter  No.  59,  at  Phelps  City,  Missouri,  of  which  Chapter 
he  is  now  a  member.  About  the  same  time  he  took  the  Council  degree 
in  Adoniora  Council,  No.  12,  Royal  and  Select  Masters,  of  which  he  is 
now  the  Thrice  Illustrious  Master.  He  now  holds,  and  has  held  for 
several  years,  the  position  of  District  Deputy  Grand  Lecturer  of  the 
Fifteenth  Masonic  District  of  Missouri,  composed  of  the  counties  of 
Atchison  and  Holt.  In  1874,  he  was  made  a  Knight  Templar  in  Hugh 
De  Payne  Commandery,  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  is  now  a  member 
of  St.  Joseph  Commandery,  No.  4,  Knights  Templar. 

In  December,  1881,  he  was  made  a  pilgrim  knight  of  the  Oriental 
Order  of  the  Palm  and  Shield,  of  which  order  he  is  now  a  divisional  chief. 
In  1880  he  joined  Northwest  Lodge,  No.  134,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  was  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  Rock  Port  Legion,  No.  12,  S.  K.  A.  O.  U.  W., 
of  which  he  was  elected  Select  Commander  at  its  institution,  and  to 
which  position  he  has  since  been  twice  elected.  He  was  elected  Grand 
Commander  of  the  States  of  Missouri  and  Kansas,  at  the  session  of  the 
Grand  Legion  of  S.  K.  A.  O.  U.  W.,  held  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  in  Feb- 


IDI2  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY.   ' 

ruary,  1881,  and  is  the  present  Grand  Commander  for  Missouri  and 
Arkansas.  He  was  elected  Vice  Supreme  Commander  of  the  Supreme 
Legion  of  S.  K.  A.  O.  U.  W.,  at  the  session  of  the  Supreme  Legion,  held 
at  Chicago,  in  September,  188 1,  which  position  he  now  holds.  He  was 
married  December  19,  1868,  to  Miss  Carrie  L.  Thurbur,  of  Como,  White- 
side County,  Illinois.  They  have  three  children  :  Ella  L.,  Ethel  M.  and 
Eva. 

JOSIAH   W.    PECK 

was  born  in  Mount  Bridges,  Canada  West,  September  28,  1856.  His 
parents  were  also  natives  of  Canada.  His  father's  name  was  E.  E.  Peck. 
When  at  the  age  of  five  months  his  parents  removed  with  him  to  Atchi- 
son County,  Missouri,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm  and  continued  agricultural  pursuits  until  the  age  of  sixteen  years, 
when  he  began  to  teach  school.  After  teaching  several  terms  he  then 
attended  the  State  University  at  Peru,  Nebraska,  where  he  remained 
nearly  three  years.  In  September,  1876,  he  entered  the  State  University 
at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  remaining  there  until  June,  1877.  He  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  June,  1879,  with  M.  McKillop,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Rock  Port,  Missouri,  in  1880,  and  during  the  win- 
ter of  i88o-'8i  he  attended  the  law  department  of  the  Washington  Uni- 
versity, at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  In  the  spring  of  188 1  he  became  a  law 
partner  of  M.  McKillop,  of  Rock  Port.  He  is  a  member  of  North  Star 
Lodge,  No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  a  member  of  Zerubbabel  Chapter,  No. 
59,  a  member  of  Northwest  Lodge,  No.  134,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  a  member 
of  Rock  Port  Legion,  No.  12,  S.  K.  A.  O.  U.  W. 

HON.    FRANK    M.   JOSLYN 

was  born  in  DeKalb  County,  Illinois,  March  30,  1845.  His  father,  Harn 
Joslyn,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  married  Lucy  Waterman,  a 
native  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  He  resided  in  DeKalb  County, 
working  on  the  farm  and  attending  school,  until  the  age  of  seventeen, 
when  he  went  to  California.  He  remained  there  for  about  eight  years, 
engaged  in  mining.  He  then  moved  to  Jewell  County,  Kansas,  where 
he  took  a  homestead  claim  and  began  the  study  of  law,  purchasing  his 
own  books.  Here  he  lived  two  years,  and  came  to  Oregon,  Holt  County, 
Missouri,  and  was  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  that  vicinity  until  the 
fall  of  1877,  when  he  located  in  Phelps  City,  Atchison  County,  Missouri. 
In  the  following  fall  he  became  a  resident  of  Rock  Port,  Missouri,  andi 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Atchison  County,  in  1880.  He  has  been 
judge  of  the  probate  court  since  the  fall  of  1880.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.  Was  married  November  29,  1881,  to  Miss  Ida  Buckham, 
who  is  a  native  of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  she  was  born  March 
23,  1858,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Richard  Buckham. 


BENCH   AND    BAR.  1013 

JOHN  C.  HUNT 

was  born  in  Randolph  County,  Indiana,  in  185 1.  His  father,  Mills  Hunt, 
a  native  of  Bath  County,  Kentucky,  married  Mary  E.  Botkin,  of  Knox 
County,  Tennessee,  moved  to  Edgar  County,  Illinois,  in  1869,  and  in 
1870  John  entered  Thomas  J.  Lee's  Academy,  at  Loxa,  Coles  County, 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  until  May,  1874.  He  commenced  the  study 
of  law  June  20,  1874,  with  his  brother,  O.  P.  Hunt  at  Tuscola,  Douglas 
County,  Illinois,  and  entered  the  Law  School  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michi- 
gan, October,  1876,  from  which  he  was  graduated  March  30,  1878. 
He  commenced  the  practive  of  law  in  Edgar  County,  Illinois,  in  June 
1878,  under  the  suvervision  of  Hon.  B.  N.  Bishop.  He  left  that  county 
in  April,  1879,  f°r  Texas;  left  Texas  for  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  in 
August,  1879.  Here  he  taught  school  until  September,  1880.  Was 
elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Atchison  County,  in  November,  1880. 
He  has  since  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Judge  F.  M.  Joslyn. 

JUDGE   JOHN    D.  CAMPBELL. 

Like  many  of  his  contemporaries  in  the  practice  of  law,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  a  self-made  man,  struggling  on  up  to  manhood 
from  childhood,  battling  with  many  adverse  circumstances,  but  never 
ceasing  his  labors  until  success  crowned  his  efforts.  John  D.  Campbell 
is  the  son  of  A.  P.  and  Susan  Campbell,  and  was  born  on  the  first  day 
of  February,  1846,  near  Greenville,  in  Green  County,  Tennessee.  He 
commenced  the  study  of  law  at  his  home  in  1865,  and  when  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  became  a  resident  of  Greenville,  the  home  of 
Andrew  Johnson,  once  president  of  the  United  States.  Upon  his 
arrival  at  the  age  of  twenty- one  years  he  was  licensed  to  practice 
law  and  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  bar  at  Greenville.  He 
removed  to  New  Post,  Cocke  County,  Tennessee,  with  the  intention  of 
entering  into  practice,  but  in  lieu  thereof  taught  school  for  two  terms 
in  the  academy  at  that  place,  continuing  to  prepare  himself  for  active 
practice.  January  1,  1868,  he  was  married  at  Bull's  Gap,  Tennessee,  to 
Lavinia  J.  Myers,  and  on  the  10th  of  March  following  left  for  Rock 
Port,  Missouri,  where  he  located  in  May,  1868.  His  wife  died  in  187.1, 
and  he  was  married  again  October  23,  1873,  to  Miss  Jennie  K.  Hunter, 
of  Atchison  County,  Missouri.  He  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Atchison  County  in  1872  and  re-elected  in  1874,  and  has  since  1868 
been  engaged  in  active  practice. 

L.    D.    RAMSAY. 

The  subject  of  the  following  sketch  is  a  native   of  Missouri,  having 
been  born  in  Andrew  County.     When  only  fifteen  years  of  age  he  .chose 


IOI4  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

the  profession  of  law,  and  applied  himself  at  once  with  great  dilligence 
to  that  study,  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  during  1874,  by  Hon.  H.  S.  Kelley,  Judge 
of  the  Twenty-ninth  Judicial  Circuit.  January  7,  1872,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Ramsay,  daughter  of  G.  R.  Ramsay,  of  Atchison  County. 
He  located  in  the  town  of  Rock  Port,  in  1876,  and  in  June,  1878,  formed 
a  law  partnership  with  Hon.  John  P.  Lewis,  and  is  still  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Lewis  &  Ramsay.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  of  prosecuting 
attorney  for  Atchison  County,  in  18  ,  and  filled  the  position  in  a  man- 
ner satisfactory  to  all.  He  has  a  good  practice,  but  makes  a  specialty 
of  the  criminal  part  of  it,  in  which  he  takes  great  delight.  Mr.  Ramsay 
is  a  self  made  young  man,  possessing  great  energy  of  character  and 
most  excellent  habits.  His  father,  L.  L.  Ramsay,  at  one  time  resided  in 
Lafayette  County,  Missouri,  and  built  the  first  house  that  was  erected  in 
Jefferson  City. 

A.  B.  DURFEE. 

Mr.  Durfee  is  a  native  of  Marion,  Marion  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  born  October  26,  1834.  His  father,  Joseph  Durfee,  was  a  native  of 
Fall  River,  Rhode  Island.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Marga- 
ret Moore,  was  a  Pennsylranian  by  birth.  He  lived  in  Marion,  attending 
the  common  schools  of  his  county,  and  a  college  at  Delaware,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  three  years,  then  entered  a  college  at  Athens,  Ohio, 
remaining  two  years.  In  1852,  he  came  to  Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  where 
he  followed  the  pursuit  of  civil  engineering,  and  at  the  same  time  applied 
himself  diligently  to  the  study  of  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  at  that 
place.  In  the  fall  of  1858,  he  went  to  Nebraska,  and  in  the  following 
spring  he  came  to  Rock  Port,  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  where  he  has 
lived  ever  since,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  From  1870 
to  1882,  he  was  a  partner  in  the  Atchison  County  Bank.  From  1862  to 
1866,  he  was  treasurer  of  Atchison  County.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  and  I.  O.  O.  F.  orders,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen.  He  was  married  in  May,  185 1,  to  Miss  Sallie  Todd, 
of  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  who  died  March  22,  1881.  Four  children 
have  been  born  unto  them  :  Charlie,  Joseph,  Abbie  and  Sallie. 

JUDGE    L.    W.    CAMPBELL 

was  born  in  Greene  County,  Tennessee,  July  15,  1855.  His  father,  Archi- 
bald S.  Campbell,  who  now  resides  near  Watson,  Atchison  County,  Mis- 
souri, is  a  native  of  Tennessee.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Nancy 
Jones.  She  was  also  a  native  of  Tennessee.  When  L.  W.  Campbell 
was  two  years  of  age,  his  parents  and  family  moved  to  Atchison  County, 
where  he  has  since  resided.     He  received  the  advantage  of  a  common 


BENCH    AND    BAR.  1015 

school  education  in  Atchison  County,  Missouri,  and  in  1873  he  entered 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Peru,  Nebraska,  where  he  was  a  student  for 
three  years.  He  then  began  the  study  of  law,  under  J.  D.  Campbell,  of 
Rock  Port,  Missouri,  and  in  the  spring  of  1878,  was  graduated  in  the  law 
department  of  the  State  University  of  Missouri,  after  which  time,  he 
began  the  practice  of  law  with  John  D.  Campbell,  continuing  as  a  part- 
ner with  him  till  October,  1879,  when  he  was  appointed  probate  judge, 
to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Judge  Templeton,  his  term  of 
office  expiring  January,  1880.  He  has  acted  as  justice  of  the  peace 
since  the  fall  of  188 1.  He  was  married  September  8,  1880,  to  Miss 
Alice  A.  Squire  ;  who  was  born  in  Kansas  September  4,  i860.  Her 
father,  Albert  Squire,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  her  mother, 
Charlotte  Longenecker,  of  Pennsylvania.     They  have  one  child— Lottie. 

PIONEER   ATTORNEYS. 

The  following  attorneys  were  enrolled  at  the  first  term  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  held  in  the  county  :  John  Wilson,  James  B.  Gardenshire,  T. 
D.  Wheaton,  Levi  Carr,  John  C.  Morris,  D.  G.  Price,  P.  L.  Hudgens, 
James  Foster,  John  W.  Kelly,  James  Craig,  Francis  M.  Warmcastle, 
Willard  P.  Hall. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

CRIMES,  INCIDENTS,  ACCIDENTS. 

FREEMAN  HALSEY— DANIEL  LAFOLLETT— MURDER  OF  CAPTAIN  S.  A.  HUNTER-ROBERT- 
SON HUNG  BY  A  MOB-BILL  LEWIS-A  MYSTERIOUS  AFFAIR— DESPERATE  AEFRAY— 
HIGH  WINDS  AND  STORMS— EARTHQUAKE. 

FREEMAN   HALSEY. 

While  Atchison  County  cannot  boast  of  many  grave  or  noted  crim- 
inal trials,  there  are  a  few  crimes  which  have  been  committed  within  her 
borders,  that  are  of  sufficient  interest  and  importance  to  be  mentioned 
in  this  work.  We  regret  exceedingly  that  the  facts  which  constitute  the 
following  chapter  are  so  meagre ;  such  as  they  are,  however,  we  shall 
now  present  them  : 

Though  not  the  first  homicide,  Freeman  Halsey  was  the  first  man 
tried  in  the  county  for  murder.  In  1856,  and  for  some  years  prior,  Free- 
man Halsey  and  Harrison  Davis  had  resided  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  county  as  neighbors,  in  the  vicinity  of  a  place  called  El  Paso,  on 
the  Nishnebotna  River.  Just  previously  to  the  circumstances  which  we 
are  about  to  relate,  they  became  enemies.  They  were  men  of  rough 
habits  and  manners,  and  in  the  spring  of  1856,  before  the  county  seat 
was  moved  to  Rock  Port  from  Linden,  they  happened  to  meet  at  the 
latter  place,  where,  by  the  use  of  liquor,  they  renewed  their  quarrels. 
At  the  time,  both  parties  were  in  the  street  on  the  north  side  of  the 
public  square.  After  an  altercation  of  words,  Halsey  drew  his  knife, 
rushed  upon  and  stabbed  Harrison,  and  cut  him  so  terribly  that  he  died 
in  a  short  time. 

Halsey  was  indicted  for  murder  in  the  first  degree,  by  the  first  grand 
jury  that  was  empaneled  at  Rock  Port  after  the  removal  of  the  county 
seat,  and  was  tried  at  the  same  term  of  court.  The  indictment  was 
returned  into  court  on  the  27th,  and  he  was  tried,  convicted  of  murder 
in  the  second  degree,  and  sentenced  to  a  term  often  years  in  the  peni- 
tentiary, on  the  29th  of  October,  1856 — very  strikingly  in  contrast  with 
the  delays  of  most  subsequent  trials  of  a  criminal  character. 

Elijah  H.  Norton,  one  of  the  Judges  (at  the  present  time)  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  was  the  judge,  and  James  N.  Burnes,  acting 
at  the  time  as  circuit  attorney,  tried  the  case.  Richard  Rupe,  Valentine 
Livingston,  William  Woolsey,  Robert  Anderson,  Henry  M.  Bush,  John 


CRIMES,    INCIDENTS,    ACCIDENTS.  IOI7 

Handley,  L.  White,  Jacob  Hughes,  George  Rader,  Andrew  Tribble,  Jon- 
athan Shepherd,  L.  Young,  James  W.  Garrison  and  Isaac  Law,  were  the 
grand  jurors  who  indicted  him,  and  John  G.  Sutton,  John  Harrington, 
William  King,  Calvin  Strange,  P.  R.  Christian,  Thomas  S.  Ely,  William 
McK,  Reuben  Hawkins,  B.  F.  Reynolds,  James  Roberts,  John  W.  Elliss 
and  William  Barber,  were  the  trial  jurors  who  found  him  guilty.  One- 
third  of  the  grand  jurors  and  two-thirds  of  the  petit  jurors  are  still  living. 
The  case  was  not  appealed,  and  Halsey  was  sent  to  the  penitentiary. 
He  was  a  man  of  perhaps  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  but  was  of 
the  long  haired,  frontier,  dare  devil  tpye. 

DANIEL   LA   FOLLETT. 

The  next  homicide  that  resulted  in  a  conviction  for  murder  occurred 
November  7,  1864,  near  Stafford's  Mill,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
county,  in  which  Daniel  LaFollett,  a  drunken  desperado,  shot  and  killed 
an  inoffensive  German,  by  the  name  of  Charles  Baker,  almost  without 
provocation.  The  difficulty  arose  out  of  a  controversy,  involving  the 
sum  of  seventy-five  cents.  The  tragedy  occurred  at  a  time  of  great 
excitement,  when  men  were  familiar  with  blood  and  crime,  when  the 
motives  of  base  men  were  scarcely  under  restraint  when  afforded  an 
opportunity  to  come  to  the  surface.  It  was  during  the  war  and  on  the 
day  of  Lincoln's  second  election.  LaFollett  was  permitted  to  escape 
and  was  not  even  indicted  by  the  grand  jury  until  the  April  term  of 
court,  1866.  William  Herron  was  the  judge  and  I.  C.  Parker  circuit  attor- 
ney, the  latter  drawing  the  indictment.  Parker  was  afterwards  judge  of 
the  circuit  court,  then  representative  in  Congress  from  this  district,  and 
is  now  Judge  of  the  United  States  Court  for  the  Western  District  of 
Arkansas,  residing  at  Fort  Smith.  LaFollett  fled  the  country  and  his 
whereabouts  were  long  unknown.  During  1874,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
year,  the  officials  ascertained  that  he  was  living  in  the  state  of  Illinois. 
The  necessary  requisition  was  made  on  the  Governor  of  Illinois  and  Jas. 
Tate  was  appointed  messenger  to  take  and  bring  the  criminal  to  Mis- 
souri. 

When  found,  LaFollett  had  settled  down  and  reformed  from  his  past 
life.  Instead  of  a  wild,  reckless,  drinking,  swearing  desperado,  he  had 
become  a  quiet,  industrious  and  respected  citizen,  and  had  become  a 
member  of  the  church.  During  his  trial  and  subsequent  imprisonment 
in  the  penitentiary,  he  has  sustained  his  quiet,  unobtrusive  Christian 
character,  taking  his  punishment  as  his  merited  desert. 

He  was  brought  to  the  county  at  the  May  term,  1874,  and  was  tried 
at  the  September  term  following,  resulting  in  a  conviction  for  murder  in 
the  second  degree,  and  a  sentence  of  twelve  years  in  the  penitentiary. 
Under  the  three-fourths  rule,  his  good  behavior  will  entitle  him  to  a  dis- 


IOlS  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

charge  in  September,  1883.  He  was  defended  by  Messrs.  Durfee  & 
McKillop,  Judge  Henry  S.  Kelley  on  the  bench,  and  John  D.  Campbell, 
prosecuting  attorney. 

MURDER   OF   CAPTAIN    S.    A.    HUNTER. 

Under  head  of  "Another  Murder,"  the  Atchison  County  Journal,  of 
March  31,  1866,  thus  refers  to  the  deed:  "On  Thursday  last,  the  22d, 
Captain  S.  A.  Hunter,  late  of  the  Ninth  Missouri  Cavalry,  was  brutally 
murdered  near  the  Missouri  River,  in  Buchanan  Township,  by  William 
R.  Robertson.  The  immediate  cause  of  this  sad  affair  we  learn  from 
rumor,  was  a  quarrel  between  the  parties  respecting  the  sale  of  some 
cord  wood.  Captain  Hunter  had  purchased  a  lot  of  wood  from  Robert- 
son, who  afterwards  sold  the  same  to  a  boat  passing  up  the  river.  Hun- 
ter went  to  see  him,  and  an  altercation  was  the  result.  Hunter  started 
off  as  if  going  home.  Robertson  thereupon  used  some  abusive  language, 
which  caused  Hunter  to  return.  He  took  Robertson  by  the  collar  and 
gave  him  a  shake.  Robertson  then  drew  his  revolver  and  shot  him. 
Hunter  turned  round  and  Robertson  shot  him  a  second  time.  Hunter 
died  almost  immediately.  Robertson  at  once  took  to  flight,  and  has  not 
yet  been  captured,  though  pursuit  has  been  kept  up,  and  the  friends  are 
offering  large  rewards  for  his  capture.  Captain  Hunter  is  well  and  favor- 
ably known  in  Northwest  Missouri,  and  his  loss  in  the  community  will 
be  deeply  felt.  Robertson  does  not  enjoy  a  very  good  reputation  in  the 
neighborhood  in  which  he  lived,  which  fact  will  go  hard  with  him  if 
taken. 

This  is  the  third  murder  that  has  been  committed  in  this  county 
since  the  commencement  of  the  present  year,  and  the  fact  that  no  one 
of  the  murderers  has  yet  suffered  the  penalty  of  their  crime,  goes  far 
towards  making  these  affrays  so  numerous.  Let  the  grand  jury  at  once 
find  bills  against  these  parties,  and  one  or  all  suffer  as  the  law 
directs,  and  there  will  be  less  violence  and  bloodshed.  In  the  days  of 
the  rebellion,  even,  such  outrages  in  our  community  were  not  so  com- 
mon, and  this,  in  a  measure,  results  from  the  fact  that  honest  and  upright 
citizens  have  long  since  ceased  to  carry  weapons  of  defense,  those  who 
retain  them  being  mostly  of  a  class  that  need  watching." 

The  same  journal  in  its  issue  of  April  7,  1866,  says :  "  From  Sheriff 
Wyatt  we  learn  that  William  Robertson,  who  murdered  Captain  Hun- 
ter on  the  22d  of  March  last,  was  arrested  in  Linn  County,  Missouri,  a 
few  days  ago  and  taken  to  Iowa,  where  the  officer  who  captured  him 
will  receive  the  reward  offered  for  him,  and  that  Sheriff  Wyatt  will 
start  at  once  for  him  and  take  him  to  Oregon,  Holt  County,  for  confine- 
ment until  his  trial.  Thus  must  another  convict  render  an  account  of 
his  inhuman  acts.     We  hope  that  law  and  justice  will  attend  to  his  case 


CRIMES.    INCIDENTS;   ACCIDENTS.  IOI9 

well,  and  if  he  be  found  guilty  to  make  an  example  of  him.  It  is  high 
time  that  a  stop  should  be  put  to  this  nefarious  work,  and  it  only 
remains  with  our  civil  courts  to  do  this  thing." 

The  Journal  of  the  14th  of  April  of  the  same  year  contains  the 
following  account  of  another  bold  murder  in  the  county  : 

ROBERTSON    HUNG    BY   A   MOB. 

"  As  we  stated  in  our  last  issue,  William  Robertson  was  captured 
and  on  Friday  last  brought  to  this  place  in  custody  of  Sheriff  Wyatt. 
Saturday  morning  he  was  taken  to  Buchanan  Township  for  examina- 
tion, as  we  learn,  at  his  own  request.  'Squire  Cellers  being  absent 
from  home  and  not  returning  till  late  in  the  day,  the  trial  was  not  over 
until  late  in  the  afternoon.  Robertson  waived  an  examination  and  was 
committed.  The  sheriff  and  his  posse  were  stopping  at  the  house  of 
Captain  Woolsey,  half  a  mile  below  the  site  of  the  old  town  of  El  Paso, 
and  directly  after  dark  the  house  was  suddenly  surrounded  and  entered 
by  a  band  of  armed  men  who  took  Robertson  away  and  doubtless  hung 
him,  as  he  was  found  next  day  hanging  from  a  tree  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

The  sheriff  and  his  posse  did  all  in  their  power  to  save  their  pris- 
oner from  his  impending  doom,  but  resistance  was  useless  with  a  band 
of  persons,  perhaps  one  hundred  armed  and  determined  men,  and  it  is 
fortunate  that  farther  bloodshed  was  not  the  result  of  these  men  taking 
the  law  into  their  own  hands. 

We  regret  that  any  portion  of  the  people  of  Atchison  County  should 
so  far  lose  confidence  in  the  ability  of  the  law  to  punish  the  guilty  as  to 
undertake  its  enforcement,  in  violation  of  law.  And  now  that  four  lives- 
have  been  lost  and  many  others  made  unhappy  for  life,  and  society  been 
disturbed  and  disorganized,  we  hope  to  see  our  officers  renew  their  vig- 
ilance and  show  a  determination  that  the  guilty  shall  not  go  unwhipt  of 
justice.  To  the  bad  management  of  the  first  murder  (that  of  the  murder 
of  Johnson)  may  be  traced  the  origin  of  this  affiair,  or  the  origin  of  the 
facts  which  caused  these  men  to  think  and  act  as  they  did." 

The  mob  is  believed  to  have  been  headed  by  the  notorious  Bill 
Lewis,  a  noted  character  in  that  day,  and  though  endowed  with  some 
good  traits  of  character,  turbulent  and  overbearing  in  his  demeanor. 
He  was  arrested,  with  others,  on  suspicion  of  being  concerned  in  the 
murder  of  Robertson.  He  managed  as  did  others  concerned  in  the  out- 
rage, to  have  his  trial  moved  from  place  to  place,  at  great  cost  to  him- 
self, until  finally  the  matter  was  worn  out,  and  he^ escaped  justice. 

BILL    LEWIS. 

Many  stories  are  told  of  Bill  Lewis  as  a  practical  joker.     Many  of 
•of  these  jokes,  it  appears,  savored  as  much  of  malice  as  of  fun.     On  one 


I020  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

occasion,  it  is  related  that  he  offered  the  captain  of  a  boat  on  which  he 
happened  to  be  traveling,  ten  dollars  for  the  privilege  of  ringing  the 
bell.  This  diversion  he  kept  up,  to  the  annoyance  of  the  passengers, 
till  the  captain  was  glad  to  return  to  him  the  money  and  pay  him,  besides, 
a  bonus  to  induce  him  to  forego  his  contract.  In  another  of  his  drunken 
moods,  he  is  said  to  have  mounted  the  drum  of  a  large  stove  on  the  fore 
wheels  of  a  wagjon,  in  the  semblance  of  a  cannon.  With  this  planted 
on  the  river  bank,  at  the  Sacramento  landing,  he  hailed  and  ordered  a 
passing  boat  to  round  to  and  land — a  command  with  which  the  captain 
of  the  craft,  apprehensive  of  being  blown  out  of  the  water,  promptly 
complied,  when  he  discovered,  to  his  infinite  disgust,  the  nature  of  the 
formidable  fieldpiece,  and  recognized  one   of  Bill  Lewis'  practical  jokes. 

A    MYSTERIOUS   AFFAIR. 

The  following  well  illustrates  the  power  of  circumstantial  evidence  : 
W.  King,  who  resides  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Rock  Port,  on  the 
farm  originally  settled  by  the  Fowlers,  in  the  summer  of  1878,  had  in  his 
employ  two  men,  Barney  Gordon  and  Hiram  Phillips,  the  latter  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  years  of  age,  and  the  former  a  young  man  barely  grown. 
Both  were  engaged  at  work  in  the  timber.  Hiram  was  chopping  and 
Barney  was  hauling  with  a  team.  Both  had  endeavored  to  pay  their 
compliments  to  the  same  young  lady,  who  was  living  at  Mr.  King's. 

They  went  out  into  the  timber  one  day  to  work,  as  usual.  In  the 
afternoon  or  evening  Hiram  came  home,  went  to  the  well,  drank  two  or 
three  cups  of  water,  seemed  somewhat  excited,  and  finally  asked  if  Bar- 
ney had  come  back.  The  answer  was,  he  had  not.  He  then  stated  that 
Barney's  team  was  up  in  the  woods,  fast,  and  that  the  tongue  of  the  wagon 
was  broken.  Mr.  King  went  after  the  team  and  found  the  wagon  and  other 
things  as  stated.  That  evening,  or  some  other  time  previously  thereto,  he 
told  the  girl  that  he  had  or  would  kill  Barney..  He  was  a  sullen,  solitary, 
morose  appearing  individual.  Barney  failed  to  return  that  night.  Sus- 
picion began  to  be  aroused.  Search  discovered  a  few  drops  of  blood  on  the 
fresh  chips,  near  a  newly  cut  stump.  Barney  had  only  taken  with  him  in 
the  morning  his  every  day  clothes,  but  left  his  valise  and  principal  cloth- 
ing, and  a  dollar  and  ten  cents  in  money,  at  Mr.  King's.  Mr.  King  was 
owing  him,  besides,  almost  a  month's  wages.  Hiram  had  been  seen  to  go- 
into  the  woods  the  next  day  after  Barney  was  missing.  Suspicion  grew 
stronger  until  he  was  finally  arrested  on  the  charge  of  murder,  the  suppo- 
sition being  well  founded  that  a  foul  crime  had  been  committed,  and  that 
poor  Barney  had  been'murdered  and  his  body  secreted  by  his  comrade. 

Vigorous  search  through  the  hills  and  woods  was  made  for  the  miss- 
ing man,  but  as  Hiram  had  had  several  days  in  which  to  dispose  of  the 
body,  but  slight  hopes  were  entertained  of  finding  it.   'Thirty  or  forty 


CRIMES,    IN'CIDENTS,    ACCIDENTS.  1021 

persons  at  different  times,  explored  the  woods,  the  streams  and  old  wells, 
but  found  not  the  missing  man.  A  large  club,  about  three  feet  in  length, 
was  found  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  supposed  to  have  been  secreted  there. 
A  place  had  been  discovered  where  the  ground  had  been  dug  up  and 
filled  again,  but  examination  revealed  nothing,  though  it  was  thought 
that  a  slight  stench  was  detected,  which  led  some  to  suppose  Barney 
had  at  first  been  buried  there,  and  then  removed.  At  the  end  of  a  week 
quite  a  number  of  buzzards  were  seen  sailing  above  the  woods  ;  a  doctor, 
high  in  his  profession,  who  had  been  used  to  the  dissecting  room,  in 
passing  through  the  woods  got  two  or  three  scents  from  some  decaying 
body,  which  he  said,  must  be  that  of  a  human  being.  But  all  search 
seemed  unavailing  ;  the  body  itself  could  not  be  found.  Word  was  sent 
to  Barney's  friends  who  lived  in  Kansas  ;  they  had  heard  nothing  of  him. 
His  father  came  up  to  be  present  at  the  preliminary  trial,  before  the 
justice.  Hiram  could  give  no  bond  ;  in  fact  the  case  was  not  a  bailable 
one.  After  ten  days  the  case  came  up  for  trial,  and  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  the  justice  discharged  the  prisoner,  and  he  left  the  country.  In  a 
few  days  afterwards,  Barney's  body  was  found  in  Trent  County,  Iowa, 
walking  around  in  perfect  health,  unconscious  of  the  furore  and  commo- 
tion his  silent  disappearance  had  made.  If  he  ever  gave  any  account  of 
his  mysterious  action,  we  have  not  been  informed. 

DESPERATE   AFFRAY. 

The  Atchison  County  Journal,  of  February  24,  1866,  says:  "This 
little  town  of  Sonora  was  thrown  into  quite  an  excitement  on  the  12th 
instant,  over  a  stabbing  affray,  the  parties  being  John  Stinson  and  Joseph 
Smith.  The  first  bad  feature  in  the  affair  was  that  it  originated  in  a 
grocery,  or  as  Father  Doyle  calls  it,  a  gate  to  hell.  It  appears  from  the 
sworn  evidence  that  Smith  made  a  challenge  to  fight  any  g —  d —  man 
in  Sonora.  Stinson  considering  himself  that  sort  of  a  man,  accepted  the 
challenge,  so  they  went  at  it,  Stinson  striking  the  first  blow  and  knock- 
ing his  antagonist  down,  then  seizing  him  by  the  hair  of  the  head,  com- 
menced the  work  of  annihilation,  Smith  claiming  that  he  was  whipped. 
About  this  time  knives  were  seen  in  both  their  hands.  Stinson  at  this 
time  stabbed  Smith,  inflicting  a  mortal  wound,  at  the  same  time  thrust- 
ing the  fatal  instrument  into  his  lungs  to  make  the  work  sure.  The 
weapon  he  used  was  a  bowie  knife,  the  blade  six  inches  long.  Stinson 
was  taken  off  Smith.  Smith  then  ran  for  his  life,  but  his  conqueror  not 
being  satisfied  with  the  work  he  had  done,  swore  that  he  would  kill  him, 
and  seizing  a  wagon  neck  yoke,  pursued  Smith,  overtook  him,  and  would 
have  ended  his  life  there,  had  not  a  spectator  interfered  and  prevented 
him  from  beating  his  brains  out,  Smith  all  the  time  claiming  that  he  was 
whipped.     In  all  the  annals  of  the  four  years'  war  that  we  have  passed 


1022  HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 

through,  I  have  never  read  anything  more  cruel.  Stinson  was  arrested 
by  Justice  Morgan  and  brought  to  trial,  and  because  he  is  bound  over  in 
the  sum  of  $2,000,  some  of  his  Christian  neighbors  claim  that  the  justice 
of  the  peace  committed  a  great  error,  and  did  not  exercise  impartial 
justice." 

HIGH  WINDS  AND  STORMS. 

The  Atchison  County  Journal,  of  June  24,  1865,  says  : 

"The  court  house,  owing  to  the  great  weight  of  the  cupola,  during 
the  late  high    winds,  has  been  considerably  damaged.     A  crack  in  the 
east  wall,  something  like  an  inch  in  width  is  visible  in  the  clerk's  office. 
Something  should  at  once  be  done  to  strengthen  the  walls." 
The  same  paper  of  July  1,  1865,  says  : 

"On  Wednesday  evening  last,  June  28,  1865,  a  terrific  storm  came 
up  from  the  west,  which  in  its  course  struck  the  court  house,  completely 
unroofing  the  'same.  The  damage  done  is  not  less  than  $3,000,  and 
perhaps  the  total  loss  of  the  building.  Fortunately,  the  clerks  had  left 
their  offices  but  a  few  minutes  before.  The  storm  seems  to  have  been 
somewhat  extended  in  its  effects.  We  hear  of  many  smaller  calamities 
in  its  wake." 

EARTHQUAKE. 

The  Journal  of  April  24,  1867,  says:  "The  building  occupied  by 
Messrs.  Hunter  &  Hurst  and  L.  B.  Stivers,  on  Main  Street,  we  are  told, 
rocked  backward  and  forward  like  a  cradle,  causing  the  inmates  to  sud- 
denly vamoose.  Dr.  Dozier's  drug  store,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street,  was  jarred  considerably,  causing  several  bottles  to  fall  from  the 
shelves.  The  same  was  the  result  at  Mr.  E.  L.  Clark's  store,  only  the 
shock  was  more  perceptible.  Other  buildings  were  shaken  to  a  consid- 
erable degree,  including  the  court  house,  which  received  a  very  severe 
shock.  The  Journal  office  did  not  escape  without  some  damage,  as  a 
considerable  amount  of  live  matter  was  knocked  into  pi.  The  appear- 
ance of  an  earthquake  in  this  county  is  decidedly  a  new  feature,  as  the 
oldest  inhabitant  can  attest." 

The  Missouri  Express  says  :  "  On  the  15th  of  June,  1872,  a  heavy 
storm  of  wind  and  rain  visited  Rock  Port  and  vicinity.  Holliway  & 
Bro.  and  Deuser's  fine  store  houses  were  unroofed  and  the  tin  rolled 
together  like  a  scroll.  The  rafters  of  the  new  Baptist  Church  were 
thrown  over  and  several  other  houses  damaged.  If  the  storm  was  as 
severe  in  the  country  as  here,  barley  and  other  grain  and  fruit  must  be 
seriously  damaged." 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

FINANCIAL  HISTORY. 

Abstract  of  the   valuation   of  Atchison  County,    Missouri,  for  the 
years  hereinafter  named  : 

i855. 

KIND  OF  PROPERTY.  No.          Valuation. 

Polls 526 

Land 64,655         $     400,682 

Town  Lots 335                  24,488 , 

Slaves 51                  21,725 

All  other  property 173,216 

Total $620, 1 1 1 

1857. 

Polls 684 

Lands 192,199         $  1,120,753 

Town  lots 710                  55.687 

Slaves 75                 37. 780 

All  other  property 226,769 

Total $1,441,169 

1859. 

Polls 858 

Lands 275,252         $  1,207,317 

Town  lots :*...  1,131                  67,430 

Slaves 68                 29,600 

All  other  property ' 335.857 

Total $1,640,204 

i860. 

Polls 927 

Lands 337,723         $  1,415.649 

Town  lots 1,072                 64,895 

Slaves 60                 26,325 

All  other  property 298,730 


Total $  1,805,599 


1024  HISTORY  OF    ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

1864. 

KIND  OF  PROPERTY.                                                    No.  Valuation. 

Polls 743 

Lands 317.937  $    833.996 

Town  lots 1.093  27,934 

All  other  property 247,275 


Total $1,109,205 

1867. 

Lands 258,194  $    891,323 

Town  lots 802  37.577 

Horses 2,744  162,012 

Mules  and  asses 576  38,565 

Cattle 10,037  111,122 

Sheep 9,326  18,585 

Hogs 23,537  71.942 

All  other  property 249,342 


Total $1,580,468 

1870. 

Lands 3 10,686  $  1 ,678,641 

Town  lots 1,665  50,072 

Horses 3,868  194,892 

Mules  and  asses 704  42,091 

Cattle 12,466  165,045 

Sheep 8,500  8,500 

Hogs 34,089  87,786 

All  other  property 344,040 


Total $2,571,067 

1875. 

Lands 319,704  $  2,406,562 

Town  lots 1,957  1 1 1,711 

Horses 6,005  257,328 

Cattle   , 21,463  227,512 

Sheep 5,988  5,988 

Hogs 52,160  I39.079 

Mules  and    asses 1,184  58,553 

All  other  property 481,728 


Total 3,688,461 

1880. 

Lands  330,615  3.374-956 

Town  Lots 1,877  180,639 

Horses 7,009  238,622 

Mules 2,049  88,402 

Asses 37  i,755 

Cattle 27,472  309,883 


FINANCIAL   HISTORY.  1025 

kind  OF  PROPERTY.  No.  Valuation. 

Sheep '. 6,661  6,963 

Hogs 69,461  1 13,899 

All  other  property 783,564 

Total 5,098,683 

1882. 

Lands 330,183  $3,847,850 

Town  Lots 2,010  209,562 

Horses 7,791  302,331 

Mules 2,481  1 14,589 

Asses  and  Jennets 28  i»590 

Cattle 32,826  454,599 

Sheep  , 6,456  7, 141 

Hogs 51,429  136,755 

All  other  property 1,  023,134 

Total  . $  6,097,551 

The  above  figures  show  the  rapid  increase  in  value  of  personal  and 
real  property  in  the  county,  since  185 5»  and  gives  an  evidence  of  mate- 
rial growth  and  prosperity  that  should  be  highly  gratifying  to  every 
citizen  of  Atchison  County.  The  county  has  no  bonded  indebtedness 
of  any  kind,  and  in  fact,  no  debts  that  cannot  be  paid  at  any  time. 

The  amount  of  outstanding  warrants  is  $3,482.65,  $800  of  which 
belong  to  the  diking  fund.  These  debts  are  merely  nominal,  and  can 
be  paid  at  any  moment.  The  school  fund  approximates  $139,000.  The 
pauper  fund  reaches  about  $3,000,  and  is  constantly  increasing,  as  the 
poor  farm  pays  its  own  way,  being  now  entirely  out  of  debt. 


65 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

OFFICIAL  DIRECTORY. 

CIRCUIT  JUDGES. 

Solomon  L.  Leonard  was  appointed  Judge  of  the  Twelfth  Judicial 
Circuit,  by  John  C.  Edwards,  Governor  of  Missouri,  on  June  13,  1845,  and 
served  to  the  April  term,  185 1. 

William  R.  Almond  was  elected  Judge  in  August,  185 1,  and  pre- 
sented his  commission  as  such  at  the  October  term,  185 1,  and  served  to 
the  April  term,  1852. 

E.  H.  Norton,  from  1852  to  i860. 

Silas  Woodson,  from  October,  i860,  to  October,  1863. 

William  Heven,  from  April,  1864,  to  November,  1868. 

Isaac  C.  Parker,  from  May,  1869,  to  September,  1870. 

Bennett  Pike,  from  January,  1871,  to  January,  1872. 

Henry  S.  Kelley,  from  May,  1872,  to  the  present  time  and  is  the 
present  incumbent. 

CIRCUIT    ATTORNEYS. 

At  the  September  term,  1846,  the  court  appointed  Willard  P.  Hall 
Circuit  Attorney,  pro  tern. 

Isaac  N.  Jones,  from  1846  to  1848. 

L.  Archer,  from  1849  to  1852. 

Thomas  Ward,  from  1852  to  1853. 

James  Craig,  from  April,  1853,  to  1856. 

J.  M.  Bassett,  from  April,  1857,  to  October,  i860. 

Thomas  Thoroughman,  from  i860  to  1861. 

Joseph  P.  Grubb,  from  1862  to  1865. 

Isaac  C.  Parker,  frojn  1865  to  1868. 

Jeff.  Chandler,  from  1868  to  1869. 

B.  K.  Davis,  from  1869  to  1872. 

T.  C.  Dungan,  from  May,  1872,  to  September,  1872. 

John  D.  Campbell,  from  1873  to  1876. 

Stephen  J.  Osborn,  from  July,  1876,  to  January,  1879. 

CIRCUIT   CLERKS. 

Alexander  A.  Bradford,  appointed  clerk,  by  Henderson  Young, 
Judge  of  the  Seventh  Judicial  Circuit,  on  the  26th  day  of  April,  1845,  and 
served  until  the  November  term,  1849. 


OFFICIAL   DIRECTORY.  IO27 

Joseph  D.  N.  Thompson,  elected  clerk  August,  1849,  and  served  as 
clerk  to  November  term,  1853. 

James  M.  Templeton,  from  1853  to  1866. 

A.  F.  Tiffany,  from  1866  to  1874. 

John  W.  Smith,  from  January,  1875,  and  is  the  present  incumbent. 

COUNTY    CLERKS. 

Alexander  A.  Bradford,  from  1845  to  1850. 
Joseph  D.  N.  Thompson,  from  1850  to  1853. 
James  M.  Templeton,  from  1853  to  1875. 
Lewis  C.  Christian,  from  1875  to  1879. 
Martin  L.  Lee,  from  1879  to  l883- 

PROBATE    JUDGES. 

Probate  business  was  transacted  by  the  county  court  until  1872. 
The  first  probate  judge  was  Jeremiah  Purdum,  1872  ;  re-elected.  James 
M.  Templeton,  Landon  W.  Campbell,  Frank  M.  Joslyn,  present  incum- 
bent. 

SHERIFFS. 

L.  T.  Tate,  from  1845  to  April,  1846. 

John  W.  Freeman,  from  June,  1846,  to  August,  1846. 

B.  M.  George,  from  1846  to  1849. 
John  Hays,  from  1849  to  l850. 
Thomas  J.  Jones,  from  1850  to  1855. 
F.  S.  Moore,  from  1855  to  1858. 
Charles  F.  Miller,  from  1858  to  i860. 
John  W.  Smith,  from  i860  to  1862. 
A.  E.  Wyatt,  from  1862  to  1866. 
William  M.  Blake,  from  1866  to  1869. 
Don  A.  Colvin,  from  1869  to  1873. 
Henry  Warneke,  from  1873  to  1877. 
Thomas  H.  Oliver,  from  1877  to  1880. 
James  B.  Gray,  from  1880  to  1882. 

COUNTY   COURT  JUSTICES. 

Appointed  March  13,  1845,  Alexander  McElroy,  Daniel  Hunsaker, 
Elijah  S.  Needles. 

From  1846  to  1848,  Charles  McDonald,  Daniel  Hunsaker,  Richard 
Rupe. 

From  1848  to  1849,  Richard  Rupe,  Charles  McDonald,  John  C. 
Scott. 


1028  HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

From  1849  to  J^o,  Richard  Rupe,  Charles  McDonald,  George  Bor- 
chers. 

From  1850  to  1852,  D.  Lamb,  H.  C.  Cawler,  Henry  S.  Hill. 

From  1852  to  June  1852,  D.  Lamb,  Henry  S.  Hill,  Joseph  F.  Still. 

From  June,  1852  to  1854,  D.  Lamb,  William  Woolsey,  Joseph  H. 
Jamison. 

From  1854  to  1857,  Michael  Kime,  E.  S.  Needels,  N.  W.  Swift. 

From  1857  to  1858,  N.  W.  Swift,  Samuel  B.  Tate,  E.  S.  Needels. 

From  1858  to  1861,  William  Hunter,  Samuel  B.  Tate,  Thomas  M. 
McAdams. 

From  1861  to  1864,  William  Hunter,  James  A.  Taylor,  Thomas  M, 
McAdams. 

From  1864  to  1865,  William  Hunter,  Elijah  S.  Needels,  Franklin 
Merrill. 

From  1865  to  1866,  Franklin  Merrill,  Henry  P.  Moore,  James  Hunter. 

From  1866  to  1871,  James  Hunter,  David  Bertram,  James  Carms. 

From  1871  to  1872,  James  Carms,  James  Hunter,  Leonard  R.  Sanders. 

From  1872  to  1873,  James  Carms,  James  Hunter,  Adolph  Bertram. 

From  1873  to  1875,  James  Hunter,  Adolph  Bertram,  Ezra  M.  Hurst. 

From  1875  to  1877,  Adolph  Bertram,  Ezra  M.  Hurst, W.  H.Morgan. 

From  1877  to  1879,  Ezra  M.  Hurst,  W.  H.  Morgan,  John  F.  Sly. 

From  1879  to  l88l»  John  T-  Wells,  J.  J.  Denny,  Wm.  B.  Houts. 

From  1881  to  1883,  Albert  Gerdes,  J.  T.  Wells,  William  Campton. 

TREASURERS. 

Frank  M.  Warncastle,  from  1845,  but  declined  to  serve. 

Moses  Beal,  appointed  May,  1845,  to  April,  1847. 

Edward  Hall,  from  April,  1847,  to  February,  1849. 

Stephen  F.  Nuckolls,  from  February,  1849,  to  February,  1855. 

W.  L.  Van  Doren,  from  February,  1855,  to  August,  1855. 

John  Y.  Bird,  from  August,  1855,  to  18—. 

E.  M.  Hurst,  from  November,  1866,  to  1869. 

Robert  Hunter,  from  July,  1869,  to  November,  1872.. 

John  Wright,  from  November,  1872,  to  November,  1880. 

J.  E.  Spurlock,  from  November,  1880,  to  November,  1882. 

ASSESSORS. 

Henry  Watts  from  April,  1845,  to  August,  1845. 

William  Sparks  from  September,  1845,  to  June,  1846. 

Moses  Beal  from  July,  1846,  to  184- 

John  Jones. 

U.  S.  Hightower,  1854. 


OFFICIAL    DIRECTORY.  IO29 

In  1857  the  county  was  divided  into  five  assessment  districts  : 

First  District — Nathan  W.  Swift.  Assessor. 

Second  District — Pharis  Millsaps,  Assessor. 

Third  District — Samuel  Tate,  Assessor. 

Fourth  District — Franklin  Merrill,  Assessor. 

Fifth  District — Harvey  Williams,  Assessor. 

L.  C.  Christian  assessed  half  the  county  from  1859  to  i860. 

Jeremiah  Purdum  half  from  1859  to  i860. 

U.  S.  Hightower,  1862. 

Jeremiah  Purdum,   1867. 

Frederick  Marlatt,  1869. 

Ephraim  L.  Clark,  187 1. 

William  J.  Harrington,  1876. 

William  Bently,  188 1,  present  incumbent. 

COUNTY  SCHOOL  SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Solomon  Wyatt,  Silas  Puyear,  William  H.  Dunbar,  H.  T.  Trimble, 
George  F.  Bixby,  Ephriam  L.  Clark,  Malcolm  B.  Nicholson,  W.  F.  Drake, 
John  W.  Tate,  Dougal  McCall,  present  incumbent. 

SURVEYORS. 

—  Bruce,  appointed  in  1845.  Cornelius  Schubert,  William  H. 
Dunbar,  John  D.  Dopf,  M.  McKillop,  S.  S.  Hughes,  James  S.  Howell,  S. 
S.  Hughes,  present  incumbent. 

1 

REPRESENTATIVES. 

F.  M.  Warmcastle,  1846  ;  Dr.  Aull,  1848  ;  Isaac  Wilson,  1850  ;  Solo- 
mon Wyatt,  154;  Nelson  O.  Hopkins,  1856  ;  R.  K.  Crandall,  1858  ;  Dr. 
William  Arnold,    i860;  John,  W.    Enoch,  ;  James    M.    Templeton, 

;  John  P.  Lewis,   1873  ;  Charles  V.  Snow,  ;  A.    S.    Campbell, 

;  Ezra  M.  Hurst,  1880,  present  incumbent. 

SENATORS. 
[See  history  of  Holt  County,  official  directory,  chapter  XX.] 


^S^#f^ff^ 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

BRIDGES,  POST  OFFICES,  OLD   SETTLERS,  CALIFORNIA 

EMIGRANTS. 

COUNTY   BRIDGES. 

If  Atchison  County  is  abundantly  watered  with  streams  of  various 
magnitude  and  importance,  the  enterprise  of  her  people  has  amply 
provided  the  highways  crossing  the  same  with  substantial  and  well- 
kept  bridges.  These  continue  to  be  supplied  from  time  to  time  as  the 
necessities  of  the  case  demand,  and  there  are  at  the  present  time 
(March,  1882)  one  hundred  and  nineteen  of  various  dates  and  dimen- 
sions completed  and  in  use  within  the  limits  of  the  county,  besides 
three  others  now  under  contract.  These  are  distributed  among  the  ten 
municipal  townships,  into  which  the  county  is  divided,  as  follows : 
Buchanan  Township,  eleven  bridges  ;  Polk  Township,  nineteen  and  a 
half;  Clay  Township,  fifteen  and  a  half;  Nishnebotna  Township,  one- 
half;  Templeton,  one  and  a  half;  Benton,  one  and  a  half;  Clark,  six 
and  a  half;  Dale,  twelve  ;  Tarkio,  twenty  and  a  half;  Lincoln,  thirty 
and  a  half. 

The  following  is  a  full  and  correct  statement  of  the  different  num- 
bers by  which  these  bridges  are  known,  as  well  as  of  the  dimensions 
and  materials  of  which  they  are  constructed,  together  with  different 
sections,  townships  and  ranges  in  which  they  are  located  : 


Name  of  Bridge. 


. 

■*-» 

<D 

V 

**-• 

Du 

c 

la 
V 

C 

J= 

, 

JZ 

e 

O 

c 

CUD 

u 

is 

c 

c 

3 

0 

a 

0) 

£ 

C/3 

E- 

(A 

hJ 

Material. 


Groh.  .  , 
Burnett.  . 
Needle  .  , 
Colvin  .  . 
Watson. 
Lewis.  . 
State  Line, 
Milton  .  . 
Millon  .  . 
CamDbell. 


I 

4 

63 

4i 

130 

2 

21 

64 

4i 

130 

3 

17 

64 

4i 

130 

4 

3° 

65 

4i 

130 

5 

1 

65 

42 

126 

6 

3 

66 

42 

140 

7 

35 

67 

42 

125 

8 

9 

63 

40 

9 

9 

63 

40 

10 

27 

64 

40 

60 

Wood 

Combination 

Iron 

Iron 

Iron 

Iron 

Iron 

Combination 

Combination 

Wood 


BRIDGES,    POST    OFFICES,    ETC. 
COUNTY  BRIDGES — Continued. 


1031 


Name  of  Bridge. 


aj 

s 


c 
o 

-4— I 


*-' 

<u 

ID 

uz, 

Cu 

u- 

0 

in 

U 

J5 

&u 

bo 

c 

c 

O 

rt 

<u 

r1 

ti 

.J 

Material. 


GUkerson.  .  . 
Ranney.  .  .  . 
Wright  .    .    .    . 

Deal 

Van  Leuven  .    . 

Kime 

Tarkio  .... 
Fanning.  .  .  . 
Baker.  .  .  .  , 
Nuckolls  .  .  . 
Woolsey  .  .  . 
Clement.  .  .  . 
Miller.  .  .  .  . 
Hurst     .    .    .    . 

Hall 

And  is  .  .  .  . 
Centre  Point.  . 
Bartlett.  .  .  . 
Westboro.  .  .    . 

Day 

Hugh  Long  .  . 
Upper  Tarkio  . 

Trotter 

Perry 

Essex  .... 

Davis 

Davis  .    .    .    .    , 

Peck 

Davenport   .    . 
McCollister  .    . 
J.  Christian  .    . 
J.  Rankin.    .    . 
New  Westboro. 

Cow 

Murphey  .    .    . 

Beck 

Whalen .    .    .    . 
Whalen  .... 
Hunter  .... 
Sutton  .... 
Hughes .... 
Rock  Port .  .    . 
Geiger.    .    .    . 
Not  named  .    . 
Not  named  .    . 
Walters .... 


1 1 

1  2 

13 

14 

15 
16 

17 

18 

19 
20 

21 

22 

23 
24 

25 
26 

27 
28 

39 
3° 
31 

32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
3« 
39 
40 

4i 
42 

43 
44 

45 
46 

47 
48 

49 
5° 
5' 

52 
53 
54 
55 
56 


9 

27 

36 

3 

3 
6 

14 

23 
12  &  13 

7  ' 
16 

4 
24 

7  • 
31 

31 

2 

32 
16 
16 

10  &  15 

3 
18 

7  &  18 
7&8 
7&8 
7&8 

8 

35  &36 

24 

24 

9  &  10 

15  &  16 

19 
32 

18  &  1  9 

7 

8  &  17 

9 

3 

34 

?7 

23 
15  &  22 
15  &  22 

1 1  &  24 


64 

65 
66 

65 

65 
66 

65 

65 
66 

65 

65 
65 
65 


66*38 


67 

65 

65 
66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

66 

65 
65 
65 
65 
65 
64 
64 
65 
65 
65 
65 
65 
65 


40 
40 

49 
40 
40 

39 
40 

40 

40 

39 
39 
39 
39 


38 
40 

40 
39 
39 
39 
39 
39 
39 
39 
39 
39 
39 
39 
40 
40 
40 

39 

39 
40 

40 
40 
40 
40 
4i 
4i 
4i 
4i 
4i 
4i 
4i 
40 


60 
60 
60 


60 
60 

60 

60 
60 


40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 

40 


22 


60 
60 

5° 
84 

5° 
40 

40 


Wood 

Combination 

Wood 

Wood 

Combination 

Wood 

Wood 

Wood 

Combination 

Combination 

Combination 
Wood 
Wood 
Wood 


Wood 

Combination 

Wood 

Combination 

Combination 

Wood 

Combination 
Combination 
Combination 
Combination 

Wood 
Wood 

Wood 

Combination 

Combination 

Wood 

Wood 

Combination 

Wood 

Wood 

Combination 

Iron 

Combination 

Wood 

Wood 


1032 


HISTORY   OF  ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


COUNTY  BRIDGES — Continued. 


Name  of  Bridge. 


4-> 

<u 

u 

<*- 

d 

o 

u 

■ 

r 

E 

a 
o 

a 

c 
is 

be 

c 

1— « 

bo 

c 

3 

o 

rt 

u 

53 

oo 

fen 

Pi 

J 

Material. 


Stevenson 

North 

Deats 

Laumon 

Quince 

Quince 

Upper    Rock   Creek 
Not    named  .... 

Vogler 

R.  C.  Church  .    .    . 

Beal 

Shelley 

Van  Meter.  .    .    . 

Zook  ...... 

W.  Wallace  .  .  . 
Westman   .... 

Hopkins 

Moore 

Zook   Cowen .    . . 

Clayton  

Beatte 

Lower  Her.  .  .  . 
Upper  Her  .... 
Robinson  .... 

Stoner 

Mile  Creek  .  .  . 
Hamilton  .... 

Blevins 

Pebley 

Bona ...... 

Chyle 

De  Arnon's  .    .    . 

Quinn 

Wolf 

Turner  ..... 

Grant. 

Bigley    

Powers 

Zook  or  York  .    . 

Read 

Wisherd 

Pelton 

Walkup 

Creed 

Latelle 


57 

2 

65 

41 

5« 

1 

65 

41 

59 

20  &  2Q 

66 

40 

6o 

8  &  17 

66 

40 

6i 

10  &  11 

66 

4i 

62 

10  &  1 1 

66 

4i 

63 

4  &  9 

66 

40 

64 

17  &  20 

64 

39 

65 

35 

65 

4i 

60 

66 

22 

64 

4i 

24 

67 

20 

66 

4i 

60 

68 

22 

66 

4i 

. 

69 

13  &24 

66 

41 

70 

10  &  15 

8  &  1 7 

66 

4i 

71 

1 7  &  22 

66 

4i 

• 

72 

22 

66 

4i 

40 

73 

17  &  18 

66 

40 

40 

74 

20 

66 

41 

. 

75 

13 

66 

4i 

76 

7 

66 

4i 

40 

77 

36 

67 

42 

40 

7« 

35 

67 

42 

40 

79 

35 

67 

42 

40 

80 

35 

67 

42 

48 

81 

28 

66 

4i 

20 

82 

2 

63 

4i 

20 

83 

36 

64 

4i 

40 

84 

32 

61 

40 

85 

4 

63 

40 

86 

18 

63 

39 

87 

6  &  7 

63 

39 

60 

i8 

31 

64 

39 

89 

31 

64 

39 

40 

90 

3° 

64 

39 

40 

91 

9  &  16 

64 

39 

40 

92 

9 

64 

39 

40 

93 

3&4 

64 

39 

40 

94 

34 

65 

39 

40 

95 

26&3S 

65 

39 

20 

96 

26 

65 

39 

40 

97 

5,6,7,8 

65 

38 

40 

98 

6 

64 

38 

40 

99 

35 

64 

39 

60 

100 

16 

63 

39 

IOI 

2 

63 

39 

Wood 
Wood 
Wood 
Wood 


Combination 

Iron 

Wood 

Wood 

Wood 


Combination 
Combination 
Wood 
Wood 


Wood 

Combination 

Combination 

Combination 

Wood 

Wood 

Wood 


Wood 

Combination 

Wood 

Wood 

Wood 


Wood 
Wood 
Wood 
Wood 


BRIDGES,    POST    OFFICES,    ETC. 
COUNTY  BRIDGES — Continued. 


1033 


Name  of  Bridge. 


0> 

JO 

E 


s 
o 

u 


4-1 

aj 

<l> 

D. 

C 

<u 

JC 

— 

Cf 

be 

S 

a 

c 

O 

to 

u 

E- 

04 

J 

Material. 


Trout.    .    .    . 
Homer  .    .    . 

Fish 

Woolsey.  .    .    , 
Long  Branch. 
Wood    .    .    . 
No  Name  .    . 
Bristle   .    .    . 
Willow  Slough. 
Gooch  .    .    . 
Griffen  .    .    . 
Cies  .... 
Little  Lewis.. 
No  Name.  .    . 
Edwards   .    . 
Ellmore  .    .    . 
Greer  .    .     .    . 
Second  Greer 
Barger  .    .    .    . 
Fleming    .    . 
Daniels.    .    . 


102 

103 

104 

*°5 

106 

107 

108 

109 

no 

III 

112 

J«3 

114 

"5 

116 

117 

118 

119 

120 

121 

122 

n 

65 

40 

30 

65 

39 

8  &  9 

65 

39 

40 

8 

65 

39 

19.20,30,40 

66 

3« 

20  &  29 

66 

tf 

19  &  20 

66 

38 

8  &  17 

66 

38 

a 

4 

66 

\2 

10 

66 

41 

3 

66 

41 

9  &  16 

64 

39 

3 

66 

42 

40 

16 

66 

38 

40 

24 

65 

39 

40 

7 

63 

39 

5° 

2 

65 

4i 

40 

2 

66 

41 

40 

31 

65 

40 

40 

3l 

64 

39 

40 

5 

66 

39 

40 

Combination 
Combination 
Combination 
Combination 
Wood 

Combination 
Combination 


Wood 

Wood 

Iron 

Iron 

Wood 

Wood 

Wood 

Wood 

Wood 


It  must  be  inferred  from  the  foregoing  that  the  bridges  of  Atchison 
County,  because  of  their  great  number  and  the  character  of  their  con- 
struction generally,  constitute  an  important  item  of  expense  to  the 
county.  During  the  year  1880  there  was  expended  for  the  erection  of 
bridges  and  repairs,  the  sum  of  $6,798.49,  and  in  188 1  the  sum  of  $16,- 
167.77.  The  average  amount  annually  expended  for  this  purpose  is 
about  $7,000. 

POST   OFFICES. 


For  the  sake  of  convenience,  we  have  arranged  in  their  order  the 
names  of  the  different  post  offices  in  the  county: 

Dothan,  Dale  Township,  Van  Dunn,  Postmaster. 

Elk  Dale,  Dale  Township,  Mrs.  Benson  Bond,  Postmistress. 

Fairfax,  Clark  Township,  S.  P.  Jewell,  Postmaster. 

Hope  Chapel,  Dale  Township,  D.  P.  Kyle,  Postmaster.  Discontinued. 

Langdon,  Benton  Township,  L.  H.  Ruland,  Postmaster. 

London,  Tarkio  Township,  H.  J.  Hendricks,  Postmaster. 

Magnet,  Polk  Township,  A.  Millsaps,  Postmaster. 

6(5 


1034 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON   COUNTY. 


Homer,  Tarkio  Township,  Ezra  D.  Johnson,  Postmaster. 
Milton,  Clark  Township,  Samuel  Van  Gundy,  Postmaster. 
Nishnebotna,  Clark  Township,  O.  A.  Bopst,  Postmaster. 
Phelps  City,  Templeton  Township,  N.  B.  McCreary,  Postmaster. 
Powellton,  Lincoln  Township,  E.  F.  Powell,  Postmaster. 
Rock  Port,  Clay  Township,  John  D.  Dopf,  Postmaster. 
Tarkio,  Tarkio  Township,  Mrs.  E.  A.  B.,  Postmistress. 
Watson,  Nishnebotna  Township,  S.  C.  Danford,  Postmaster. 
Westboro,  Lincoln  Township,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Coe,  Postmistress. 
York,  Tarkio  Township,  F.  Greenlee,  Postmaster. 

OLD   SETTLERS    FROM    184O  TO    1850. 

Below  will  be  found  the  names  of  167  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the 
county,  alphabetically  arranged  : 


Amen,  Ralph. 
Acord,  Jacob. 
Applegate,  John. 
Argyle,  A.  H. 
Applegate,  James. 
Aull,  Dr. 
Allen,  J.  W. 
Brown,  J.  M. 
Bradford,  A.  A. 
Burns,  J.  P. 
Bruce,  H.  H. 
Beale,  Moses. 
Barker,  D.  H. 
Brown,  William. 
Bethard,  S. 
Bush,  F.  C. 
Buckham,  R.  S. 
Boler,  John. 
Branston,  John. 
Baird,  John. 
Borchers,  George. 
Borchers,  August. 
Benoist,  F. 
Booth,  T.  P. 
Brown,  C.  P. 
Bird,  J.  Y. 
Bull,  A. 
Cooper,  Stephen. 


Cornogg,  William. 
Curry,  Edward. 
Cooper,  J.  W. 
Chap  de  Lain. 
Cook,  J.  K. 
Cloepfield,  C. 
Caudle,  Hugh. 
Clasbey,  James  D. 
Comfort,  S.  J. 
Cowles,  C.  H. 
Cole,  Jesse. 
Carter,  J.  F. 
Chamberlain,  J. 
Cummins,  J. 
Copeland,  John. 
Daniel,  William. 
Dailey,  William. 
Evans,  F.  M. 
English,  D.  M. 
English,  Caleb. 
English,  Margaret. 
Farmer,  Thomas. 
Fulkerson,  M. 
Fowler,  James. 
Fugitt,  S.  C. 
Farmer,  Jere. 
Fish,  Walter. 
Freeman,  John  W. 


Forsythe,  Enoch. 
Fren,  William. 
Freers,  John. 
Farmer,  Joshua. 
Flanagan,  Richard. 
Gemecker,  A. 
Garrison,  A.  E. 
Gilhan,  Rachel. 
Gaunts,  S. 
George,  B.  M. 
Greenwood,  Thomas. 
Graves,  W.  E. 
Harbin,  James. 
Hunter,  William. 
Harness,  Peter. 
Hanley,  J.  R. 
Hunsaker,  D. 
Helm,  J. 
Hawkins,  R. 
Hitchcock,  R. 
Hayes,  H. 
Hall,  E. 

Hawkins,  Reuben. 
Happt,  Fences. 
Hull,  Edward. 
Hull,  J.  C. 
Jackson,  Asa. 
Jones,  John. 


RRIDGFS,    TOST   OFFICES,    ETC. 


I035 


Jesse,  A.  C. 
Johnson,  J.  T. 
Jones,  M.  M. 
Jones,  David. 
James,  John. 
Jones,  G.  F. 
Kime,  A. 
Killison,  J. 
King,  Samuel. 
Kennedy,  J.  F. 
King,  William. 
Lovelady,  T.  N. 
Livingston,  V. 
Lambert,  William. 
Lowber,  D.  D. 
Lee,  Giles. 
Lacy,  E. 
Lowe,  Nicholas. 
Lowe,  Isaac. 
McKissock,  J. 
McLaughlin,  P.  L. 
McDonald,  C. 
McLane,  — . 
Moberly,  James. 
Millsaps,  C. 
Markwood,  R. 
Miller,  J.  W. 
Meek,  N. 
McElroy,  A. 


Martin,  John. 
Martin,  James. 
Norris,  Leo. 
Needels,  E.  S. 
Nuckolls  S.  F. 
O'Neal,  H. 
Oliver,  J.  W. 
O'Flanegan,  — . 
Poites,  William  J. 
Pillkinton,  L. 
Parman,  W.  G. 
Parman,  James. 
Poor,  Edward. 
Plitt,  L.  W. 
Rafferty,  S.  B. 
Robertson,  J.  W. 
Roberts,  James. 
Rupe,  R. 
Roundtree,  H.  O. 
Rhodes,  L.  P. 
Scammon,  E.  D. 
Skeen,  A. 
Stewart,  A. 
Singleton,  A.  J. 
Scott,  J.  C. 
Stafford,  William. 
Smith,  Sampson. 
Sparks,  William. 
Sisher,  E. 


Stephern,  Jesse. 
Silva,  E. 

Stapleton,  Esther. 
Slusher,  Eli. 
Stoner,  J. 
Standford,  P.  M. 
Still,  J.  F. 
Sipes,  John. 
Skidmore,  M.  K. 
Snow,  C.  V. 
Tate,  L.  T. 
Tate,  L.  S. 
Thomas.  W.  C. 
Teague,  William. 
Thompson,  J.  T. 
Venable,  J.,  Dr. 
Van  Leuven. 
Watts,  H. 
Warmcastle,  F.  M. 
Wolf,  George. 
White,  Hes. 
Whipple,  P. 
Wade,  Jeff. 
Wells,  William. 
World,  Joseph. 
Whitehead,  J.  H. 
Wolsey,  William. 
Wallis,  J.  F. 


CALIFORNIA    EMIGRANTS. 

Atchison  County,  like  almost  every  section  of  the  country  in  the 
United  States,  during  the  years  1849  and  1850,  was  afflicted  with  the 
gold  mania,  and  so  prevalent  did  it  become,  even  in  the  salubrious  and 
sparsely  settled  county,  that,  perhaps,  one-half  of  the  adult  male  popu- 
lation caught  the  infection  and  took  up  their  line  of  march  for  the 
golden  shores  of  California.  Among  the  pioneers  who  wended  their 
way  thither,  braving  the  dangers  of  the  long  and  lonely  route,  were  the 
following : 

James  Helm,  Doctorman  Helm, 

Davenport  Helm,  John  Hank, 

Turner  Helm,  John  Hank,  (cousins), 

Vernal  Thompson,  James  Thompson, 


Henry  Bush, 
Daunt  Helm, 
Leander  Seymour, 
John  Wallace, 


1036 


HISTORY   OF   ATCHISON    COUNTY. 


George  Thompson, 
William  Ward, 
Henry  Hampinstall, 

dinger, 

John  Hawk, 
William  Farmer, 
Martin  Cozine, 
Welcome  Fowler, 
Jack  Thompson, 

Lansfield, 

James  Hunter, 
Thomas  Akins, 
Marble  Jones, 
James  Worl, 
Burly  Vaughn, 
Crighton  Hays, 
Jacob  Richley. 


Samuel  Beck, 
Henry  Ward, 
Rodney  Hopkins, 
Jake  Hawk, 
George  Klaus, 
Justis  Hall, 
William  Price, 
Samuel  Fowler, 
Joseph  Garrison, 

Marlin, 

John  Beard, 
James  Akins, 
James  Low, 
James  Hays, 

Yates, 

James  Sandford, 


Frank  Beck, 
Samuel  Hampinstall, 

Clinger, 

Ham  Hawk, 
Dr.  J.  Y.  Bird, 
N.  O.  Hopkins, 
John  Bender, 
Thomas  Fowler, 

Schubert, 

Alexander  Handley, 
Alexander  McFlroy, 
Nathen  Meeks, 
Conrad  Cloepfield, 
John  Cole, 
Mark  Buckham, 
H.  M.  Hays, 


&  ,  lh^  L^j.  /  U.  n  V,  H  /,  *>,y. 


J 


> 


'<t  \ 


I   )^     h,qf'«JT  ^ 


vl 


u 


BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNIVERSITY 


3  1197  21121   1583 


Date  Due 

All  library  items  are  subject  to  recall  at  any  time. 

SEf  ft'l  toutJ 

SEP  0  7  ?nf 

R 

OCT  15  2010 

i 

Brigham  Young  University 

ify  ii  H  St,